Malazan Empire: West from Theft to islands of Seguleh? - Malazan Empire

Jump to content

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

West from Theft to islands of Seguleh?

#1 User is offline   Hocknose 

  • High Fist
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 305
  • Joined: 30-September 08
  • Location:Leeds, UK

Posted 20 January 2010 - 10:57 PM

Very confused by literally the first few lines of the first chapter of this book:

"West of Theft, the Tithe Strait opens out into
the Wastes. A vast stretch of ocean through which naught but
the adventurous and the foolhardy dared brave the treacherous,
dubious sea-lanes as far as the red road of Laughter's End,
and from there onwards to the islands of the Seguleh and the
southern coast of Genabackis..."

Am I right in thinking that Theft is on the north coast of Korelri?

If that is the case, then according to the (very well put together) map in the gallery if you go West from Theft you'll either hit Drift Avali or the southern coasts of Quon?

And if I'm being particularly stupid (by getting my east and west the wrong way round) Seguleh and Genabackis are still many leagues north and east of Theft.

Just been revising for an exam so my heads a bit screwed but I'm pretty sure somethings not quite right Posted Image
0

#2 User is offline   Imperial Historian 

  • Master of the Deck
  • Group: Administrators
  • Posts: 7,880
  • Joined: 08-February 04

Posted 21 January 2010 - 12:05 AM

I spent a long time trying to resolve this as well, and I have spectacularly failed.

The geography of koreli/jackuru/theft has always been a bit suspect with the two continents apparently flipping round according to some descriptions, but even with that I can't see a way for that description to work with the information we know.

The only explaination that I can see is that we have the wrong placement of the seguleh island and it is to the east of genabackis, then it might be possible to sail round the globe and arrive at southern genabackis and the seguleh islands.

On the otherhand if you take that description and stick east instead of west you do get a vast stretch of ocean, eventually leading to genabackis, if by a north easterly route (note it is my opinion that genabackis is a bit too north on werts map, but thats only a feeling rather than something backed up with quotes)
0

#3 User is offline   D'rek 

  • Consort of High House Mafia
  • Group: Super Moderators
  • Posts: 14,599
  • Joined: 08-August 07
  • Location::

Posted 21 January 2010 - 03:34 AM

Yeah, as IH said, geography relating to Korel and Jacuruku is messed up. Right now I'm in favour of Jacuruku being west of Korel, which is just under Quon Tali (so the most northern parts of it like Theft could be near the same latitude of southern genebackis). I think you just have to chalk this one up to it supposed to being east, and not west.

View Postworrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.
0

#4 User is offline   Hocknose 

  • High Fist
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 305
  • Joined: 30-September 08
  • Location:Leeds, UK

Posted 21 January 2010 - 11:12 AM

Yeah I thought it might be just an error, but didn't SE say that Wert's map wasn't far off from being quite accurate?
0

#5 User is offline   Werthead 

  • Ascendant
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 3,540
  • Joined: 14-November 05

Posted 22 January 2010 - 12:22 AM

Jacuruku has to be east of Korel for all the accounts to line up, most notably the fact that the Crimson Guard sail from Bael to Korelri via Jacuruku, and wassherface from Lether drops off Iron Bars and co on the coast of Jacuruku between MT and RG, with them planning to cross the continent from east to west and then make their way back to Korelri.

I think the simplest answer is that SE wrote 'west' whilst meaning 'east'. This solves all the problems pretty easily.
Visit The Wertzone for reviews of SF&F books, DVDs and computer games!


"Try standing out in a winter storm all night and see how tough you are. Start with that. Then go into a bar and pick a fight and see how tough you are. And then go home and break crockery over your head. Start with those three and you'll be good to go."
- Bruce Campbell on how to be as cool as he is
0

#6 User is offline   Malaclypse 

  • Banned User
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Banned Users
  • Posts: 1,350
  • Joined: 24-August 16

Posted 22 January 2010 - 11:34 AM

I feel compelled to clear a couple of things up here. I'm looking at a world map hand-drawn by SE and it's clear that both he and ICE have made errors in their writing regarding the placement of Jacuruku. On the map, Jacuruku is quite clearly between the continent of Lether and Korelri, with the easternmost extent of Lether (Kolanse area) only a short hop away from the west coast of Jacuruku. So, Iron bars and co. must travel eastward across Jacuruku. I haven't found the ref. in Return that talks about the Guard going to Korel by way of Jacuruku but I wonder is it possible that there was another reason for stopping at Jacuruku? Because it's not far.

Before anybody asks, no I can't post the map. Sorry.

I hope this helps.

#7 User is offline   D'rek 

  • Consort of High House Mafia
  • Group: Super Moderators
  • Posts: 14,599
  • Joined: 08-August 07
  • Location::

Posted 24 January 2010 - 12:19 AM

Unless I'm wrong, Shurq in RG remembers dropping off Iron Bars and his squad on Jacuruku as they were planning to cross the continent on-foot, get to the other side and take sail to Korel to meet up with the rest of the CG, no? But if Jacuruku is east of Korel then wouldn't Assail be in the way of that anyway? If they sailed around Assail they could've easily sailed more around Jacuruku. While if Jacuruku was west of Korel then Shurq could have sailed across the southern edge of the Lether continent and dropped Iron Bars and co. off on the closest edge of the next continent they found, which makes more sense to me in terms of motivations.

The RCG part of going to Korel by Jacuruku doesn't work as well, but I think perhaps SE has it east of Korel (more often than not) and ICE has it west.

Needless to say, it's confusing.

View Postworrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.
0

#8 User is offline   Salt-Man Z 

  • My pen halts, though I do not
  • View gallery
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 4,159
  • Joined: 07-February 08
  • Location:Apple Valley, MN

Posted 14 July 2011 - 08:41 PM

I won't get into Jacuruku, but I'm currently reading "Lees" and looking at the Stonewielder map. It seems to me that the Tithe Strait runs north and east along the coast of the continent. You sail east with the Tithe Strait to get to Genabackis, but the strait itself does in fact lie off the west coast of Theft (as the story says.)

Attached File(s)


This post has been edited by Salt-Man Z: 14 July 2011 - 08:44 PM

"Here is light. You will say that it is not a living entity, but you miss the point that it is more, not less. Without occupying space, it fills the universe. It nourishes everything, yet itself feeds upon destruction. We claim to control it, but does it not perhaps cultivate us as a source of food? May it not be that all wood grows so that it can be set ablaze, and that men and women are born to kindle fires?"
―Gene Wolfe, The Citadel of the Autarch
0

#9 User is offline   D'rek 

  • Consort of High House Mafia
  • Group: Super Moderators
  • Posts: 14,599
  • Joined: 08-August 07
  • Location::

Posted 15 July 2011 - 01:11 AM

View PostSalt-Man Z, on 14 July 2011 - 08:41 PM, said:

I won't get into Jacuruku, but I'm currently reading "Lees" and looking at the Stonewielder map. It seems to me that the Tithe Strait runs north and east along the coast of the continent. You sail east with the Tithe Strait to get to Genabackis, but the strait itself does in fact lie off the west coast of Theft (as the story says.)


Valid point. If that's how he meant it that is rather convoluted writing but it does work. Plus who knows what the geography was like at that point long before ICE was writing SW (very different if all the Theft island references are any hint).

View Postworrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.
0

Share this topic:


Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users