[Bauchelain the Evil]

I don't know. The text near the map at the end of TJE says that Kellhus's armies were so formidable also because of his allegiance with the Mandate. If he had given the Gnosis to all the Schools, there wouldn't have been any sense in saying that.

[Jorram]

I think it's not so easy for him to do that even if he wanted to. Remember the Achamian incident and the need to actually hypnotize Mandate members in order to allow them to teach (funny how that didnt happen with Mimara though). It seems rather the simpler idea to just let things go the natural way - since the Mandate is now elevated in every political sense, it would seem plausible that their recruitment of the Few would go to greater lengths, especially given the Aspect-Emperor's abolition of the sorcery-damnation thing. It seems likely most if not all of the newly found talents would simple go to the Mandate itself, thus rendering it pointless to pass the Gnosis to other sorcerers and deprive the Mandate of their long coveted treasure secret.

[Yellow]

Things not looking too good on Bakker's blog. Seems the writing isn't paying the bills any more.

http://rsbakker.word...billboard-soul/

It's a real shame. I know some people don't like (or even hate) his books, but to think that the PoN/AE series are as big/famous as they are and it's still not enough for him to make a living. There's something wrong with the publishing industry.

[amphibian]

Yellow, on 01 December 2010 - 07:46 AM, said:

Things not looking too good on Bakker's blog. Seems the writing isn't paying the bills any more.

http://rsbakker.word...billboard-soul/

It's a real shame. I know some people don't like (or even hate) his books, but to think that the PoN/AE series are as big/famous as they are and it's still not enough for him to make a living. There's something wrong with the publishing industry.

Or he just wrote one book that's not worth the getting for a good chunk of people. The manner in which he set up his contract could have a great deal to do with his attitude and results.

Bakker's blog makes me actively dislike the man - and I really like the Kelhus books.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 01 December 2010 - 09:59 AM

[Abyss]

He still says he'll be finishing at least the current series, but the timing and what comes next may be uncertain.

I like his books and i think he's a talented author, but if he wants to keep writing fiction he may have to redirect his writing to something less edgy that can draw a wider audience, at least for a while. Which is frustrating because authors who do something different should be encouraged to go further afield, not back into farmboy-saves-world-gets-girl-and-her-sister-too territory.

[amphibian]

Abyss, on 01 December 2010 - 06:12 PM, said:

He still says he'll be finishing at least the current series, but the timing and what comes next may be uncertain.

I like his books and i think he's a talented author, but if he wants to keep writing fiction he may have to redirect his writing to something less edgy that can draw a wider audience, at least for a while. Which is frustrating because authors who do something different should be encouraged to go further afield, not back into farmboy-saves-world-gets-girl-and-her-sister-too territory.

I'm not going to take Bakker at his blog-word here. I flat out think he distorts or omits details in such a way as to fit his narrative. I'll wait for someone like Wert, who I trust about writing/publishing economics, to confirm that story. It is a tough situation for a good, but not best-selling author to be in and I think that his Kelhus series is worth the money for a huge chunk of SF fans.

However, I don't see Alastair Reynolds or Richard Morgan complaining about these things. I see them writing their asses off and producing consistently excellent books (although Century Rain was disappointing).

[SpectreofEschaton]

I'm kind of confused about this supposed negative response to DotG.

Between Amazon and Amazon.uk, there are 6 reviews: 2 five-star, 3 four-star, and 1 three-star.

I'd hardly call that a bad reception. I'll definitely be picking that up at some point, though.

[pat5150]

WhiskeyJackDaniels, on 27 November 2010 - 08:25 PM, said:

One question that bothered me about this book, or at least that I wasn't sure about. Since there is now a school for women wizards, started by Kellhus' daughter, and presumably taught by him. Does that mean they have the gnosis? I read the book awhile back so I can't quite remember, but I thought that the Mandate school was still the only one with the gnosis in this book...or at least it seemed implied.

Yes, the Aspect-Emperor taught them the Gnosis. His daughter, Serwa, is Grandmistress of that School, and she plays a big role in the events surrounding the Great Ordeal in TWLW.

Less than 100 pages to go, and it's pretty good thus far! Slow-moving in some portions of the book, especially the Achamian and Mimara narratives, but good nonetheless.

Patrick

[pat5150]

Exclusive extract from Bakker's The White-Luck Warrior here!

Cheers,

Patrick