[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:27 AM, said:

Started BROKEN CROWN.

...this picks up eventually, yes?

You started with the wrong book. If you want to get engrossed immediately, start with The Hidden City first.


Another reason the first three House War books are a better intro — West is just a plain better writer at that point. Due to West having more years as a writer under her belt, The House War books are written in a more engaging, lively, clear way than the Sun Sword books.

The first 3 House War books will hook you enough, that the awkward/detached parts of Sun Sword won't make you as turned off.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 25 April 2023 - 05:15 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

pat5150, on 25 April 2023 - 01:36 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 24 April 2023 - 08:16 PM, said:

Just remind me, South = Dominion and North = Empire? Then the demon place is somewhere else?

Also,

Spoiler

while it is suggested, I don't think it's been explicit in The Broken Crown that The Lord of Day is actually the demon king so I'm but sure if that's spoilers or not.

Though they don't appear on the map, the Northern Wastes are way up North beyond the Empire.

Near the Canadian border!

There's a map?

QT, I knew from the intro he was the Lord of the demons but I don't think I'd made the connection of him being the same person as "the" Lord as in, day etc.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:27 AM, said:

Started BROKEN CROWN.

...this picks up eventually, yes?

It's a table setting book, but yes I'd say it picks up from about the midway point to the end.

Think of it like a slower burn GOTM, Book 2 THE UNCROWNED KING is definitely DG though.

It's easily my least fave of the books I've read, and I had the benefit of the first 3 House War books to settle me into the whole shebang so that things that might make little sense to me, made far more sense.

The last 200 pages of THE BROKEN CROWN are excellent though IMO.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 25 April 2023 - 09:58 AM, said:

pat5150, on 25 April 2023 - 01:36 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 24 April 2023 - 08:16 PM, said:

Just remind me, South = Dominion and North = Empire? Then the demon place is somewhere else?

Also,

Spoiler

while it is suggested, I don't think it's been explicit in The Broken Crown that The Lord of Day is actually the demon king so I'm but sure if that's spoilers or not.

Though they don't appear on the map, the Northern Wastes are way up North beyond the Empire.

Near the Canadian border!

There's a map?

There is, but it's only in Book2 I think. She was still working out things in Book 1....Here you go.

 MW-Map.png (1.5MB)
Number of downloads: 0

[Abyss]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 25 April 2023 - 05:12 AM, said:

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:27 AM, said:

Started BROKEN CROWN.

...this picks up eventually, yes?

You started with the wrong book. If you want to get engrossed immediately, start with The Hidden City first.


Another reason the first three House War books are a better intro — West is just a plain better writer at that point. Due to West having more years as a writer under her belt, The House War books are written in a more engaging, lively, clear way than the Sun Sword books.

The first 3 House War books will hook you enough, that the awkward/detached parts of Sun Sword won't make you as turned off.

QuickTidal, on 25 April 2023 - 12:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:27 AM, said:

Started BROKEN CROWN.

...this picks up eventually, yes?

It's a table setting book, but yes I'd say it picks up from about the midway point to the end.

Think of it like a slower burn GOTM, Book 2 THE UNCROWNED KING is definitely DG though.

It's easily my least fave of the books I've read, and I had the benefit of the first 3 House War books to settle me into the whole shebang so that things that might make little sense to me, made far more sense.

The last 200 pages of THE BROKEN CROWN are excellent though IMO.

All noted tnx, will consider how to proceed.
May just not be in the right headspace for this ( the fantasy lit fan's equivalent of 'it's not you, it's me... but it's really you.')

[pat5150]

I have the map in my copy of The Broken Crown...

Abyss, it's a very dense and slow-moving book until the last third. The payoff (and the rest of the series) is so worth it, but yeah you have to get through a bit of a slog before getting there.

[Tiste Simeon]

Thanks for the map, I'm on Audible so I've not been able to check these things.

In fact I'm wondering if part of Abyss' problems might be that the narrator is not necessarily the best at distinguishing voices so it's often quite difficult to grasp who's talking which makes it occasionally hard to follow at times. Doesn't help that so many people have similar names haha

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 25 April 2023 - 03:34 PM, said:

Thanks for the map, I'm on Audible so I've not been able to check these things.

In fact I'm wondering if part of Abyss' problems might be that the narrator is not necessarily the best at distinguishing voices so it's often quite difficult to grasp who's talking which makes it occasionally hard to follow at times. Doesn't help that so many people have similar names haha

Not really. The narrator is fine. It's the tell-me>show-me approach so far i'm having trouble with, but i don't want to dump on the series so many of you are enjoying and i trust most of you enough to stick with it for a while yet.

[champ]

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:57 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 25 April 2023 - 03:34 PM, said:

Thanks for the map, I'm on Audible so I've not been able to check these things.

In fact I'm wondering if part of Abyss' problems might be that the narrator is not necessarily the best at distinguishing voices so it's often quite difficult to grasp who's talking which makes it occasionally hard to follow at times. Doesn't help that so many people have similar names haha

Not really. The narrator is fine. It's the tell-me>show-me approach so far i'm having trouble with, but i don't want to dump on the series so many of you are enjoying and i trust most of you enough to stick with it for a while yet.

Could be the earlier works. Part reason I am enjoying The Hidden City so much is it's very show and not tell.

[QuickTidal]

champ, on 25 April 2023 - 04:05 PM, said:

Abyss, on 25 April 2023 - 03:57 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 25 April 2023 - 03:34 PM, said:

Thanks for the map, I'm on Audible so I've not been able to check these things.

In fact I'm wondering if part of Abyss' problems might be that the narrator is not necessarily the best at distinguishing voices so it's often quite difficult to grasp who's talking which makes it occasionally hard to follow at times. Doesn't help that so many people have similar names haha

Not really. The narrator is fine. It's the tell-me>show-me approach so far i'm having trouble with, but i don't want to dump on the series so many of you are enjoying and i trust most of you enough to stick with it for a while yet.

Could be the earlier works. Part reason I am enjoying The Hidden City so much is it's very show and not tell.

This can't be overlooked as a feature of her more recent work, I was sucked right into HOUSE WAR 1-3, but Sun Sword really did take most of BROKEN CROWN for me to get properly sucked in...and honestly, as HOUSE WAR 1-3 only ever even TALK about Annagar in one section (when Jewel and Devon are sort of undercover and pretending to be from there (not a spoiler) as a disguise) it made it all the more difficult to for me get into, felt like MIDNIGHT TIDES to me for a long while in the page count.... I still maintain that back 200 pages of BROKEN CROWN after a certain event are very compelling, but it's a VERY good thing that Book 2 in SUN SWORD switches overall arena to the North entirely and starts to include WAY more Northern/Essalieyan characters as things just ramp up well with the wider non-Annagarian cast...but that's the trick isn't it? To know what ________ character(s) and the rest are standing for/against in that second book, you TRULY have to have BROKEN CROWN under your hat to juxtapose that against something.

To Abyss and the rest I'll just say push through and trust the process.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 25 April 2023 - 04:48 PM

[pat5150]

Holy shit! Just finished Sea of Sorrows and it was absolutely incredible!

It also features the best flashback sequence since Rand al'Thor entered Rhuidean.

Fuck me, I promised myself that I'd read Mark Lawrence's latest next. . .

Don't know if I'll have the self-control not to jump into The Riven Shield!

[champ]

510 pages into The Hidden City and some thoughts...

Spoiler

So I am really enjoying this book. The slow build is definitely starting to pay off.


The first 150 odd pages dedicated to the relationship between Jewel and Rath definitely do not feel slow. The character development here is great and watching their relationship/dynamic develop is certainly worth the pages... Rath's slow acceptance that he is helpless in the face of Jay is amusing to say the least. Stay grumpy, Rath!!


Just when you are feeling like something needs to happen we get the undercity. This was just a great tease out of the world here, mystery, power and ancient shenigans, what more do you need in a book like this?! The Sleepers... ohhhh!!! The garden was definitely cool too. I cannot wait to learn more of this. And then Jay touches the statue! Great scene.


Rath's first venture with the sword, that was epic but oh so short. The fact we had to wait 200 pages for an action scene wasn't that bad actually, the way the story plays out and the shift of perspectives keep it interesting... I don't play with swords... if I draw it, people die... huzzah to Rath! And now we have the beginning of Jay's crew!


The saving of Finch... now that was just one long great scene. From Carver, to the plan going wrong, to the undercity dash to save Rath to the mage fight and Jay's instinct-powers then we get Andrei (legend)... You can tell now that the story foundation is set shit is just going to ramp up!!


And it does! We get more crew members, a totally insane brothel battle/rescue and a first foray to the Isle to meet none other than big-chief-knowledge-peeps who are definitely not going to give Rath a further headache...


As I said upthread, definitely enjoying the show and not tell. You only get information when it is story relevant rather than an info dump. Teasing out future threads with the demons, Rath's sister, dual kings, the relationship between Rath and Jay, Jay's growing crew and where that story will lead and the like, definitely making me want to read more...

Back to it!

This post has been edited by champ: 25 April 2023 - 07:51 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm now 12 hours in (out of 31 hours total) and I had the first "wow that was pretty great" moment

Spoiler

Where Diora saves her sister-wife Diedre by singing to get while she gives birth and then commands the baby to turn in the womb. That was both understated and very cool at the same time!

I haven't seen anything I'd call high fantasy yet (demons aside I guess but they've been quite low key) but I feel like something big is being, and not just cos QT keeps telling me it is

[pat5150]

Tiste Simeon, on 25 April 2023 - 08:50 PM, said:

I'm now 12 hours in (out of 31 hours total) and I had the first "wow that was pretty great" moment

Spoiler

Where Diora saves her sister-wife Diedre by singing to get while she gives birth and then commands the baby to turn in the womb. That was both understated and very cool at the same time!

I haven't seen anything I'd call high fantasy yet (demons aside I guess but they've been quite low key) but I feel like something big is being, and not just cos QT keeps telling me it is

Spoiler

Diora's relationships with her sister-wives are the heart of the woman she'll become. This is but the first example of that.

You'll see more high fantasy elements once the action shifts to the Empire in the second part of the book. And in the sequels, of course.

[Abyss]

Chapter Three

Spoiler

....and Teresa's plotline finally picked up the pace of the overall story to something i could engage with. Her plotting to protect her niece and interaction w the bard is genuinely interesting.

Anyone know of cast list online somewhere? The earbook didn't come w a .pdf.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 26 April 2023 - 01:41 PM, said:

Chapter Three

Spoiler

....and Teresa's plotline finally picked up the pace of the overall story to something i could engage with. Her plotting to protect her niece and interaction w the bard is genuinely interesting.

Anyone know of cast list online somewhere? The earbook didn't come w a .pdf.

I got you fam.

Spoiler

 DP-MW.jpg (1.22MB)
Number of downloads: 0

This post has been edited by Abyss: 26 April 2023 - 02:47 PM
Reason for edit: spoiler block for attachment size

[pat5150]

I thought that audiobooks at least came with maps, dramatis personae, etc. Sucks that they don't. . .

[QuickTidal]

pat5150, on 26 April 2023 - 02:45 PM, said:

I thought that audiobooks at least came with maps, dramatis personae, etc. Sucks that they don't. . .

I have always felt that audiobooks costing what they do should come with a PDF eBook...it feels like a no-brainer to include, but for some reason (Probably money) they don't.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 26 April 2023 - 01:48 PM, said:

Abyss, on 26 April 2023 - 01:41 PM, said:

Chapter Three

Spoiler

....and Teresa's plotline finally picked up the pace of the overall story to something i could engage with. Her plotting to protect her niece and interaction w the bard is genuinely interesting.

Anyone know of cast list online somewhere? The earbook didn't come w a .pdf.

I got you fam.

Spoiler

 DP-MW.jpg (1.22MB)
Number of downloads: 0

Tnx muchly QT. I added spoiler blocks just for sizing.

pat5150, on 26 April 2023 - 02:45 PM, said:

I thought that audiobooks at least came with maps, dramatis personae, etc. Sucks that they don't. . .

They did not, and dramatis personae lists DO NOT work well in earbook (Malazan being an exception).

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 26 April 2023 - 02:46 PM, said:

pat5150, on 26 April 2023 - 02:45 PM, said:

I thought that audiobooks at least came with maps, dramatis personae, etc. Sucks that they don't. . .

I have always felt that audiobooks costing what they do should come with a PDF eBook...it feels like a no-brainer to include, but for some reason (Probably money) they don't.

Agreed but the industry has never been content to sell one book where they can sell two, and to be fair, licensing for earbook, ebook, and dead tree can be held by different publishers/producers, sometimes even different by country or region, so there's incentive not to split profit any more than they have to.