[Messiahknot]

Hi everyone. I'll start this with the obvious prerequisite - here be SPOILERS!

I just finished Gardens of the Moon for the first time (and incidentally, my first Malazan book), and wow, I feel compelled to add my voice to the appraising chorus and hail it for what it is - a true classic. Well done SE (and ICE ), back pats all round. I loved it: the unfolding drama, the overwhelming scope and the enjoyable and interesting characters. I was totally engaged the whole time I was reading, and many times when I was not, often finding my thoughts dominated by ponderings of suspicions, intrigues and hidden meanings. I hope it wasn't too noticeable, or neglectful for that matter lol (Sorry Lara if it was ).

Anway...

I was wondering if anybody felt as I did at Lorns death. I felt truly sorry for her. I loved the way she was developed as the story progressed, associating more with her position than her humanity - at first appearing as a robot-like subservient arm of the Empresses will, acting and think only on that which was assigned to her, until very slowly, events culminated in the erosion of that artificial wall revealing her true self. She struggled under the strain of personal discontent, her internal war of identity and purpose. Questions plagued that threatened all that she thought she was. Inspired stuff, and at its core, perhaps the most human worry we can feel. I mean, I've felt like that, I'm sure we all have. I really identified with her, even though for all intent and purposes she was a 'baddie'. With that said though, thats what I think is one of biggest strengths I've encountered in SE writing thus far - the facts that characters aren't black and white, merely shades of grey. In other words human.

Damn, only through the first book and my two favorite characters are already dead (Toc and Lorn) lol.

[Aptorian]

Toc was thrown into a warren. For all intents and purposes hes MIA.

[Messiahknot]

I thought that might be the case. It seems in Eriksons world, no-one can ever really be considered dead until the final book.

[Aptorian]

Or the reader gets a detailed description of their body being torn to pieces and the soul passing Hoods threshold

[Messiahknot]

Yes, except for that lol. Even then though, I still wouldn't total rule it out.

So Aptorian, feel sorry for Lorn at all?

[Aptorian]

I never really warmed for her. I didn't hate her either though. I liked her death, allthough a last confrontation between her and Paran, with her not cut up, might have been interesting.

[Abyss]

Lorn really was not a clear cut character. She's written both as sympathetic (victim of the purge of the Mouse) and totally unsympathetic (i'll just put this acorn right here and then get clear while undead Jaghut tyrant nukes city full of people). She took out Crockus's group easily, but backed off when she had them totally at her mercy.

And other characters' relationships with her are unclear - WJ seems to respect her, Paran initially all but worships her but then wants to take her down...

It did seem that the book was building to her death. That said, there was a nice fake-out where Blues lets her live only for Meese and [name escapes me] to basically just execute her.

I can't say i sympathize, but there were elements of the character i found sympathetic. I was satisfied with her arc and not sorry we won't see her again (we think. maybe.).


- Abyss, will never trust an acorn again...

[circlebreaker]

Honestly, Lorn did not affect me - in a positive way, anyway - as much as some of the other characters. IMO, Lorn has a multiple personality disorder. Half the time she is a cold, brutal weapon in Laseen's hand. The other half of the time, she's a terrified child, plagued by doubts about what she is doing/becoming. I can see how this is meant to be a 'glimpse' into the real Lorn - the part of her that is not the adjunct to the Empress, but these glimpses occur far too often.

What Lorn did for me was reveal, in brutal clarity, what happens when you give yourself to a cause completely and utterly. She is the sword of the Empress. The Empress' tenets, doctrines, and beliefs are Lorn's beliefs. She thinks as the Empress does and does her bidding without question.

[Messiahknot]

I can see both of your points. I guess its just natural gravitation to a character that motivated me to like her. Reading, like most things, is mostly subjective. I can see why many wouldn't warm to her.

That said, her bipolar dominated personality very much intrigued me. I like how her facade sporadically falls showing her unstable - or more to the point, human - nature. Humans aren't rational when their feelings overpower them. I think that was demonstrated well in her inner dialog - the two sides locked in a battle for supremacy. Her mind ran away with things from one extreme to the other. Like you said, sometimes she was cold and ruthless, other times a cowering mess. She flip flopped between the two. It's a interesting duality.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

There were parts of Lorn that inspired sympathy, but overall her sad bits just didn't grab me. I wasn't sad when she died at all, but wasn't excited either. I guess "meh" sums it up well.

[Mykar Blackheart]

To be honest I was intrigued by the Lorn Plot. She started out as this cold agent of the empress, the I started to see more of her...the real her (I guess). I liked the interactions between her and Tool, and I was eagerly awaiting her outcome.

I was looking out for the following:

1. Would her devotion to the empress eventually lead to her death/ruin.

2. Would she abandon the empire to seek her own path.

3. Would there be any resolution between herself and 'Sail.

4. Would she end up getting betrayed by the empire/empress

5. Would she get killed by one of the bridgeburners.

6. Would she happen up on some great secret, or solve some dangerous mystery regarding the empire/empress.




Despite the fact that most of my expectations were not met, I'm still satisfied with the way her story ended.

[Sir.Bumpaclottus]

I thought her death and the fight right before that with the crimson guard, was the most satisfying scene in the book.

She was waaay too cocky, cause of her otataral blade.

[Abyss]

Yeah, i enjoyed how she was just wholly overwhelmed by Blues, and then again by Meese and Irilta.

It was a key moment in the book too, Lorn had taken down Coll, Murillo and Kruppe - an experienced soldier, a professional swordsman, and an at least decently powerful mage - all at once, so showing how however skilled or powerful a character is, there is likely someone better and/or someone who won't fight fair was important.

[Sir.Bumpaclottus]

Yeah, and she was so surprised by it too. With a look of complete disbelief on her face, went something like that.

That made it even more sweet.