[Macros]

Cabal has 9 members, hence Vorcans fee of 900,000

Just finished. Forgot how much of a ride the end of this book is.

Had forgotten so many small things.

And the foreshadowing of the Panion Seer. Reminding me of how much of a jar DG was with the whole shift of scene to seven cities.
That said looking forward to Feb

[Keysi]

I don't really understand Sorry's sadistic knife to the loins behaviour. It doesn't seem to fit with her nature later on, nor with Cotilion's. Nothing she does really seems to fit with an undercover agent trying to evade the notice of the empress.

But it's mainly the cruelty. Not very her or Cotilion.

[Aptorian]

I'm far behind you guys, haven't done much reading the past week. But I just reached p. 260 and the Spar of Andii is brought up. That also showed up in the tenth book if I recall correctly.

[Traveller]

Aptorian, on 13 January 2020 - 07:39 PM, said:

I'm far behind you guys, haven't done much reading the past week. But I just reached p. 260 and the Spar of Andii is brought up. That also showed up in the tenth book if I recall correctly.

I still like the way QB kicks Hairlock off it to keep him distracted.

[Keysi]

Lady Simtal just described Murrilo as s "young man ". Curious.

[D'rek]

Aptorian, on 13 January 2020 - 07:39 PM, said:

I'm far behind you guys, haven't done much reading the past week. But I just reached p. 260 and the Spar of Andii is brought up. That also showed up in the tenth book if I recall correctly.

Yeah, that's where Quick Ben shows up and rants in the prologue before going all out with the sceptre and summoning the darkness horse and all.

[Abyss]

Keysi, on 13 January 2020 - 05:59 PM, said:

I don't really understand Sorry's sadistic knife to the loins behaviour. It doesn't seem to fit with her nature later on, nor with Cotilion's. Nothing she does really seems to fit with an undercover agent trying to evade the notice of the empress.

But it's mainly the cruelty. Not very her or Cotilion.

I wondered at this too. Decided it was her own nature being angry at the possession and striking out. Cotillion was active elsewhere during that time, he doesn't just stay in Sorry's head. The cruelty was a teen girl who knows something is fundamentally wrong but cannot do much about it except strike out when Cots loosens his hold or Rigga him pushes back.

The personality we see later once Cots is pulled out is the result of Mallet working on her mind, excising/assisting Rigga, and resolving some of the conflict. Remember Cots didn't expect her to retain his skills and later ST is stunned when she even seems to exceed Cotillion... there is stuff going on there outside of what is set up early in GotM.

[Keysi]

Or it could be Riga's influence?

I'm noticing so many little nods, either forward or back on the reread.

Even the way Ralick sneaks up on Crokus and gets a knife to his side. Things go differently when he sneaks up on him again in..... toll the hounds is it?

[Traveller]

Abyss, on 13 January 2020 - 08:16 PM, said:

Keysi, on 13 January 2020 - 05:59 PM, said:

I don't really understand Sorry's sadistic knife to the loins behaviour. It doesn't seem to fit with her nature later on, nor with Cotilion's. Nothing she does really seems to fit with an undercover agent trying to evade the notice of the empress.

But it's mainly the cruelty. Not very her or Cotilion.

I wondered at this too. Decided it was her own nature being angry at the possession and striking out. Cotillion was active elsewhere during that time, he doesn't just stay in Sorry's head. The cruelty was a teen girl who knows something is fundamentally wrong but cannot do much about it except strike out when Cots loosens his hold or Rigga him pushes back.

The personality we see later once Cots is pulled out is the result of Mallet working on her mind, excising/assisting Rigga, and resolving some of the conflict. Remember Cots didn't expect her to retain his skills and later ST is stunned when she even seems to exceed Cotillion... there is stuff going on there outside of what is set up early in GotM.

I think Rigga is a solely benign, protective presence, who shields the original girls mind from Cotillion. After Mallets intervention, Rigga is gone but the skills/muscle memories of Cots survive along with certain events and places.

The dark, spontaneous stuff is maybe product of the skill memory and the suppressed 'horrors' she witnessed coming out as a new thing. She has a really vicious streak, which she is also weirdly ambivalent about. She's not shrieking with rage or anything, she just calmly dispatched people and then groin stabs them or whatever, making everyone else exchange glances.

[Aptorian]

I think it's a GOTMism. Originally Cotillion was more vicious and cruel then ten years pass between GOTM and DG and the character changes in later books

[Traveller]

Isn't she still doing that in DGs though?

[Aptorian]

Well, I don't know. I haven't reread it yet!

No spoilers!

[Aptorian]

You have untill October. My money is on the forum.

[Keysi]

I've decided to completely sack doing my reread via audible. I think there's less impact and emotion when its narrated. Plus I'm not happy with some of the pronunciation.


Two things I had completely forgot about from GotM- Picker was in this. I forgot about her being named in this book, thought she was introduced in MoI.
The Jakatakan. Pretty sure those two guards defending Lorn is the last we ever here of that elite unit?

[Abyss]

Keysi, on 15 January 2020 - 01:25 PM, said:

....
The Jakatakan. Pretty sure those two guards defending Lorn is the last we ever here of that elite unit?

Don't a bunch of them die protecting Dujek in Coral at the end of MoI?

[Gorefest]

I think those were Untans, not Jakatans.

[Keysi]

I took Jakatakan to be the name of the unit/regiment/corps. rather than from where they hailed.

[D'rek]

Keysi, on 15 January 2020 - 05:25 PM, said:

I took Jakatakan to be the name of the unit/regiment/corps. rather than from where they hailed.

Jakata/Jakatakan is a place though. It'd be weird to have a unit (regiment?) called the Jakatakan Elites with no connection to the city of the same name.

And no, I don't think we ever hear about them again. Speculation/making stuff up that kinda makes sense: there could be a bunch of different regiments from areas of Itko Kan floating around that started off as the elite forces of the Kanese city states/monarchs/aristocrats/etc and were incorporated into the Empire as elite military units, many of them eventually dying off over time, and what we see in GotM could be the last of the Jakatakan Elites.

[Macros]

I like this thought train.
Like former royal guards or what have you

[Keysi]

Well then I also completely forgot about Jakatacan being a place.

The only similar that came to mind was Jacuruku.