[Abyss]

Starting!!!!

Gods... that scene at the purge... the flies, the riot, Baudin severing the noblewoman's head...

 Traveller, on 04 February 2020 - 11:51 AM, said:

So. If Baudin hadn't shielded Felisin on Silanda, would she have been 'tempered' by the fire like the others? Gained 'almost ascendant' level powers? Because they would have really helped her later. Kinda unlucky!

For some reason in my head i have vague thinky that Drinja was already messing w Felisin at that point so she was denied the warren.
I might be making that up tho.

[Aptorian]

Haven't started yet but I recall that scene where Baudin saws a head off with his chains. Hell of a character presentation.

[Abyss]

He left an impression.

[Macros]

For me neither of those had the build for either character. Pollo is nowhere near big enough, Baudin should be Rock size. And Dancer lithe and muscly, like a gymnast

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

I always pictured Mark Strong as Dancer. Possibly the wrong build again but he could pull off the mixture of god-like presence and humanity well I think.

Anyway, planning to start this on my train to London on Saturday so should catch up

[Macros]

Chapter five pre script, the treatise on Bhokral, how was Moby's final form a surprise to any of us??

[Abyss]

 Macros, on 05 February 2020 - 08:17 PM, said:

Chapter five pre script, the treatise on Bhokral, how was Moby's final form a surprise to any of us??

*rereads*


... i can't honestly remember if i saw this and forgot or just flat out never saw it... pretty sure it was the latter.
Either way, that's pretty damn cool.

[Aptorian]

Cracked open Deadhouse Gates...

... And pages came tumbling out of the book. Now loose pages in a doorstopper of a paperback isn't that surprising but I must have done a lot of rereading during the early days. Pages are all finger smudges and worn.

Looking at the Dramatis Personae there's lots of names I forgot. Don't remember Captain Keneb's family being important. Bent and Roach! I loved those dogs and then I remember the ending. The Red Blades! And those fucking nobles! Ah yes, and of course Apt, an aptorian demon.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 07 February 2020 - 07:24 PM

[Abyss]

I love the bit with the dhenrabi at the beginning. Fid in GotM was more or less comic relief with mere moments of soldiering.
Here, first chapter, he takes out a sea monster in one shot. By 'sploding its head. We had some idea of why Crokus, Sorry, and Kalam were dangerous, but right there, Fid joins them.

[Abyss]

And i had forgotten this ...

Quote

“You were here during the conquest, weren’t you? Back when Kalam was fighting for the other side—for the Seven Holy Falah’dan—and the T’lan Imass marched for the Emperor and—

”“Enough,” Fiddler waved a hand. “I don’t need reminding, and neither does Kalam. All wars are ugly, but that one was uglier than most.”

“Is it true that you were in the company that chased Quick Ben across the Holy Desert Raraku, and that Kalam was your guide, only he and Quick were planning on betraying you all, but Whiskeyjack had already worked that out—”

Fiddler turned a glare on Kalam. “One night in Rutu Jelba with a jug of Falari rum, and this boy knows more than any Imperial historian still breathing.” He swung back to Crokus. “Listen, son, best you forget everything that drunken lout told you that night. The past is already hunting our tails—no point in making it any easier.”

...a prelude to WJ's story told to Rake in MoI.

[Abyss]

Knowing what will happen at Coltaine's death, this is even deeper...

Quote

“Sormo E’nath—an old man—was executed at Unta,” Kulp snapped. “He was the most powerful of the warlocks—the Empress made sure of him. It’s said he took eleven days on the wall to die. This one is not Sormo E’nath. This is a boy.”

“Eleven days,” Bult grunted. “No single crow could hold all of his soul. Each day there came another, until he was all gone. Eleven days, eleven crows. Such was Sormo’s power, his life will, and such was the honor accorded him by the black-winged spirits. Eleven came to him. Eleven.”

[Abyss]

After KELLANVED'S REACH, this in Chapter 2 is actually v funny...

Quote

In response, Mallick Rel straightened. “High Fist Pormqual welcomes Fist Coltaine to Seven Cities, and wishes him well in his new command. The Seventh Army remains as one of the three original armies of the Malazan Empire, and the High Fist is confident that Fist Coltaine will honor their commendable history.”

I'm reasonably sure no one picked up on the fact that the Empire originally had THREE armies, but one of them was the SEVENTH. Now we know why.

[Aptorian]

On page 70 Duiker witnesses some spiritual divination involving Dryjhna.

The kid/medium says: "Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same, the two are the same and salty waves shall was the shores of Raraku. The Holy Desert remembers its past!"

What the hell is that about! Fountains?

[Zerv]

Assumed it was just foreshadowing Felisin vs. Tavore. If war is raging blood, I suppose the leaders might be fountains. Seems like kind of an odd metaphor (and perhaps inconsistent, if the blood refers to their heritage in the second sentence) though; might be more to it.

[Aptorian]

I thought the blood could mean Tavore and Felisin. But they're different kinds of people and raging blood is hardly something you'd use to describe Tavore's Cold Iron.

[Macros]

Hit book 4 on the plane this morning.

So much stuff I hadn't forgotten per say, but had buried. Hatred for the nobles though, ugh.....

[Abyss]

 Aptorian, on 09 February 2020 - 08:07 PM, said:

On page 70 Duiker witnesses some spiritual divination involving Dryjhna.

The kid/medium says: "Two fountains of raging blood! Face to face. The blood is the same, the two are the same and salty waves shall was the shores of Raraku. The Holy Desert remembers its past!"

What the hell is that about! Fountains?

 Zerv, on 09 February 2020 - 09:12 PM, said:

Assumed it was just foreshadowing Felisin vs. Tavore. If war is raging blood, I suppose the leaders might be fountains. Seems like kind of an odd metaphor (and perhaps inconsistent, if the blood refers to their heritage in the second sentence) though; might be more to it.

 Aptorian, on 10 February 2020 - 04:18 AM, said:

I thought the blood could mean Tavore and Felisin. But they're different kinds of people and raging blood is hardly something you'd use to describe Tavore's Cold Iron.

Also took it as Felisin and Tavore.

The 'raging blood' thing i took as a reference to the fact they are family, ie: blood relatives, with a whole pile of mess issues between them.

I mean, ffs, Tavore's genius plan was 'throw my sister to the wolves and hope she doesn't get too raped, beaten, or otherwise abused until my barely trustworthy agent can execute an utterly half-assed plan to get her out of one of the worse places in the world'.

And Felisin, despite becoming aware of said plan, pretty much decides killing her sister is the best way to go. And that's even before Drynjha mind-fucks her.

Thus, 'raging'.

[Macros]

Oh boo to removing my joke, you're no fun any more Abyss

[Abyss]

 Macros, on 10 February 2020 - 04:59 PM, said:

Oh boo to removing my joke, you're no fun any more Abyss

You can do better than what that was Mac.

[D'rek]

 Abyss, on 07 February 2020 - 08:01 PM, said:

Knowing what will happen at Coltaine's death, this is even deeper...

Quote

“Sormo E’nath—an old man—was executed at Unta,” Kulp snapped. “He was the most powerful of the warlocks—the Empress made sure of him. It’s said he took eleven days on the wall to die. This one is not Sormo E’nath. This is a boy.”

“Eleven days,” Bult grunted. “No single crow could hold all of his soul. Each day there came another, until he was all gone. Eleven days, eleven crows. Such was Sormo’s power, his life will, and such was the honor accorded him by the black-winged spirits. Eleven came to him. Eleven.”

How can you even forget this one. That's what made it such a big moment in the first place.