The Bonehunters: I get it, they're badass. They basically thirst to death in the Glass Desert, which got pretty boring to read about. I only enjoyed reading about them in the final battle scenes. Everything else got far too monotonous.
I think part of the whole point is that they aren't badass. They have no kickass ascendants with them (unlike everyone else in the book!), and they die and die and die their way through two books of suffering. In my eyes, part of the point was that in order to break through to the Crippled God, and feel any sense of empathy for him, they also had to suffer on the journey.
I think part of the whole point is that they aren't badass. They have no kickass ascendants with them (unlike everyone else in the book!), and they die and die and die their way through two books of suffering. In my eyes, part of the point was that in order to break through to the Crippled God, and feel any sense of empathy for him, they also had to suffer on the journey.
I get that.
The Host: Never got tired of these guys - mainly because they were actually DOING stuff. I loved seeing Ganoes, QB and Kalam tearing up the FA armies. I really wish we could have found out more about QB though - some revelations there would have maid for a better payoff to the series. He's some sort of Ascendant, obviously, but we get nothing else.
QB's origins and Icarium's... everything were basically the two unresolved plotlines that I was most interested in. On the other hand, I think it works better this way. Quick Ben's origins are interesting in large part because we never know him; it's the peeling back of his many, many layers of history that makes him so interesting. The instant that he's explained, his past becomes... mundane. Just one more ascendant, instead of the wildcard "knuckle in the hole".
QB's origins and Icarium's... everything were basically the two unresolved plotlines that I was most interested in. On the other hand, I think it works better this way. Quick Ben's origins are interesting in large part because we never know him; it's the peeling back of his many, many layers of history that makes him so interesting. The instant that he's explained, his past becomes... mundane. Just one more ascendant, instead of the wildcard "knuckle in the hole".
True - but his past sounds so cool! And how did he not die when he was hit by the Nahruk MEGABOLT? I would think a blast like that could've taken out a lesser ascendant. I wonder if he's Grizzn Farl... and elder just hiding out.
The Snake: I hated this plotline from the very beginning. I think it was supposed to be heart-wrenching or something, but the bad poetry from the stupid mage-girl just turned me off everytime. Just die already.
I was never too fond of it, either. It was better in this book than the last one though.
Shadow's Plan: So I guess this was the plan from the start:
The CG needs to be freed for several reasons: 1) the souls of his followers are coming to the planet in the form of Jade Giants who will pretty much kill all life when they impact. 2) the other Ascendants and/or the FA are about to begin feeding off his heart, thus greatly increasing their powers and jeopardizing/diminishing Shadowthrone and Cotillion's place in the pantheon and 3) the way he's been treated is just soooooo unfair.
In a nutshell... yes. But I also get the impression that Shadow is not done. Their end goals, whatever they are, are as yet unfilfilled. I think we're going to see more of them in the Ian Esslemont books though, since he seems to focus on them more than Erikson does.
So Team Ammanas/Cottillion (A/C) conspire to free Korabas, send the BH off to the Glass Desert to draw the FA away from the heart, send the K'Chain Che'Malle in to decimate the armies surrounding the Spire and steal the heart, send the crows in to build the CG a new body, and have D'rek protect the BH while Korabas weakens the chains so that the CG can break free. At which point the CG will re-bind Korabas and Cotillion will then kill the CG, sending him back home and leading the Jade Giants away from the planet... and killing every god who ever bound him? (Not sure about that part) At some point Hood jumps in on this deal, bringing in his bargain with Anomander Rake and agreeing to play a role in destroying the K'chain as long as he doesn't make a move for the heart.
I think that there was more improvising then you're suggesting.
I think that there was more improvising then you're suggesting.
Probably - The more I think about it, the more I suspect they knew everyone else was making a play for the Heart, how they were doing it, and then just flipped it all on everybody and set the CG free.
Here's what I don't get:
1) Korabas. Team A/C absolutely needed her free to break the CG's chains, I think. Yet they never conspired with Kilmandaros, Knuckles, and the Errant. Was this part of their plan or just a convenient catalyst?
I don't think there was ever any conspiring, but I do think that Shadow knew or predicted the Elder Gods' plan to free Korabas. Certainly Tavore seemed to know that it was happening, and I think that a lot of her knowledge came from Shadowthrone and the Rope.
2) The effect on the Pantheon. Other than the FA (and Fener) dying, the only other gods I can see who were taken out was D'rek - and that isn't even clear. The book never says that the ones who forged the chains on the CG were killed when Korabas came into contact with them, I just presumed. Yet when its all over, Ammannas acts like there's only a few of them left, and that it was all by their design.
I don't remember Ammannas acting like there were only a few left. Certainly the danger of them feeding off of the crippled god was gone, so the threat of them growing in power that was was gone.
I don't remember Ammannas acting like there were only a few left. Certainly the danger of them feeding off of the crippled god was gone, so the threat of them growing in power that was was gone.
It was at the very end: "which gods do you think hate us the most now?" "The ones left alive" or something like that.
3) T'iam. So I guess T'iam is a d'ivers of all the existing dragons? If so, what a badass. She never quite manifests, but the picture Erikson paints of all the dragons whirling around into one huge shape is mindblowingly cool. HOWEVER, doesn't that change what happened between T'iam and Anomander back in Kharkanas? How would Rake kill such a thing? why would Mother Dark care?
I think that T'iam is more of a manifestation of the chaos that drives the Dragons. Not really a D'ivers.
4) The Kharkanas Battle/Mother Dark. I thought she had returned, right? I thought she had all kinds of cool Elder power at her command. I thought she gave a damn about the Andii and their legacy again. So where the hell was she when her people were being slaughtered?
I am still in the dark about... Mother Dark. My suspicion is that she's more of a spiritual, primal, hands-off deity than most of the others in the story. We don't ever get much of a clear picture of her. We do see the Andii getting more lively after her return, though.
I am still in the dark about... Mother Dark. My suspicion is that she's more of a spiritual, primal, hands-off deity than most of the others in the story. We don't ever get much of a clear picture of her. We do see the Andii getting more lively after her return, though.
5) the CG's rebirth/assassination. So... I guess that was the only way to send the CG home? Of did it end his existence all together? I'm confused.
This is how I interpreted it:
1. His flesh was trapping him on this plane so he couldn't join his followers; it was a release.
2. While he inhabited a living body, his followers were still a danger: they might still be drawn to the world.
This is how I interpreted it:
1. His flesh was trapping him on this plane so he couldn't join his followers; it was a release.
2. While he inhabited a living body, his followers were still a danger: they might still be drawn to the world.
So you think he still exists, but back in his home realm... I suppose that's a pretty happy ending for the Malazan world!
This message last edited by badassashaman on 31/03/2011 at 09:19:18 PM
The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 31/03/2011 08:06:10 PM
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Re: The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 31/03/2011 08:40:20 PM
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Re: The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 31/03/2011 09:12:32 PM
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Re: The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 31/03/2011 09:16:33 PM
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Re: The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 31/03/2011 09:20:17 PM
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Re: The Crippled God discussion (spoilers)
- 01/04/2011 12:15:41 AM
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Did anyone else think The Snake's poetry was actually pretty good? *NM*
- 31/03/2011 10:57:46 PM
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It was a bit melodramatic for my tastes. I liked some of the Fisher poems. *NM*
- 01/04/2011 12:14:12 AM
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Gonna agree it was at times too melodramatic, but some were good. *NM*
- 03/04/2011 05:45:28 AM
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