[Kanese S's]

It's all but explicitly stated when Lostara is helping her put on her armor right before the last battle, when she takes out a talon on a cord and wears it as a necklace.

[Moss]

Kanese S, on 11 January 2012 - 12:09 PM, said:

It's all but explicitly stated when Lostara is helping her put on her armor right before the last battle, when she takes out a talon on a cord and wears it as a necklace.

Ahh thanks, I totally forgot about that. I found said passage after a little bit of search.

[Ty Johnston]

From what I can tell from interviews, my own Malazan readings, etc., Erikson is one of these writers who intentionally does not give everything away. He wants readers to not only think, but to think for themselves. I don't believe he expects all readers and fans to be geniuses, but at least to be rational and somewhat attentive.

As for Tavore, while I didn't quite see her own military "genius," I'll take her brother's word for it. It was almost as if the Adjunct did know the future, did know what was coming, and possibly the outcome, as if there was some higher power (beyond even the Elder Gods) that was watching and Tavore was somehow connected to it. I'm not suggesting Erikson was hinting at such, because I don't believe he was, and I don't believe there is such a power meant for the tale, just speaking my mind about how things felt at times.

[worry]

That's interesting, because I sometimes consider that the curse of epic fantasy ('curse' used lightly here, since it's not really a complaint). Whether it's the most basic farm boy with a destiny story to SE's inside out po-mo deconstruction of the tropes, the stakes are so high (and supernatural) that it's pretty much always an underdog triumphs story in the end. Not that I have the breadth of fantasy reading that most other boarders here do, so I could have some pretty big blind spots, but the sense of fate is seemingly inescapable in the genre.

[HiddenOne]

worrywort, on 14 January 2012 - 05:33 AM, said:

That's interesting, because I sometimes consider that the curse of epic fantasy ('curse' used lightly here, since it's not really a complaint). Whether it's the most basic farm boy with a destiny story to SE's inside out po-mo deconstruction of the tropes, the stakes are so high (and supernatural) that it's pretty much always an underdog triumphs story in the end. Not that I have the breadth of fantasy reading that most other boarders here do, so I could have some pretty big blind spots, but the sense of fate is seemingly inescapable in the genre.

We rely upon fate to save the heroes we love or punish the villians that we hate. It is a side effect of hearing stories that teach lessons to us as children. We as readers expect justice and/or resolution, logical results to observed actions. Even the inverse of this rule can serve the same function, that good guys can lose but we subconciously recognize that as an intentional reversal of standards for it's own sake as a comparative tool, and accept these aberrations as balancing forces that will soon give way to the norm.

[Kalahinen]

IgnatiusKruppe, on 23 October 2011 - 05:10 AM, said:

"She used the Perish to transport them to the continent, but as was shown at the end of "Dust of Dreams", she suspected treason in the future. She probably dident trust the Perish to stay loyal for long"

And that made sense from the beginning if she had any insight into the minds of the Wolves of Winter, who like the Forkrul Assail found the world to be a much nicer place before humans started sproutin
up like mushrooms on a poop pile. Even without the influence of Voice, they were fighting for people chosen by immortal animals.

Tavore just needed for everyone to underestimate the Bonehunters and humanity one last time. Granted, it's hard to take away the lesson of "Don't underestimate humanity!" when they would have long
since curled up in D'rek's belly if it wasn't for a couple timely assists by Mael, the sacrifice of the Son of Darkness, the Eleint, a badass Tartheno tipping the first dominos in a few chains that
ended up falling in their favor, a smattering of 'Demons' from various realms, a Talking Heads level "No way!" alliance between Imass & Jaghut, a conniving Forkrul Assail running contrary to the plans
of the rest, the Barghast, a nest of K'Chain Che Malle who conveniently put themselves under the command of two Bonehunter officers (Ooh, we see our crazy genetic experiment offspring demolished
your forces on their way to find us, would you like some new heavies? Gesler can totes command us!), a spear wielding Edur, a Stormrider, some Boles, the old God of Death who showed up because he got sick of the fucking justice, the new Gods of Death who also happened to be Malazan soldiers in life, the Shake, an ancient Bear God of War, the Aliens whispering in Heboric's ear, a couple other Gods, both elder and otherwise, a Jhag flying a spaceship, a Wickan cattle dog, a Hengese lapdog, the power of Kurmule Mulean and last but not least the sweet, sweet gifts of the Moranth.

Never underestimate humanity.......'s ability to strike a backroom deal and/or humble non-humans into assistance with their capacity to stand there and die in the thousands in a way that the few remaining Elders haven't witnessed since such noble courage finished whittling their own races down to stumps.

Maybe 1/100th of a percent of humans on the planet managed to wipe out a wide cross section of non-humans by finding a way to draw them into this conflict, on one side or another.

Thus with a single (extremely long and curvacious) stroke the Bonehunters managed to save the planet so that people can keep breeding like aforementioned poop mushrooms and also
destroyed or significantly weakened a laundry list of threats to Malazan Primacy. It continues as Silverfox gleefully smashes the T'lan Imass against Assail- just doing her part to keep the world
safe for Grub & Tehol's forthcoming Intercontinental Empire.

Awesome. Exaggerated but so true.

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

Abyss, on 21 November 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

she had access to visions at a minimum - kind of like Crokus at various points in the series

wait what

[Abyss]

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 06 March 2012 - 12:16 AM, said:

Abyss, on 21 November 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

she had access to visions at a minimum - kind of like Crokus at various points in the series

wait what

Which?

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

Crokus had access to visions? I missed that