[Andorion]

36 chapters into the Air War, Endgame approaching.

Spoiler

This is easily the best book in the series so far. The sense of foreboding, of a gathering storm is done very well in the beginning of the book and after that the pacing is excellent. This book allows the author to get back to writing what he is best at: Large scale combat situations. Easily some of the best combat I have read recently. If the last two books are this good this series will end up being one of my all time favourites.

[Macros]

50% through sea watch now, haven't had much reading time recently but it just feels like a very slow book compared to 5

[Mentalist]

Briar King, on 02 November 2015 - 07:26 PM, said:

I'm glad for you. It was my favorite and while 9&10 are extremely good they are a step below the epicness he managed to nail in that one.

10 was great as a conclusion, since it covered pretty much everything.

The main story in 9 felt a bit "set-up"-y, but the "big picture" stuff was great.

[Andorion]

Finished Air War last night. Jumping straight into War Masters Gate.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 03 November 2015 - 02:44 AM, said:

Andorion, on 03 November 2015 - 02:00 AM, said:

Finished Air War last night. Jumping straight into War Masters Gate.

That was just insanely epic right?! WMG is action heavy also. Do you have the copy of book that has the short story added at end of book?

I loved the WW2 allusions and the awesome air battles. I would have liked to get a bit more of Seda though

I don't think I have the short story. Its a library book.

What's the name of the story? The author has a bunch of them on his website

This post has been edited by Andorion: 03 November 2015 - 03:23 AM

[Andorion]

About halfway into Warmasters Gate and this book is awesome

[Andorion]

There's actually a bunch of stuff on his website. I will get to it when I am done with the series

[Andorion]

Finished Seal of the Worm

The book is good. Really good. But confusing

Spoiler

The first part was a bit too slow for me. but when things picked up, things picked up fast

Loved the Sea-Kinden attack, was wondering whether we would see them and was not disappointed.

Stenwolds death was done really well.

The ending left me wanting more. I felt Che had been built up from Book 5 for no real purpose as her story seemed anticlimactic to me.

I was confused by the Centipede god. What was it really? Died pretty easily.

Was not expecting the assassin to make it out alive,

Totho, even in his tiny sections was just as annoying, But he ended well.

[Mentalist]

Andorion, on 06 November 2015 - 05:06 PM, said:

Finished Seal of the Worm

The book is good. Really good. But confusing

Spoiler

The first part was a bit too slow for me. but when things picked up, things picked up fast

Loved the Sea-Kinden attack, was wondering whether we would see them and was not disappointed.

Stenwolds death was done really well.

The ending left me wanting more. I felt Che had been built up from Book 5 for no real purpose as her story seemed anticlimactic to me.

I was confused by the Centipede god. What was it really? Died pretty easily.

Was not expecting the assassin to make it out alive,

Totho, even in his tiny sections was just as annoying, But he ended well.

Spoiler

Centipede God was the totem of the centipede-Kinden made real. They all gave up their individuality to create their own God. And like the Borg, it would assimilate everyone, b/c centipedes stopped breeding-they would turn other slave kinden's kids into more Centipede-kinden.

Che and Seda were the "bringers of magic back". I felt her story wrapped up nicely. The new Kinden UN has equal rights for Apt and Inapt, and everyone's happy and no one power is a hegemon-just how Stenwold wanted it to be.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 06 November 2015 - 05:16 PM

[Andorion]

Mentalist, on 06 November 2015 - 05:16 PM, said:

Andorion, on 06 November 2015 - 05:06 PM, said:

Finished Seal of the Worm

The book is good. Really good. But confusing

Spoiler

The first part was a bit too slow for me. but when things picked up, things picked up fast

Loved the Sea-Kinden attack, was wondering whether we would see them and was not disappointed.

Stenwolds death was done really well.

The ending left me wanting more. I felt Che had been built up from Book 5 for no real purpose as her story seemed anticlimactic to me.

I was confused by the Centipede god. What was it really? Died pretty easily.

Was not expecting the assassin to make it out alive,

Totho, even in his tiny sections was just as annoying, But he ended well.

Spoiler

Centipede God was the totem of the centipede-Kinden made real. They all gave up their individuality to create their own God. And like the Borg, it would assimilate everyone, b/c centipedes stopped breeding-they would turn other slave kinden's kids into more Centipede-kinden.

Che and Seda were the "bringers of magic back". I felt her story wrapped up nicely. The new Kinden UN has equal rights for Apt and Inapt, and everyone's happy and no one power is a hegemon-just how Stenwold wanted it to be.

Spoiler

My confusion regarding the Centipede was how strongly supernatural was it? When its first described, its as if it isn't even fully material. But essentially I suppose it was a giant centipede with a magic and tech cancelling denial powered aura.



Heh. An insectile Karsa.

And it got taken out by the Jaws gambit

Regarding Che, I was just expecting her to be the primary opposition and antagonist to the Worm. I had imagined a climactic Che+Seda tag team victory, Seda tries to kill Che afterwards, gets taken out by Thalric.

I have no problem with the insect UN. The mantis delegate is hilarious, The Sea kinden should have joined and sent the giant squid.

I am more concerned with the Moth parliament though. The profession based representation + city representation + a central imperial authority in chaeck reminded me heavily of the Holy Roman Empire just prior to the 30 Years War, which was the worst European conflict before the 20th Century

[Mentalist]

Andorion, on 06 November 2015 - 05:35 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 06 November 2015 - 05:16 PM, said:

Andorion, on 06 November 2015 - 05:06 PM, said:

Finished Seal of the Worm

The book is good. Really good. But confusing

Spoiler

The first part was a bit too slow for me. but when things picked up, things picked up fast

Loved the Sea-Kinden attack, was wondering whether we would see them and was not disappointed.

Stenwolds death was done really well.

The ending left me wanting more. I felt Che had been built up from Book 5 for no real purpose as her story seemed anticlimactic to me.

I was confused by the Centipede god. What was it really? Died pretty easily.

Was not expecting the assassin to make it out alive,

Totho, even in his tiny sections was just as annoying, But he ended well.

Spoiler

Centipede God was the totem of the centipede-Kinden made real. They all gave up their individuality to create their own God. And like the Borg, it would assimilate everyone, b/c centipedes stopped breeding-they would turn other slave kinden's kids into more Centipede-kinden.

Che and Seda were the "bringers of magic back". I felt her story wrapped up nicely. The new Kinden UN has equal rights for Apt and Inapt, and everyone's happy and no one power is a hegemon-just how Stenwold wanted it to be.

Spoiler

My confusion regarding the Centipede was how strongly supernatural was it? When its first described, its as if it isn't even fully material. But essentially I suppose it was a giant centipede with a magic and tech cancelling denial powered aura.



Heh. An insectile Karsa.

And it got taken out by the Jaws gambit

Regarding Che, I was just expecting her to be the primary opposition and antagonist to the Worm. I had imagined a climactic Che+Seda tag team victory, Seda tries to kill Che afterwards, gets taken out by Thalric.

I have no problem with the insect UN. The mantis delegate is hilarious, The Sea kinden should have joined and sent the giant squid.

I am more concerned with the Moth parliament though. The profession based representation + city representation + a central imperial authority in chaeck reminded me heavily of the Holy Roman Empire just prior to the 30 Years War, which was the worst European conflict before the 20th Century

Spoiler

Re: Che and Seda: Tchaikovsky built that up, but then he did smth different (using Totho as the ur-believer in "Science!!!" as a religion-killer. I think it was mainly b/c he needed Seda to play Hitler (which I personally felt was contrived, and the weakest part of the book), and everything that flowed from that. Che was the PoV into the Worm, but it's been steadily put that she's not strong enough, b/c the Masters' power is split b/w her and Seda. With Seda coming up with her own "solution" instead of using the power of friendship ©, it was kinda obvious they wouldn't be able to defeat the Worm. Then along came Totho.

Re: the 30 y war analogy: don't think there's much to worry here, b/c there's no religious strife, and no attempts to redistribute power b/w secular and temporal. With the UN model, no nationalism to really over-stress about either (well, maybe in the Spiderlands)

And yes, the Mantis ambassador line in the end was amazing. I grinned like an idiot @ that.

[Macros]

Finised Air War

About 70 pages into war masters gate.
The action was relentless in Air War, couldn't put it down.

[Andorion]

Macros, on 16 November 2015 - 09:14 AM, said:

Finised Air War

About 70 pages into war masters gate.
The action was relentless in Air War, couldn't put it down.

I will say it again. Air War was awesome. Nothing else in the series matches it

[Macros]

Just finished War Masters Gate, like 2 minutes ago, downloaded Seal of the Worm on the Kobo.
Air War still my favourite at this point, but WMG a close second.

[Macros]

Kobo says about the 7/8 hour mark for an Apt book at my reading speed. Had quite a bit of down time at work today.

[Macros]

Just finished Seal of the Worm, now going back over the last page here to finally read the spoilered comments.

I'll agree with the general sentiment, really, really sticks the landing

[Andorion]

Woah Macros nice speed on the finish!

[Macros]

I agree with ment on his comment on Sedas charscterisation set up in the final book, felt a little ham fisted and heavy handed but overall, an excellent finish to the series.

Air War still the highlight, closely followed by War Masters Gate.
Of the 'better books' (what people seem to be considering... 4-10?) Id put Sea Watch as my least favourite.
But seriously after the initial trilogy, he's a different author, the difference is staggering.
I didn't have the problems with the first three quite a lot of people seem to have had (to the point of quitting after one book) I definitely though Empire of Black and Gold was a much more solid debut than many I have read, book ...2 I think it was, was the low point in the series for me.

Least favourite character, meh, Totho, just quite flat and whiney throughout, Colonel Auxilian a much more interesting artificer.

Favourite character, outside of the ENTIRE Commonweal Retaliation Army, probably Thalric, if for his cynicism and nothing else.

Milus was an interesting addition to the cast late on, suitably....single minded

This post has been edited by Macros: 17 November 2015 - 06:50 PM

[Tarcanus]

I just wish Thalric had gotten more time to be a character in the later books. It seems like he reaches his character arc's completion sometime during Book 5 and from there on out he's just a love interest/bodyguard for the rest of the series. He stops being interesting.

[Macros]

I think his character is almost necessary to act as a touch stone for other characters moral perspectives, he's fully aware of where he is on the compass but gets dragged into shit he doesn't care remotely about because of other 'better' people