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Wonder if there'll be some bizarre reveal with Yoru. Never got a good read on his motivations. I trust Joe enough that Yoru HAS some and isn't just something dumb like actually Khalul in disguise or something similarly hackish.
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Jun 16, 2019 08:46
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Why would Yoru be anything other than Bayaz' former apprentice and loyal servant?
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Jun 16, 2019 17:52
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bro I'm trying to power through Name of the Wind because my cousin insisted and the main character hasn't expressed a shred of self-doubt or faithlessness a single time in 600 pages
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Jun 24, 2019 08:21
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cargo cult posted:bro I'm trying to power through Name of the Wind because my cousin insisted and the main character hasn't expressed a shred of self-doubt or faithlessness a single time in 600 pages Sounds like an unreliable character to me
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Jun 25, 2019 06:49
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I remember reading the first book a decade or whatever ago and thinking for the first two thirds 'So, in the next chapter there'll be some hint that this guy is actually full of poo poo, right?' No, it never came. It was great because even though I could tell the author actually did mean the narrator to be super cool he still managed to look childish and pathetic.
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Jun 25, 2019 09:34
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It's pretty rich that Bayez was able to be snowed so completely by fake Malacus. I wonder if his overt involvement in politics again is driven by his art starting to finally fade. Oh God, Bayez is a Boomer.
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Jun 25, 2019 16:22
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Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:It's pretty rich that Bayez was able to be snowed so completely by fake Malacus. I wonder if his overt involvement in politics again is driven by his art starting to finally fade. Bayaz has stepped in and out of Union politics repeatedly over the entire history of the kingdom. He says his latest reemergence is precipitated by the death of Lord Chancellor Feekt, who was his guy in the same way Glokta is at the end of the trilogy. In much the same way we saw Yulwei effortlessly handle the twins in Gurkhul, Bayaz probably assumed he could handle any single threat, so it's possible he knew it wasn't the real Malacus and decided to sit on it like he claims when they reveal themselves.
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Jun 26, 2019 07:10
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He never felt the need to dig up the Nuke of the Covenant and fiddle with cannons before.
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Jun 27, 2019 23:47
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There’s a review https://mobile.twitter.com/FanBooRev/status/1147851926505213952
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Jul 10, 2019 04:14
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This is a spectacularly early review, isn't it?
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Jul 10, 2019 18:23
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Slanderer posted:This is a spectacularly early review, isn't it? 2 months out, more or less.
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Jul 10, 2019 19:36
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I just finished "The Blade Itself". Overall I was pretty well entertained, mostly by Glokta. I found his story to be the most compelling of the POV characters. Flawed, tragic type characters like him are often the most interesting. Logen is pretty interesting himself, but overall I had a hard time figuring out his motivation. He seems to be tagging along with Bayaz for some reason. Speaking of Bayaz, I don't feel like I fully trust him, or understand what his motivations are. Whatever he has planned for Ferro sounds awfully suspicious. Ferro is a fairly shallow character right now, and I find her kind of hard to identify with. It sounds like she is probably going to get some development in the next book. The book does seem to lack much of a driving conflict. The war with Bethod appears to be the main upcoming danger, but it never feels all that imminent throughout this book. It isn't like he is storming down the Adua gates. It doesn't feel like there is any approaching climax to build tension. I'll probably give the next book a shot, and see how things develop. Filthy Monkey fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Aug 18, 2019 |
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Aug 18, 2019 07:08
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Filthy Monkey posted:I just finished "The Blade Itself". Overall I was pretty well entertained, mostly by Glokta. I found his story to be the most compelling of the POV characters. Flawed, tragic type characters like him are often the most interesting. Don’t worry, all of those things get resolved or improved in the next book, and even more so in the 3rd book. How do you like Bayaz so far? He’s a fun character, more practical than most wizards in fiction. e: and I still think that Bloody Nine scene in the 1st book is what hooked me on the series: “Masked men. Enemies. Corpses, then. Their weakness was an insult to his strength.” 
lobotomy molo fucked around with this message at 07:28 on Aug 18, 2019 |
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Aug 18, 2019 07:20
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Exploding people while naked and dripping is a pretty boss move, I'll give him that. I still don't completely trust Bayaz though. He certainly acts benevolent, but he hasn't fully explained whatever his plan is to anybody else yet. I suppose I don't get why so many people would follow him when he seems to be keeping them in the dark. Edit: Yulwei suggesting to Ferro that she shouldn't completely trust Bayaz was also suspicious. Filthy Monkey fucked around with this message at 23:24 on Aug 21, 2019 |
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Aug 18, 2019 07:30
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Filthy Monkey posted:Exploding people while naked and dripping is a pretty boss move, I'll give him that. I still don't completely trust Bayaz though. He certainly acts benevolent, but he hasn't fully explained whatever his plan is to anybody else yet. I suppose I don't get why so many people would follow him when he seems to be keeping them in the dark. Yeah, he’s a bit of a bossy know-it-all, but his heart’s in the right place.  Also, if you haven’t tried them, I can’t recommend the audiobooks on Audible enough. Specifically the ones narrated by Steve Pacey. His voices are incredible, he really adds a lot of nuance & subtle touches to the characters.
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Aug 18, 2019 08:11
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I didn’t like Glokta but I really can’t stand the “magnificent bastard” type character—he irritates me in the same way Tyrion does. But they always seem to be the most popular characters so maybe it’s just me. Logen was always my favorite because I’m a sucker for the “former bad guy tries to go straight and leave his past behind but it catches up with him” cliche. But even then I feel like Abercrombie drew too stark a line between Logen and the Bloody-Nine so 9 often felt like a whole separate being that occasionally possesses Logen’s body rather than just the nasty side of Logen that he tries to compartmentalize. Really fun books though. I originally wasn’t sure how to feel when it was announced that the sequel trilogy(?) would follow the children of this trilogy’s protagonists, but after giving it some thought I think if Abercrombie pulls it off he can get the best of both worlds: build off of the characters and storylines from The First Law without being totally beholden to them or undercutting any of the characters’ endings.
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Aug 18, 2019 14:11
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Chuck Buried Treasure posted:Logen was always my favorite because I’m a sucker for the “former bad guy tries to go straight and leave his past behind but it catches up with him” cliche. The past never catches up to him. He returns to bad habits and to previous haunts where he should never go back to. All of his problems in the book are due to conscious choices on his part to not move past the things he professes to want to leave behind.
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Aug 18, 2019 14:47
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Chuck Buried Treasure posted:I didn’t like Glokta but I really can’t stand the “magnificent bastard” type character—he irritates me in the same way Tyrion does. But they always seem to be the most popular characters so maybe it’s just me. In Red Country Logen made it clear part of him enjoys being the Bloody Nine. IIRC he told shy he felt relief when they got to the farm and found her family hanged, because then he knew he could go back to being what he was. Still possible that he gets possessed, but he probably doesn't fight it too hard and then feels bad afterward, and that is the nasty side of Logen. Destro fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Aug 18, 2019 |
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Aug 18, 2019 17:03
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Yeah I really enjoyed Red Country, in large part because of Logen’s character. Bringing him back when I was pretty satisfied with his ending in the trilogy was another thing I was apprehensive about but Abercrombie pulled it off. The last story in Sharp Edges set when Logen was just the Bloody-Nine was also good.
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Aug 18, 2019 17:22
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Chuck Buried Treasure posted:But even then I feel like Abercrombie drew too stark a line between Logen and the Bloody-Nine so 9 often felt like a whole separate being that occasionally possesses Logen’s body rather than just the nasty side of Logen that he tries to compartmentalize. I'm pretty sure it feels like this because he's actually getting possessed by a whole separate being. Logen by himself still did plenty of bad poo poo he wants to make up for but I thought it was pretty explicit that the Bloody-Nine isn't him, it's just something that takes over occasionally. But I might be mistaken, it's been a couple years since I last read these.
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Aug 20, 2019 18:33
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Did I mention I'm really looking forward to another First Law book this year. I liked BSC, The Heroes and Red Country. The young adult trilogy he did was mediocre I thought, but it's been a long time since he's continued the main story of Bayaz vs Khalul, which I want to see.
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Aug 20, 2019 23:42
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Caf posted:I'm pretty sure it feels like this because he's actually getting possessed by a whole separate being. Logen by himself still did plenty of bad poo poo he wants to make up for but I thought it was pretty explicit that the Bloody-Nine isn't him, it's just something that takes over occasionally. Nah, that's an open issue in the first trilogy and pretty much settled in the negative through Red Country. Logen's lying to himself, just like everyone else does.
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Aug 21, 2019 05:13
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Destro posted:In Red Country Logen made it clear part of him enjoys being the Bloody Nine. IIRC he told shy he felt relief when they got to the farm and found her family hanged, because then he knew he could go back to being what he was. Still possible that he gets possessed, but he probably doesn't fight it too hard and then feels bad afterward, and that is the nasty side of Logen. It's not just enjoying the Bloody Nine part. He enjoys not having to act like a doormat, which he would have to do consistently to keep the Bloody Nine from emerging. I don't think you have to be a monster to feel some relief at not having to turn the other cheek at every provocation. (Which isn't to say Logen hasn't done some things which were inexcusable, quite aside from the Bloody Nine.) I agree with the possession theories. Abercrombie's been cagey about telling us much of anything about the spirit-talking son of Euz, and about Logen's ability itself, but unlike Logen spitting fire in the first book, it's still there and I can't imagine it not having some significance.
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Aug 21, 2019 11:50
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I've just assumed that Bedesh seeded the world and the North specifically, with disciples who went native and bred the aptitude for Art into the population which is why you'll occasionally see witches with actual power and Logan with his now rare ability. I'm still amazed the series hasn't been optioned for TV yet.
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Aug 21, 2019 14:03
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Isn't one of the sons of Crummock-i-Phail a major character in the next trilogy? They seemed hooked into some non-Juvens magic stuff so we might get more information on the spirit side of things there. Edit his daughter it seems Neurosis fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Aug 22, 2019 |
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Aug 21, 2019 16:37
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Neurosis posted:Isn't one of the sons of Crummock-i-Phail a major character in the next trilogy? They seemed hooked into some non-Juvens magic stuff so we might get more information on the spirit side of things there. Yup! It's the aggressive little girl who was carrying Crummock's hammer. I believe her name was Isern?
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Aug 22, 2019 12:45
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Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:I'm still amazed the series hasn't been optioned for TV yet. Supposedly someone took these pictures in Culver City about a year and a half ago: https://imgur.com/account/favorites/P5gyS I could have sworn that someone tweeted them at Abercrombie, who basically said he couldn't talk about it at this time and when he could he would, but I can't seem to find that right now.
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Aug 22, 2019 14:54
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Some of the early reviews have betrayed a weird Abercrombie calling card: Incest. Sabine Dan Glotka is banging Prince Orso in secret. I cannot wait to see what a useless lump Jezal has become.
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Aug 22, 2019 16:52
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Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:Some of the early reviews have betrayed a weird Abercrombie calling card: They....aren't related? Am I remembering something wrong? Ardee and West were related, Jezal liked her as well. Glotka got the power and the girl.
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Aug 22, 2019 16:58
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:They....aren't related? Am I remembering something wrong? Ardee and West were related, Jezal liked her as well. Glotka got the power and the girl. If Sabine is Ardee's firstborn and Prince Orso is Jezal's son, then they are related. Glokta proposed to Ardee to cover for her pregnancy with Jezal, as the options were either marriage or assassination. Presumably, Sabine and Prince Orso wouldn't know about this.
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Aug 22, 2019 17:13
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:They....aren't related? Am I remembering something wrong? Ardee and West were related, Jezal liked her as well. Glotka got the power and the girl. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought one reason for the Weet/Glotka marriage was that Jezal had knocked Ardee up. Edit: yeah, hiding the soon to be Royal Bastard was part of the marriage. Chef Boyardeez Nuts fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Aug 22, 2019 |
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Aug 22, 2019 17:14
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Magitek posted:If Sabine is Ardee's firstborn and Prince Orso is Jezal's son, then they are related. Glokta proposed to Ardee to cover for her pregnancy with Jezal, as the options were either marriage or assassination.
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Aug 22, 2019 17:18
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Gantolandon posted:Yup! It's the aggressive little girl who was carrying Crummock's hammer. I believe her name was Isern? I saw this post yesterday, and I all I could think was that the daughter was the standout among his children. I'm so glad she's a main instead of one of the sons.
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Aug 22, 2019 18:06
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Hoping for a vengeful rad-ghoul Collum West twist.
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Aug 22, 2019 18:51
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Please don't bring the sister-slapping nice guy Collum West back.
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Aug 22, 2019 19:35
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szary posted:Please don't bring the sister-slapping nice guy Collum West back. I don't regret Collum dieing in the original trilogy, but I feel he has one of the better takes on someone that loathes themselves for what they've done. He knows he's a piece of poo poo for what he did to his sister.
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Aug 22, 2019 20:10
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He's one of the few people who experienced moral growth.
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Aug 22, 2019 20:27
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But he also did in Ladisla so it all evens out right?
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Aug 24, 2019 03:17
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Chuck Buried Treasure posted:But even then I feel like Abercrombie drew too stark a line between Logen and the Bloody-Nine so 9 often felt like a whole separate being that occasionally possesses Logen’s body rather than just the nasty side of Logen that he tries to compartmentalize. Uh. I always figured that The Bloody Nine *literally* was a separate being from Logan. Logan is the last man who can speak with spirits, and when he went all Bloody Nine I figured that was him being possessed by some sort of demon or death-spirit. The thing that makes him culpable, and a ultimately a bad person, is that he built his dozen and made a name for himself by continuously putting himself in situations where he knew a demon would come out and there would be a big, bloody fight. The Bloody Nine was a weapon for him to exploit, and that all jibes well with the whole thesis statement of the first book: "The blade itself incites to a deeds of violence." That's my fan-theory, at least. Logan could have just been a violent dude who had fun with his berserker rages, but I prefer the possession theory. Blastedhellscape fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Aug 25, 2019 |
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Aug 25, 2019 05:06
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Blastedhellscape posted:Uh. I always figured that The Bloody Nine *literally* was a separate being from Logan. Logan is the last man who can speak with spirits, and when he went all Bloody Nine I figured that was him being possessed by some sort of demon or death-spirit. The thing that makes him culpable, and a ultimately a bad person, is that he built his dozen and made a name for himself by continuously putting himself in situations where he knew a demon would come out and there would be a big, bloody fight. The Bloody Nine was a weapon for him to exploit, and that all jibes well with the whole thesis statement of the first book: "The blade itself incites to a deeds of violence." I believe Abercrombie himself has commented that he wrote it to be intentionally vague so that the reader can interpret it either way regarding the Bloody Nine being a distinct entity or a personality state of Logen. Logen losing control of his actions in specific situations can be compared to an individual who feels they can't control their rage or addictive impulses. However I'm also of the personal opinion that the Bloody Nine is a distinct spiritual entity that occasionally possesses the body of Logan. The fact that Logan instantly drops out of the Bloody Nine state when Bayaz' magical nuke goes off suggests to me that it's a distinctly magical phenomenon.
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Aug 26, 2019 06:44
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