Book Recommendations Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Unseen Academicals, Part II

May your sherry whisper wonderful things to you, too

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on April 12, 2024

7

Share

Who’s up for practice? Who wants Rincewind on their team? (Me, I do.)

Summary

Glenda and Juliet head back to the university to give themselves an alibi for not being at the match. Ottimony comes in to tell them all about it after leading the wizards there, and he swears that Juliet looks like the girl at the match. Glenda is summoned to the Stollops because Juliet’s dad got a letter from Vetinari, asking him to attend a dinner with the wizards to talk about the future of football. Trev finds Nutt asleep at the university, having eaten a large quotient of Glenda’s pies. He tells Glenda and Juliet what happened, and when Nutt comes to, he start up his work again. But he says a few things about how Trev really feels about his late father that sends Trev catatonic. Glenda asks Nutt how he knows all these things, how he managed not to die, and where he comes from. Nutt isn’t entirely sure; he only knows how he came to be in Ladyship’s castle and that there’s a door in his mind that he can’t access. Nutt thinks about writing love poetry for Trev to give Juliet, and Juliet bothers Glenda the next day about going to a fashion show, which has an ad in the paper next to an article about the origins of football going back a millennia. Glenda agrees to the show, but only after she gets a chance to listen in on the University Council meeting.

The wizards are putting together thoughts for what they need as a team, including the pies, the uniforms, and the fans. Glenda is bemused by the whole conversation and accidentally interjects herself, letting them know that they’ve got it largely wrong—they won’t be able to change much about how football functions, and they won’t be able to dictate how people enjoy it. She also tells them not to make their uniforms sport a UU across the front, or it’ll make the team look like they have bosoms. Ridcully asks what she does, and they all learn that she runs the Night Kitchen and makes the incredible pies they’re all so fond of. After she leaves, Ponder notes that Glenda’s talk of football invoked memories in the group, whether or not they had them; it was a kind of religious experience. Glenda goes with Juliet to a dwarf chainmail fashion show run by Madame Sharon, who has her assistant Pepe measure Juliet and asks them to help her because her model dropped a pickaxe on her foot. Glenda negotiates a hefty sum for Juliet to model the new cloth-like micromail. The wizards begin their first practice round of football, which they don’t rightly understand.

Glenda sees Juliet through her first fashion show. She’s very drunk and stumbles into the next room after it’s over, having a talking with Pepe, who turns out to have converted to being a dwarf with Madame Sharon’s help. They want Juliet to keep working for them, planning to pay her lots of money travel her around the Disc. They know Glenda is the key to her cooperation, so they ask her to consider it, and Glenda decides they’re going home for the night first. Despite the fact that Ridcully promised never to use it for these sorts of purposes, he demands that Ponder let them in to the Cabinet of Curiosity so that it can make them a proper football—because they don’t have one. They can only keep the ball outside the cabinet for about fourteen hours before causing trouble, so Ridcully stops Trev and Nutt in the hall and asks them if they know where to have the ball replicated. He gives them money for the job and they set off. Glenda tells Juliet that they’ll open up a bank account for her so that her father can’t get at her money. Trev and Nutt run into Andy again, and when he threatens Trev, Nutt threatens to break his hand. They make it to a dwarf shop, and ask him to replicate the ball in exchange for money and a university license to make more of them.

Juliet decides she agrees with Glenda about staying in her job at the university, which makes Glenda feel wretched; the next day her picture is in the paper. Trev goes to pee out back while Nutt and the dwarf artisan are working and sees two vampire women outside, which Butt later tells him are protection for Ladyship. Nutt delivers the love poem he wrote for Trev to Glenda, so she can give it to Juliet. Glenda reads the letter for Juliet and knows that Trev didn’t write it, but doesn’t tell her. Pepe wakes to Times reporters in their store and everyone asking about Juliet. King Rhys has the paper sent via clacks, and the grags are in a tizzy about Juliet’s appearance, deeming it undwarfish. Ponder returns the Cabinet’s ball to the Cabinet and they begin creating teams again. (Rincewind tries to get out of this to no avail.) The (former) Dean has arrived at the university, but the game is interrupted by Nutt, who means to tell Ridcully that they’re playing the game all wrong, and more strategy is needed and, indeed, more theater. Trev comes to Nutt’s defense to make sure no one gets upset with him for speaking out of turn, but Ridcully is amenable to the idea. Glenda sells a lot more for Stronginthearm and gives him ideas for whole new troll fashion lines.

Commentary

There are several overlays going on with the Juliet and Trev story, one of them obviously being the Romeo and Juliet angle that you get from her name and the “two houses” being their two football teams. This is mostly funny to me because I saw some Tumblr post just a few days ago that was pointing out that the Montagues and Capulets being “both alike in dignity” as houses did not preclude any level of poshness—they just needed to be the same. Hence, footballer families.

But the more intriguing slice here is the Cyrano parody, at least to me. Nutt is effectively playing the Cyrano part, writing letters on Trev’s behalf, who’s in the Christian role. But the intention isn’t to make a direct parallel, of course, because Nutt clearly isn’t interested in Juliet—he likes Glenda. And I appreciate the lack of conflict, but moreso, I find myself appreciating the fact that someone who’s as bright as Nutt isn’t really interested in someone who’s pretty if they’re not particularly thoughtful? Juliet’s not his type, so no issue there.

And conversely, Juliet’s route to becoming a fashion model for micromail is endearing too, namely due to Glenda learning some things for herself about snuffing out the desire to dream a little bigger. Do I like that it’s helped along by too much sherry? Yes, I do. I wish sherry talked to me like that. Tequila does, though, so I can’t complain too much.

We’re getting more clues on Nutt’s true identity as we go, but I do appreciate that the mystery is drawn out and viewed from multiple character perspectives, making it that much harder to guess point blank.

The bits where the wizards are practicing football are favorites for me because it reads like it’s written by someone who feels exactly the same way about sports that I do. There’s no sense, no real interest in the game itself, nor any inclination toward athleticism (aside from Ridcully’s own personal interest and physical prowess). The only time things make sense is when everyone is thinking about how exciting the game should be, how to generate narrative around it, how to make it a spectacle. I get that part. The rest is just window dressing.

Asides and little thoughts

• Of Vetinari being the wrong sort for Juliet despite being the only available “prince” around, Glenda thinks: Besides, no one was sure which side of the bed he got out of, or even if he went to bed at all. Meaning: We’re honestly not sure if the man is gay, straight, or ace.
• “By his own admission, he would rather run ten miles, leap a five-bar gate and climb a big hill than engage in any athletic activity.” Me too, Ponder.
• Ridcully’s entire response to the concept of possible gayness—that could really just be some wizard having an affair with a married woman and he’s not getting it—being that there’s not enough love in the world and also “Well done, that man!” (which is, itself, actually in response to people playing football and grabbing his attention) is pretty perfect, all things considered.

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll read up to:

[end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Unseen Academicals</i>, Part II appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Unseen Academicals, Part I

Archchancellor Preserved Bigger is a helluva name, really

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on April 5, 2024

13

Share

I regret to inform you that I know zero football chants. This will not be my finest hour.

Summary

Smeems, the Candle Knave of Unseen University, is doing his rounds in the middle of the night with Mr. Nutt, who is acting apprentice. They keep the candles lit all about the place, including the Emperor candle, which is never supposed to go out. (It does, frequently, but Smeems doesn’t discuss it.) Nutt is an unaccountably bright young man, who hopes to see more of the university as time goes on. The faculty finishing their Hunting of the Megapode, which Ponder signs into the record as their new Master of The Traditions. (Rincewind dressed up as the Megapode, and has to go for a lie down afterward.) Ponder has received this new position upon the revelation that no one has held the post for over two centuries. He takes it in part to help keep the staff’s mind off the fact that the Dean has just retired, a thing that wizards generally never do—and to teach at another university for money, no less. Ponder finds an important tradition that the university has ignored the past twenty years; they must play a football match or lose a very important bequeathal to the school from former Archchancellor Preserved Bigger. Downstairs, Glenda scolds her gorgeous friend Juliet for not showing up to work on time on account of watching football.

Turns out Nutt is a goblin, which is a group that endures a ton of prejudice thanks to a long-ago war that no one remembers very well. He does his best not to upset anyone as a candle dribbler, and does most of Trev’s work for him. Trevor Likely has also been watching football (on the opposite side to Juliet), and he takes Nutt up to the kitchens to get them some food from Glenda. Meanwhile, Ponder does some calculations and learns that they could get by without Bigger’s trust if they significantly cut down on food expenses. The wizards are horrified, and Ridcully uses that to get them on board with the football game (which they don’t have to win, but he’d like to). Trev tells Nutt he’s going to take him to the next football match and asks him to find out Juliet’s name from Glenda. Meanwhile, Juliet asks Glenda about Trev, while Glenda suggests that she could get a better gentleman if she tried to speak a little more posh. Nutt used to live in Uberwald in “Ladyship’s” castle, where he learned and read all the time and tried every discipline. He’s a bit bored at the university, but he’s safe there at the moment. Ridcully goes to see Vetinari, who already knows of their predicament and has already made plans to formalize football within the city, insisting that the wizards be a part to it.

It also turns out that Vetinari is aware of Nutt’s placement at the university (and is having him looked after there as a favor to Lady Margolotta). Ridcully asks a boy on the street where the next match will be so that he can observe it. Nutt asks Glenda for Juliet’s name, which Glenda gives knowing full well that Trev is the one who asked for it. She gives him Juliet’s last name too—Stollop, which is bound to cause more trouble for reasons Nutt doesn’t understand. Trev gets Nutt dressed in Dimmers football colors and is, in fact, upset to find out that Juliet is a Stollop because his dad was Dave Likely, a famous footballer who got more goals than anyone in a lifetime. They head to the match and Trev tries to teach Nutt to be more like one of the lads. The wizards are heading to their first match and Ridcully has asked they be accompanied by university bledlows, which makes the group nervous. On her half-day off, Glenda usually goes and sells wares to lady trolls for Mr. Stronginthearm, but she runs into Juliet again. The Librarian always goes to the football matches, and is bemused to find Nutt and his fellow wizards attending this time around. The wizards try to figure out where to stand and observe, while Trev introduces Nutt to Andy, whose dad is captain of Dimwell, and the rest of his friends.

Nutt is learning about being in the crowd of a game, and finds he’s very good and shoving his way through it. He spots Glenda, who has come with Juliet. As Trev is trying to talk to Juliet, she presses a Dollies team pin into his hand, which he hides on his person. Nutt catches an incoming ball, and asks what should be done with it—Glenda points toward the goal. Nutt makes the goal from a great distance, easily, and breaks the goal post. Trev knows this is going to get the crowd angry, so he drags them all away as fast as he can. While Trev is trying to find out about Nutt’s childhood and get help writing a love poem, Juliet’s brothers show up, and then Andy too. Trev tries to stop them from fighting, but Nutt makes a blithe comment, and Algernon Stollop hits him with a club, killing him instantly. The group dispatches, and Trev brings Nutt to Constables Haddock and Bluejohn, begging them to take Nutt to the Lady Sybil hospital. Angua questions Trev because if an Igor needs to revive you, Vetinari has decreed it was still murder. Doctor Lawn arrives to let them know that Nutt was apparently sleeping; he sat up in the hospital, asked for a sandwich, and left. On his way out, Trev is stopped by an Igor who tells him that he thinks Nutt is dangerous.

Commentary

As is sometimes the case in Pratchett narratives, the main arc of the plot is hardly a dour thing at all—the wizards aren’t going to starve regardless, and football’s induction into the larger societal fabric is hardly the most important political change the city has undergone in recent memory.

However, here we learn that Moist von Lipwig is far from the only person Vetinari is keen on giving their one shining chance to. Though, I suppose to a certain extent, we have always know this: Vimes was the first experiment the reader is exposed to on that front, and there have been many others. Vetinari’s entire schema is built upon it, and while it does nothing to eradicate poverty, war, or general suffering, it is true that on the Disc, if you are lucky enough to possess strange talents in need of nurturing, and happen to cross his path, Havelock Vetinari will do everything in his power to give you that one chance (and arguably many—Moist definitely gets more than one, no matter what he thinks) you need to reach your fullest potential.

It’s an imperfect system, but it does permit for a kinder than average world in certain respects. And, pointedly, if you squander the chance by using your own unique gifts to harm others, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork has no compunction about ending your journey, removing you from the body like a limb with gangrene. For an erstwhile assassin, he’s very particular about how death is employed, but has no difficulty being dispassionate about it.

This is how we wind up plunged into the story of Mr. Nutt, whose species has been basically unknown to us in some three dozen Discworld books so far. (We get out first real hint with Igor feeling the need to warn Trev about him.) There’s a deep Pygmalion-esque vein to this side of the story—even if the My Fair Lady reference goes to Juliet instead—though this is calling to mind my own favorite version, being the musical Bat Boy. Nutt is far closer to Edgar’s tale than he is to Eliza Dolittle.

Trev’s turnaround is one of the main factors that makes this book work, in my opinion. An entire novel that centers around all the terrible “lad” rules and behavior that football comes attached to would have been a slog for me. Having Trev snap to the moment he thinks that his friend has been killed by this sort of nonsense instantly makes me like him better as a character, and helps the story move along to more interesting places.

The structure of the book is still odd, however. It makes out as though we’re finally going to get a book that’s entirely about the university wizards instead of keeping them in their usual comic relief shenanigan sector. This works for a tiny sliver of time before we’re immediately introduced to the “below stairs” group at the university.

The satire is still strong with the collegiate stuffs, of course: Academicals is a word upended to more than one university team, and the Hunting of the Megapode is a send up of the Mallard Ceremony at Oxford. While in their version, someone carries a wooden duck around on a stick for the Fellows to follow, here we’re chasing Rincewind-with-feathers-on about the place. Why didn’t we didn’t get more of that.

Also, someone save Ponder. I realize the overworking is mostly his own fault, but he could use an assistant or something.

Asides and Little Thoughts

• The gap between this book and Making Money was the longest the world had gone without a Discworld book since the gap between its very first tomes. (This book is a bit longer than usual, at least.) And now I’ve made myself sad.
• The pickle carts? They have pickle carts? *cries in sadness that no one has wheeled a pickle cart over to me*
• Lord Vetinari forcing the Ankh-Morpork Explorers’ Society to rename to the Trespassers’ Society because everywhere they “discover” already has people living in it is… look, if you’re gonna be a tyrant, be this kind of tyrant. Inflict your correctness on people.
• Okay, but Alf and Nobby are related, right?

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll read up to:

[end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Unseen Academicals</i>, Part I appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Nation, Part IV

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on March 29, 2024

10

Share

Even alternate history can’t stop this man from creating something kinder than what we’ve got.

Summary

The raiders arrive before dawn, and Mau has the alarm rung and brings his plan to fruition. Cox is in charge of the Raiders now as they feared, but it seems they’ve seen the cannons, so they want to talk. Mau knows they won’t talk to him because he looks like a boy with no tattoos even though he’s chief. He plans to send Milo or Pilu to speak. Cox talks to Daphne, tells her that he’s the new chief, and he’s teaching the heathens to speak his language. Daphne thinks the Raiders look just like men who work directly beneath the king, the ones who know it’s better to be advising the top than be at the top. She talks to Mau and finds out that only one cannon works and they only have gunpowder enough for one shot, but they use that shot to scare the group into single combat, chief against chief. The Raiders are panicked, so Cox agrees to the fight, thinking he’ll get to shoot Milo. Milo steps forward and announce that Mau is their chief, risen from the country of Locaha itself. The Raider priest steps forward to ask questions, disbelieving, but Daphne has all the right answers about Locaha’s country. It makes the priest nervous.

Daphne tries to talk Mau out of the fight because Cox has a revolver and another gun, at least seven shots he can fire before reloading, while Mau only has a spear and knife. He won’t hear of any dissent, however. They are both required to lay their weapons down and the fight begins when one of them reaches for theirs. Because that is the only rule, Mau reaches first for sand and throws it into Cox’s eyes. He runs toward the lagoon, remembering that guns don’t like water. He dives in and Cox continues to fire at him, only managing to hit his ear. Mau ducks under a tree in the lagoon, and Cox reloads the pistol while Mau finds an old axe he buried in the tree during practice as a boy. Cox tells him that the sharks are coming and he wants to watch them feast, but he’s getting frustrated, spending all his bullets. Mau comes up with the axe, hits Cox straight in the chest, and the man falls into the water, just in time for the sharks. Mau goes to the Raiders and tells them to bring their captives to shore and leave. When he comes to later, he learns that Daphne has been performing surgery on the wounded captives using the manual she found on Sweet Judy. The Unknown Woman seems like a completely different person, with a name now—she found her husband with the captives.

Daphne asks Mau if he would go back to a world without the wave if he could, but Mau cannot answer. There are two versions of himself, but this is who he is now. Daphne enjoys her life here and doesn’t want to leave it, but a ship has arrived. Daphne’s father is here, and she tells him about all the things that have happened to her, then brings him to the cave to show him all that Mau’s people have accomplished. Her father isn’t convinced and demands that she use scientific theory to back up her claims; he knows that others will try and disprove this. Daphne makes him promise that they won’t take anything from this place, that if others want to see it, they’ll need to make the journey, not steal away the Nation’s ancestral heritage. Daphne gets to spend nearly two weeks showing her father the island and helping him to learn that language. They play cricket with the Nation’s people. And then the Cutty Wren finds them. They explain to Daphne’s father that he’s king now and they need to do a cursory coronation right here. They’ve brought Daphne’s grandmother. But once the coronation is done, Daphne’s father finds his courage and manages to tell his mother to be silent and not insult their island hosts.

Cookie did indeed survive in his coffin at sea, and is reunited with Daphne. Daphne’s father gives the Nation the option to join the British Empire willingly, but Mau’s doesn’t want that; he wants to join the Royal Society, and says they will welcome all men of science to their island. In return, he will give the king the gold door to their sacred place of record. They ask for a telescope and a large ship the size of Sweet Judy filled with books and salted beef and other things. Mau also asks the scientists who comes to the island share their knowledge, and they ask for someone to teach them more about medicine. A week later, the king is loaded onto his boat. Mau shows Daphne that he has received his tattoos, and they say goodbye, despite wanting nothing of the sort—they both must go where they are needed. And then we move forward to Today, where an old man is telling this story to two children on the island. They learn that Daphne became queen and married a man from Holland, and that they died within two months of each other—and Daphne demanded to be buried at sea where he was. The children ask if he believes in Imo, and the old man tells them that he “just believes.”

Commentary

It’s killing me, y’all. Because he did it again.

We’re not even reading the Discworld, but Pratchett can’t stop himself. He created an alternate history to the world he lives in, and he made it to give us a kinder world. A world in which an island nation is protected from the horrors of imperialism because the princess of England (who rightly never believed she had any chance of becoming royalty at all) lived among its people and was clever enough and humane enough to understand how they should be treated.

Daphne takes her father to the temple and he makes literally every argument that colonizers make about why this place should be stripped and transported elsewhere. He says “it belongs to the world,” and Daphne tells him that is thinking like a thief because she knows that ‘belonging to the world’ to her people means ‘stolen and displayed at home.’ He tells her that the island is far away from anywhere important, and she tells him that this place holds import. He tells her that some will argue that the spectacles she found there were left by previous European explorers, and she tells him that they couldn’t have come here before because all the gold is still there. She makes this argument before she knows that she and her father will have the power to make that choice on behalf of their people, which is relevant only because it lets the reader know where her morals reside. But it’s likely that without this twist of fate, there would have been nothing they could do to protect Mau and his people from the rest of the world or England itself.

This book already started with the end of the world. It couldn’t end that way too. And it deserves marking because how often are alternate histories used to examine the worst options history had on offer? Nearly every time?

Not this time.

And it’s never done in a trite way that robs the story of meaning. The work is still hard, the thinking still needs to be done, and no one escapes without pain. There’s just that little golden lining at the end to reward people for trying their hardest and putting in the time.

It occurs to me that Mau is exactly like Nawi—over time, he learned to use his disability (in this case, his lack of soul) to his advantage. Because that manner of difference often gives a person a unique vantage point on the world and their place within it. And it’s poignant as always that the fight against Cox at the end takes up practically no time because that’s not where the meat of the story resides; Cox is simply the obstacle, and not a very absorbing one at that. He needs to be stopped, but his cruelty doesn’t merit our time or deep thoughts. There’s nothing interesting about evil, to paraphrase Ursula K. Le Guin.

In the end we come to a meditation on belief with the old man, a great-great-great-great-grandson of Pilu, living in present day. The children keep asking if he believes in Imo, and he gives them a lot of answers that aren’t yes or no. Until finally, he says:

I’m trying to put my finger on a thing, because this is pretty much exactly how I wish we handled religion of any sort, including the kind we make up for ourselves outside of institutions. It’s sort of the faith-based version of “Strong opinions, lightly held,” if that makes any sense? And I find it far more comforting than any answer-based faith can possibly be. Believe in things, generally. Which is to say, not specifically, and not virulently. Believe in some stuff, to exist. That works, too.

And I come back around to the question of whether or not this is Pratchett’s best book. He believed it was, which is all that matters as far as he is concerned—because belief is how we’re made up. Do I think it’s the best? Well, no, but part of the reason for that is I’ve never really liked “best” as a marker. It’s too broad. But this book is beautiful, and I’m glad to have read it. Which is really the best any author can ask for at the end of the day. To write something worth reading. In that, Pratchett never had to worry overmuch.

Asides and little thoughts

• When I started the book, I didn’t think I’d care too much about whether or not the parrot made it, but by the end I was so glad? It needs to live to fight the grandfather birds another day.
• A number of famous scientists get name-dropped for having visited the island in the modern-day section, including Einstein, Patrick Moore, and Carl Sagan. Darwin, too, of course. He liked the octopuses.

Pratchettisms

Next week we’re back to Discworld with Unseen Academicals! We’ll read up to:

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Nation</i>, Part IV appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Nation, Part III

“One person is nothing. Two people are a nation.” Emmet Asher-Perrin discusses chapters 9 through 12 of Pratchett’s Nation.

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on March 22, 2024

20

Share

Can we separate out a nation from the concept of nationalism? In this book I’d argue that we can, which is a great thought exercise.

Summary

Daphne comes to and finds that Mau is still asleep, but no longer in a coma. She is hearing voices still, gods of the island, but not the Grandfathers—the Grandmothers. They tell her that she must tell Mau to roll away the stone, so she puts a new little girl named Blibi in charge of Mau and tells her to make sure he has soup on waking before setting off. Daphne heads through the jungle to the Man’s Place and yells at the Grandfathers for bullying Mau. She’s attacked by the grandfather birds, but Mau arrives with Blibi to give them beer, and they talk about the experience they just had. She tells him that the Grandmothers have started talking to her, and that they don’t want anyone else to die. Mau brings up the Raiders and Daphne suggests that perhaps they should hide, but then agrees that they should fight them off when they come. Mau tells her that he has figured out what Ataba thinks, that the trousermen left the stones and some tools ages ago. He wants to know why Daphne’s people are smarter, but she doesn’t think they are; she thinks that bad weather gets them working and moving. They gather a group to roll the stone away with a crowbar, and head inside with lamps.

Mau, Daphne, and Ataba enter the crypt and find hundreds upon hundreds of Grandfathers in this place, all bone, tied together with papervine. They get deep enough to find one Grandfather sitting on a white stone, and he and all the men around him looking in a different direction from the other bodies. They follow that direction to see where it leads. Mau finds the door to a sea cave and hacks away at it. They all enter to find statues of the gods and more white god stones. The air is too thin to them to survive long there, but Daphne notices that there’s a body there with something in its mouth, and she thinks that there could be an indication of Greek or Egyptian in the cave. One Grandfather falls over in the dark, and a line of them begin to fall like dominoes, so the group runs and runs as the dust of the Grandfathers makes to escape their tomb. When they finally make it back to daylight, Daphne sees boots—trousermen, Foxlip and Polegrave, some of the mutineers against Captain Roberts. Daphne tries to think how to keep everyone here safe when they’ve got pistols, but Ataba has seen his gods, and holy fervor seizes him. He waves a spear at Foxlip, who kills him.

Daphne knows she has to outthink these men so they don’t kill anyone else. She tells them to take her back to her father for a reward and leave the rest of these people alone because they don’t have enough pistol shots between them to take everyone out. She takes them to the Women’s Place and Mau and the others follow silently behind to help her. Daphne offers the men beer, which they insist she drink first. She learns that Cox is coming soon with the cannibal Raiders. Foxlip drinks his beer without spitting in it and singing the song, and he dies. Daphne breaks Polegrave’s nose and steals his gun, then tells him to run, which he does. Then she thinks on how she’s committed murder, and Foxlip and Ataba are buried at sea. Daphne insists on a trial for the murder, so everyone tries it out for her. She winds up needing to explain the whole story to them—how Cox came aboard Sweet Judy and made himself first mate, how the mutiny began, and how Captain Roberts didn’t wind up killing the man, but did set his group adrift in a small boat with pistols on a small island nearby. The group learn that these men kill dolphins and brown people for sport. They decide they’re demons and already dead, therefore Daphne is absolved of any wrongdoing.

Daphne tells Mau that he must follow her back into the crypt to see what she saw—a globe of the world that has fallen from Imo’s statue hands. She thinks that his people were exploring other parts of the world during the ice age. The white stone was brought there by their ancestors to make carvings and steps and statues of gods. Daphne wants scientific men to come here and explain what this place means, but Mau knows; it means his ancestors wanted people to know they were here. It also means that they are all connected, and Daphne’s explains that Mau’s people were incredibly advanced; their stories are descriptions of planets you should only be able to see with a telescope, and they made glass, and false teeth out of gold. (The Sky Woman takes the set they find.) Pilu tells the story to their band, that they were the first people and now they must fight the Raiders off with what the Sweet Judy has provided, namely cannons. Daphne warns against using them, but Mau promises he has plans. She tells them how to get the people ready for a battle more effectively and they practice. The Gentlemen of Last Resort stop to rescue someone in a floating coffin…

Commentary

This book is genuinely a great read, but it’s also just incredibly useful for getting your brain working? I dunno, you could take a philosophy class or you could read this, and I think this is a more engaging way of going about the subject. Both Mau and Daphne serve as perfect distillators of these thoughts, entirely wrapped up in questions of what building a society is and means. As Mau says of what he owes Daphne for saving his life (by making him want to live at all):

Again we come back around to this idea that we are nothing without each other. We are not beings made to exist in loneliness. It only takes two people to make meaning. And it’s true in the most mundane ways as well as the Big Idea ones, too. I think of that every time my partner and I cook dinner together—if it’s me alone, I’d probably just… starve? At any rate, I wouldn’t feed myself well. It’s hard to see the point in making good meals for only me. Making that meal for us is a different beast. Us has a purpose, it means something. Me doesn’t hold the same weight. It never has. (Is this why I had so many imaginary friends as a kid?)

There’s also the continual point that even our smallest thoughts are designed to make us more relevant, which is a helluva existential splinter to the foot. Mau is scared at the possibility of moving skeletons in the crypt, and knows he thinks of it because the idea is more interesting to his mind. Moving skeletons make him feel more important. And then he thinks:

…I don’t even know what to do with that. Because, again, we’re using this sort of supernatural example, but isn’t that exactly what anxiety is? The first point I always use to comfort the anxious people in my life is that no one is ever thinking about you as much as you assume they are. But that’s the functional bludgeon of anxiety; it’s making you scared via the fear that everyone is paying attention. Why is being a person like this.

Admittedly, I was worried that there wasn’t going to be much thought put into Mau’s frustration with trouserman technology, his feelings of inferiority and anger at their abundance. And I should’ve known better, of course: We’re being given the history of much of the world here, which comes with an acknowledgment that plenty of ancient civilizations were far more advanced than we give them credit for, and gained their knowledge through means that we still can’t piece together. Mau’s people sailed the world in ages past, and knew the shape of the heavens. They had many of the same inventions and came to them far earlier than Westerners, but the record has been lost and dwindled down into mythology.

This is true the world over, and is often the reason behind “Ancient Aliens” theories. There’s obviously racism bound up in that, and general superiority and fear as well—after all, if any great civilization could forget much of what they’d created over time, then it’s bound to happen again, right?

Mau understands the implication of all this immediately, and what it means for the origins of other peoples. He tells Daphne:

In this particular alternate history, my assumption is that Pratchett is intending Mau’s people as the Ur civilization that all others have sprung from. If that’s the case, it makes Mau’s survival and leadership of his people a far heavier tale. This is a brand new beginning, a major rebirth, if they can all survive it.

But even without Cox and his ilk, there’s still the very real question of imperialism to contend with. Will Daphne’s presence and connection to these people spare them any more than they would have been spared in our real-world timeline? I guess we’ll find out.

Asides and little thoughts

• Ataba tells Daphne that imperialism/colonialism is basically the same thing as cannibalism because it’s just another way of eating people and, damn. Just, uh. Yeah.
• Daphne thinks of Foxlip and Polegrave like those fish that swim around sharks (Cox) so they never get hurt—but she doesn’t know why the shark would allow it. Of course, now we know that it’s a sort of symbiosis thing, where the fish eat parasites off the sharks. I doubt Foxlip and Polegrave are doing anything so useful for Cox. It’s just useful for a bully to have other more malleable bullies around.

Pratchettisms

Next week we finish the book! [end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Nation</i>, Part III appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Nation, Part II

Emmet Asher-Perrin discusses chapters 5 through 8 of Nation.

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on March 8, 2024

14

Share

We finally find out how to scare the shark away with a word. Well, it’s not a word, really. That’s the good bit.

Summary

Mau cooks yams and plantains in beer at the Women’s Place and brings that to a hog with babies so that he can get her drunk enough to take her milk for the baby. He has to do it again, and is not looking forward to it by any means, when another canoe shows up. In it are brothers Pilu and Milo; the latter’s wife, Cahle, is about to give birth. They’ve been searching the islands to find a proper place and people who know the rites. Mau tells them that Ataba will lead them to the Women’s Place and plans to send Daphne to help them. Ataba balks at this because she doesn’t know their ways, but Mau insists that there are no other options available to them. He goes to the Sweet Judy and manages to tell Daphne about the woman and the baby, but Daphne is horrified by the idea of having to help—she lost her mother in childbirth. She realizes that Mau has dealt with far worse and follows him. Pilu knows some English, and speaks to her, and Mau helps Daphne get Cahle into the Women’s Place. Daphne kicks Mau out of the hut and remembers that they said she needed to sing a song to welcome the baby. She begins to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” which calms Cahle down.

The men listen outside to the song Daphne sings, and Pilu translates best he can—they all believe it is a portentous song about a child who will be a guiding star, which they decide to name the child. Daphne tells the men to bring the Unknown Woman and her baby up to the hut to that the baby can be fed by Cahle. Two weeks pass, and Daphne is still helping the women, more people have arrived (an old woman and a boy named Oto-I), and Cahle has been carefully teaching Daphne the ways of their women so that she can find a husband, while the men strip the Sweet Judy down for its timber and tools. Pilu and Mau talk as they work and Mau asks if he’ll teach him more of the trouserman language so he can talk to Daphne. Pilu recommends that he wear a pair of salvaged trousers, since that’s very important to her people, and they discuss their strange ways. (Pilu and Milo lived among them very briefly and learned a few things.) Daphne gets a grass skirt to wear from the Unknown Woman while Mau tries on the trousers. Mau makes Pilu cry by continually questioning the existence of the gods and where Pilu’s people went, and then he hears the thundering of the grandfathers, only it’s much louder this time. He tells Pilu that they want him to bring up the last of the god anchors, the one for the god of Water.

Daphne makes the beer using a different song, and is encouraged to go to the beach. She and Mau see each other—her in the grass skirt, him in trousers—and the whole group laughs together. Milo spots sails and more people arrive. Now they number eleven women, eight men (not including Mau because he has no soul), and three dogs. These people believe that the final god anchor needs to be brought up to protect them. Mau tells them he will do it. The water god anchor will not nudge from the lagoon, however, stuck under a piece of coral. Mau tells Ataba that he thinks there’s a fourth god and it is a trouserman; he gathers Pilu and Milo to help him free the god anchor with trouserman tools. Mau tells them that there is another stone down there, and Ataba heads down to try and smash the new stone with a hammer, almost drowning. He jumps back in and hits the coral, bleeding, which calls a shark. Mau uses Nawi’s advice to scare the shark off (shouting at it) and they bring Ataba back to the shore. He knows the reason that the old man tried to smash the new stone—it had trouserman marks on it, and Mau thinks that the god anchors may have been made by them. Mau asks Ataba who made the god anchors, but the old man insists that Mau is wrong to ask, and that he won’t like the answers.

On the Cutty Wren, Mr. Black is informed about the tsunami and asked what they should do about finding the Sweet Judy. He decides to continue as their orders dictate and not veer off course to search the islands ahead of time. Daphne starts hearing voices of her own, but she’s unsure where they come from, or if she’s perhaps talking to herself. A voice tells her to go quickly and she finds Mau unresponsive—he appears to have succumbed to hypothermia and is comatose. Milo brings the two god anchors to shore despite Ataba being furious at the presence of the fourth. Pilu tells the story of how Mau saved Ataba from the shark and everyone is moved. Cahle believes that Mau is dying, but Daphne insists that he’s still there, so Cahle tells her to talk to the Sky Woman (the old woman Daphne has been calling Mrs. Gurgle in her head) because she is powerful and will know what to do. Mrs. Gurgle says Mau is caught in a shadow place between life and death, and Daphne volunteers to go get him. Mrs. Gurgle agrees to this, but says that the only way to get Daphne there is to poison her; she agrees. Mau is running from Locaha, who taunts him. Daphne arrives and pulls Mau in a different direction, toward life, though it is very hard to get back…

Buy the Book

Nation

Terry Pratchett

Buy Book

Nation

Terry Pratchett

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

Commentary

The philosophical musings just get deeper and gnarlier as we go, but it’s important that they’re being mused on in the wake of devastation. Because it’s different for Mau to make Pilu cry about the possibility of their gods and the afterlife being plumb made up when the young man is actively thinking of all the people he’s lost—which is everyone. And, pointedly, moments of active grief are often the only times people think of these things.

It makes Ataba’s smugness hard to swallow because when he tweaks at Mau about people needing their faith, it’s not really a fair argument. Faith is a thing that people often fall back on in the wake of tragedy and the book keeps pointing this out—the ways in which people bury themselves in tradition and dogma when they’re afraid because the brain doesn’t know how to make sense of larger tragedy. Ataba says they need it, but it’s more accurate to say that they simply can’t help it. The alternatives are too horrible. The alternative is feeling the way Mau feels, and he’s furious and miserable.

Daphne thinks this of Mau:

And like… it’s genuinely the same thing. Standards not being Upheld isn’t really any different from Mau’s anger because they’re both anger at the same thing; The world being wrong. I dunno, it just seems important that you can draw that line between two people who couldn’t have less in common because that’s clearly what this book is about, on one level. Humanity loves to poke the “we’re not so different, you and I” button in a million different ways, but it’s always a little extra poignant when you can do it with two people like that.

As always, Pratchett says the quiet part out loud with regard to religion and people. For example, here are thoughts on god(s):

And then on people:

Gods are what you rely on when you need an answer and can’t find one. Which is frequently, to be fair. Even the most learned members of our species don’t know all that much. It’s one aspect of the more virulent strain of atheism that I can never get behind—religion isn’t surprising or pathetic, even if it’s not your thing. We continually ask “why?” and sometimes we find an answer. When we don’t, we’re all going to cope with that differently.

Conversely, Pratchett has both Daphne and Mau coming to terms with people being the point. People being really all there is. People making things sacred by feeling and existing in a place. Even with all the frustrations and difficulties they bring, the more people come to the island, the better Mau feels. Locaha can’t have him yet.

Asides and little thoughts

• The fictional rule about cannibal raiders is that once you bring them up, they have to appear, right? That’s what’s going to happen, right? The most obvious and loaded Chekov’s Gun.
• I do love the bit with Mau trying on the pants and Daphne trying on the grass skirt because it’s that sort of scene that’s always used as a precursor to romance in a way that can often feel kinda icky? (Especially in this case because they’re very young?) But here it’s just so dang wholesome and ends with everyone laughing and feeling human and normal together for a moment.
• The bit with needing to sing to the beer reminds me of something I read that talked about how people used to recite prayers/hymns/rhymes/etc daily as a form of timing; meaning, if you needed to bake bread, you knew how long to knead the dough based on how many times you should recite the Lord’s Prayer. I assume that’s what’s going on here, too.

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll read Chapters 9-12! [end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Nation</i>, Part II appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: “The Hope of Elantris” and Closing Thoughts

Lyndsey and Paige discuss the short story “The Hope of Elantris” and wrap up the reread.

By Lyndsey Luther, Paige Vest

|

Published on March 7, 2024

6

Share

If you have no idea what we’re talking about when we say “The Hope of Elantris,” you can read the entire short story for free on Brandon’s website here. In the annotations, he mentions that he wrote this story as a gift/thank you for a young fan who did an amazing book report on Elantris. It fills in one of the “loose threads” of the novel—specifically, the question of how the children of Elantris survive. Once we’re done chatting about the short story, Paige and I will share our closing thoughts on the book and the reread as a whole.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Raoden, Matisse.

Discussion

P: Ah, a bit of time has passed since the nuptials we witnessed last week. And baby makes three! Or, umm, five, if we’re counting Seons, too.

L: Exciting! I always like seeing “the next generation” show up in fantasy novels. For whatever reason, it just makes things feel more…real, for some reason.

P: Story time! And it’s not that long… We’ll cover it as succinctly as possible. ::ahem::

L: Ah, so we’re about to go back in time, as it were. And it’s quite a nice way of doing so, if I might say so myself. Rather than just throw us into the thick of things, Brandon’s set us up a handy framing device.

P: I love this. Raoden gave everyone “jobs” to keep their minds off the pain and the hunger.

L: Ah yes. It’s been awhile since we were at that stage of the book, so it’s nice to have a little reminder of that.

P: It’s sweet that this girl, and she is but a slip of a girl, takes such pride in having a job to do in New Elantris.

L: It is really sweet.

P: This, of course, is how the newly shiny Elantrians were able to access the power to fight the monks after they all transported to Teod. Galladon held an impromptu lesson.

L: That clears up that little hanging thread from the book. I was wondering how they had all managed all that, when we hadn’t been told that they’d all been practicing all this time!

P: What a lot for children to deal with: suddenly changed and exiled from their families—in the case of those who had families, which, of course, Matisse didn’t have—and the world they had known. They’ve only just found a comfortable home in New Elantris, found places for themselves in this new society, and suddenly there’s foreboding and fear because all of the storming adults are acting strangely.

L: Even for the adults it was a lot to handle. I wonder if, in a way, the kids might not have had an easier time of it. The adults had set routines, whole lives that were uprooted. Children, often, are a little more flexible to major life changes. (Does this mean that they weren’t traumatized? Obviously not. But they might, all things considered, have handled things a bit better than the adults.)

P: Of course, she’s an unfinished Elantrian and doesn’t heal. This cut will come into play later.

L: I really wish it wouldn’t.

P: This is heartbreakingly sweet. Matisse had been an orphan begging in the streets before the Shaod had taken her. And in exile, in this filthy city, she’s found a father. ::feels::

L: ::lower lip tremble:: Even in the darkest of times, there is light to be found, and humanity lives on.

P: Like how it feels to become Hoed? Heh… I jest. Though being Hoed was quite important to the plot, as we learn that the pool only takes those who want to be taken. Raoden changed his mind at the last and he didn’t dissolve.

L: True. I also appreciate that Matisse is the more mature of the two in this instance, making reasoned arguments while her father is making more emotional ones.

P: If you recall, Aon Daa was what the finished Elantrians used to great effect in Teod, while fighting the monks. They basically just drew this Aon over and over.

L: Nothing wrong with throwing dynamite sticks! Why bother getting fancy and adding in other things when dynamite does the job just fine?

P: Of course, no scholars missed a line, there was just an earthquake that created a big enough chasm that the Dor needed a line to represent said chasm added to the Aons in order to make them work again. And right about now, Raoden is going to fix all the things with a line!

L: Atta boy, Raoden!

P: And finally Ashe shows up. Not sure how he knew all that had transpired before he arrived…though I suppose he could have learned it all later, once things had died down.

P: Remember that Raoden and the others had told precious few people about the existence of the library. So Matisse had never heard of it before this moment.

L: Probably for the best. Imagine a whole hoard of kids sneaking in there, disorganizing all the books, carrying them off… Would have put a damper on Raoden’s studies to go hunting them all down.

P: These are the weapons Sarene sent to Elantris in case the city was attacked by regular soldiers. Nobody was expecting Fjordell soldiers to show up!

L: Nobody expects the Fjordell Inquisition!

P: I believe we need an Aon alert!

L: Oh, it’s pretty! It looks kind of like a plant, like a leaf or a tree…

P: Galladon had, of course, gone into Kae to look for Raoden, and found him a Hoed, run through with a sword and repeating, “Failed… failed my love…” Ugh, I’m over here getting choked up at something we already covered. Moving on, this is the perfect time for the screaming to begin. Things are weird, what with the adults drawing Aons late into the night, but it’s at least peaceful. Until it’s not.

L: I guess, if there’s ever a “perfect time” for screaming to begin outside of a horror movie or a haunted attraction…

P: How timely was Sarene’s shipment of weapons, huh?

L: One might almost say… convenient.

P: Kiddos need to beat feet and get outta Dodge! Erm, outta New Elantris!

L: This is a huge relief, honestly, knowing what’s coming. Those stacks of bodies the Dakhor monks make… ready to be made into pyres…

P: ::shudders::

P: ::urgency intensifies:: Fly, you fools!

L: If I may insert a reference from a wildly different genre…

P: This child’s sense of duty is simply moving. What a lovely little character Brandon has created for this short story.

L: He’s always been good at writing children. Not as good as, say, Stephen King, but in my opinion King is the master at writing kids, so that’s an awfully high bar to reach.

P: Which is how Dashe finds her in the nick of time. Oh, wait, we’re not there yet. Carry on.

L: Oi. Spoilers, Paige.

P: This cracked me up. She’s only an older child but she’s not above acting like an adult to the younger children.

L: You see this with kids all the time, though. Give them an ounce of responsibility and suddenly they’re acting like the President of the US.

P: But how feasible is running when you have a bunch of young children who have just been dragged from their beds? Sure, maybe they were scared awake, but it’s no small feat to move fifty children anywhere quickly.

L: Herding cats, for sure. Especially when a bunch of them are probably suffering from un-healed injuries and aren’t going to be moving terribly quickly.

P: As the soldiers advance, Matisse realized that yes, they will definitely kill Elantrian children. Just a bunch of monsters, really.

L: Makes me so indignant. What terrible monsters these men are.

P: Dashe came to distract the soldiers so the children could get away, but what does Matisse do? She watches. Of course.

L: Frozen in horror, like watching a car accident or a train wreck. Sadly, it’s human nature.

P: How agonizing for young Matisse to see this happen to her adopted father. She screams here, as Dashe becomes Hoed. ::sad face::

L: If characters we love could stop turning Hoed, that would be great. (I know it all turns out okay in the end, but still.)

P: At least, Matisse thinks they’re there. They are currently taking Raoden to the blue pool.

L: Still, good thinking on her part to bring the kids there. If it was hidden enough that she didn’t know where it was, chances are good that the soldiers won’t be able to find it either.

P: Her Aon worked! How exciting that must have been for her. Or would have been had she not been terrified, I suppose.

L: I can only imagine. It must be something like suddenly getting the powers of a superhero; like Superman. In their society, the Elantrians were looked up to in a similar way. So for her to be able to use those powers suddenly…boy, what a rush that must have been.

P: Ugh, the poor Hoed make me so sad every time I hear one of their mantras.

L: They’re heartbreaking. I’ve been rewatching the 2009 Doctor Who series from the start with my son lately, and it reminds me a lot of the “Silence in the Library” episode, with the Vashta Nerada. The last echoes of the soul, echoing as they cycle down…only in this case, those echoes would be eternal, which makes it so, so much worse.

P: This just gives me goosebumps! To see how she felt when her transformation was finally completed!

L: I can only imagine it looked something like this.

P: Of course, this soldier had seen the cut on her cheek, the one mentioned up above when Matisse is ruminating on being an Elantrian. Only now she’s really an Elantrian and all of her hurts are healed!

L: I’m surprised that he noticed something so subtle, to be honest. These guys didn’t seem like the brightest Seons in the Cosmere.

P: How very odd it would be to not have a heartbeat for however long this child had been an Elantrian, and then suddenly you have a heartbeat again. I love her reactions to becoming a full Elantrian!

L: That must have been incredibly surreal.

P: I don’t listen to the Graphic Audio versions of the books, the music and the different voices actually distract me. But I imagine a swell of awesome music playing during this scene.

L: Yesssssss! This is so so cool!

P: And so ends Ashe’s story. And what a lovely little story it was.

L: This really is beautiful. I love it, and I’m so glad Brandon gave it to us.

P: Very fitting for that child and the bravery she displayed that night. I have many feels.

Final Thoughts

P: This book had a profound impact on me. As a reader and a fan of the fantasy genre. I first picked it up after it was announced that Brandon would finish The Wheel of Time, and it was like no fantasy I’d ever read. I loved Sarene, who was strong and snarky, just the kind of person I wanted so badly to emulate. She spoke to me. And not only her… As a sufferer of bipolar disorder, the Hoed spoke to me, too. Over the many years since I first read Elantris, I’ve picked it up again numerous times. Many details fade in between rereads, but one thing that has never faded is how the Hoed become weighed down by their pain; the way the hurts pile up and pile up until they just can’t bear it anymore. I wrote an article with a friend a few years ago called “The Pain of Elantris” about how I relate so strongly to these Hoed. If you haven’t seen it and you’ve come this far in our reread, maybe give it a look-see.

L: I have a similar story as to how I found the book, though I believe I read The Way of Kings first (clearly, I dove in at the deep end). I want to say it was around 2010 or so that I read Elantris, and at the time, I really related a lot to Sarene and her trials with love. At the time, like her, I never thought I’d ever find anyone, and Raoden was like a dream come true. (To this day I still adore him, and think he’s a great romantic lead. Not quite as good as Jamie Fraser, but that’s an incredibly high bar.)

Interestingly, I didn’t relate as strongly to the Hoed on my first read-through as Paige did, because at the time I hadn’t experienced any chronic pain or mental health issues. After the birth of my son, however, I began to suffer from a plethora of issues (the details of which I won’t bore you with here) and I’ve found that this book resonates with me a lot more strongly now on that count.

P: We hope to be back with you soon before Wind and Truth is released, and as always, watch this space for upcoming Sanderson discussion. Thanks for joining us on this latest reread! [end-mark]

The post <i>Elantris</i> Reread: “The Hope of Elantris” and Closing Thoughts appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Nation, Part I

Emmet gets started on the book Pratchett considered the best one he ever wrote…

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on March 1, 2024

9

Share

Who is the Nation if its people are gone?

Summary

We are told a creation myth where Imo creates the world and creates Locaha, the god of death. But the world is flawed, so Locaha tells Imo to make another, better world while he looks after the mortal one. And if people are particularly good, they will be sent to Imo’s better world, but if not they will be reincarnated as dolphins until they’re ready to be people again. Captain Samson is tasked with the journey during an outbreak of Russian Influenza that has killed the King of England. He must take Mr. Black and his people (the Gentleman of Last Resort) to Port Mercia. His men will be well-paid for the journey—they must find one of the heirs to the throne and bring them back within nine months to claim their birthright according to the rules of Magna Carta. Captain Robert’s ship is lost, marooned in a forest, and there is only one human survivor (and a parrot). A boy named Mau, who has recently completed his time on Boys’ Island, is taking his canoe back to the Nation to celebrate his entry into manhood. On his journey he witnesses the largest wave he’s ever seen, and he’s uncertain what its effect has been on his people at home. He arrives back at the Nation, but his people have been wiped out by the tsunami.

Mau wakes (having barely slept), finds the bodies of his people and buries them at sea, though he blocks the memories out, thinking of himself as Locaha as he does it. A “toeless” creature leaves him food while he sleeps, and on waking he walks to the forest. The forest has been destroyed by something more than a wave—it’s the Sweet Judy, and Mau finds bodies of men from the ship. He briefly thinks that perhaps he is the one who died, but he hears the voices of the Grandfathers telling him that he is not and that he must continue the traditions of his people so that the Nation survives. Mau thinks of Granddad Nawi, a member of the village who was “cursed” by the gods because he had a bad leg. Mau talked to him once and found that Nawi didn’t consider himself cursed at all, and he told Mau a word for keeping sharks away. Later, Liu comes across a woman from the “trousermen” people, and she points a gun at him. She fires it in fear, and he sees it spark and believes she has given him the means to start a fire. He takes the gun and runs, making a fire with it, and a dinner of tubers.

On the Sweet Judy, the woman who survived the shipwreck writes a card to Mau. Her name is Ermintrude Fanshaw, and she delivers the card in the night. Mau wakes up and believes that the card’s rudimentary pictogram is telling him to throw a spear at the ship. He goes to the Women’s Place (where he was not allowed before), and gets beer to bring to the Grandfathers, who scold him for not doing everything they have commanded. He goes to meet Ermintrude who introduces herself by the name Daphne (she never liked her name), and Mau assumes she’s telling him where she’s from. She asks for his help in burying Captain Roberts at sea, which he does. When the captain’s hat bobs to the surface, Daphne tells him that the captain wants Mau to have it and she jumps into the water to get it… but she can’t swim, so Mau has to dive in after her. They both nearly drown, but Mau gets them to shore, retrieves the blanket from the ship (and accidentally releases the parrot in the cage beneath it), and watches over their camp all night. Daphne saw her life flashing before her eyes as she was drowning and remembers what brought her here: learning about geography and astronomy as a child; the death of her mother; her grandmother’s imperiousness; and her father’s insistence that he will go govern England’s island territories and that she will follow him once he’s settled.

Daphne wakes to the smell of stew that Mau has made. They both eat the stew and laugh over the fact that she keeps trying to be polite when she spits out the fish bones. Then they both fall asleep and when Mau wakes, Daphne has gone back into the jungle. Mau had considered letting himself die when he rescued her from the water, and he wants to teach Daphne his language so that someone will remember his people. He retrieves two of the god anchors at the behest of Grandfathers, large white stones that were thrown into the lagoon by the wave. Mau isn’t sure what he believes in anymore, or why he tries to keep his people’s traditions alive when they’re gone. Daphne returns with a book, and they begin to teach each other their languages so they can communicate. Then Mau draws the tsunami. Daphne shouts about a canoe, and Mau sees that one is trying to enter the island. He helps them to shore and meets Ataba (a priest from a neighboring island who studied in the Nation when he was young), a feeble young woman who will not eat, and her dying infant. Mau and Ataba argue about the gods, and Mau begins making a plan to get everyone fed so the baby will get the milk it needs to live.

Commentary

Pratchett said of Nation: “I believe that Nation is the best book I have ever written, or will write.” In fact, Pratchett said a lot of things about this book and how he writes in his acceptance of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction Award for this novel.

Not to dispute him straight away (and, of course, I won’t have a complete opinion on that until I’ve finished it), but this aspect of being an artist fascinates me. In the acceptance, Pratchett talks about how he doesn’t really measure up to “real writers” who make lists and plan out their books and research things properly. And yet, his description of how he created “the best book I have ever written” is the opposite of that process in every way. What he tells us is that the narrative overtook him and wouldn’t leave his brain (despite needing to shelve the concept for a time due to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) until he let it out, that the story is a culmination not of specific research, but of all the knowledge stacked into his brain over a lifetime. That the characters sort of created themselves and used him as a conduit.

What he’s describing is what most writers, I think, long for in the pursuit of their craft. An act of creation that simply pours out, a story that needs to be told, a feeling that makes one more like a vessel for fable than a human being.

Buy the Book

Nation

Terry Pratchett

Buy Book

Nation

Terry Pratchett

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

What I do appreciate is that Pratchett never suggests that Nation is his best book because it’s somehow more high brow or artistic, two labels that have less meaning than we think, and also far more baggage than we often allow. No, Pratchett seems to feel this is his best work because of the manner in which it exited him, and I can understand that feeling. There is only one place where I’d quibble with his reasoning, which is when he notes that Nation is not a very comical book, as he is often known for. And it seems as though that is an indication to him that the book might have more artistic merit than his usual fare—so said the man who was knighted for his contributions to literature and said “I suspect the ‘services to literature’ consisted of refraining from trying to write any.”

There is a humility in that, certainly, and humor can be a shield of sorts, too. A way to sidestep the deeper darker sadder bits. And there are facets to everything, dualities and complexities abounding. Nothing is ever only one thing. I suspect that sometimes the humor was a shield, or at least something that Pratchett felt was easy for him to fall back upon, and so easy to write off.

And yet, he still knows that it isn’t. I’m certain of that because he wrote this into Nation, his purported best book:

Laughter (and therefore comedy) is not a cheat or an aversion—at least not in every case. It is necessary to our ability to survive. It is built into us. And while we are all understandably wary of the person who makes everything into a joke, it is equally true that the person who believes that humor has no place in art, in life, in the making of meaning, is someone to be wary of.

I can’t say yet if I agree that this is Pratchett’s best book, but I do think it is looking more directly at the questions he is always wrestling with, and without the sly cutting edge of satire there to guarantee that his blows land. Instead, he is simply given over to people and their lives and what they think and how they feel. In the opening chapters, much of this is bound up Mau losing belief in… everything. Do I find it interesting that he chose to do this with a character whose culture is clearly an amalgam of many different folklores around the world rather than a Christian one? I suppose I do, insofar as I wish I could ask him questions about the desire to create a cultural amalgam in the first place, and also ask him whether he felt it would have been harder to tell this story from a perspective that was closer to his own lived experience day-to-day.

That said, Mau’s loss of everything leading to utter disillusion is an incredible place to begin with any character. It’s also a perfect place to ask much larger, darker questions about being, reality, and faith. As Pratchett has shown us over and over, people make meaning and belief things into being. How can you make meaning without other people? How can any of us find meaning when there’s no one to share that meaning with? And what does it say that these things cannot truly survive in a vacuum?

I have to take a moment to talk about Granddad Nawi. The segment where Mau remembers talking to him is as sharp a commentary on ableism I’ve ever seen, but particularly in the moment when Mau tells him that his word for keeping sharks away is a trick, and he replies:

Oh, this. This is the thing about being disabled and looking at the world around you. Our entire species is dependent upon creating things for ourselves so that we don’t die: clothes, agriculture, shelter, you name it. We are a species that exists by making modifications. But as soon as your disability is too uncommon for everyone to need the same accommodation, well… then it becomes a trick, then you become a problem. Granddad see that easily enough.

Asides and little thoughts

• Captain Samson and his wife who will be very happy for him to get knighted, eh? I see what you did there, sir.

• The use of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species helps to anchor the book to a time period, which is important when establishing an alternate history. Fashions and plagues and technologies can be said to occur at any point with the right events and incentives, but specific peoples and works are a far less malleable marker. So we know this story take place sometime after 1859, probably a few years following.

• Daphne thinking on Dad Jokes: “[…] concluded that Mrs Ethel J. Bunky’s Birthday Island was a Father Joke, i.e. not very funny but sort of lovable in its silliness.” I will now call them Father Jokes.

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll read Chapters 5-8! [end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Nation</i>, Part I appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty-Three and Epilogue

Wedding bells are ringing in Elantris…

By Lyndsey Luther, Paige Vest

|

Published on February 29, 2024

5

Share

Lyn: Here we are, Cosmere Chickens. The penultimate installment of the Elantris reread! It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it?

Paige: I know I’ve enjoyed it!

L: It’s the penultimate one because there’s a SECRET short story that Brandon released in the Arcanum Unbounded short story collection, which takes place at the end of the novel! Bonus! So it makes a lot of sense for us to add that onto the end of the reread and cover it here. (If you don’t have a copy of Arcanum Unbounded, GoodGuy!Brandon also put it up for free on his website here, which means you can read it there before we cover it next week, if you haven’t already!)

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Last time on Elantris: The Climax…

Man, it was a lot. Hrathen died! Then he came back and then he died again! Raoden teleported half a world away to save Sarene only to… not be able to save her, but it was really heroic! A whole bunch of Elantrians followed him and joined in battle with the Dakhor monks! And Dilaf finally met his end! About time, right?

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Sarene, Raoden

Discussion

Chapter 63

L: I’m so happy that she’s finally getting married. FINALLY!

P: Poor thing’s been through it with weddings in this book. I’m so glad she got her happy ending!

L: Brandon…

P: At least she’s done and wed, right? Plus, we needed an info dump.

L: BOY THIS IS YOUR BLOODY WEDDING YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS BOOK AND SMACK YOU

P: He had to think about what we’d missed so we could know what happened, right?

Right?!

L: Oh really, now?

P: This isn’t at all concerning!

Hmm…

L: Okay, that is a really good hook for a sequel, I’ve got to admit it!

P: Which I can’t wait to read!

L: Raoden may not know, but we do, thanks to answers that Brandon’s given at signings. Seons are splinters of the Shard of Devotion, after Odium destroyed Aona, its Vessel.

L: If only Raoden knew! (Looking at you, The Emperor’s Soul.)

P: Now I need to reread that book!

L: GET IT, girl!

P: Consummating the marriage is always fun!

Epilogue

L: Oh, interesting. So the magic here seems to function like it does on Roshar. If he sees himself as bald, it doesn’t “need” to be healed. It’s all about Intent.

P: I had the exact same thought about Intent.

L: Aww. Well, good on them. I always hate it when a character redeems themselves and we don’t get recognition of that fact, so I’m happy to see this.

P: It’s rare to see, and it’s nice that Brandon gave Hrathen this monument.

With this, Sarene gets the final word, bringing the novel to a close…

L: A fine cheese (like a fine wine or Scotch whisky) grows better with age, and I feel this cheese is very fine indeed. Is it cliché? Sure. But it’s also very fitting and very in-character for Sarene.

P: There’s a time and place for cheese, and this ending was both.

L: Now, he said this back in 2006, BUT in his State of the Sanderson in 2023, he said:

L: So, if you enjoyed this world and its fascinating magic system and characters, you’re in luck. Not only are there sequels on the way, you can also dig into The Emperor’s Soul, and next week Paige and I will be finishing up this reread series with “The Hope of Elantris,” the short story we referenced in the intro. Thanks for sticking with us, and we hope to see you there for the finale!

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with “The Hope of Elantris” from Arcanum Unbounded. [end-mark]

Buy the Book

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

Brandon Sanderson

Buy Book

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

Brandon Sanderson

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

The post <em>Elantris</em> Reread: Chapter Sixty-Three and Epilogue appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Making Money, Part IV

One last look at Ankh-Morpork’s odd banking situation…

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on February 23, 2024

18

Share

Of course you are Vetinari. We’re all Vetinari here.

Summary

Moist has Gladys press his gold suit, and Cosmo arrives with Vimes in tow to check on the vault and potentially arrest him. A gathering crowd is asking what Moist will do about having no gold. He insists this is not a problem, and Harry King suddenly arrives… to deposit more money into the bank. Cosmo advises the crowd to take their money back, leading Vimes to close the bank and threaten Cosmo for attempting to incite a riot. Adora Belle is brought to the bank because all the city’s golems have stopped moving—the ancient golems are arriving. Hicks and Flead show up with a portable magic circle, explaining that the four golden golems was a mistranslation, and it’s actually four thousand golems. They surround and flood the city, and go silent. There’s a meeting at the palace where everyone argues about how the golems should be used, since they look like a declaration of war, defending the city. Vetinari thinks to use them as a labor force, but Hubert insists they can’t or all the people would lose their jobs and the economy would collapse. Moist goes with Hicks and Flead and convinces the latter to translate Umnian for him while convincing that former to “insorcise” Flead from the department.

Moist gets the golems to follow him out of the city, getting them to bury themselves in a disused stretch of plains beyond. He wants to put their currency on the golem standard, based on the possibility of what they could achieve—were the city to put them to use—and he tells Sacharissa this. (He also thinks that one horse golem should be given to the dwarf king to smooth things over, a half dozen horse golems should go to the Post Office, and a few hundreds should man the clacks towers, while the rest are looked after by the Golem Trust.) Vimes and Vetinari arrive, and the Patrician is pleased with that plan, but he still has Moist and Mr. Fusspot arrested for the gold theft, and insists on a hearing the next day. Cosmo sends Cranberry to kill Mr. Bent. Bent awakes in his room to find Miss Drapes looking after him, and she tells him what has happened at the bank. Moist is brought to the inquiry the next day and is certain he’s about to be hung out to dry. Word comes to the hall that murdered men were found in Bent’s quarters—Cranberry and his associate. Slant begins to question Moist, but he realizes how to get out ahead: He confesses to being a criminal, ruining Cosmo and Cribbins’ plans.

Vetinari corroborates and gives an (only slightly) altered version of the events that landed Moist his job at the Post Office, confessing that Topsy Lavish asked for his help finding a member outside the family to run the bank. Mr. Bent arrives in full clown regalia and hits the Lavish family with custard pies; Moist catches the one meant for Vetinari to protect him. Miss Drapes comes in behind Bent with his ledgers—ledgers that show that the Lavishes are the ones who spent all the gold and forced him to hide it in their books all these years. Cosmo begins to unravel and draws his replica Vetinari sword. Moist tries to talk him down and addresses him as Patrician. He takes the man’s putrid glove off and beckons “Vetinari” outside to get the stygium replica ring in the light. Moist wakes up the next day in the Post Office as Vetinari’s clerks are going through the bank again. Gladys is reading a new book that Adora Belle gave her and no longer seems to have a crush on him. Pucci was taken away after blabbing everything, and Cosmo’s life was saved after some careful amputation. Vetinari’s coach is waiting outside, and he brings Moist and Adorable Belle to the Fool’s Guild to see Mr. Bent.

It turns out that Bent’s mother had an affair with a clown and when she died, his father took him back to the circus and put him in the family makeup as the Charlie Benito clown. There Bent was laughed at, a thing he could not endure, so he ran away. Moist asks Bent to come back to the bank and help him run things properly. Vetinari brings Moist and Adora Belle to the palace gardens and agrees to all of Moist’s earlier terms, as he has already figured out that the golems listened to him because of the golden suit—they think that makes him an Umnian priest. Moist suggests that the Patrician tell all the countries the golden suit secret so that no one can use them as an army. It turns out that someone has already sent a clacks message to that effect, which would be treason, of course. Despite being the most likely suspect, Moist knows Vetinari is the one who did it, and that no one will ever be able to pin it on him. Owlswick Clamp has also mysteriously “died,” though Vetinari assures Moist that if he needs any more design work done, there’s someone at the “palace” who will be able to help him. On the way back, Adora Belle’s life is threatened by Cribbins, but the man’s dentures explode before he can extort anything out of Moist. Vetinari thinks that perhaps he should apply Moist to the taxman’s position at some point in the future. Mr. Bent and Mrs. Drapes announce their upcoming nuptials on their return to the bank. Hubert orders Igor to use the Glooper to get all the gold back into the bank vault, which interrupts Moist and Adora Belle’s flirting. Cosmo awakens in a ward of the hospital where everyone thinks they are Vetinari—but obviously he’s the real one.

Commentary

The Moist von Lipwig books are so interesting because they are ultimately about the effects of the industrial era, right? And as I said previously of Going Postal, they manage to deal with very heavy and dour subjects by allowing fantasy to take the sting out of the wound, as it were. Though in the previous tome, it was handled far more literally—the person doing the majority of the harm was stopped and punished for his crimes. In this story, the solution is more fantastical than the last in one aspect, being that the banks are all revealed to be run by crooks, but Moist handily fixes the problem by changing their system.

It’s all a bit romantic, isn’t it? Which is very Moist, in its way. He devises a system of currency that is built on the value of the city in a literal sense; it becomes the buried golems rather than the denizens themselves, but it’s still ultimately what he proposed. The bank is backed by the potentiality of Ankh-Morpork’s industry and might. As a result, Pucci’s reveal that all the banks are constantly using their vault gold however they please doesn’t really touch anyone. The bank-owning class might be a bit nervous for a while, but they will ultimately go back to doing business as usual. More citizens will likely have access to the banking system now that Moist chose to open up lending, but it’s hardly the same sort of triumph that the Post Office was.

It’s accurate for satire, of course, which is merely mirroring the world we have at an angle. Because this is ultimately what industry did for the world: Lead us to globalization. Which has its own list of pros and cons certainly, but is, from a cynical vantage point, merely about getting along so that we can all make more money off of each other. As the Discworld books are bemusingly poised with one foot in the medieval(ish) era and one foot in the industrial one, that is the choice that Vetinari is presenting at the end of this story: Do we want an empire or a modern city of commerce? He’s already chosen the way, of course, but it’s hilarious seeing it laid out like an either-or choice rather than something that happened gradually over centuries.

The reveal of Mr. Bent’s heritage is not only a fun twist, but winds up making good on all of the Fool’s Guild jokes in previous books, at least for me. It’s fine to rib about clowns, but having one of them use their skills to bring down those in power is inspired and, more importantly, an actual tactic used by anti-fascists and anti-authoritarians. Moist is correct when he jumps to take the pie meant for Vetinari—most tyrannical powers cannot survive being made to look foolish. It strips them of their might. A pie to the face is quick and easy means to that end.

Having said that, while Drumknott and Vetinari are both keen to note Moist’s grasp of theatrics, it’s much funnier that they both roundly refuse to acknowledge Vetinari’s own. (Moist knows, of course. And appreciates the man’s timing as much as the rest of the city.) Grabbing a bit of custard out of the air and announcing that it’s pineapple is every bit as vaudevillian as his juggling act, after all.

There’s a softness to Vetinari at the end of this story that I have to note because it foils Vimes’ development in its own way; while Vimes seems to grow sharper in the mind’s eye, Vetinari rounds at the edges. The fact that he insists Cosmo’s cane-sword is a replica of a fiction (whether or not it is really isn’t the point so much as his desire not to be thought of as a man who murders thousands to get enough iron for his blade), the way he tests Moist by having him hold the replica (because he wants to be sure that Moist isn’t a violent man as well), and most of all… the way he adopts Mr. Fusspot simply by feeding him treats and calling him home. It makes me feel a little soft in turn, which is a weird way to feel about a self-professed tyrant. Only Pratchett could manage that.

Asides and little thoughts

• Would just like to point out that, though they are doing good in this particularly instance by keeping the people safe, one of Vimes’ officers accepts a bribe from Moist with those stamps. Kind of important, that.
• “Indeed, the leopard can change his shorts!” Look, I just need to know if the idiom is different on the Disc, or if Vetinari heard it wrong and everyone followed suit rather than telling him so. I need to know.
• The “Gladys Is Doing It For Herself” chapter subhead is a reference to the song “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves,” which I first heard in its Spice Girls cover form. Which probably says something about me, though I’m not sure what. (No, I do know. You are free to hazard a guess, though.)
• On a heartbreaking note, I’m feeling ways about the fact that I was on this book, where we learn that Vetinari lost Wuffles, when I lost my own pup. GNU Archer. Miss you, my sweet little guy.

Pratchettisms

Next week, I thought we’d take a detour and start Nation! Which I’ve definitely never read, so this should be fun. We’ll read Chapters 1-4. [end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Making Money</i>, Part IV appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty-Two

Teleportation, epic showdowns, unrequited love (and also requited love), and math!

By Paige Vest, Lyndsey Luther

|

Published on February 22, 2024

10

Share

Happy Thursday, Cosmere Chickens! And welcome back to the Elantris reread! The Sanderlanche is fully sanderlanching along and we finally, FINALLY get to see Raoden use Aons with the full power of the Dor! He heals, he travels across the ocean in seconds, and he does a big bada-boom! Won’t you come check it out with us?

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: Murder, war, injuries to various body parts (hands, sides, necks)

Last time on Elantris: Powers Returned…

Hrathen finally decides to be a Good Guy and saves Sarene, leading her away from Dilaf and giving her father a warning that saves his life.

Raoden, who had been pushed into the Pool, does not dissolve and instead emerges with the secret to Dor. He rushes down to the city and draws the line that completes the symbol, thereby releasing its power and completing the transformation of the Elantrians. All of those thrown onto the pyre emerge, essentially immortal; it’s too late to save Karata, however, who was beheaded before the transformation was completed. Choosing to show mercy, Raoden lets the Dakhor monks go.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Raoden, Sarene, Hrathen

Discussion

L: Because that’s not a terrifying thought or anything.

P: Terrifying, yes. But she’d do it to save her father, if only temporarily.

L: Ah, and there we have it. The problem isn’t with the doctrine itself, but with the clergy.

P: That’s often where the problem lies, with the clergy. But that’s a conversation for another day.

L: I find this kind of endearing, really. Hrathen’s finally following his own moral compass instead of one dictated to him by his religion.

P: As it should be! Individuals might believe in a higher deity, it’s possible to be a good person without adhering to the demands of said deity.

P: Men are so stubborn.

L: Speaking of which…

Back to Past!Brandon:

Thus, Fjon returns:

L: In the section after Sarene’s, we learn more about what Fjon’s been up to since Hrathen sent him away…

P: And what Wyrn’s been up to.

L: Ah, doomed love. And in this moment when he’s fully executed his face turn… he dies. Or… does he?

P: And unrequited doomed love, at that.

L: It’s a shame that Hrathen dies here, because I think he could have been such a cool character if he’d continued to atone for his past sins.

P: Yeah, it was a shame for him to die. But killing Dilaf helps with that atonement a smidge.

Here’s a relevant note from Past!Brandon:

L: I’ve always felt that one of Brandon’s greatest strengths is his comic relief characters. It’s a hard skill to get right. Too much can seem clownish and unrealistic; too little can seem dour and unfunny. But somehow, he always manages to hit that sweet spot.

P: I also find his comic relief characters to be just right. I know he catches a lot of hell from some fans for not writing them well, but in my opinion, they’re fantastic.

L: Good old Ashe, coming through in the clutch!

P: I want a seon so bad!

L: Oh how quickly they’re forgetting how they looked down on the Elantrians and locked them in their city, treating them like lepers… And now they just expect everything to go back to normal?

P: I like to think there’s a healthy amount of fear there, knowing how poorly they’ve treated the Elantrians for the past ten years. Would all of the people they left to rot inside of a dead Elantris want revenge now that they were returned to power?

P: Here’s Raoden trying to transport himself to Teod to save Sarene, with no knowledge about how far he has to tell the Aon to take him. And then someone tells him. ::squee::

Back to Adien’s big moment:

L: If he does wind up being the protagonist of book 2, I’ll be very interested to see how that turns out…

P: It will be so fun!

Another note to consider from Past!Brandon:

L: I’m not sure that I really buy this one, but I think Brandon’s grown and matured beyond this mind-set (he wrote these annotations a long time ago) so I’ll give him a pass on it.

L: Definitely bringing me shades of Star Wars: A New Hope. “Some rescue this is turning out to be!” “Perhaps you’d prefer to be back in your cell, Your Highness?” (Now, if Sarene picked up a blaste—I mean, drew an Aon, and started dispatching Dakhor monks left and right, maybe I wouldn’t still have reservations about her being a damsel in distress!)

P: Too bad the Shaod was just her being poisoned and not actually real.

And then we get this moment:

L: Yeah… This is pretty badass, not going to lie.

P: COMPLETELY badass! And impressive that half of them actually managed to complete the Aon! Galladon must have given a quick lesson before they left Elantris.

Returning to the battle:

L: How convenient. I’d also like to point out that this “it took fifty deaths to imbue this ability to them” thing sounds an awful lot like hemalurgy.

P: Right? Such a waste of life.

L: Oh, interesting. Very different Investiture from the Returned in Warbreaker, then.

P: Very different, indeed. It’s scary how reduced their power is when not in/near Elantris, too.

P: Ooh… skaze??

But leave it to Sarene to interrupt a premature gloating session:

L: Now see that’s what I’m talking about! Atta girl, Sarene! GET HIM!

P: She gives it the old stubborn Teo princess try!

L: Aww. Well, that’s okay, Sarene. You tried. That’s what’s important.

P: Our princess would die before not trying.

All seems lost—when suddenly, a shadowy form emerges from an alleyway:

P: Hrathen to the unexpected rescue!

Huh. Okay!

L: As part of his training as a Dakhor monk, Hrathen would have at least started to undergo the creepy conditioning that would have given him twisted, inhumanly strong bones. And so, he uses their own training against them.

P: I thought we had just seen him bare from the waist up, but maybe I was mistaken.

L: What a great ending for such a despicable villain!

P: It was quite riveting, wasn’t it?

L: …wow. I’m glad that Moshe had you change it, Past!Brandon.

P: Yeah, that would have been a head scratching moment for me.

L: Let this be a lesson to all you aspiring writers out there… listen to your editors!

P: They definitely know what they’re talking about!

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapter 63.[end-mark]

The post <em>Elantris</em> Reread: Chapter Sixty-Two appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: Chapter 61

Still Sanderlanchin’…

By Paige Vest, Lyndsey Luther

|

Published on February 15, 2024

5

Share

Greetings, Cosmere Chickens, and welcome back to the climax of Elantris! In this week’s reread we finally reach the point where everything comes to a head, and it’s a glorious moment, to be sure. If you’ve been waiting on the edge of your seat for Raoden to find the answers he’s been seeking for the entirety of the book—well, this is the chapter for you. We’ll also be delving into the annotations to learn about some of the stuff that Brandon ultimately cut from the book… Won’t you join us?

Spoiler warning: This week’s article contains major spoilers from Mistborn: Eras 1 and 2. The spoilers are clearly marked, but proceed with caution if you haven’t read the books yet!

Last time on Elantris: STILL SANDERLANCHIN’…

We’ve reached the point of peak dramatic tension: Raoden has succumbed to his injuries and Galladon and Karata have carried him to the Pool. They are about to toss him in when he realizes what they need to do to save the Dor—but his startled shout surprises Galladon, who drops Raoden into the Pool. Meanwhile, Dilaf teleports Hrathen and Sarene to Teod, where he’s prepared to assassinate Eventeo and take the country by force. The prisoners back in Arendel and Elantris are about to be put to the sword or the torch. Things look very, very grim…

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Everyone!

Discussion

L: FACE TURN! FACE TURN! FACE TURN!

P: Woo-hoo! I loved this moment so much!

Back to Hrathen’s finest hour:

L: Gotta respect Hrathen for not only saving Sarene, who he’s got the hots for, but also the people of Teod.

P: Yes. Saving Sarene was one thing, he didn’t have to tell Eventeo what was happening. He truly does want to preserve life.

L: About time.

L: On the one hand, it’s awesome that Hrathen’s finally turned face and saved her at the eleventh hour. On the other, I so wish that Sarene could have saved herself and didn’t need to be turned into a damsel in distress.

P: True. But really, she had no chance against those monks. They’re beyond brutal. And really, she’s been saved like a damsel in distress a couple of times in this book so far.

L: Brandon does get better with his heroines as his writing career progresses (looking at you, Vin, Shallan, Jasnah) so we can look at this at the beginning of his “character” arc. All of us have to learn and grow as writers.

L: Oh, well that’s certainly interesting! Glowing, you say?

P: Oh, I like hints!

Back to Raoden, who has just burst out of the Pool, to everyone’s surprise:

P:I find this very interesting. Like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter taking your wishes into account.

L: And this becomes a theme in Brandon’s work in general—one need only look at Dalinar and Kaladin to see that.

L: Looking back on this now, we have to laugh, because this is a Perpendicularity. Brandon may not have realized what he was doing at the time, but he linked it into the Cosmere eventually!

P: I really love this so much. “I’m going to put this random thing in my book to advance my plot but I have no idea how important it will become in my overarching universe.” Just perfect.

P: I knew this would happen! Good on Sarene and her lessons!

L: I love this so much. It’s bringing these women full circle, and fulfilling a promise made to the reader. Their sword lessons were Chekhov’s gun placed on the mantle for us—why show us learning to fight, if we weren’t ever going to see them use those skills?

P:  Exactly! This is truly so satisfying to see. Their hard work during Sarene’s lessons is paying off!

Back to Sarene and Hrathen, who is discarding his heavy armor:

L: I do love a good antihero face-turn, and this one absolutely qualifies.

P: Or maybe it’s a calling that he no longer quite fits into. He’s grown past it.

L: And we see this exemplified a little later, in his conversation with Sarene:

P: Some of this religion’s ideas are funky but that’s a good baseline to have.

L: Hrathen doing his best romance-novel-cover impression here—maybe a last-ditch effort to try to seduce Sarene? All he needs is the long hair blowing in the wind. And maybe a kilt.

P: Oh my, Lyndsey… you made me snort-laugh.

L: I’ll be here all week. Tip your servers!

Past!Brandon has some thoughts about this:

L: A stick? But you could be a plot device…

P: Stop! You’re killing me!

L: Never.

P: Oh, nooo… I so liked her!

L: I guess we’ll forgive you this time, Past!Brandon. I’d say “don’t make a habit of it,” but, well. We all know how that holds up. (Mistborn spoiler:) Kelsier, Wayne… (End of spoiler)

P: Yes, and more beloved than Karata.

L: Finally!

P: Payoff, baby! It’s been such a long, painful wait since Raoden first started practicing the Dor!

L: So the shape of the city itself is the spell that makes the Dor work. Sort of like how the shape of the Shattered Plains in Words of Radiance has significance… Brandon seems like imbuing the topography or structure of his cities with magical importance.

P: I loved so much that the actual city was an Aon. It was just ::chef’s kiss::.

Raoden steps out of the light, and…

He lets them go?!

L: ::puts on Ninth Doctor hat::Just this once, Rose, everybody lives!

P: I really need to watch Doctor Who, don’t I?

L: I wasn’t aware that you hadn’t, so yes. Emphatically yes.

P: Ahh! I love this! Nobody is lost (except Karata, sad face)!

L: I’m with Past!Brandon on this one. That’s an awesome mental image.

P: Right? Glowing bodies emerging from the pyre. Very cool!

L: You know, Brandon may claim to not be gritty and dark, but then he comes out with this:

L: Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much. That’s pretty dark. (Not that I’m complaining! That monk had it coming!)

P: Oh, did he ever. They all did, really, for massacring the people of Kae. I’d have been like, “No mercy!”

L: Aon alert!

L: I do love that he gets to have a badass speech to go along with his “get off my lawn” proclamation.

P: “Get off my lawn…” OMG, you’re on it today! ::laughing some more::

L: Thank you, thank you.

L: Oh, this ought to be good. We’ve got to include this.

L: I’m going to be honest here… I could see this working well, if not maybe at this place in the novel. The whole “he betrayed his own people” twist could be really cool. But at this point there would have just been too much going on. It would have been overwhelming.

P: I agree with you. There’s a lot happening in this Sanderlanche and this would have been just too much for us to swallow.

L: Yeah, there’s that, I guess… but his own people in the present are dicks, so…

P: Indeed, they are. Wyrn is just evil incarnate.

L: A very fair point there. But I still think that it could have worked.

P: ::takes notes:: Any advice Brandon has to offer is good advice, in my opinion.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapter 62.

The post <em>Elantris</em> Reread: Chapter 61 appeared first on Reactor.

Books Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Making Money, Part III

Back to Moist and Adora Belle…

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on February 9, 2024

12

Share

Time to talk about golems and gender and gendered golems?

Summary

Moist catches Adora Belle up on all that’s happened, including Gladys believing herself to be a woman (and possibly having a crush on him). Mr. Bent meets with Cosmo and mentions the run-in with Cribbins. Adora Belle explains what really happened out there during her mining operation to Moist; they’re fairly certain they’ve found four gold golems that were made by the Umbrians, but rather than take them out, Adora Belle had her own golems fake a tunnel collapse so that the golems underground could get out via the water and head straight for the city. Moist knows this is going to anger the dwarfs, who will consider golden golems partially theirs according to the mining agreement Adora Belle struck, but she insists that this won’t be an issue because the golems are alive and leaving on their own steam. They head to meet wizard John Hicks, Head of the Postmortem Communications Department (basically restyled necromancy), to conduct their ceremony to meet Professor Flead. He agrees to translate the Umnian on Adora Belle’s golem arm, though it will take time. Mr. Bent is in the midst of a self-effacing breakdown, uncertain of who to trust as the bank changes.

Mr. Bent lets Hammersmith Coots know he has made an error in his clerical computations only to learn that he is wrong for the very first time in the bank’s history. Cribbins researches Moist via back issues of the Times, knowing this is his shot at the gravy train. Back at the bank, Igor has bled so much of Mr. Clamp’s anxieties away that he can no longer produce good art, so Moist tells Igor to put him back the way he was. He gets up to the floor to find that Mr. Bent has vanished and the clerks are worried about him; they genuinely think he’s good at running their department and treats them all like people. Moist decides to see if he’s gone home and Miss Drapes volunteers to be the one who comes with him. Igor has made the Glooper impossible to adjust because it’s become like a witch’s wax doll, a thing Hubert could use to actually change the economy—but the Glooper is currently indicating that the bank has no gold. Heretofore tells Cosmo that he thinks he can get Lord Vetinari’s sword stick (he can’t, but he’s been making a replica), and Cosmo is delighted. Vetinari tries to relax with a number puzzle, bothered by the fact that even he doesn’t know the truth about Mr. Bent’s past.

Moist and Miss Drapes go to Mr. Bent’s rooms, but he’s not there. He heads back to the bank, having drawn the conclusion that Mr. Bent is a vampire. Adora Belle arrives at the bank for dinner (seemingly disappointing Gladys), and Moist takes her downstairs to see the new dollar bill that Clamp has drawn up. It looks brilliant and he’s decided to keep the first name Owlswick. Adora Belle also meets Hubert, who is incredibly shocked to be in the presence of a woman and insists that they haven’t done anything wrong with their work on the Glooper. Moist and Adorable Belle head upstairs to find Mr. Fusspot missing and Gladys standing over the pot holding their dinner. Moist briefly panics, assuming the worst, but Mr. Fusspot shows up with Peggy. Cribbins leaves the Times office with Ms. Houser, who is very interested in his opinions as a “reverend,” and is found by Heretofore, who means to take him to Cosmo. Moist and Adora Belle discover hidden drawers in Joshua’s old desk and then his sex cabinet. In it, Moist also find his journals and looks for information on Mr. Bent. As they sit down to dinner, Moist realizes that Mr. Bent is likely in the gold vault of the bank.

Unable to get into the vault because Mr. Bent has left the key in on the other side of the door, Moist realizes that Bent’s desk is right over the vault and he and Adora Belle asks Gladys to break the floor to get to him. Constable Haddock hears the commotion and asks Moist to explain it to him. Because Moist has lock picks on him, Detritus is called in, and because he can’t understand why this is happening, Carrot is called in. Carrot manages to corroborate most of what Moist tells him, but that still leave the matter of the bank vault being empty of gold. Cribbins has a meeting with Cosmo and tells him who Moist used to be, getting himself employed. Professor Flead shows up in Hicks’ office to tell him that he knows what kind of golems are coming, and he wants to see the fun for himself. Moist is being held at the bank, while Adora Belle is in the Watch cells for trying to step her stiletto heel through Detritus’ foot. In the course of all the commotion, Moist did manage to learn that Sergeant Angua is the Watch’s werewolf rather than Nobby. He heads down to see Hubert, and Igor fixes him a cup of splot, traditional Uberwaldian drink made of herbs (many of which are poisonous). Then Moist prays to Anoia to help him out of this mess, and decides he should probably wing it.

Commentary

I forgot how weirdly this book is laid out. For the most part, I like it, because it’s genuinely unexpected? But it also feels like the elements for a few different books tied together in oddly portioned amounts. Instead of a neat little carousel of different parts, we’re weighted in one direction or another at random intervals. Sometimes you get way more Cosmo Lavish that you’re expecting, and sometimes way more golem history, and so on. It’s bemusing how little time we actually spend on the concept of the banking system and what Moist means to do with it. The ploy is in there, but it’s utterly secondary to literally every other plot in the book. Which, again, speaks to the difficulty of trying to make a story about Building a Better Capitalism. It doesn’t actually make for great reading.

What we get from the other arms of the plot more than makes up for this, by and large. The golem piece is particularly interesting in my mind once we get to the overview of how golems came to be the way they are. There’s always a need to catch people up on the actions of previous Discworld novels in these moments, but it occurs to me that this might be the first time it’s ever couched fully as myth within the narrative? Often we get explanations by way of a close omniscient third person dump, or even one that’s aligned with a specific character. But this time we get the story of golems as it’s likely told, where Carrot’s role in changing the golem way of life is not noted as a historical fact with a name attached, but as part of a legend:

Someone did that. Some person who is a function in this story. The first name in the story is Dorfl’s because this is a story about golems and how they came to own themselves, and I love the choice to write it that way within the book.

I need to dig into Gladys’ journey for a moment because it’s such a sharp yet simple way of handling fiddly gendered stuff. It is incredibly funny that Adora Belle Dearheart devotes all of her time to helping golems, yet can’t quite get her head around the idea that their genders are constructs that they can easily choose. I mean, it’s not surprising, in that it’s frequently difficult for activists and socially aware folks to get all those intersectional angles when thinking of how oppression functions, but the fact that she finds Gladys choosing femininity strange while never once questioning the concept of a male golem is silly. Or it is to me, at any rate, because this is where my brain lives, and it’s always amusing to watch others accept it at face value.

Gladys’ journey here could be taken as a argument that gender (the way humans tend to stereotype gender, I mean) is entirely a social construct back-to-front; Moist is blaming the counter girls without acknowledging that this is Gladys’ environment, what she’s learning day-to-day from the women that surround her. And being surrounded by them, she’s adopting what they teach her. They think of her as a woman, so she’s assuming that she must be one and acting accordingly.

And this is where we come back around to the idea of the invisible default that I mentioned in part one: The only reason no one considers it strange that many golems have come to consider themselves nominally “male” is because male is our societal default, and therefore considered a “neutral” state of being. Being female then becomes “weird” as a choice because it’s a step away from that default, the simplicity and lack of thought we’re meant to believe it carries. (Because being male isn’t actually simple—it comes with just as many rules. We’re just taught to think of those rules as more “universal” when they’re not.) I’d love to know how many of the golems we’ve encountered so far truly consider themselves male as opposed to accepting the default that humans project onto them.

This becomes even funnier when you get into the decidedly gendered argument that Moist and Adora Belle are having over her actions with the golems, insisting that “only a man/woman” could think the way each of them think, which then ends on Adora Belle telling Moist not to be “hysterical.” Adora Belle Dearheart is completely aware of how everyday sexism might shape her life and the world around her, but she doesn’t seem to notice the myriad of ways that she bucks “traditional” femininity herself because she’s still mired that sexism regardless.

Having said that, Moist and Adora Belle are easily among Pratchett’s best-written couples. Their dialogue is crackly, yet easy—they feel like two people who understand and genuinely enjoy one another, who banter in a manner that feels far more modern than most of his relationships on the page. Okay, maybe I’m biased because I think that more fictional couples should accidentally stumble on giant fetish closets.

What? It’s a great scene.

Asides and little thoughts

• Super curious as to what ’Tis Pity She’s an Instructor in Unarmed Combat is about.

• The story Heretofore tells about how Vetinari’s sword stick blade looks is one of those hilarious details that you could only pull off with a person who knows literally nothing about how swords work? (Which is more surprising in this world where they’re far more common to wield and carry.) The fact that Cosmo thinks the blade is flecked with red because it’s got blood on it when no self-respecting user of sharp weapons would ever leave blood on a blade—and also blood doesn’t stay red, but that strays even further from the point—is endlessly funny.

• Vetinari deciding to keep tabs on anyone who can do a crossword puzzle as well as him. That’s it, that’s the entire thought, along with a gif of me silently screaming. (He’s right, of course. That’s the kicker.)

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll finish the book![end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Making Money</i>, Part III appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: Chapter Sixty

The Sanderlanche continues…

By Paige Vest, Lyndsey Luther

|

Published on February 8, 2024

7

Share

Well, Cosmere Chickens, we’re coming down to the end now. Only three more chapters left after this one, and then one final installment of the reread in which we’ll be discussing Hope of Elantris and our closing thoughts on the book as a whole. The Sanderlanche is in full effect, so we won’t hold you up here with these opening thoughts, except to remind you that we’ll be quoting Past!Brandon periodically throughout the article, pulling in relevant segments from his annotations on the novel. Please note that these quotes are unedited and were written back in 2006, and are being presented here in order to help give a broader understanding of Brandon’s state of mind while writing the book at the time, not his thoughts on it now. That said… read on and enjoy, chickens!

Spoiler warning: This week’s article contains spoilers from the Stormlight Archive and one clearly marked spoiler (in white text that you will need to highlight in order to view[1] ) from an unpublished work. Proceed with caution!

Trigger warnings: Chronic pain, genocide

Last time on Elantris: SANDERLANCHE!

Dilaf finally reveals his terrible secret to Hrathen—he’s actually the leader of the monastery of Dakhor, and he’s led his creepy monks here to begin the invasion of Arelon far earlier than Hrathen had been told.

Meanwhile, poor Raoden is taken captive. When Dilaf offers to parlay with Sarene, he instead sends his monks up onto the wall to capture her, too. Then he stabs Raoden and leaves him to his unending agony as he calls up Sarene’s father and forces him to re-swear fealty before sending his men in to destroy the poor Elantrians.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Galladon, Lukel, Raoden, Hrathen

Discussion

L: When Brandon goes dark, he really goes dark…

P: Indeed, he does. And he’s GOOD at it.

L: But, what’s this? A POV from… GALLADON? Not Sarene, Raoden, or Hrathen?

P: Frankly, this is really handy. Since Sarene has been whisked away to Teod and Raoden is incapacitated, it’s good to have another POV so we can see what’s happening.

L: Loyal to the end.

P: ::sniffle:: Galladon is so damn underrated. He’s truly a great character. He reminds me of Teft, in a way. Loyal, yes. But also a bit grizzled and reluctantly hopeful.

L: If Raoden is the proto-Kaladin, then Galladon is definitely the proto-Teft.

L: Kiin is just amazing. I’d honestly read a whole book about this pirate-turned-chef.

P: Sign me up! Maybe we’ll get some information in the next Elantris book!

L: There are a couple of things that I’d like to discuss about Adien. First of all, a reminder that he’s been taken by the Shaod and his family’s been hiding that fact, disguising him with makeup in order to keep him from getting thrown into Elantris. Second, he’s quite clearly on the autism spectrum, and as such, I think he’s the first of Brandon’s neurodivergent characters in a published work. This is something that he’s really embraced over the years, with characters such as Renarin, Kaladin, and Steris Harms (to name a few). Brandon’s dedication to representing all kinds of experience and identities, in terms of race, gender, sexuality (or the lack thereof), and neurodiversity is part of what makes his fanbase so broad and devoted. So it’s really cool to see the beginnings of this here, in his very first published book.

P: Oh, absolutely. I think this is one of the things about Elantris that sold me on Brandon from the get-go, since this was the first of his books that I read: A strong female lead character; a magic system like nothing I’d ever seen; a neurodivergent character; and on top of all that, that bit of darkness that spoke to my soul…

Let’s hear from Past!Brandon on this…

P: There’s some more of that beloved darkness.

L: Whoa. Teleportation powers?! Well that’s handy!

P: What a complete trip. No Elantrian powers, so whatever the Dakhor do is unique to them.

L: Interesting. This works very differently from the way the transportation surge on Roshar does. There, the user is transported into the cognitive realm. It’s more similar to the way the Oathgates work, so I wonder if there’s some Cosmere commonality there… Also interesting to note that the physical matter of the monk was used as energy to facilitate the teleportation. The Oathgates use Stormlight… I wonder, if these monks had access to pure Investiture, could they use that instead?

L: I have to admit, I never expected that we’d actually wind up seeing Teod. It’s always seemed so distant, I expected all the action of the book to remain in Kae and Elantris!

P: I vaguely recall them going to Teod, but not a full fifty Dakhor monks. Scary!

L: Well, this is unfortunate.

P: Maybe not. It gives Raoden some much needed time.

L: I can absolutely see how he’d feel that way.

P: I understand, as well. Though deep down, Galladon truly knows how Raoden feels about Sarene.

L: And yet…

Past!Brandon has this to say:

L: HE’D BETTER.

P: Please, oh please! I remember lots of running!

L: Poor, poor Raoden. He’s been through so much.

P: Sufferedso many wounds, so many hits to his pride and integrity.

L: Not to mention physical wounds.

L: Hrathen has a much more charitable view on Dilaf’s state of mind than I do.

P: Yeah, dude’s already nutters.

L: Hooboy. That’s a lot to unpack.

P: Truth. But in retrospect, there had to be some reason he hated the Elantrians so fiercely.

L: Let’s turn to Past!Brandon to tell us a little about what he was thinking…

L: As far as the magic system goes, I’m curious as to what exactly happened here. “The magic went wrong” is awfully vague.

P: Raoden had talked of Aons being drawn incorrectly, so perhaps it was something along those lines?

L: Right, but a simple case of user error then being blown up on this huge of a scale to everyone else? Seems, as the kids say, sus.

L: And there we have the textual revelation of that twist!

P: Poor, poor Aiden. An incomplete Elantrian and not even aware of the fact.

L: Now, Brandon goes on to elaborate on this a bit:

L: MAJOR spoiler here for unpublished works, so if you’d rather go into future Cosmere works blind, I recommend that you not highlight this block of text:

BEGIN SPOILER (highlight to read):

END SPOILER.

Now back to the text:

L: We can hardly blame Hrathen for not remembering. Trauma can do a number on memory.

P: It certainly can. And Hrathen most definitely experienced trauma at Dakhor Monastery.

L: Ugh. What a waste of life. (And by that I mean Dilaf, not the unfortunate monk.)

P: Okay, you made me snort-laugh.

L: I’d say it was a success.

P: It definitely was. Though they’ve been years apart, I’ve done multiple rereads and I forget this fact every time.

L: Something gives me the feeling that a certain princess is going to have something to say about that.

L:  Aon alert!

L: Oh ho! It does look strikingly similar, doesn’t it?

P: ::trumpets sounding:: Here it is, people! Finally!!

L: Major props to him for coming out to meet this lunatic with just a small honor guard, though.

P: You succeeded, Brandon. We have zero sympathy for Dilaf.

L: What a great moment!

P: And he’s unable to speak!! ::screams::

Back to the action:

L: And of course that’s where we’re left until next week. What a cliffhanger!

P: Although we know he’s not gonna dissolve, I’m still thinking in my mind: “Please don’t dissolve, please don’t dissolve!”

L: Brandon…

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with Chapter 61.

The post <i>Elantris</i> Reread: Chapter Sixty appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Terry Pratchett Book Club

Terry Pratchett Book Club: Making Money, Part II

Back to Moist von Lipwig and the Royal Mint…

By Emmet Asher-Perrin

|

Published on February 2, 2024

25

Share

This week, we are all subject to the whims of Mr. Fusspot, and why would we have it any differently.

Summary

A week previous, a man named Heretofore is nearly blackmailed by a master craftsman who has made him a duplicate of Lord Vetinari’s signet ring, and has the craftsman killed (though he doesn’t want to do it). Presently, Cosmo Lavish offers to buy Mr. Fusspot, which Moist refuses. He heads to the palace to find out if Lord Vetinari somehow made this happen, which the Patrician resents. Vetinari explains that Topsy did Moist a favor and that he needs to start his new job and make the city money. Moist heads to the bank and finds Sacharissa Crisplock waiting to interview him. He tells her that he plans to get rid of the gold and spruce the place up. Then he meets the canine chefs for Mr. Fusspot, Aimsbury and Peggy. Aimsbury can’t hear the word “garlic” without throwing a knife and speaking Quirmian before he comes back to himself. Then Moist is taken to his new apartments, a large and lovely space, and given his “master of the Royal Mint” hat, which is a sad, worn black top hat. Moist thinks about how to fix the bank and realizes that value is in the city itself. He starts making plans. The person who wanted Vetinari’s ring forged turns out to be Cosmo Lavish, who is trying to become Vetinari. Heretofore has been employed to get old items belonging to Vetinari, while Cranberry kills anyone who might give away the plot.

Adora Belle’s mining operation appears to have been successful in retrieving many more golems, puzzling the dwarfs. The Lavishes attend Topsy’s funeral, and Cosmo is given a hard time for “his side” of the family losing the bank. He realizes that Lipwig’s lack of history is the key to solving this problem, and so is Mr. Bent, provided he can get the man on his side. Moist takes the first dollar note to Tenth Egg Street to try it out on the merchants there and see if they’ll buy into the concept. They seem to like it, but still have difficulty with the idea of a bank not backed by gold, so Moist knows he still has more work to do. He gets into a cab in Losing Street containing Cosmo’s sister, Pucci, trying to catch him in a “honey trap”-looking situation. He jumps out the window, with Colon and Nobby on the street watching. Nobby tells Fred that no one will bet against Moist in his usual book for the Watch—they all think he’s going to win. Back at the bank, Gladys almost kills Moist by trying to give him a back rub, and the Times believes Moist is just the man to run the mint. A few people want to close their accounts after seeing the article… but hundreds more want to open them. Pucci Lavish tries to disrupt the scene, deriding Moist’s new bank notes; this ignites a bidding war to buy the one she has.

Mr. Bent doesn’t like what Moist is doing and doesn’t understand what’s needed of him in this new world. They interview people for loans; Moist lends a small about to Dibbler and a very large amount to Harry King, who is looking to consolidate his businesses. Mr. Bent is besides himself at how Moist is running things, but Moist points out that they’ve taken in a lot of money today, mostly from people he’d consider too poor to do business at the bank. He goes to Temper and Spools to ask if they can start making bills, but Mr. Spools doesn’t think they can manage it without major issues in forging and the like… not without the artist who Moist testified against for forging stamps, who’s about to be hanged. Cosmo goes to visit Mr. Bent at Mrs. Cake’s boarding house where the clerk lives and asks him to do something about Moist. At night, Moist steals a Watch uniform and takes paperwork forms he’s stolen from Spools’ office to get the forger out of prison. The man, by the name of Owlswick Jenkins, kicks him in the groin and runs off. Moist thinks on it and figures that the man’s a bit off and has probably gone back home. He find Jenkins in his old place, painting again. When Jenkins threatens to kill himself with poisonous paint rather than go back to jail, Moist talks to him of angels.

Entering through a secret door that only Igor knows about, Moist asks Igor to give Jenkins a shave and haircut to change his appearance. They change his name to Exorbit Clamp, and Moist asks the forger to design the first note, telling him all the various bits he’ll need to render (because the man can’t come up with it on his own). Moist heads to bed and is summoned to see Vetinari in the morning; the Patrician insists that Jenkins was hanged and Moist wonders if he didn’t accidentally steal the forger Vetinari had intended to keep for himself. Vetinari shows Moist his signet ring and notes all the strange deaths occurring around him lately, but Moist can’t figure out why any of it should be happening. The Patrician also asks Moist to lend the city a half million dollars. Igor helps the new Mr. Clamp store his old bad memories and Clamp has already designed the new note. On the floor of the bank, Moist runs into a figure from his past by the name of Cribbins. He gives the men in the Mint their new deal, where they look after the new printing press fellows from Temper and Spools and get nice new uniforms. They agree to the deal, to Bent’s dismay. Adora Belle arrives and takes Moist to the Unseen University to look inside the Cabinet of Curiosity, a thing that wizards wish she didn’t know they had. Bigger on the inside and full of about eleven dimensions, the cabinet once showed Adora Belle an ancient golem foot that matches the markings on the ones she just found…

Commentary

Not saying that it’s surprising, but it’s definitely bemusing how many of the Ankh-Morpork-centered stories have several arms branching from the main action, one of which is inevitably: Someone is enacting a poorly-conceived plot against Lord Vetinari that he may or may not know everything about, and while said plot should be about taking control of the city, there’s frequently some unhinged aspect to it that involves people wanting to somehow sap/rob/absorb his innate powers through increasingly desperate and hilarious means.

You know, we started out normal, with him getting shot. And then the slightly more involved poisoning plot. And then he basically deposes himself for a bit to stop a war from happening while Old Money guys grouse about it. And then a bunch of one-percenters find a guy who can easily pass for him by daylight and try to frame him for murder and embezzlement using the imposter. And now another one of those one-percenters has decided that he can somehow commune with the man through his belongings and then assume his power and abilities and position? Gotta love the escalation; it makes my heart so happy. And it’s the perfect sort of distraction against all the more serious workings of Moist figuring out how to make money… happen.

It’s second nature in the art of the con, but there’s such an ease and preternatural likability to Moist when he’s working that feels almost superhuman? We start the book and he’s more than a little bit pathetic, all the shine rubbed off him, and the instant that his brain starts turning over, the charisma reasserts itself at brute force. I can’t really think of another character who elicits that sort of reaction from me: I like him better when he’s working, when his back is up against the wall.

We get the rudimentary economics conversation when Moist goes on about potatoes being worth more than gold, which is a good place to start, and then a slightly more involved economics lesson as he starts to piece together the city’s value and the need to move away from gold. But again, money is being made fun in this context because it’s part of his con. Even Moist is aware of how he’s manipulating the system and people to his advantage, and as readers, we want to see him succeed because we already know him. You had to do the stories in this order—if Vetinari had started Moist out at the bank before the post office, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable of a ride.

With the newly minted Mr. Clamp, Moist basically gets his own Leonard de Quirm—someone he can rely on to create the complicated mechanisms to make his plans work. (Igor is helping, of course, because Igors always do. They are one of the greatest gifts Pratchett gave himself, an easy solution to any number of narrative problems because there’s very little they can’t figure out.) But we’re currently in the thick of it, and there are key tenets to how Moist operates that are true in cons, in business, and in life in general: Making something look good is half the battle to getting people invested; if change happens quickly enough, it doesn’t seem like change at all; being a bit “real” with people will always help them to trust you.

Moist pointedly gives his first two loans to the sort of people that make the city run, but on very different scales: Dibbler and Harry King. The bank wouldn’t have let either of them set foot inside before he took over, and the bank was wrong. But changing the system doesn’t mean it’s better now in this particular instance—it only means that it can take advantage of more people. Where that leads us will come clear as we continue…

Asides and little thoughts

• Yet again, the fatphobia in this book gets pretty egregious between the descriptions of Cosmo and Pucci. It feels repetitive to keep noting it, but it’s one of the few things Pratchett does that I can’t help but find disappointing. There’s comedy enough in the fact that Cosmo is forcing a ring that’s too small for him onto his hand! But there’s always this extra layer to the avarice with fatness that gets used, and they’re plain cheap shots (that are obvious to boot), particularly with how often it comes up.
• I think this is the first time it’s confirmed that Quirmians speak French? So Quirm is France, for all intents and purposes. Which is somehow weirder to me than all the other not-other-country parallels on the Disc.
• As a person with ADHD, it’s fairly obvious that Pucci Lavish has it. The way she bounces between topics is, uh, reminiscent, shall we say, of talking to my mother.
• Again, it’s so enjoyable to get character’s opinions on characters from other books, and Moist noting that William de Worde is likely the same age as him but writes editorials “that suggested his bum was stuffed with tweed” is a beautiful thing.
• In the annals of Vetinari’s carefully curated preferences toward nothingness, eating the egg white off your hard boiled egg while leaving the yolk is a new level of blandness, I salute him. (And also agree that the grain gravel Drumknott eats is worse.)
• I couldn’t find any evidence that the phrase “drop-dead gorgeous” actually came from people painting their faces with arsenic to look paler, as Moist suggests to Owlswick Jenkins. People did paint their faces that way, I just couldn’t find a correlation to the term drop-dead gorgeous. I’m assuming this was done on purpose, as a sort of anachronistic malaphor, for lack of a better way of putting it?

Pratchettisms

Next week we’ll read Chapters 7-9![end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Making Money</i>, Part II appeared first on Reactor.

Rereads and Rewatches Brandon Sanderson

Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Seven to Fifty-Nine

Paige and Lyndsey cover the Sanderlanche…

By Lyndsey Luther, Paige Vest

|

Published on February 1, 2024

7

Share

This is quite the week, Cosmere Chickens. The Sanderlanche is in full effect: Betrayals! Revelations! Secrets and war and death, oh my! All of this and more awaits you in this week’s installment of the Elantris Reread. Once again, my faithful cohort Paige and I are joined—sort of –by Past!Brandon, speaking to us from the annals of history. (That’s a fancy-pants way of saying that we’re using some quotes from his 2006 annotations of Elantris in order to broaden the depth of our reread and to shed some additional light on aspects of the book you might not even be aware of, like deleted scenes, character backstories, and story-crafting stuff.)

There’s a lot to delve into this week, and I do mean a lot, so pull up a chair and join us, and try not to let the dark events get you down. Remember…things are always darkest before the dawn.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: War, body modification, genocide.

Last time on Elantris: Romance and Revelations…

Now that Sarene (and everyone else) finally know that Raoden’s NOT dead, we get some lovey-dovey time between the two of them before they realize that Telrii’s been killed. There’s a power vacuum…and only one man can fill it! However, Dilaf’s not about to let Raoden seize the throne quite that easily. He (somehow) dispels the illusion that Raoden has been using to mask his appearance, revealing Raoden’s Elantrian nature to the entire throne room. Sarene saves the day, however, with a smooth speech that wins the people over to his side regardless of how he looks.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Sarene, Raoden, Hrathen

Discussion

Chapter 57

L: Look at that green-eyed monster coming out! Watch out, Hrathen. Your jealous side is showing…

P: You almost feel sorry for him. Outmaneuvered—not once but twice!—and, apparently a bit heartsick.

Back to the text:

L: Oh dear. Love is rarely level-headed, nor logical, when it chooses to pounce on us. I almost—almost—feel bad for him.

P: Great minds think alike, Lyndsey! That was exactly my thought above! And you’re spot on about love being neither level-headed nor logical. It’s often cruel and unforgiving.

L: Challenging in a lot of ways. I wonder what the women of Fjorden are like…? We never get any hints or clues as to what women’s place in their society is, so we don’t know just how different Sarene is from the women that Hrathen’s used to encountering. But I’m willing to bet that she’s far more bullheaded and competent than any woman Hrathen’s ever met.

P: And he seems to like it.

L: Gods forbid the people should judge someone based on their worth rather than what they are.

P: It was surprising to me how they accepted him, too, but not as surprising as it was for Hrathen, knowing how much the people loved Raoden before he disappeared.

L: Well, he’s right there. Building trust and loyalty within a community, whether it be religious or any other type, takes time.

P: Three months is absolutely not enough time, especially when it comes to people’s lifelong religious beliefs.

L: Oop. Remember all those merchants who were mysteriously sticking around? Well… guess now we know why:

P: Ugh, this must feel like a massive betrayal to Hrathen. He spends months trying to convert people to his religion only to find that an invasion was already planned.

L: Very clever trick, Past!Brandon. Build up the reader’s expectations and tension towards a specific deadline, then break that self-imposed deadline and make it happen earlier in order to surprise them.

P: Starting this Sanderlanche off with a bang!

L: That’s certainly a grotesque mental image. The Dakhor monks, known as the Order of Bone, aren’t playing around. As a reminder, Hrathen was trained at a different monastery—Ghajan, specifically—as a simple soldier. And we’ve seen how terrifyingly effective he is. So for him to be frightened of these monks…they must be as diabolical as they appear.

P: A grotesque and horrifying mental image. The thought of those creatures slaughtering innocent and defenseless townspeople is just awful.

L: Brandon’s got a cool thing he does with the structure of the story here that I’d like to talk about briefly.

L: I really love it when he does things like this. He did something similar in A Memory of Light, where the chapter (singular) about the last battle is all one single huge chapter. It was a deliberate choice, meant to make the reader feel as if they had no logical stopping point—just as the characters couldn’t stop in the middle of the battle—and hence feel just as exhausted when they reached the end as the characters themselves. This meta approach and subtlety of structure is one of the things I love best about Brandon’s works. He’s manipulating you without you even realizing it’s happening, much like filmmakers use lighting techniques to achieve similar effects (which I believe we’ve talked about in this reread before).

P: He knows his craft very well and gut-punches us as often as possible in these Sanderlanches.

Chapter 58

Here’s Brandon’s note:

L: Nice thematic book-ending. Poor Raoden, though. He’s finally found peace, or so he thought. About to marry his princess love…crowned king…finding some answers about the Dor at last… and now THIS:

L: My actual expression reading that last line.

P: I’m laughing at your GIF but I totally feel you. But he’s right. We wouldn’t be as horrified by them if they were wearing cloaks or tunics.

L: ::GASP!:: Well! THAT explains a thing or two! (And yes, I’d completely forgotten this. Go me.)

P: Don’t feel bad, I’d forgotten, too! Though how I could, I don’t know… I just read this three or four years ago.

L: Pretty sure the last time I read this was when we did the gamma read for the tenth anniversary edition in 2015…

L: HOID ALERT! Interesting to note that this is his very first appearance. Little did we know, when this book was released, just how important a character this lonely hooded beggar would become.

P: And what was his purpose in Kae, I wonder, other than to deliver these weapons for Sarene?

L: He was probably researching the fall of Elantris, knowing him. I bet the Shaod would be irresistible to him, from a researcher’s standpoint.

P: That’s likely. Hoid is a curious one.

P: Very dark and violent, but it kind of has to be, I think. It gives the payoff more meaning, makes it more impactful.

Things are looking dire for Sarene, but then…

L: Aw yeah! PIRATE KING KIIN TO THE RESCUE! Honestly I’d love to read a spin-off book about this guy and his earlier adventures.

P: I love this scene! But it’s disheartening to see the effort it takes to kill one of the creatures.

L: Clever! Leave it to a pirate to always ensure that they’ve got a getaway plan.

P: But Raoden!!

L: Wow, that’s certainly a complicated one.

P: Imagine drawing that in the air with your finger and having to keep it perfect.

L: Talk about a surprise! Poor Sarene never saw that one coming!

P: Nope. And suddenly Eventeo is tainted.

L: If you’d like to read more about Kiin’s backstory, I recommend clicking the annotation link right there and reading up on it, because it’s pretty cool.

L: Gotta give the man this… he knows how to make an entrance. Took that one straight out of the Grade A Villain playbook.

P: I keep expecting him to say “Mua-ha-ha!”

L: Well, that explains why Dilaf was always so annoyed by Hrathen’s orders. He outranked him this whole time and was having to pretend to be his subordinate.

P: Yeah, that would chafe a bit. Also, I think he’s utterly bonkers.

L: Not only was Hrathen an subordinate, he hadn’t been able to cut it in Dilaf’s own monastery. Oooh, it must have rankled Dilaf to take orders from someone who flunked out of Pain University!

P: As previously stated… bonkers. Gotta be, to willingly endure pain like that.

L: What a twist.

P: Poor Hrathen, bested again.

L: Yikes on bikes. Using genocide to instill loyalty in the people you’ve conquered? Remember that Grade A guidebook on Villainy? This is the master class.

P: Outright slaughter like this is just abominable. And they won’t stop with the people of Kae, they’ll take Elantris next.

L: Oh god I’m sorry I have to.

P: I don’t know whether to laugh or scold!

L: I hate to give Hrathen even a morsel of empathy, but he’s right.

P: Which is why we weren’t made to hate Hrathen. He often showed some good.

L: Looking back on what you’ve read, did you notice, Cosmere Chickens? Or did Brandon manage to slip it by you as intended?

P: He definitely makes me read faster and faster as the book progresses. Not sure I’ve noticed, though!

Chapter 59

L: The POV-switching speeds up even further as we continue on into the Sanderlanche, and with good reason.

L: But what about the triad structure, Past!Brandon?

P: He likes to keep us guessing.

P: There you go!

L: Oof. That’s a horrifying thought. It sounds like he’s had a concussion… and to have the symptoms of one of those in perpetuity? No thanks.

P: Poor Raoden, enduring so much, though it takes place in short order.

L: She had the best of intentions, but sadly Dilaf outsmarted her.

P: The slime ball appears to be good at doing that.

L: He really is a terrifyingly effective villain.

P: I know he’s been incredibly dislikable through the whole book, but I feel that we have too little time to actively hate him.

L: I agree with you. We don’t fully realize the extent of his evil until the very end.

L: Has anyone told Dilaf that he doesn’t have to be 300% evil? 100% is enough, my dude.

P: I feel that 300% is a conservative assessment.

L: At least Hrathen recognizes that he’s a monster. That’s… a slight relief.

P: It’s absolutely a relief! To know that he’s not going along with it and is actively defying Dilaf is good to see.

L: … There… there are no words.

P: Another very apt gif! There really aren’t, though. It’s no wonder Raoden immediately turned into a Hoed.

And Dilaf’s smirk! I have rage!!

L: You’ll forgive us if we don’t trust you after what you just said, Past!Brandon…

P: Seriously. I’m waiting until next week to read on. I’m exhausted.

L: SEE? See? This is why we have trust issues!

P: Poor, poor Elantrians.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapter sixty.

The post <em>Elantris</em> Reread: Chapters Fifty-Seven to Fifty-Nine appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

There is a group lying in wait in the dark somewhere. Three weeks ago, Adora Belle Dearheart offered up a great deal of money to lease dwarf land for unknown reasons. Moist von Lipwig is already bored of his life and nearly gets caught scaling the Post Office Building (he’s part of a shadowy nighttime climbing fraternity). He’s an upstanding citizen now, with his picture in the paper, and calls to testify against conmen forging stamps. At a meeting with Lord Vetinari, he’s asked if he would like the opportunity to make some real money, but Moist insists that he’s very happy at the Post Office and scurries away. He goes back to work, looking through meeting minutes, signing forms, letting Tiddles the cat in and out of his office, walking through the place. The job isn’t exciting anymore. Gladys the golem informs him that Vetinari’s coach is waiting outside, and Moist keeps him waiting for a long while before breaking down and going to find out what this is all about. Vetinari informs him that he has a new proposition for Moist’s employment: master of the Royal Mint. He wants Moist to take control of the bank of Ankh-Morpork and literally make money for a living.

He’s certain that this will solve Moist’s current problem; his new job will be one of adventure and danger where he will never be bored. Moist asks what happened to the last men to run the Mint, and Vetinari informs him that they both died at old ages in their beds, but he’s sure Moist would do something to upset that balance. He asks after Miss Dearheart and her work with the golems; she’s currently checking on golems that might be mining on dwarf land carrying out their last orders. Vetinari introduces Moist to Mavolio Bent, the head cashier. Mr. Bent doesn’t much like Moist because he’s the creator of the “unsecured one-penny note”—being his stamps. Vetinari leaves the man to show him around, and Mr. Bent begins by fixing a clock on the floor that apparently loses one minute a week. He also shows Moist their gold reserves, explaining that coins are not gold, but a theoretical promise that the coin is worth a set amount of gold. Moist is taken to the Mint where the Bad Penny (an odd large treadmill) sits. Moist meets Mr. Shady, the hereditary foreman of the mint, who tells him how his position came to be and how much it costs to make the various coins, which is the reason the Mint doesn’t make nearly so much money as you might expect. They even employ families off site to make certain coins. (And if they work overtime, they have to work more overtime to pay the overtime.)

Moist and Bent discuss the purpose in using the gold standard, then head to meet the chairman, Mrs. Lavish. Her dog, Mr. Fusspot, takes an immediate liking to Moist, a rarity as far as she’s concerned. She has Mr. Bent take the dog for a walk, and beckons Moist closer so she can have a look at him. She knocks him to the ground and announces that he’s a thief and conman—but she likes him. She says that he can call her Topsy, and that Havelock sent him here to tell her how to run her bank. She tells him what she knows about the business, and then tells Mr. Bent to take Moist to Hubert to learn more. Moist learns that she has 51% of the bank’s shares—fifty to her and one percent left to Mr. Fusspot by her late husband. Mr. Bent shows Moist “his world” within the bank, and then takes him to Hubert. Hubert runs a system called the Glooper, which he calls an “analogy machine” that allows him to experiment with how the city changes and how that will affect the flow of money. He’s Mrs. Lavish’s nephew, and he and Moist get on well, but Mr. Bent warns him that most of the rest of Topsy’s family cannot be trusted—they are used to getting their own way and trying to have her declared insane.

Moist heads back to the Post Office and finds a clacks message from Adora saying that she’s heading back. He resolves not to get caught up in this banking business. He’ll be married to Miss Dearheart sometime soon, and dependable husbands don’t do any of this sort of thing. But he keeps thinking about how the stamps are being used as currency. Gladys brings him a meal and informs him that Lord Vetinari is downstairs. He comes down to find Vetinari helping the Blind Letters department and wondering how he feels about the bank. Moist insists that he is staying where he is, so Vetinari has Drumknott draw up paperwork to that effect and sign it. Mrs. Lavish dies in the night, and Moist gets a letter the next day threatening him though he doesn’t know who sent it. He’s informed that lawyers are downstairs. He briefly thinks of escaping his entire life, but Mr. Slant comes in with Nobby and Angua, and he’s informed that Mrs. Lavish left him Mr. Fusspot in her will. She also left the dog her shares in the bank, making him the chairman, and Moist his owner. If the dog dies, the shares will be distributed amongst the Lavish family. A letter from Topsy informs him that he’ll be paid handsomely for this service, but if he doesn’t do it or Mr. Fusspot dies, the Guild of Assassins will kill him. Moist is trapped. Everyone leaves, and he suits up Mr. Fusspot for his walk to go have words with Vetinari. A black carriage pulls up in front of the office and Moist jumps in, finding out too late that it is Cosmo Lavish’s carriage…

Commentary

Being a smart fellow, Pratchett did note that the subject of this book was fantasy in every direction, as the Discworld is a fantasy realm, and money is a fantasy we all agree to believe in.

There’s a reason they tend not to teach much by way of economics in public schools as you grow up, and it’s that, one has to assume—the knowledge that global economies are a shared societal hallucination built on deliberately byzantine systems intended to discourage any person not well-versed in finance from involving themselves. Of course, now we’re going to get the creation of a more robust economy from Mr. Lipwig, and the conman angle is meant to make that easier to stomach. It’s a smart twist, I’ll give Pratchett that, because it’s otherwise pretty hard to sell me on any story that is about people making that system chug along.

And it works because Vetinari rightly senses that you have to keep Moist busy or he’s liable to do something ridiculous to get that thrill he needs to keep existing. The dramatics the Patrician goes to on this one are so good because you can see him upping the stakes purely for the purpose of interesting the conman. He’s being deliberately more obtuse, more sneaky, more blunt, because he knows it’ll make the man uneasy and get the wheels turning. It doesn’t take much, after all. A few mentions of the stamps being currency here, a meeting with an extremely sharp old woman there…

Terrible as she and her whole family seem to be, I have an unyielding respect for women like Topsy Lavish. And there’s something special about being the sort of person Moist von Lipwig can relax around too. In the previous book, the only person who truly saw him was Reacher Gilt, a man you could by no means chill out around. But Topsy Lavish can take him by the arm and ask him what he’s really about, how he concocts his little schemes, and laugh the whole time. Too bad he didn’t get the chance to spend a little more time with a person like that. I think it’s probably good for him.

Extremely rolling my eyes at Moist trying to pretend he should stay on the straight and narrow path for Adora, though, when Mrs. Lavish figures out what she’s after two sentences into a description of the woman: “A contrast, I trust.” Miss Dearheart doesn’t like you for your staid, sensible choices, guy. But then, he’s looking for any excuse at that point, any reason not to do the thing Lord Vetinari wants him to do.

The setup to this story moves along with an enviable ease, and you can see the trap well before it snaps shut. Even if you don’t suspect precisely how Mrs. Lavish will get Moist wrapped up in the bank, you know it’s bound to happen. And you know that Vetinari is happily watching for the places where Drumknott’s pencils ought to be, almost like a parent checking in on their depressed child.

Asides and little thoughts:

• I don’t suppose we could introduce Miss Maccalariat to the concept of the “invisible default,” right? Because that’s the whole reason the golems are presumed male despite having none of the functioning aspects of maleness. It’s not as though Gladys is likely to mind (since the golems don’t really have gender), but it is exceedingly silly.
• Why are banks built to looks like temples, Moist wonders. Oh, buddy. In this case, the building genuinely was a temple, albeit one without an assigned deity, but the reasoning here isn’t hard to parse. What is money but the cleverest form of faith—i.e. the sort that gets to pretend it’s utterly rational and in no way powered by anything so wooly as belief.
• To my recollection, the expense of creating coins has been a real problem throughout history. In the U.S. it costs nearly three times the value of a penny to make a penny at the moment? So the bank’s problems are all too real, unfortunately.
• Topsy’s husband “always said that the only way to make money out of poor people is by keeping them poor.” A thing to keep in mind at all times. Especially whenever anyone tries to blame the plight of the poor on poor people.
• Moist makes a lot of logic leaps in his potential escape plan before deciding that he’ll probably create the persona that could go live at Mrs. Arcanum’s, which is making me wonder how well that house is known to your average single gentleman around the city.

Pratchettisms:

Next week we’ll read Chapters 4-6![end-mark]

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Making Money</i>, Part I appeared first on Reactor.

That’s right, my fledgling falcons, we’ve come down to the final part of the book! Feathers will fly! Fanfare will sound! And Elantris will… rise? Or fall? Only one way to find out (though “fall” would fit my alliterative scheme better)—let’s read on and find out, shall we?

L: I decided to play around a little bit with the reread today, and “respond” to some of Brandon’s annotated comments as if he were here in the reread with us. (We authors are already used to talking to imaginary people in our heads, so responding to things that people wrote years ago as if they were in the room with us right now really isn’t all that different, right? … Right?) So let’s all welcome Annotation!Brandon to the reread, shall we? If it’s fun and we have time to continue doing it, we’ll keep doing it for the rest of Part Three. If you guys don’t care for it, sound off in the comments and we’ll only sulk a little about it behind the scenes.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Last time on Elantris: FINALLY!

During a planning meeting of the resistance, it is agreed that the best course of action will be to assassinate Telrii. Sarene picks up on the fact that Kaloo is actually Spirit, but when they come back from their little confrontation, Ahan is gone… because he’s gone to alert Telrii of the treason happening. Telrii shows up with a bunch of guards and they proceed to stab poor old Roial in the tum-tum, at which point Raoden finally FINALLY reveals who he really is, much to everyone’s shock.

The only person who isn’t terribly happy to hear the news that Kae’s beloved prince has returned from the dead is, of course…Hrathen. He stands by, helpless, as Eondel’s troops arrive and behead the hapless Telrii, watching his plans for a “bloodless” takeover of power go up in (literal) flames.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Raoden, Sarene

Discussion

L: This week we’re starting off with Part Three, “The Spirit of Elantris.”

L: ::dryly:: Thanks, Brandon. Look, we didn’t bring you in here from the past to steal our bit from the intro, okay?

(PAIGE, FEEL FREE TO CALL ME OUT ON STEALING FROM THE PAST HERE)

P: I’m slightly disappointed that he didn’t say RAFO.

Chapter 55

L: Man, it’s ABOUT BLOODY TIME. It feels like we’ve been waiting FOREVER for these two to hit it off! After all those little internal speeches of hers about never feeling wanted, and never feeling like she was going to find love… This is so, so lovely to see.

P: Wuv… twu wuv. I’m just glad she wasn’t livid with him for not revealing his identity to her right off the bat. Or any time since.

L: ::narrows eyes:: Now you HAVE told her that you’re still an Elantrian, right, Raoden? Right? RIGHT?

P: Pssh… he’s got to be still wearing an illusion at this point.

L: Thank goodness. Good boy. Now keep up that level of honesty for a change, would ya?

P: Honesty is VERY IMPORTANT, RAODEN!

L: Suspicious.

P: Or maybe they were just overly hopeful that things would stabilize under Telrii.

Raoden had stayed up late memorizing modifiers. AonDor healing was a complex, difficult art, but he was determined to make certain no one else died because of his inability. It would take months of memorizing, but he would learn the modifier for every organ, muscle, and bone.

P: It is upsetting that he wasn’t able to save Roial. But he shouldn’t beat himself up for that; he’s only been studying Aons for a short time.

L: Okay, 1: That’s really cool, but 2: That’s got to be the WEIRDEST feeling.

P: I felt the same thing about how it would be such a weird feeling. Also made me think of Siri from Warbreaker.

L: Well, not quite all. As we’re about to discover…

P: At least all is right with her hair?

L: Awwww, how romantic! He loved her for her… and not only when her rank and title were gone. Her hair was chopped off and her skin damaged, so theoretically, her beauty was marred as well. With all of those trappings stripped away, he fell in love with nothing more (or less) than the person beneath. And that’s real love, right there.

P: Exactly. He didn’t love her for what she was but who she was. If only more people were like this.

L: Well… honeymoon’s over, Sarene. Sorry.

P: Poor Eondel. ::sad face::

Chapter 56

L: I hate to say it, but Raoden’s right. Telrii was an idiot, but killing him accomplished little, save for also killing Eondel. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, and all that.

P: And now they’re missing two key allies, as well as Eondel’s meager troops.

L: As he should.

This highlights a difference between the two of them that I have pointed out earlier. Sarene was not raised to rule–Raoden was. That lifetime of preparation has changed the way Raoden sees things; it has made him look at everything in the light of how it effects his people. Actually, there is no ‘Raoden the man’ separate from ‘Raoden the ruler.’ They’re tightly integrated.

L: Kiin’s a pirate, through and through, all right.

L: Well, when you’re used to sailing on the high seas, raiding and plundering, I guess you don’t have much use for authority other than your own. You get used to relying on your own ship and crew and not much else.

P: And when you operate outside the law like that, you don’t have much regard for the creator of the law.

L: That’s actually pretty interesting. We haven’t talked at all about the Mad Prince version of the book, but in an earlier revision, Raoden’s brother Eton is one of the main antagonists. You can learn more about him on the Coppermind entry here, or by reading the deleted scene on Brandon’s website here.

P: And here, I didn’t know anything about this!

L: The fact that Raoden actually goes up to them marks him as a much more trusting person than I would have been in such a situation. But then…he can’t die, so…

P: But he can experience pain. But yes, it was certainly brave of him.

L: They’re poking a very large, very war-hungry bear, here.

P: Basically thumbing their noses at Hrathen.

L: In story-structure terms, we call this the “false victory.” The hero thinks that they’ve achieved their goal. The villain is conquered, and everything is finally going to be okay. Which makes said villain’s reappearance all the more disastrous, of course.

P: And the villain’s not even who we would expect it to be.

L: And there it is. In our moment of triumph…

P: This is a scary thought. How could a non-Elantrian manipulate the Dor?

L: Dilaf’s here, in the crowd. And what is this that he’s done?

P: And how??

L: The question remains… how? How has Dilaf done this?

L: Oh, well… okay, then. Thanks, Past!Brandon.

P: :: goes to read the next chapter::

L: Sarene here to save the day! She doesn’t let the unexpected twist throw her for a loop, she just smoothly shifts gears and retains control of the situation.

P: Bless our princess! Soon to be queen!

L: And she does so with aplomb. Look at that! Smooth as silk. Almost as if it were planned.

P: It’s somehow fitting for her to crown him. I like it!

L: What a nice change for them. Of course, it’s a fleeting change…

P: Yes, we do all have most of Part Three to go.

L: Boy, can she ever…

P: They’re so damn cute!

L: The mystery deepens. Until the next chapter, anyway.

P: I couldn’t wait to solve the mystery!

L: Much like his wife, Raoden’s preparing for the worst-case scenario. However, I don’t think any of them could be prepared for what’s coming…

P: Definitely not. It’s so… well, you’ll just have to wait and see what it is!

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 57-59.

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Five and Fifty-Six appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

We are reading Where’s My Cow? through the vantage point of Young Sam and his father (less young Sam). The story begins with the similar framing we’re given in Thud! explaining that Sam Vimes is sure to be home at six o’clock every evening to read Sam his book. Sam Vimes reads the book, and we’re told how well he does the various noises for all the animals—a lovely bit of meta-commentary within the story itself.

But Vimes knows that the story is silly, and tells Young Sam that the subject of the book should report their lost cow to the City Watch. He thinks there should be a different version of the book that more accurately reflects his son’s experiences in the city where he’s growing up—not the country that he’s never seen. The very next night, he makes up a new version of book, about the reader looking for his father. He meets all sorts of strange folk though the city and learns their funny catchphrases. Suddenly, Sybil enters the room, wanting to be sure that Vimes isn’t getting Young Sam too excited. Sam pretends to go back to the regular version of the text.

When Sybil has gone, Vimes finishes the story with the subject of the tale finding his daddy, who arrests people in the name of the law. Then he tucks Young Sam in and bids him goodnight.

Commentary

The picture book version of Where’s My Cow? is illustrated by Melvyn Grant, and it’s those illustrations that really make the whole exercise worth it. There are three distinct styles at play within the artwork: the illustrations from the original book itself, which are simple line drawings; the world outside, which is rendered more realistically, but also drab in color; and Sam’s nursery, which is also rendered in a realistic fashion, but full of color and light and anthropomorphized movement of inanimate objects. By the end of the story, all these styles combine on each page in an avalanche of movement and silliness.

There’s the additional enjoyment of seeing various Discworld characters so fully rendered: Vetinari, Dibbler, Detritus, and so on. (And Sybil, my beloved, with her looming figure, so commanding and affectionate at the same time.) You can even see Gaspode with Foul Ole Ron. And then there’s the meta-fun of seeing the cover of the book inside the book itself as you’re reading the book. So you are being made into the snake eating its own tail, as it were. You’re participating in circle.

Buy the Book

Where’s My Cow?

Terry Pratchett

Buy Book

Where's My Cow?

Terry Pratchett

Buy this book from:

• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

The movement within Sam’s nursery is perfectly indicative of the imagination of childhood and how alive our surroundings can seem when we’re very young and imbue anything with a personality. We’ve got a family dragon following them around, but Sam’s toys are alive, and so are his books, and all the furniture as well. Even the paint on the walls comes to life. On the last page, we can see that Sam’s toys are going to sleep along with him—but that painting with the flowers above his crib is still looking awfully three-dimensional, popping out of its frame. Probably because that’s always how Sam perceives it.

Vimes is very clearly based on Pete Postlethwaite, which Pratchett always insisted was the Sam Vimes in his head. Grant gets a lot of mileage out of that by both being a great illustrator and having a great subject. Postlethwaite was a very expressive fellow, after all.

Ultimately, however, this is a book about exactly what Vimes would want it to be about: a father enjoying time with his son. Every page is plastered with images of them together, having fun and making each other laugh. Because some things are important, as he says. And if you happen to read it to your own kids (or share it with people you care for), you can participate in that ritual as well.

Asides and little thoughts:

• Melvyn Grant has done illustrations for plenty of books, but his most interesting credits are definitely his Iron Maiden album covers. He did five of them, including Fear of the Dark.
• There’s an illustration of Pratchett on the wall of Sam’s nursery (you can see him on the last page), which would make him one of Sybil’s relatives presumably within the story? I wonder which one…
• Okay, but I posit that if Pete Postlethwaite was the person Pratchett envisioned for Vimes and he is no longer with us, the logical successor to that mantle is Christopher Eccleston. (It’s difficult because they’re both too tall to my mind, but Eccleston is still the right fit from Postlethwaite.)

Pratchettisms:

Next week we’ll start Making Money! We’ll read Chapters 1-3.

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Where’s My Cow?</i> appeared first on Reactor.

Paige: Beyond ready!

Lyn: Let’s not belabor the point and dive right in then, shall we?

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: War, revolution, beheading

Last time on Elantris: Conspiracy Theories…

Hrathen runs into Dilaf, who hints that maybe not everything is going according to Hrathen’s plans… meanwhile, Raoden and Galladon are still playing dress-up, but at least their charade has gained them more than a sword-cut on the cheek—Raoden talks Roial into inviting him along to their next Secret Meeting.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Sarene, Raoden, Hrathen

Discussion

Chapter 53

L: From the Annotations:

I hereby dub this chapter the official start of the Brandon Avalanche! Let the rejoicing begin.

L: Hooboy. Here we go.

P: I’ve been waiting so long for this!

“Has Roial gone mad?” Sarene asked. “What if that cursed Dula is a spy?”

“A spy for whom?” Kaloo asked.

L: Okay, I have to say, I really love Raoden-Kaloo. He’s cracking me up.

P: He really seems to be enjoying this particular charade.

Despite her insistences that he not prepare dinner, Kiin had obviously been unable to let this many people congregate without giving them something to eat.

L: Brandon really has quite a lot of lovable characters in this book. Not that he doesn’t always, of course, it’s just nice to see in a debut novel like this.

P: I’ve seen people say how contrived this group is compared to, say, Kelsier’s crew. But I adore Raoden’s friends!

“The resistance only survives because the Fjordells are too lazy to chase it out of the swamps.”

Shuden frowned. “I thought they were hiding in the caves of the Duladen Steppes.”

“There are several pockets of them,” Kaloo said smoothly, though Sarene detected a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

L: Gee, Raoden, if only you’d come clean about your identity you wouldn’t have to do all this lying and risk getting caught!

P: Nobody seems to notice but our dear, mistrustful princess.

Sarene shook her head. “If we give Shu-Dereth that kind of foothold in Arelon, we’ll never be free of it.”

“It’s only a religion, Sarene,” Ahan said. “I think we should focus on real problems.”

L: “Only” a religion, indeed. How many wars have been fought over religions in the real world, again? Oh, right…

P: Seriously, Ahan is daft.

L: Well, considering what he pulls later in the chapter, maybe this is calculated daftness. Maybe.

“Besides,” Kaloo noted, “I don’t think you want to throw this country into war. I’ve seen what a bloody revolution can do to a nation—it breaks the people’s spirit to fight one another. The men in the Elantris City Guard might be fools, but they are still your countrymen. Their blood would be on your hands.”

L: Okay, 1: Good point, but 2: Careful there, Raoden. You’re falling out of character…

P: He is, isn’t he? Starting to sound like Spirit a bit there, Raoden.

“Assassinating Telrii would solve a lot of problems.”

The room fell quiet. Sarene felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she studied the men. They knew what she knew. She had determined long before the meeting began that this was the only way.

“Ah, one man’s death to save a nation,” Kaloo whispered.

L: A hard choice, indeed. We all know what a certain old man on Roshar would say about this…

P: The good of the many, and such.

Sarene’s brow furrowed; she almost had it. There was something familiar about his words…

L: Raoden’s let his guard down and Sarene’s about to pounce!

P: Eeeee! I love this part!

He looked into her shocked, wide eyes, and knew that she knew. Somehow, despite their short time together, she had recognized him when his best friends could not.

Uh-oh, he thought to himself.

L: ::snicker::

P: Uh-oh, indeed. He all but proclaimed himself to be Raoden.

“Why did you lie to me?”

Spirit smiled. “Oh, and you’re going to try and tell me it wasn’t more fun this way?”

L: If I were Sarene, I’d have punched him again for that one, lack of healing or no.

P: He did have quite a good time with it.

I had no idea you were that good an actor. I hated you!”

“It’s nice to feel appreciated,” Spirit said, letting his arms wrap around her.

L: ::wistful sigh:: FINALLY.

P: ::swoon::

Why risk coming out into Kae?”

“To find you,” he said.

She smiled. That was the right answer.

L: He’s such a charmer.

P: Indeed, he is. And he’s quite taken with his bride.

L: And who can blame him? They’re perfect for one another. Except for all of his deception, of course.

“I assumed that these men would stop meeting after I left.”

Sarene shook herself from the trance of being lost in those eyes. “What was that you just said? After you left…?”

L: YES YES YES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD FINALLY.

P: And was that a slip or did he intend to say it?

L: A slip, I think. My theory is that being around his old friends again was just too much for him. When you’re in such a familiar and comfortable environment, with people you trust, keeping up an act like Raoden has been doing is much more difficult than it would have been if he were surrounded by strangers. The natural inclination would be to fall back into old speech patterns and routines.

“We need to go back in. But … let’s just say I have something else I need to tell you, once the meeting is through and we can speak more privately.”

L: Ugh. No! This is almost as bad as “we’ll talk when all this is over” in a horror movie.

P: And Ned Stark telling Jon he’d tell him about Jon’s mother when Ned saw him again. Oops.

L: I’m STILL not over that.

P: Me neither. ::sigh::

It was not Ahan she found standing in the doorway. Instead she was confronted by a group of armed soldiers with a well-dressed man at their front. King Telrii.

L: Of course. Someone had to betray them, and Ahan was the most likely culprit.

P: Snake.

Telrii snapped his fingers, and a soldier stepped forward and rammed his sword directly into Duke Roial’s belly. Roial gasped, then crumpled with a moan.

L: Noooooooooo not the likable older mentor figure!

P: I have such a soft spot for Roial!!

L: (warning: dark joke incoming) Roial had quite a soft spot, too. And Telrii’s soldiers found it.

“Interesting you should mention usurpers, Duke Telrii,” a voice said from across the table. “I was under the impression that the throne belonged to Iadon’s family.”

L: Ooooooooooooooooooooooh here we go!

P: In this corner we have Raoden! The rightful King of Arelon!

Raoden. Sarene felt numb. She stared at the man Spirit, wondering who he was, and if she had ever really known him.

L: About time!

P: Yeeessss!

“Do not cry, my boy,” Roial said. “Your return is blessed. You cannot save this tired old body, but you can save the kingdom. I will die in peace, knowing you are here to protect it.”

L: Awww. It’s a shame, Roial really is a sweet old man and a great character. Poor Raoden, unable to save him. (And here’s Brandon with his penchant for protagonists who just can’t save the lives of the people they love. Not that this is unique in the genre or even in fiction in general, of course, as it’s a good way for the hero to lose things and to up the stakes without actually killing the hero themselves… but still, those Kaladin similarities are striking, aren’t they?)

P: Truly striking. And heartbreaking. Killing Roial hurts.

Chapter 54

The rumors said that Prince Raoden had returned from the grave.

Hrathen sat, dumbfounded, behind his desk.

L: Didn’t plan for that eventuality, didja, Hrathen?

P: Who would have? Of course, he doesn’t believe it, thinking that Sarene must have found a look-alike to impersonate Raoden.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late to convince Telrii to at least draft a warrant of execution. It would ease the aristocratic minds if they were able to read such a document.

…

Telrii refused to see him.

L: I love how he still thinks that he’s got any sway here at all. He keeps trying to stick his nose into Telrii’s business, and Telrii just keeps slamming the door shut on him.

P: Hrathen has a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn’t just give into him because he’s such a big shot.

The tapestries were in flames, and men struggled desperately in the close confines. Several guards lay dead at the far doorway. Some wore the brown and yellow of the Elantris City Guard. The others were in silver and blue—the colors of Count Eondel’s legion.

L: Here comes the cavalry!

P: Get them, Eondel!

Telrii’s headless corpse fell at Count Eondel’s feet. The count regarded it with grim eyes, then collapsed himself, holding a wound in his side.

L: Well. That escalated quickly. (Here’s how I imagine Hrathen for this scene.)

P: That is absolutely the correct gif.

So much for avoiding a bloody change in power.

L: And the bloodshed’s only just beginning, because Fjorden’s on the way…

P: Ohhh nooo…

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with Part Three.

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-Three and Fifty-Four appeared first on Reactor.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: Medical procedures without anesthesia (specifically stitches)

Last time on Elantris: Detonations and Dandy Deceptions…

While moping in the library, Raoden finally connects the dots and draws the line that corresponds to the new chasm formed during the earthquake, thereby releasing the Dor. He sets off a huge explosion when all that pent-up energy is released, but can’t get any further Aons to work as powerfully as they’re supposed to.

However, he can get them to work well enough to craft an illusion to disguise himself and Galladon and sneak out of Elantris for the very important, super-secret, vital task of…

Pretending to be a dandy and flirting with Sarene.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Hrathen, Raoden (aka Kaloo)

Discussion

Chapter 51

L: I wanted to begin talking about this chapter by bringing up a point Brandon makes in his annotations. (One note on our quotes of the annotations; there are quite a few spelling errors in them, we are including these as-is and not fixing them for this article.)

You may have noticed a slight tone shift in this chapter–I made it a little darker, filling it with death imagery. (Incense, ash, darkness, Svrakiss.) I wanted to subtly get across that things are growing more dim for Hrathen and Arelon.

I really love what he’s doing here. You see this a lot in films and other visual media (using elements of the setting to highlight themes within the scene), but not as often in literature, where so much of the heavy lifting of the visualization is on the shoulders of the readers’ imaginations. A good director will utilize shadow on half of a character’s face to subtly indicate that they’re being two-faced or manipulative, or that they have a dark side. It’s much easier to do this on film, where “a picture is worth a thousand words,” than in a book. And yet… here we see Brandon doing just this.

Wyrn had indicated that he had little patience for fools, and he would never name a foreigner to the title of gyorn.

L: Well, there goes Telrii’s dream of power.

Buy the Book

The Atlas Complex

Buy Book

The Atlas Complex

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

P: It was a ridiculous request anyway, and someone of his station should have realized that. While Wyrn doesn’t seem to mind throwing money at Telrii, he’s not going to grant him that kind of power.

The empty market was a manifestation of the Arelene nobility’s confused state. Suddenly they weren’t certain if it was better to be a Derethi sympathizer or not—so they simply hid. Balls and parties slowed, and men hesitated to visit the markets, instead waiting to see what their monarch would do.

L: In a way, you can’t really blame the nobles. They can’t tell which way the wind is blowing, and when that wind is carrying poisonous fumes, it’s better to just bunker down and hide.

P: And Telrii probably loves the confusion that’s clouding the minds of his “subjects.” He is very caught up in himself, that one.

“The ashes are like the wreckage of your power, are they not, Hrathen?” a voice asked.

L: Hoo boy. Here we go. Return of D***head Dilaf.

P: And he doesn’t seem too afraid or intimidated to speak his mind. Guess he’s over the shock of Hrathen’s miraculous cure.

L: Yeah… I think he’s too self-important and full of zealous fervor to feel afraid of anything. I doubt that Hrathen’s return scared him so much as just surprised him briefly.

Dilaf didn’t move. “You were close, I admit, but your foolishness cost you the victory.”

“Bah!” Hrathen said, brushing past the small man in the darkness, walking toward the exit. “My battle is far from over—I still have time left.”

L: As much as I dislike Hrathen, he’s really letting his ego blind him to the real and present danger that Dilaf presents.

P: Even when he was aware earlier of what a danger Dilaf was, I don’t think he fully respected just how dangerous the wily little sucker can be.

L: Clearly no, otherwise he would have disposed of Dliaf in a more permanent manner.

P: He went with the miraculous recovery plan instead. Tsk.

“It has all slipped away, hasn’t it, Hrathen? My victory is so sweet in the face of your failure.”

“Victory? What victory have you achieved? What…?”

L: What victory, indeed? And what a cliffhanger to leave us on.

P: It’s unsettling to see Hrathen thrown for a loop. It seems that he’s just finally realizing that Dilaf knows entirely too much about what he’s doing, how he’s doing it, and why he’s doing it. And I hate this cliffhanger!

L: Brandon explains a bit of his reasoning for this stylistic choice in the chapter annotations here:

This scene ends with a question. Hopefully, the reader is reminded that we haven’t really seen anything from Dilaf in the last few triads. Hrathen has been in control ever since he left Elantris, and what we’ve seen of Dilaf has been cursory and ignorable, for the most part.

Now, however, he’s back. His low profile in the last chapters was intentional. My hope is that the reader will hit the last few lines of this chapter and think “Oh, wait. I’ve been ignoring Dilaf lately. That’s not a good thing…”

Chapter 52

“Ow!” Raoden complained as Galladon stuck the needle into his cheek. “Stop whining,” the Dula ordered, pulling the thread tight.

P: Sarene sliced poor Raoden in the face during their little duel! That had to be agonizing. And the additional wounds from the stitches. Yikes.

L: Raoden seems to be dealing with the pain pretty well though. Presumably because he’s got something more pressing to take his mind off it, just like all those tasks he gave to the other Elantrians.

“Well, you fight better than I expected.”

“I had Eondel teach me,” Raoden said. “Back when I was trying to find ways to prove that my father’s laws were foolish. Eondel chose fencing because he thought it would be most useful to me, as a politician. I never figured I’d end up using it to keep my wife from slicing me to pieces.”

P: Well, gee… if you would just tell them who you are, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten your face sliced open!

L: If only.

The illusions were attached to their underclothes, allowing them to change outfits each day without needing to redraw the Aon.

L: Okay, I’ll be the one to say it. RAODEN YOU CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR, YOUNG MAN!

“And the magnificent Kaloo returns.”

“Please, sule, not in private. I come close enough to strangling you in public.”

L: I do love me a good Sanderson bromance, and these two fit the bill to a T. Stoic straight man? Check. Amusing and kind charmer? Check. Galladon and Raoden are basically the proto-Kal and Adolin.

P: I feel that they’re pretty well-written, myself. Definitely enjoyable to read. And the fact that Sanderson can make Raoden so charismatic, despite all of his pains, is moving.

L: Side note. Every time I see the name Kaloo, I think of either a kazoo or Baloo the bear.

“Tell me this. Why is it that every time I meet her, Sarene is determined to hate me?”

L: Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you keep lying to her about who you really are, you absolute DUNCE.

P: This! Tell the woman the truth! She’ll bonk her forehead with her palm and say, “Well, that makes sense!”

L: Maybe after she gives him a well-deserved bonk or two.

The true test was going to be getting himself into Roial and Sarene’s secret meetings. If he was ever going to do any good for Arelon, he needed to be admitted into that special group. They were the ones who were working to determine the fate of the country.

P: ::arches eyebrow:: Telling them who you are would do it.

L: Seriously, this is just infuriating. Brandon didn’t include anything in his annotations about why Raoden doesn’t come clean to Roial, so we’re left to conclude that it just… didn’t serve the plot.

“Citizen, I hope I do not injure you when I point out that the others see you as rather frivolous.”

Raoden laughed. “I hope they see me that way, my lord. I should hate to think I’ve been playing the fool for nothing.”

L: Nicely played.

P: He does have to show a streak of seriousness so that Roial will invite him into the inner circle.

“You have already been through what we might have to suffer, and that makes your advice valuable—no matter what the others may think.”

“There is a way to escape Duladel’s fate, my lord,” Raoden said cautiously. “Though it could be dangerous. It would involve a … change in leadership.”

P: And of course, Raoden knows just what to say to get Roial to extend a little trust to “Kaloo.”

L: Brandon’s got a bit to say about this in the annotations too…

It may seem odd that Roial invites Kaloo to the meetings after just a short time. Remember several things, however. First, Sarene wasn’t in the town for very long before she herself got into the meetings. Second, they’re desperate for help and new perspectives. Third, Kaloo has been living with Roial, and Roial knew Raoden quite well. I’m not saying that Roial saw through the persona, but he undoubtedly sensed some of the same things in Kaloo that he liked in Raoden.

Now back to the text:

“You know the house of the merchant Kiin?”

“Yes.”

“Meet me there tonight at sunset.” Raoden nodded, and the duke excused himself. As the door shut, Raoden winked at Galladon. “And you thought I couldn’t do it.”

P: And he’s in. Can’t wait to discuss the next chapter!!

L: Fingers crossed that someone finally realizes who Raoden really is and gives him a good bonking.

L: The coolest tidbit I found in the annotations of this chapter is this little bit here. Now… I find it fascinating as a writer, since this is giving a little glimpse into the craft. Maybe it will appeal to you, too, writer or no:

I often develop characters in my mind based solely on their dialect—and everyone has a dialect, despite what you may think. Galladon’s might be the most obvious, but—in my mind, at least—everyone in the book speaks a little differently. Roial is dignifiedly mischievous, Ahan favors flamboyant words, Kaloo favors frivolous words, and Ashe likes words that make him sound solemn. Karata is curt, Lukel likes to quip, and Raoden firm.

L: Using dialect, or accent, as a basis for characterization is a really clever shortcut.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 53 and 54.

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She’s a professional actress and makes magic wands for a living. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Fifty-One and Fifty-Two appeared first on Reactor.

You may remember that we left off on a bit of a sad place in our reread two weeks ago. Prince Raoden’s still “dead” and stuck in Elantris, and the Aons are still stubbornly refusing to work for him. Princess Sarene’s been “cured” of her Shaod, but that means that she’s been separated from “Spirit” ::pout:: and thrust back into the politically fraught turmoil of Kaye, where Telrii has taken over the throne but refused to convert to Shu-Dereth (as he promised Hrathen he would). Things aren’t quite at a boil, but they’re getting close. So won’t you join us as we light a candle and make our way down the streets of Elantris, on our way to meet Raoden in a certain dimly lit, dusty library…

Spoiler warning: This week’s article briefly mentions The Emperor’s Soul and The Lost Metal but contains spoilers from neither. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Buy the Book

Infinity Alchemist

Buy Book

Infinity Alchemist

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

Last time on Elantris: Treason and Trickery…

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you, dearest chickens! In our last chapter, Sarene is released back into Kaye, where she immediately begins trying to gather her friends for an all-out armed insurrection against (now King) Telrii. Meanwhile, Hrathen learns that Telrii is even slimier than he’d anticipated. Not only is he demanding more out of Hrathen in order to turn the country over to Shu-Dereth and thereby Wyrn… he’s demanding to be granted a position equal to Hrathen, and Telrii has dared to demand it of Wyrn himself! That letter’s not going to go over well, and Hrathen knows it. He’s bracing for war as Wyrn inevitably launches a strike force against Kaye…

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Raoden, Sarene

Discussion

Chapter 49

At first, Raoden stayed away from the library because it reminded him of her. Then he found himself drawn back to it—because it reminded him of her.

P: Aww, this is simply adorable. And people say that Sanderson can’t write romance.

Aon Eno, the character for water, included a wiggling line that matched the meanderings of the Aredel River. The character for wood—Aon Dii—included several circles that represented the southern forests.

L: For your visualization pleasure:

Why did Aon Mea, the character for thoughtfulness, have an X that crossed somewhere in the middle of Eon Plantation?

L: Years of self-taught photoshop prowess have led me to this, chickens.

Why was Aon Rii specked with two dozen seemingly random dots?

L: Also, why does this one not have the dot for the lake, and have a diagonal line through there instead? And why does it have FOUR quadrants? This one’s REAL weird.

After all, the Elantrians had used AonDor to carve permanent symbols into rock and stone—and had even constructed them from wire, pieces of wood, and a host of other materials. Apparently it was difficult to create AonDor characters from physical materials, but the Aons still had their same effect, regardless of whether they were drawn in the air or smelted from steel.

L: I love the idea of sculpted Aons. They’re so beautiful to begin with!

“Stop moping, sule,” Galladon said with a grunt. “It doesn’t suit you—it takes a fine sense of pessimism to brood with any sort of respectability.”

L: Yeah! Like Kaladin’s!

P: Your comment made me snort laugh. But yes, Raoden is not the moping type.

Except … When the Reod occurred, the land cracked. 

“The Chasm!” Raoden exclaimed.

“The Chasm?” Galladon said skeptically. “That was caused by the Reod, sule, not the other way around.”

“But what if it wasn’t?” Raoden said, excited.

L: What indeed?!

P: Finally he gets there.

He stabbed the Aon and slashed his finger through the air. And a small line streaked across the Aon behind it.

Then it struck him. The Dor attacked with a roaring surge of power, and this time it hit no wall. It exploded through Raoden like a river. He gasped, basking in its power for just a moment. It burst free like a beast that had been kept trapped in a small space for far too long. It almost seemed … joyful.

Then it was gone, and he stumbled, dropping to his knees.

L: EUREKA! We have a breakthrough! One thing I’d like to note from Brandon’s annotations on his website is this:

If you were wondering, most of the explanations we get in this chapter are true. The reason that Raoden was subject to the Dor attacks was because he spent so much time practicing with the Aons. He began to make a bridge between this world and the Dor, and because of that, he gave the Dor a slight opening into his soul. I imagine that he isn’t the first one to suffer something like this during the ten years that Elantris has been fallen. Other Elantrians probably practiced with the Aons, and the Dor eventually destroyed them. When it was done, they simply became Hoed.

Now back to Raoden:

A thin prick of red light appeared in the disk’s center, then expanded, the burning sounds rising to a clamor. The Aon became a twisting vortex of fire; Raoden could feel the heat as he stumbled back.

It burst, spitting out a horizontal column of flame that passed just above Galladon’s head. The column crashed into a bookshelf, immolating the structure in a massive explosion. Books and flaming pages were tossed into the air, slamming into walls and other bookcases.

L: Raoden’s a regular Oppenheimer here. Does this make Sarene our Barbie…?

P: Definitely!

“It’s not as bright as it should be,” he said.

L:  Well, drat. I suppose it was too much to hope that this one thing would fix all their problems… after all, we’ve still got a ways to go until the end of the book!

P: Yes, it can’t be easy for them, can it?

Any Aon, for instance, that targeted either of them flashed away ineffectually. Their clothing was a valid target, but their flesh was not; Raoden broke off the tip of his thumbnail and tried to make that float, and was completely unsuccessful. The only theory Raoden could offer was the one he had expressed earlier.

“Our bodies are frozen in the middle of being changed, Galladon,” he explained…

L: Makes sense. So figure out how to finish that change, already!

P: I think that knowing it will eventually work makes getting through this bit excruciating.

L: Another note from the annotations:

By the way, there is a little foreshadowing in this chapter. Raoden’s ability to draw with a stick or a quill to do his Aons is very important, obviously. Some people still have trouble [with] what is going on at the climax of the book, and so I found constant need to incorporate explanations and hints where I could to foreshadow events.

As a fellow writer, I always find it fascinating how often I needed to drop hints like this in order for my advance readers to get stuff. Some people would be incredibly on the ball and would catch a single mention of something fifteen chapters ago, but they were in the distinct minority. So seeing that Brandon also experiences this didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

P: Kind of like beating us over the head with it. ::chuckle::

Chapter 50

“His Majesty is quite busy lounging in his palace while half of Arelon’s nobility waits outside,” the seon said with a disapproving tone.

L: Ugh. Telrii might be a step up from the old king, but let’s face it. It was a low bar.

P: It was a very low bar. And I’m not so sure he is a step up from Iadon. Telrii is vile.

“I believe his largest current complaint is that there aren’t enough young women left on the palace staff.”

L: Double ugh. Well, at least he’s just leering at them (hopefully) and not killing them.

P: I can definitely see him leering. I wouldn’t think he’d resort to killing so soon into his reign.

“We’ve exchanged one idiot for another.” Sarene shook her head.

L: You tell ‘em, Sarene.

P: She’s definitely not wrong.

The entire civilized world would belong to Wyrn, a final fulfillment of the Old Empire’s dream.

L: I do find this a tiny bit amusing considering the fact that we know that there are other very civilized societies on this planet (see: The Emperor’s Soul and The Lost Metal).

Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better—a member of a community where every individual was vital.

L: Awww. She got a little taste of being a commoner… and she liked it.

P: After feeling so unaccepted by people her whole life, I’m not surprised that she liked it!

Kaloo was too stereotypical. He represented everything a Duladen aristocrat was said to be—foolishly haughty, overdressed and overmannered, and completely indifferent when it came to just about everything. This Kaloo was like a cliché that shouldn’t exist, a living representation of the idealized Duladen noble.

L: Naturally this is Raoden, and I just love the fact that he’s here making Sarene blush and being all suave and handsome and… ::sigh:: Brandon’s got some words to say about this scene in the annotations…

I’d been wanting to show a real Dula ever since I started writing the book. Galladon is such a ‘bad’ Dula that I was very pleased when I found an opportunity to work Kaloo into the plot. You’ve been hearing, through various asides, about Dulas for most of the book. Now you actually get to meet one. Or, at least, someone pretending to be one.

P: And I love how suspicious she is of him. This whole scene is just so amusing. I think he would have done much better had they used the safer blades. He didn’t want to hurt his princess.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 51 and 52.

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She’s a professional actress and makes magic wands for a living. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Nine and Fifty appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

The winter gets worse and worse and all Tiffany can do is help Annagramma get better, and use the cornucopia to make sure there’s enough food to see people through; all the witches are running ragged trying to keep their villages alive through the bitter cold. The Wintersmith has finally completed a body and knows what it is to be a man. Granny wakes Tiffany one day and tells her she should go home and be with her people, and that she thinks she expected too much of the girl, thinking she’d come into Summer’s power. Except, she points out that Tiffany did make an oak sapling, and tells her that she suspects Tiffany will be stopping by Miss Treason’s cottage on her way home; Tiffany realizes that Granny knew what Tiffany and the other girls had been doing all along, and had probably planned it that way. Tiffany goes to Miss Treason’s and finds notes on her grave that villagers are leaving to get her help. The Wintersmith shows up, but Annagramma appears in full stereotypical witch garb (she bought the whole Boffo catalogue) to bat him away from Tiffany. She loads Tiffany onto her own broom—as Tiffany is a bit delirious from panic and lack of sleep—and sends her home.

Granny sends the Feegle to train Roland to be a Hero for the story, and to send him to the Underworld to fetch the Summer Lady. Tiffany continues her journey home and stops briefly at Mrs. Umbridge’s to sleep; she dreams of the Summer Lady telling her that she’s ruined everything. When she wakes, Mrs. Umbridge is there and she’s got all the mail for Tiffany that’s been held up, including three letters from Roland and a very expensive paint box. Tiffany makes it the rest of the way home while Granny and Nanny send the Feegles to their task. Once Tiffany is home she feels more herself; she gets to see her family, and feels the ground beneath her feet, and she paints with her new paint box. She knows that people from the Chalk will be asking for her help soon, and it feels like a good day. The Feegle show up in Roland’s room and realize that he doesn’t have any practical fighting experience. They bring him into the armory and get into a suit of armor so that he has someone to practice against. At home, Tiffany’s mother is confused about her inability to use magic to do housecleaning. Roland stands up to his aunts and pauses his fight training to see his father—if he doesn’t see the man every day, his father forgets who he is.

Wentworth, Tiffany’s brother, catches a very large pike from the river, and Tiffany cleans it out for supper the following day. As she finishes cleaning it, she goes to remove the lure and finds it’s actually her silver horse. The Wintersmith knows where she is, and she will have to face him, here, in her home. But first, she finds her father so they can see to their flock of sheep. And with that, we catch up to the start of the book: Tiffany has been taken by the Wintersmith and wakes in a palace he has made for her. Tiffany tries to cow him, but he’s getting better at being a man, and insists that he is keeping her safe from death here. The Feegles get Roland kitted out and are sending him to the Underworld to find the Summer Lady. He encounters bogles, and only manages to survive the encounter because he’s too scared to run. Rob tells him that’s alright, and they make it all the way to the ferry, where Death is waiting to take them across. (Death is not happy to see the Feegle again.) Roland gets rid of his sword because the Feegle admit it’s no use against the bogles. They tell him he’ll have to kiss Summer to wake her; Roland gets to her and she looks just like Tiffany.

The Wintersmith has finally worked out that Tiffany is not the Summer Lady. He promises to bring summer to the Chalk to make Tiffany happy and then they will be happy. Roland retrieves the Summer Lady and fights off the bogles with a sword made of light that he creates in his own head, that is never too heavy. Tiffany knows that the Wintersmith cannot be human because he constructed himself according to the folk song but cannot understand the last three lines because they are not things to build himself from, but attributes he cannot possess. She kisses him and brings down the sun, ending the story. The Summer Lady comes to retrieve her crown from Tiffany and means to give her a reward, but Tiffany refuses: Witches don’t accept payment. The Summer Lady shows Tiffany the beauty and terror of summer, warning her to fear it as much as winter. Tiffany visit Nanny Ogg to tell her the whole story, slips in to see that Annagramma is getting on alright, then heads to Granny Weatherwax’s, and tries to call her on the set-up with Annagramma. Granny doesn’t react. She asks about Tiffany’s new ring, made from the nail the Wintersmith used to become human. Then she brings Tiffany to the Morris dance in Lancre, and Tiffany asks her how to move pain out of a body so she can help the Baron. Granny tells her she’s playing with fire, but seems pleased at Tiffany’s choices. Tiffany sees Summer in the dance, and gives the iron ring to the Fool.

Commentary

Tiffany spends this story in the throes of growing up, and the whole conceit is framed as a romance… but ultimately ends with compassion. And this is true for the previous story as well, with the hiver, but it’s more personal here, of course. Because the Wintersmith believed he was in love with her, but also because she understands better what his mistake was in trying to make himself human, the aspects he would always lack.

There’s one line from the Wintersmith that is underplayed, but actually hit me the hardest, when he says that he and Tiffany will be together and happy: “Happiness is when things are correct.” The gaping flaw in that thought, partly being that plenty of people do think that’s the definition of happiness, but also that imposing “correctness” on the idea of happiness is in itself utterly backward. Ouch.

I also do love the moment when the Wintersmith palace realm creates that dress for Tiffany and we get this:

She was shocked, then angry. Then she wished she had a mirror, felt guilt about that, and went back to being angry again. And resolved that if by chance she did find a mirror, the only reason she’d look in it would be to check how angry she was.

Just the extremely relatable feeling of not having time for this nonsense! But being young and curious and kind of wishing that you did.

The idea that Tiffany’s formative romance, or formative idea of romance (because the Wintersmith is a concept more than a sentient being) is fundamentally tragic seems important as well. Whether it’s because she’s a witch, or because she’s more aligned to Esme Weatherwax’s manner of doing the job, it’s a clue to readers about the sort of adult Tiffany will become. While I appreciate that it feels entirely right for Tiffany, I always want a bit more of Nanny’s perspective on things like this. Just a little, for balance.

There’s the “reckoning” language that gets more prominent as the story finishes, with Tiffany thinking the word more and more frequently whenever she is angry, and I love how dramatic it is? Tiffany’s anger is always her clearest emotion, too, which is so refreshing to see both for the rarity of this being allowed to young women in fiction, but also for how it focuses her. When Tiffany is angry, she knows what she needs, what she has to do. Anger provides clarity. Which is a commonality among Pratchett’s protagonists, but I particularly love the way he executes it in her.

And the way these books seamlessly weave the Feegle plots in, much in the manner Pratchett uses with the university wizards: They’re here to cause mayhem and make jokes, but they’re so enjoyable that you’re never really sorry about it?

These endings with Tiffany and Granny, though… they bring the story back around to its heart, yet again. These moments when you can see how proud Granny is of Tiffany, how comforted she is in knowing that someone like her will be around when she’s gone, and the genuine childlike joy we get from Esme when she shares things with the girl. It anchors these stories in something far deeper than simple coming-of-age mechanics. Being a witch is so much more than that, after all.

Asides and little thoughts:

• FTW being for “Friendly To Witches” is excellent. And the “witch sign” to let people know about it is, of course, similar to the Hobo Code, a way that travelers used to leave each other notes made of symbols to help each other find safe places to rest and eat.

• Orpheo and Euniphon are, of course, just the Disc version of Orpheus and Eurydice, which gets reenacted by Roland here when he retrieves the Summer Lady. That’s why Rob tells him not to look back, of course, the tragic mistake Orpheus makes when enacting his own rescue.

• “He was great at air sword.” The entire bit about Roland’s difficulty with the heaviness of real swords… as a person who adores stage combat, but doesn’t have fully working wrists, and is also a bit small for your average broadsword, I feel all of Roland’s complaints in my bones. Literally.

• Rob on this particular Underworld: ’This one used tae be called Limbo, ye ken, ‘cuz the door was verra low.” How dare he make that joke. It is so good.

Pratchettisms:

The woods weren’t silent. They were holding their breath.

A witch ought never to be frightened in the darkest forest, Granny Weatherwax had once told her, because she should be sure in her soul that the most terrifying thing in the forest was her.

Before, he hadn’t been apart; he’d been a part, a part of the whole universe of tug and pressure, sound and light, flowing, dancing. He’d run storms against mountains forever, but he’d never known what a mountain was until today.

You couldn’t make a picture by pouring a lot of paint into a bucket. If you were human, you knew that.

Okay, one of them was a cheese that rolled around of its own accord, but nobody was perfect.

It was easier here, and because it was easier it was worse, because he was bringing winter into her heart.

There are times when everything that you can do has been done and there’s nothing for it now but to curl up and wait for the thunder to die down.

We’ve got a break into the new year, but we’ll be back in 2024 with Where’s My Cow?

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: Wintersmith, Part III appeared first on Reactor.

A wind rises and crosses the land, over Tanchico and Amadicia, now ruled by the Seanchan. The common people are content enough, with peace in the land and mostly left alone, except for having some new customs to follow. In Amador, however, former Whitecloacks are forced to do hard labor and endure the winter chill.

The wind flows further over Amadicia until it reaches Abila, where Perrin is just leaving the house of the Prophet, Masema. Perrin is angry after his meeting with Masema; the stubborn man refuses to Travel to visit Rand, and Perrin had to spend a long time arguing and arranging for Masema and a guard of one hundred of the Prophet’s men to ride back with Perrin, over four hundred leagues or more. And somehow Perrin has to keep their identity secret, per Rand’s orders.

Elyas points out that they might have a better chance knocking Masema on the head and fighting their way out. Perrin thinks privately that with the Aes Sedai, Wise Ones, and Asha’man they might succeed, but his mind is full of the images of Dumai’s Wells, and he can’t bear the thought of turning Abila into a slaughteryard as well. As they leave, with Masema set to meet them at their camp by nightfall, Perrin considers the problem of Aram.

In Masema, Aram had met a man who had given his life and heart and soul to the Dragon Reborn. In Aram’s view, the Dragon Reborn ranked close behind Perrin and Faile.

You did the boy no favor, Elyas had told Perrin. You helped him let go of what he believed, and now all he has to believe in is you and that sword. It’s not enough, not for any man. Elyas had known Aram when Aram was still a Tinker, before he picked up the sword.

Balwer rejoins the group, and reports two important pieces of information to Perrin. The first is that King Ailron and the Amadicia army have been soundly defeated by the Seanchan. The Whitecloaks also took part in the battle, but Valda managed to retreat with many of them. The other news is also of a Seanchan battle, this one in Southern Altara. The Seanchan were defeated, with rumors of both Aes Sedai and men who could channel taking part, and retreated back into Ebou Dar. Perrin remarks that this is good news, and his mind turns once again to thoughts of Faile, who he is more than ready to be reunited with.

When they arrive back at the camp, however, they find the Mayener guards facing off with the Ghealdanin soldiers. Behind the Mayeners, up on a hill, all the Two Rivers men are arranged around the crest, with bows nocked and ready. Perrin hurries up to where Berelain, along with Gallenne and Annoura, is arguing with Gerard Arganda, the First Captain of Alliandre’s soldiers. Before Perrin can say anything, Berelain, in a formal voice, informs him of the details of Faile’s capture. When Perrin, in shock, demands to know why they aren’t out looking for her, Berelain reminds him that there could easily be many bands of Aiel about in the countryside, and that they must first ascertain which band has Faile and form a plan. Elyas agrees that blundering about will only get them killed.

Perrin struggles to hold back the rage he feels, towards the Aiel but also towards everyone there. He sends Elyas to scout, and Aram follows.

It would do no good to founder the animals, Perrin told himself, frowning at their retreating backs. He wanted them to run. He wanted to run with them. Fine cracks seemed to be spidering through him. If they returned with the wrong news, he would shatter. To his surprise, the three Warders trotted their mounts through the trees after Elyas and Aram in splashes of snow, plain woolen cloaks streaming behind, then matched speed when they caught up.

Perrin sends a grateful glance towards the Aes Sedai and Wise Ones, then reaches out with his mind to the wolves, even though he knows Elyas must have already tried this.  The wolves express sympathy, and advise him to mourn her and then move on, knowing he will meet her again in the dream.

He’s drawn back eventually by Arganda, who is angrily demanding to put the Aiel in Perrin’s camp to the question. Perrin angrily reminds Arganda that Alliandre swore fealty to Perrin, which makes Perrin Arganda’s lord.

“I said I’ll find Alliandre when I find Faile.” The edge of an axe. She was alive. “You question no one, touch no one, unless I say. What you will do is take your men back to your camp, now, and be ready to ride when I give the order. If you’re not ready when I call, you will be left behind.”

Berelain praises Perrin’s handling of the situation and he tells her off for playing her “childish games” after his wife has been taken. Berelain responds by pointing out that he should be flattered by two women contesting over him, then rides off. Annoura tells Perrin that sometimes he is a very large fool. Perrin doesn’t understand what she is talking about, and doesn’t care.

Perrin rides up the hill to join the Two Rivers men and the rest of the Aiel. The Wise Ones and gai’shain show no sign of disturbance, but Gaul and the Maidens are veiled and poised for battle. Dannil Lewin reports that when the trouble with the Ghealdanin started, he ordered Perrin’s servants and Faile’s followers to make a circle with the carts and stay inside it, and then brought everyone else up to the defensible position on top of the hill. Perrin tells him that he did the right thing, and starts giving orders to prepare for travel. He goes to Gaul next, and for some reason he and the maidens tense up until Perrin asks Gaul to find Faile. The Aiel set off, with each Maiden pressing a finger to her veiled lips and then to Perrin’s shoulder as they pass. Perrin thinks Faile would know the meaning behind the gesture. Perrin also realizes that the Maidens are allowing Gaul to lead, something they would normally never do, and wonders if it has something to do with Gaul’s desire to marry Chiad.

Perrin tries to go talk to the Wise Ones, but they are in council. One of them, Nevarin, comes out of the tent to ask him what he wants, but she can’t tell him how Faile will be treated by the Aiel—taking wetlanders prisoner is against custom, so who can say what other customs the Shaido will break. When Perrin grows upset, she tells him not to become irrational, as men often do.

There is nothing else for Perrin to do, waiting on the scouts and having issued all the orders to prepare to depart. Lini urges him to take care of himself, and Perrin deduces from her drawn expression that Maighdin was with Faile. He ends up hiking to the top of a ridge where he can watch for the scouts’ return, and finds Tallanvor already up there. Knowing that Tallanvor is in love with Maighdin and likely to marry her, he decides the man has a right to keep watch.

They stay up there as night falls, with no sign of the scouts returning. There is also no sign of Masema and his party, but Perrin doesn’t care about that.

Snow began to fall with a dry rustling. Snow that would bury traces and tracks. Silent in the cold, the two men stood there, watching into the snowfall, waiting, hoping.

You know, a few books ago I was getting a little annoyed with the windy openings, but I’ve come back around to liking them again. It’s kind of nostalgic for me now, if that’s a thing I’m allowed to say about a series I started reading a mere six-ish years ago. In my defense, that was pre-pandemic, so it feels like it has been a lot longer. I’m just like the Two Rivers kids, looking back on the me of a few years ago, thinking about how young and innocent I was. Now I’m old and hard and far from home—well, I’m actually at home a lot more, but that’s basically the same right?

I jest, but in all seriousness, I’ve been thinking a lot the past few weeks about how much our heroes have been through. The end of The Path of Daggers felt a little bit like the end of a second act, to me. There’s a sense of anticipation, with the discovery of a way to fight back against the Dark One climate change problem, and because both Egwene and Rand poised to make huge changes to the landscape of the world. There have been moments in which one or more of our heroes went on the defensive against the Dark, but never has it been at such a scale. At about halfway through the series, that feels relevant. Poignant.

It’s important to remember that not much time has passed since the story began. Maybe two years or so? I have a hard time keeping track of that sort of thing, but it certainly hasn’t been much longer than that. Which is really wild, considering how much has happened. It really puts in perspective how many characters are struggling to understand and accept how much their world is changing, and how quickly. It’s taken me three times as long to read the stories as it has for the stories to occur, so they way things have evolved and changed have gone at rather a reasonable pace. But in universe, Egwene and Rand were peasant children just about two years ago, and now they have risen to the two highest positions of power in their continent. It kind of makes more sense that everyone is resistant to Egwene as Amyrlin, when I look at it that way. And it makes more sense, too, that Rand has no idea how to emotionally handle anything.

I’m kind of curious why Jordan made the timeline so tight. There are in-universe reasons that explain how our heroes have “leveled up” so quickly. Being ta’veren counts for a lot here, and Rand seems to have incredible natural instincts as well as Lews Therin’s memories, prompting him to “discover” new weaves with a rapidity no other channeler could probably manage. Egwene’s forcing is another, and although it’s not stated, I’d think that Nynaeve and Elayne have also experienced some degree of being pushed, or pushing themselves, faster than they would have been had they been normal Tower initiates during a normal time. Mat’s skills as a military tactician were basically downloaded into his brain, and Perrin’s wolfbrother abilities aren’t so much learned as unlocked. Even so, thinking about how powerful they have become in such a short span of time kind of reminds me of how in every training montage in action films it only takes a few months for people to go from absolutely green to a trim and mean fighting team.

(Yeah, I don’t know why I’m phrasing things the way I am today. It’s December. Just go with it.)

It just feels unrealistic, even for super powers and magic. It’s a book, you can have things take as long as you want, skipping ahead months or even years if you like. Our main protagonists are all so young, too. Is it only going to take two more years for them to be ready to fight the Last Battle? That’s wild to me.

On the other hand , it’s possible that Robert Jordan wanted them to face Tarmon Gai’don while they were still quite young because of his own experience fighting in Vietnam. He was quite young, as most soldiers are, and that’s where his perspective on battle and war are coming from. So it makes sense that he would want to explore the subject with characters around that same age. And as I mentioned above, this section really struck me with the specifically wartime PTSD, and got me thinking a lot about which parts of his own experience Jordan might be drawing on when he writes paragraphs like:

Dumai’s Wells flashed into his head again, stronger than before. For a moment, he was back-to-back with Loial again, fighting desperately, sure that every breath would be his last. For the first time that day, he shivered.

It’s a quick moment. Perrin doesn’t become lost in the memory, which is how flashback moments are usually portrayed in story and media. But not every experience of PTSD involves a prolonged experience in which the sufferer believes themselves to be back in the original experience. Sometimes it can be a quick reminder, a flash of anxiety, or paralysis. In Perrin’s case he has a few moments when the spectre of Dumai’s Wells looms up for him in this section. Earlier in chapter one he considers Elyas’s point that it might be easier to try to capture Masema and take him with them, but the idea of instigating a battle in which the One Power would be used is too much for Perrin. After seeing what happened at Dumai’s Wells, he is certain that “Abila would have been a butcher’s yard before they were done,” and determined that such a thing won’t happen again if he at all avoid it.

The decision makes sense. Time will tell if it was the right one, though. I can’t help wondering if Perrin’s ta’veren powers were working on Masema while they were talking. I’m sure Masema truly does worship Rand and believe that he’s following the path the Dragon wants him to, but all those ideas have clearly come from somewhere other than reality. Maybe a Darkfriend whispering in his ear, maybe Rand’s ta’vereness balancing some good it did elsewhere, or maybe it’s just Masema’s own mind gone sideways, but I could definitely imagine Masema deciding that Perrin wasn’t really who he said he was just about as soon as Perrin was out the door. Even without knowing that he’s talking to the Seanchan, I’d be suspicious of Masema’s ability to hold to a promise he made, and Perrin would have done better to insist that Masema come with him—although he probably couldn’t have done that without attracting the attention Rand told him to avoid.

But yeah, I wonder if Masema was as reasonable as he was because Perrin’s ta’veren powers were working on him, and Perrin leaving him to follow behind is going to be just like Rand leaving the negotiations with the Sea Folk—as soon as the ta’veren is out of the room, people stop being so easily led. And Masema’s brain in particular seems like it’s not going to stay going in any direction but its own. Given that he’s late for the arranged rendezvous, I’m guessing that theory is a good one.

Dumai’s Wells was also referenced several times in the prologue of Winter’s Heart, with Rand measuring the mettle and loyalty of Dobraine by his performance in that battle. Perrin also notes Dannil’s strength and ability by that metric in chapter two. You can see both Perrin and Rand feel a kind of kinship to those who experienced that battle with them, even with Rand’s ongoing and growing paranoia in play. It’s also notable, I think, to compare Perrin’s reaction to Dumai’s Wells and his reaction to the battle he led in the Two Rivers. The latter involved more deaths to people he knew and loved, but it was a defensive action against invading Shadowspawn. Dumai’s Wells, however necessary, involved leading people into a battle they could have avoided, leading people to their probably deaths in a desperate attempt to save the Dragon Reborn from captivity by the White Tower. And it ended with the Dragon’s own men, the Asha’man, destroying their opposition in a way that no one had ever seen before. They didn’t cook or eat any of their enemies, but by every other metric what the Asha’man did to the Shaido and the Aes Sedai’s soldiers was just as brutal and violent as the ways in which the Trollocs kill their victims in battle. And yet, the Asha’man are “the good guys.” On Rand’s side, so ultimately on Perrin’s side. On the side of the Light. This isn’t to say that one type of battle is necessarily more scarring or harder to recover from than the other, but they are very different.

And now Perrin is responsible for some of those Asha’man, and for Aes Sedai and Aiel, too. He knows his choices could lead to another Dumai’s Wells, and that is a much heavier responsibility than those he’s carried before. In many ways, the choices he made in the Two Rivers were the only ones he could make. But now, he has the ability to say they aren’t going to fight Masema, to try to avoid using the heaviest weapons in his arsenal as long as he can.

Of course, all that goes out the window once he finds out that Faile is missing. Jordan’s descriptions are on point again this week—I could feel Perrin’s distress in my own body as I read, like my own ears were ringing at hearing the news. Even knowing it was coming because I got to read the chapter in which she, Morgase, and Alliandre were captured, I felt unprepared for the revelation.

One of the most fascinating things about Perrin, for me, is that his emotional journey is the closest to Rand’s, but in a more relatable way. Sure, we don’t have wolfbrothers in our world, but it’s easier to imagine what that would be like than to imagine you were the Dragon Reborn. And while Rand’s anger is enhanced and warped by the taint on saidin, Perrin’s has nothing to do with the supernatural aspects of his nature. His anger is his, pure and human, and actually runs contrary to the way the wolves experience emotion.

I have so many thoughts and musings about how this next stage in his journey is going to go for Perrin. He’s already having a difficult time restraining his anger when interacting with his friends and allies, how much worse will it be if he encounters an enemy. And if, the Light forbid, Faile doesn’t survive her captivity, what will Perrin do then? Elyas once told him to keep the axe until he stopped hating it. It was hard to imagine Perrin ever enjoying violence, but if he lost Faile, I could see, possibly, him turning to violence and revenge as an answer to his pain.

Which brings us to Aram. Elyas has good observations about him, too. I was on Perrin’s side when he allowed Aram to join him, to pick up a sword and abandon the Way of the Leaf. Perrin’s argument was that he had no right to tell a man he can’t defend himself and his people if he chooses to, and you can’t really argue with that logic. But it is still true that Perrin made it easier for Aram to leave behind what he believed in, and Elyas’s point that a man need something more to believe in than fighting and hero worship of a few other fighters. I hadn’t quite been able to put my finger on this exact point until Elyas said it, but now it feels so obvious. Aram’s hunger for a fight makes more sense when you consider that it’s less about a love of battle than it is about filling a void. A man like that could easily fall prey to a cultist like Masema.

Despite all the harm he has caused and all the deprivation experienced by the Prophet’s followers, one thing Masema is giving to people is a faith, with clear rules to follow and which gives a sense of purpose to those who do. With so many people displaced from their old ways of life, be it through political or social upheaval, famine and climate problems, or Rand’s ta’veren “breaking of all bonds,” there are so many people in the land who are at loose ends, desperate for some sense of direction and belonging. It makes sense that Masema can attract followers, despite everything.

And finally, I still don’t get Berelain. Perrin is married, how can she claim that she and Faile are both trying to win him? I mean, I guess there’s divorce, or maybe Berelain’s happy being a mistress? But as the First you would think she would feel disrespected if she wasn’t, you know, first in her relationship. And there’s not really been any mention of divorce existing in any of the cultures we’ve met, as far as I can recall. So if that’s the endgame for her, someone should say. And why exactly does Annoura think Perrin is a fool for telling Berelain off? She was being annoying.

Next week we’ll continue on to Chapters Three and Four, which are also very intensely descriptive, a little scary, and full of little half-nuggets of information. I’ll be touching on the Aiel/Wetlander culture clash, as well, and how, in a way, it compares to the Faile/Perrin culture clash.

In the meantime, I leave you with my favorite quote of the section.

If he was going to get her back, he needed to strangle fear and see. But it was like trying to strangle a tree.

Sylas K Barrett wouldn’t mind some snow, really. But maybe after next week’s reading he’ll be happy enough with the usual December rain.

The post Reading The Wheel of Time: Perrin Loses His Falcon in Winter’s Heart (Part 4) appeared first on Reactor.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Last time on Elantris: Revelations & Reckonings…

Serene continues her aerial bombing of poor Raoden’s psyche, telling him all about Iadon sacrificing his maids and cooks to a creepy cult, the entire plutocracy having been converted to a hereditary monarchy, and the people slowly being converted to Shu-Dereth. She reveals that she’s got a seon, lies about the fact that she was TOTALLY into Raoden before he “died,” and then Ashe returns with the unpleasant but expected news that Telrii has been crowned king.

Hrathen gets a message from Eventeo, promising to convert to Shu-Dereth if Hrathen heals his daughter.

Back in Elantris again, Serene finally gives Raoden the hint he needed to begin putting the mystery of the Aons together (the link between the physical geography and the Aons themselves) and in turn, Raoden realizes the truth about her shaod. As her “illness” fades, he insists that she leave Elantris in order to save not only herself, but the Elantrians she’s leaving behind.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Serene, Hrathen

Discussion

Chapter 47

Five days before, she had thought her life ruined. She had wished, prayed, and begged for Domi to heal her. Now she found herself craving to return to her damnation, as long as Spirit was there.

L: ::wistful sigh:: How romantic… Now if only she knew who he really was!

P: I know! If he hadn’t lied about how long he’d been in Elantris, she’d have surely figured it out.

“I will die first!”

“You already have,” the gyorn pointed out. “And I brought you back.”

L: Sick burn, Hrathen.

P: Ugh, he makes me sick. So cocky when he freaking poisoned her.

He took another step forward, and Sarene shied away, pulling her hands up against her chest.

Steel whipped in the sunlight, and suddenly the point of Eondel’s sword was at Hrathen’s neck.

L: Love this. Her friends and family are protective of her, and rightfully so!

P: I love that they’re so loyal to her after such a short time. It speaks to their honor, I think.

L: Not to mention her leadership abilities.

Then, moving more quickly than Sarene’s eyes could track, the gyorn bent backward and pulled his head out of the sword’s range. He kicked at the same time, smashing his foot into Eondel’s hand and knocking the weapon free.

Hrathen pivoted, crimson cape billowing, bloodred hand plucking the sword from the air. Steel reflected sunlight as Hrathen twirled the weapon. He snapped its tip against the paving stones, holding it as a king would his scepter.

L: Damn. Hrathen once again providing a clear example of his martial prowess. If Sarene and her allies didn’t already know to be wary of him… now they do. He’s showing a strong front on all sides; he’s won politically, religiously, and physically.

P: Yeah, he learned a thing or two in that monastery.

She had been told that if one starved oneself long enough, the stomach would shrink, thereby reducing the amount of food one could eat. The man who had invented that theory would have thrown up his hands in despair if he could have seen Sarene feasting.

L: To be fair, she was only gone for five days.

P: She was a hungry girl.

“She’s a big girl,” Lukel said. “It takes a lot of fuel to keep that body going.”

Sarene shot him a look between bites.

L: I absolutely adore the family dynamics here. It’s just so refreshing to have a hero/ine with a healthy family dynamic in a fantasy novel!

P: Truly. The same old trope about losing all of one’s family gets old.

“But they don’t need to,” Kiin said, “so they can afford to stockpile.”

Sarene kept eating, not looking up at her uncle and cousin. Her mind, however, wondered. How did they know so much about Elantrians?

L: Glad to see Sarene picking up on this! They know because one of their sons underwent the Shaod, and they’ve kept this fact a secret, managing to avoid getting him thrown into Elantris.

P: With everything else weighing so heavy on her mind, it’s good to see she’s paying attention to the here and now!

We opposed Iadon, but we did not plan to remove him. If we take direct action against Telrii, then we will be traitors to the Crown.”

“Traitors to the Crown, but not the people,” Sarene said.

L: I really respect her. She’s got so much strength of character!

P: This is why I adored her the first time I read this book, ages ago. She’s the kind of heroine I always wanted to look up to, like Princess Leia when I was a kid.

Eventeo was an honest man. He had sworn to Hrathen that if Sarene returned safely, he would convert. It didn’t matter that the gyorn’s trickery was behind both her curse and restoration; the king would honor his promise.

L: Gotta respect the man’s moral code, but… hooboy. To be beholden to an oath made to a liar who deceived you… That’s gotta hurt.

P: I wouldn’t be as moral. I’d totally claim take-backsies.

Of course he claimed that he also knew it was best for the country. No matter how good Teod’s navy was, sheer numbers ensured that a determined Fjordell campaign would eventually punch through the armada. Eventeo claimed he would not fight a hopeless war.

Yet this was the same man who had instructed Sarene that principle was always worth fighting to protect. Eventeo had sworn that truth was immutable, and that no battle—even a hopeless one—was in vain when defending what was right. But apparently his love was stronger than truth. She was flattered, but the emotion made her sick. Teod would fall because of her, becoming just another Fjordell state, its king little more than Wyrn’s servant.

L: Some interesting points to be made here. If Fjordell rules everything, then… theoretically, there’d be no more war, right? Do we have any evidence of them using inhumane methods of governance like slavery, ethnic cleansing, etc.? The fact that they’re forcefully invading other countries and subsuming their religious/cultural autonomy is problematic, for sure, but… from their perspective, I bet they think they’re uniting everyone in peace.

P: They think they are, but really, forcing people to forsake their religions to convert to a totally controlling and harsh religion that subjugates its members isn’t exactly peaceful, IMO.

Chapter 48

Hrathen, however, was backed by the power of Wyrn’s kingdom and Jaddeth’s empire—the very power that had given Telrii the wealth he needed to claim the throne.

And yet Hrathen was forced to wait.

L: ::snicker:: Called it…

P: As much as I don’t care for Telrii, I like that he’s tweaking Hrathen’s nose a bit. ::chuckling::

The palace sitting room was so draped with cloth plushness that Hrathen had been forced to shove a mountain of pillows out of the way before finding a stone ledge upon which to seat himself.

P: Who’da thunk that Telrii was so boujee. I guess he needs something to spend all that money on. Still, the opulence annoys me.

L: It doesn’t surprise me. Those who lust after power and wealth often also display the need to show it off.

The room had once been Iadon’s study, and at that time it had been marked by a businessman’s efficiency. Everything had been well placed and orderly; the furniture had been comfortable without being lavish.

Telrii had changed that. Attendants stood at the sides of the room, and beside them sat carts heaped with exotic foods… Telrii reclined in a massive pile of cushions and silks, a pleasant smile on his purple-birthmarked face.

The men I am forced to work with … Hrathen thought with an inward grimace. Iadon had at least been businesslike.

P: And the opulence continues into Telrii’s “study.” Expensive foods and tapestries on the walls. He’s such a diva. And it really surprises me that Hrathen thinks something positive about Iadon.

L: In comparison to a worm, I guess even a snake seems to have positive attributes.

“Promises, Hrathen?” Telrii asked idly. “I made no promises.”

And so the game began. “You are to join the Derethi religion,” Hrathen said. “That was the deal.”

“I made no such deal, Hrathen,” Telrii said. “You offered me funds; I accepted them. You have my gratitude for the support, as I said that you would.”

L: Yuuuuuuuuuup. A liar and cheat through and through. I’m honestly shocked that Hrathen is at all surprised by this.

P: And he’s just expecting Telrii to ask for more money. Oh, my sweet summer child…

“You think me a fool, ignorant of the ways of the East? Kings bow to gyorns. What power will I hold if I let you make me into nothing more than a Derethi slave? No, that will not do for me. I don’t plan to bow anytime one of your priests comes to visit. I will convert to your religion, but I will do so only with the promise of an ecclesiastic rank to match my civil one. Not just King Telrii, but Gyorn Telrii.”

L: This reminds me of Jafar in Disney’s Aladdin, when he keeps wishing himself into higher levels of power. Not just a Sultan… the most powerful sorcerer in the world! No… even better, an all-powerful GENIE!

P: OMG, this is exactly what he reminds me of now that you’ve said it. ::chuckling::

Hrathen stood, stunned. The man had sent a letter to Wyrn himself … Telrii had made demands of the Regent of All Creation? “You are a foolish, foolish man,” Hrathen whispered, finally realizing the severity of his problems. When Wyrn received that message …

“Go!” Telrii repeated, pointing toward the door.

Dazed, Hrathen did as commanded.

L: And now Hrathen reaps what he’s sown in trusting the word of someone who would betray his own people. Power and riches are more important than anything else to a man like that, and in so doing, he’s brought destruction down on everything he holds dear (namely, himself).

P: I love how horrified Hrathen is at the thought of Telrii sending a messenger directly to Wyrn. He’s probably a bit worried about his own situation!

L: Understandably so. Telrii’s gone over his head, and that’s a dangerous thing to do when you’re dealing with a tyrannical despot like Wyrn.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! We’ll be taking a couple of weeks off to celebrate the holiday season with our families, but we’ll see you again on January 4th with chapters 49 and 50. Until then, happy holidays to you and yours, and merry cluckings to all and to all a good night!

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She makes magic wands for a living and will be helping out Santa Claus this season in Essex, CT. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Seven and Forty-Eight  appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

As Tiffany works through the funeral, she hears that Granny has put her name forward for Miss Treason’s cottage, which has Annagramma very upset. Tiffany assures her that she doesn’t want the cottage, but she asks Miss Tick why they’re going to allow Annagramma to take the position when they know she’s a terrible fit for the area. Miss Tick doesn’t have an answer for her. The funeral finishes up and everyone heads home, leaving Tiffany with Miss Treason for the final night. She cleans the cottage, writes down everything she can think of about the area to help Annagramma, then goes to talk to Miss Treason. The witch gives Tiffany her broom, a dictionary and one other book (Tiffany selects the mythology book). She teaches Tiffany poker, and tells her to be mindful of her young man, then they fall asleep. When they wake in the morning, the town is on the lawn, there to praise Miss Treason and get last bits of advice. Tiffany takes her down into her grave (which the Feegle dug for her), and Miss Treason is taken by Death. Tiffany puts her boffos into the grave with her so no one knows her secrets, cleans the house up, and goes outside, running into the Wintersmith again. He insists that Tiffany is “her” and tries to grab hold of her.

Granny shows up to stop him, and asks for Tiffany’s necklace—it’s how the Wintersmith finds her. Tiffany hands it over, and Granny and Mrs. Earwig have a very chilly meeting as the cottage is handed over to Annagramma. The Wintersmith remembers that Tiffany said she needed a person made of human stuff and goes looking for things to build himself out of so that he can be right for her. Tiffany and Granny head to Lancre and Granny gives Tiffany the necklace to drop into the river, so it’ll be carried far from her. That night at Nanny Ogg’s, Tiffany has a dream that she’s on a ship heading to an iceberg version of herself. The Wintersmith tells her that he wishes to marry her. The Feegle arrive in her dream to help, but the ship does hit the iceberg. She wakes being given tea by one of Nanny’s daughter-in-laws, and finds that Horace has made a home with the Feegle. When Tiffany puts her feet on Nanny’s floorboards, they sprout and grow. Nanny gives her slippers, and she, Granny, and Miss Tick explain that Tiffany is taking on the attributes of the Summer Lady because she joined the dance. They think she’ll have to embody the role a little more fully and help send winter on his way when the seasons change.

Tiffany does the rounds with Nanny and comes back to a book the Feegle got her from the library, which is a romance novel. Tiffany has a hard time understanding why no one is doing any work, and why the heroine feels she needs to marry one of her two suitors. Roland continues to write letters to Tiffany as his aunts find his escape routes and try to wall him into his room. The Wintersmith keeps obtaining more and more advice about how to build a human form. Annagramma arrives at Nanny’s in a panic one evening: She can’t handle the steading. She wants the skulls back and she doesn’t know anything about medicine or childbirth or staying up all night with the dead. She asks Tiffany if she’ll come do those thing for her. Tiffany agrees to help her through the first few rough tasks, but that’s it. She thinks that Granny did this on purpose so people would learn that Mrs. Earwig is a bad teacher, which she doesn’t think is right. Nanny tells her not to assume and that Tiffany can do this as long as she’s still working for her. Tiffany aids Annagramma, who comes out looking alright despite not knowing anything. Tiffany heads back to Nanny Ogg, who tells her that she ought to treat the Wintersmith more imperiously, like a queen, if she wants him to back off.

Tiffany has a letter from Roland where he tells her that he went to a ball and danced with Lord Driver’s daughter and looked at her watercolors. She gets jealous hearing this, and goes downstairs to eat, but can’t get the cutlery drawer to open, which summons Anoia (Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers). Anoia tells Tiffany to send the Wintersmith packing, as men are always “raining on your lava” (she used to be a volcano goddess). Annagramma shows up again—she sent Mrs. Sumpter’s pig up a tree, and she hates all these people with their piddly little problems. Tiffany tells her off and also insists that she tells the truth; it turns out that Annagramma’s family is poor and doesn’t even have a cottage. Tiffany says that the other young witches will help her, but that she’s got to listen and be grateful. The coven doesn’t want to help, but they listen to Tiffany once Petulia agrees. Tiffany tells the Wintersmith to leave her be and stop making ice in her shape and name. After Hogswatch, a cornucopia lands. You (Granny’s kitten) gets lost inside it and they have to send the Feegle after her. Once they’ve returned, Tiffany learns how it works: You simply ask it for any kind of food or drink, and it provides it.

Commentary

Thought I was safe from crying for once in this set of books, but I forgot about Miss Treason’s send off.

There’s a great throughline here, that stretches all the way back to the earlier books, but particularly Witches Abroad, with the old woman who is being callously neglected by her community, and Granny Weatherwax setting that right. Miss Treason is mythological to her community, and she worked hard at that story because it made her impossible to ignore, but also protected her from harm. And she did it so well that these people loved her, even as they were afraid or confused by her. She was a fixture of their lives, and they all needed to see her go. To be there for her, and to be a part of the story as well.

People becoming myths is a central piece of this book, and it’s utilized in a number of fun ways. We’ve got Miss Treason, we’ve got Tiffany learning to be Summer, we’ve got the Wintersmith trying to become a human and further mythologize himself as a person, and we’ve got Annagramma… who thinks that she’s already achieved mythology because her mentor was all sight and no substance.

Tiffany believes that Granny is allowing Annagramma to fail to make a point about Mrs. Earwig, and Nanny rightly suggests that she check that impulse. The one thing that Tiffany will never be able to see in her own story is how the work of generations passes down—she’s too young for that yet. Granny needs Tiffany to take up her place in the witching community. That means Tiffany needs to see to her own generation, and that includes getting the rest of the young witches to pull Annagramma together because if they don’t, people will get hurt.

And that’s difficult to read because there are some people who truly can get away with never thinking of others before themselves. Pratchett is always adamant about including those people and showing how best to handle them—and it’s never telling them off and leaving them to flounder. Because the consequences of that are too great, and you are never above thinking of everyone in the blast radius of your choices.

Angered decency. His favorite attribute to give central characters. You can know that people are sometimes terrible, maybe even undeserving, but that doesn’t mean you can be petty, and let others take the brunt of their ignorance. Not if you can fix it.

I will say that I’ve missed Gytha Ogg terribly in recent books, and having her around again makes everything just a little bit more… comfy. Granny is the best, but you miss out on the cushions and the brandy and the general lewdness when Nanny’s not about. And there’s an auntie-ness that Nanny bring as well, which Granny obviously cannot add to the proceedings. It’s a profound shift, going from the wonderful eeriness of Miss Treason’s home into the bric-a-brac and thick mattresses and plentiful dinners of Nanny Ogg’s, like being swaddled in kitsch and warmth. Tiffany deserves that experience too.

Asides and little thoughts:

• I need Terry Pratchett to know that wherever he is, in whatever sort of beyond, I cannot ever pass from this life to anything else because he has informed me that pickles don’t make it. Sorry. Not going where I can’t have pickles. Why would he tell me that.

• The Wintersmith has purple-gray eyes. If you were ever involved in the fanfiction community, you know that one of the tendencies of “Mary Sue” writing was to always give the girl or woman super special features, with purple eyes being one of the most common attributes. It seems fitting that the Wintersmith, a mythological aspect who is trying to shape himself into the right sort of young man for Tiffany, would take a cue from that line of thinking.

• Tiffany, trying to go to sleep: “The trouble is, you can shut your eyes but you can’t shut your mind.” Yeah. Me too, sweetie. Me too.

Pratchettisms:

Like an oyster dealing with a piece of grit, Tiffany coated it with people and hard work.

“We make happy endings, child, day to day. But you see, for the witch there are no happy endings. There are just endings. And here we are…”

The house feels like it’s dying and I’m going outside.

Tiffany nodded. She wasn’t crying, which is not the same as, well, not crying.

Mrs. Ogg’s face broke into a huge grin that should have been locked up for the sake of public decency, and for some reason Tiffany felt a lot better.

Change the Story, even if you don’t mean to, and the Story changes you.

Nanny stood up and tried to look haughty, which is hard to do when you have a face like a happy apple.

“You cussed. Sooner or later, every curse is a prayer.”

People wanted the world to be a story, because stories had to sound right and make sense. People wanted the world to make sense.

Next week we finish the book!

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: Wintersmith, Part II appeared first on Reactor.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: Loss of a parent

Last time on Elantris: False Victories and Burgeoning Romances…

Hrathen is overjoyed by the fact that all his devious plots have come to fruition, and he’s managed to overthrow the government of Kae (and thereby converted the people) with no bloodshed.

Meanwhile, Raoden and Sarene have been so busy making doe-eyes at one another in Elantris that Raoden’s been loath to ask her about what happened on the outside. When he finally does, Sarene drops the mother of all bombshells on his head, revealing that that the king, his father, is dead. (That’ll sure ruin the mood, huh?)

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Sarene, Hrathen, Raoden

Discussion

Chapter 44

“Iadon is dead?” Spirit asked in a quiet voice.

L: Oof. Poor Raoden. He didn’t much like the guy, but Iadon was still his father, and to hear the news this way must have been so jarring.

P: He may have known, as an adult, how ignorant Iadon had been, but your father is still your father.

Spirit’s brow furrowed. “Being a Derethi sympathizer makes one popular? I’ve missed a lot, haven’t I?”

“How long have you been in here?”

Buy the Book

The Atlas Complex

Buy Book

The Atlas Complex

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

L: Careful there, Raoden. You might give yourself away. (Inwardly I’m screaming “JUST FIGURE IT OUT ALREADY AND START KISSING WHY DON’T YOU?!”)

P: I hate the lie! I feel that the more he lies to her, the more she’ll hold against him when she learns who he is!

That said, I have no memory of this place.

He had seized control of the rival gangs in recent weeks, but that wasn’t the sort of thing a person accomplished without a great deal of planning and work.

L: Looks like everyone underestimating him has worked out in Raoden’s favor.

P: Seriously. He’s quite competent!

Sarene didn’t need to describe their personalities and temperaments; Spirit already knew them. In fact, he seemed to understand them better than Sarene herself. When she questioned him on the matter, he simply explained that in Arelon it was vital to know of each noble with a rank of baron or higher.

L: Damn it, Raoden! Slip up already!

P: Damn it, Sarene! Be suspicious of his extensive knowledge!

“But your wedding contract said you could never marry again.”

“How did you know that?” Sarene asked, her eyes narrowing.

“You explained it just a few minutes ago.”

“I did not.”

L: Yes, yesssssssss. Put the pieces together, Sarene!

P: Lol! That’s what I’m waiting for!

“Anyway,” Spirit said…

L: ARGH.

P: She really should have pursued that after denying that she mentioned it. Had he been in Elantris a year, he’d have no knowledge of any of it.

“So you only agreed to marry the prince for politics.” His tone sounded hurt for some reason, as if her relationship with the crown prince of Arelon reflected directly on its aristocracy.

“Of course,” Sarene said. “I am a political creature, Spirit. I did what was best for Teod—and for the same reason I was going to marry Roial.”

L: Now, granted, she doesn’t really know “Spirit” well enough to be spilling her deepest secrets to him and telling him all about how she thought she had been falling for Raoden, but still, this is just INFURIATING. They were so close! And poor Raoden, after just learning all this devastating news about his family and his country, is getting yet another gut punch.

P: I know, that was tough to read, too. Like, here they are, getting so close, and he learns that she didn’t really WANT to marry him, that she was just doing it for politics. Frustrating.

“It is done, my lady,” Ashe informed them. “Telrii is king.”

L: Time to see if he upholds his end of the bargain and starts helping Hrathen to convert the populace… or if a double-cross is in order. (I’d bet on the double-cross for two reasons. One, if a man’s willing to sell out his country for power, he’s probably not going to want to lose that power now that he’s got it. And two, things have been going too well for Hrathen and the Rules of Storytelling say that when things are going well for a character, it’s all about to get f***ed up.)

P: If he keeps getting money from Fjorden, he’ll pretend to convert, I bet. But I’m not sure Hrathen is going to continue to accommodate Telrii so generously. We’ll see how that happens.

And can I just take a moment to want to smack Raoden (though I wouldn’t because it would hurt him too much, poor boy!) for not questioning how Sarene was communicating with a seon? I mean, that’s kind of a big deal!

Chapter 45

Besides, he didn’t want to bother the people with worries about Elantris; he wanted them to remain focused on their new king, and the allegiances he would soon declare.

L: Getting a little complacent there, Hrathen. Watch out. Those storytelling rules are about to bite you in the ass.

P: I’m ready to see him get bitten in the ass!

The former duke, now king, was an easy man to understand, and men who could be understood could be manipulated.

L: Oh yeah. WAY too complacent. Honestly I thought Hrathen was better than this! (And by “better,” I mean better at manipulation and plotting, not a moral and ethical man. Just in case that wasn’t clear…)

P: I figured that’s what you meant, but it never hurts to clarify.

Telrii would undoubtedly demand more money from Hrathen before he joined Shu-Dereth. Telrii would think himself clever, and would assume that the crown gave him even greater leverage with Fjorden. Hrathen would feign indignation at the cash demands, all the while understanding what Telrii never could.

L: Yeeaaaah I doubt it’s gonna be that easy.

P: It’s never that easy, even for the “bad” guy.

Power was not in wealth, but in control—money was worthless before a man who refused to be bought.

L: You’d think that he’d realize that Telrii won’t want to cede that control now that he’s got it…

P: Perhaps if Hrathen tells Telrii that he’ll get invaded if he doesn’t convert, then it will sink in.

Telrii might not believe, but his children—raised Derethi—would. One man’s meaningless conversion would provide for the salvation of a kingdom.

L: Ugh. I wish this didn’t ring so true for so many actual historical cultures. So many incredible religions and traditions, wiped out because a colonizing force decided it was their way or the highway, forcing them to assimilate and brainwashing their children until little to no trace of the original culture remains…

P: Brainwashing. That’s exactly what it is.

Sarene had been a wonderful opponent, and he knew how dangerous Elantris could be. […] He needed her to live for more reason than one.

L: Getting a little crush are we, Hrathen?

P: Ha! I hadn’t considered this. I rather thought it was to trade her for Eventeo’s conversion.

“I come on behalf of my master, King Eventeo of Teod,” the seon said in a melodious voice. “He wishes to speak with you.”

L: Oh boy. This ought to be good.

P: And here it is.

“…what would it take for your Jaddeth to heal my daughter?”

“The Lord might be persuaded if you gave Him some form of encouragement,” Hrathen said. “The faithless receive no miracles, Your Majesty.”

L: UGH YOU SNAKE!

P: Yup. He really is a snake. I knew he was going to use this against Eventeo.

Hrathen smiled, the final piece of his plan falling into place.

L: Come on, storytelling rules! You can kick in anytime now…

P: ::waiting::

Chapter 46

Arelon would be better off without King Iadon.

Yet when news of his father’s demise actually came, Raoden found his emotions traitorously melancholy. His heart wanted to forget the Iadon of the last five years, instead remembering the Iadon of Raoden’s childhood. His father had been the most successful merchant in all of Arelon—respected by his countrymen and loved by his son. He had seemed a man of honor and of strength. Part of Raoden would always be that child who saw his father as the greatest of heroes.

L: This hits so hard. Anyone who has an estranged parent could relate to this, I think. That bittersweet mix of memories, the difference between the idealized parent you remember vs. the real-life person with all their faults and foibles that you see with your adult eyes.

P: Yeah, as someone who argued as much with my mother as not, I feel this feel. We didn’t see eye to eye but losing her four years ago punched me in the gut, and continues to do so.

The Elantrians figured they were so obviously superior to anything else that they didn’t need to worry about other religions. Most of them didn’t even care if they were worshipped or not.”

L: On the one hand, I get it—when you’re practically omnipotent, why waste time worrying about the little ants scurrying around outside your borders? But on the other hand, it seems incredibly arrogant, not to mention self-centered. The Elantrians could have been using their powers to help all the people in the world, not just those within their borders. They seem almost myopic in retrospect.

“I understand most of the theory now, but I still don’t seem any closer to discovering what has blocked the Dor. I feel that the Aons have changed, that the old patterns are slightly wrong, but I can’t even begin to guess why that would be.”

“Maybe something’s wrong with the land,” Sarene said offhandedly, leaning back in her chair so the front two legs rose off the ground.

L: ::gasp::

P: Yes!! A clue!

“To begin every Aon, you draw a picture of Arelon. I learned that as a little girl.”

Raoden froze, his hand pausing in midline. “Say that again.”

L: Leave it to a school-yard lesson to provide the key to understanding!

P: Come on, Raoden! Put two and two together!!

Galladon held up the map and Sarene moved to stand at the Dula’s side. They looked through the thin paper at the glowing Aon.

“Doloken!” Galladon swore. “Sule, the proportions are exactly the same. They even slant the same way.”

L: To get an idea of what they’re seeing…

He turned, intending to praise Sarene for the clue. However, his words choked in his mouth. Something was wrong. The dark splotches on the princess’s skin were the wrong color: they were a mixture of blues and purples, like bruises. They seemed to fade before his eyes.

L: Argh no, not now! They were so close!

P: Just a few more moments and he might have had it! Curses! ::shakes fist at Brandon::

Then he made the connection. Sarene had never been able to draw Aons. She had complained of being cold, and she still insisted that her wounds didn’t hurt. Raoden reached out and felt Sarene’s face. Her flesh was warm—too warm, even for a new Elantrian whose body hadn’t completely cooled yet. He pushed the scarf off her head with trembling fingers, and felt the nearly invisible blonde stubble on her scalp. “Idos Domi,” he whispered.

L: It’s a good thing Raoden’s too smart to be fooled into thinking that Hrathen cured her.

P: Too smart for that but not so smart (yet!) to figure out why the aons aren’t working!

Raoden fell still. He wanted her to stay—he longed for her to stay. But he would do whatever it took to get her out of Elantris. The city was death.

L: ::wistful sigh:: He’s so romantic.

P: I know, isn’t it sweet! Hush all of you, let us swoon…

“You think we can afford to feed you, Princess?” Raoden said, forcing harshness into his voice. “You assume we will waste food on a woman who is not one of us?”

“That won’t work, Spirit,” Sarene shot back. “I can see the truth in your eyes.”

L: Well, thank goodness for that, at least. The whole “I have to hurt her to drive her away for her own safety” trope being recognized and subverted is a nice touch.

P: I’m so glad she didn’t fall for that little trick. She’s too smart for that nonsense.

Raoden was left lying on his back, feeling the slime squish beneath him, looking up at a man in bloodred armor. The gyorn stood quietly for a moment, then turned and followed Sarene out of the city. The gates slammed shut behind him.

L: Hoo boy. What an image to leave us on!

P: Can’t wait for next week!

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 47 and 48.

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She makes magic wands for a living and will be helping out Santa Claus this season in Essex, CT. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Four to Forty-Six  appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

There’s the usual Feegle glossary of terms, and then the story begins. Rob Anybody pokes his head up in the middle of a terrible snowstorm, knowing that the Wintersmith has come for their big wee hag. He goes down into the Feegle mound and says it’s time to fetch the “Hero” who hasn’t had many lessons, but will do his job well enough for her. Tiffany has been asked by her father, by her village, to save the lambs and her little brother from the snow (he went out to help the men dig and got lost). She commands them to build a fire and not let it go out. She balances things in her mind and takes the heat of the fire into her to let it burn a tunnel through the snow, unearthing lambs, finally finding her brother. This is her fault, because she danced with the Wintersmith: When the fire goes out, she sees him. We’re told that these events might not happen, but they began last autumn… Tiffany had gone to visit Granny Weatherwax, who showed her the trick of helping heat and cold to swap places, using your own body as the center point that lets everything pass through. Tiffany gave her a kitten, then headed back to Miss Treason’s, a blind and deaf witch she’d been staying with for a few months who is very adept at borrowing animals for senses.

Miss Treason tells Tiffany that tonight they are going to a dance, but won’t give any more information. Tiffany guides Miss Treason through the forest on her broom until they reach a clearing where there are men. Tiffany can hear a beat and they begin dancing, while Miss Treason tells her that she must be silent and not join in; Tiffany recognizes it as the Morris dance, done at the wrong time of year. In the spring, men come with white with bells on, dance through the village, and then summer arrives. But these men are dancing at the wrong time of year and they don’t have the Fool with them. Knowing seven are required to do the dance properly, Tiffany joins the men, and suddenly there’s another presence asking who she is. Far away, Miss Tick has just saved herself from being killed by a suspicious town on account of spreading about a book she’s written called ‘Witch Hunting for Dumb People,’ and has a thought about Tiffany. She makes a shamble and it explodes. The Feegle show up at Miss Treason’s house and she questions them until they admit that the kelda sent them because she’s been having terrible dreams about Tiffany. Tiffany wakes and learns that her dance made something real that should have been metaphor, and that the Wintersmith is now looking for her.

The Feegles give Tiffany a letter from Roland, which they’ve read, as they read all her correspondence to him (and her diary). When Miss Treason chastises Tiffany for her mistake last night, she heads outside and calls to the Wintersmith and he appears, with her horse necklace from Roland. Tiffany knows she shouldn’t take it from him, but she does anyway and it burns her with cold. The Feegles bring her back inside and Miss Treason scolds her again for thinking that the necklace is important to being a witch. Tiffany calls her out about “Boffos,” how a witch uses the art of expectation to get people to listen to them (like Treason’s own special skulls that are from Boffo’s novelty and joke shop). Tiffany goes into the dairy to stop Horace the living cheese from eating butter, then writes in her diary about what’s happened and reads Roland’s letter. After she’s gone to sleep the Feegles steal her diary to read it because Jeannie wants to know what she’s thinking of Roland; Rob thinks that if Tiffany wound up marrying Roland, it would stop him from plowing the Chalk to plant wheat since she’s Granny Aching’s kin, who once stopped the Baron from doing the same. But Billy Bigchin notices that the Wintersmith also seems to have Tiffany on his mind—the snowflakes look like her.

Miss Tick has taken the mailcoach all the way to Granny Weatherwax to figure out how they can help Tiffany, but Granny says the girl is on her own. Roland writes Tiffany another letter and tries to ignore his aunts, who are waiting for his father to die and keep stealing from them. The next day, the 113-year-old Miss Treason tells Tiffany that she’s going to die soon, and has Tiffany send out correspondence and plan the funeral for before she’s gone. No one in town seems to believe that Miss Treason will die, so Tiffany heads to her coven meeting. None of the girls noticed that the snow looked like her, to Tiffany’s disappointment, so she tells Petulia on their way back. Petulia decides that the Wintersmith is behaving like a boy, and that Tiffany should tell him to go away, if that’s the case. Granny and Miss Tick look in on the conversation and Granny sees that Petulia asked the important question: Has the Wintersmith ever even seen a girl? She thinks that Tiffany took the place of Summer in the dance and has confused things, making the Wintersmith more human. They discuss who will take Miss Treason’s place once she dies, and Granny thinks it should be Tiffany. Tiffany sees ice roses in the morning and shows Petulia. Then they prepare for the funeral and talk to all the villagers about how impressive Miss Treason was (though she won’t die until tomorrow).

Commentary

Now that Tiffany is reaching her teen years, the story shifts, and again, the period in which it’s written tells us a lot of what Pratchett is intending to riff on. While there’s very little in common in terms of setting or characters, I find it telling that we’re getting a sort of “love triangle” between Tiffany, Roland, and the Wintersmith at a point in time when those dynamics were just hitting their peak popularity. (Don’t forget, Twilight came out the year before this book.) But, of course, this triangle is far less about the work of finding a romantic partner—Tiffany is growing up, but she’s still a kid at this point—than it is about how it feels to find that you suddenly might care about romantic interest from other people.

Is it a little squiffy that one of those love interests is a fair bit older than her at this point in time? (Roland is four years older than her, making him about seventeen at the point that she’s thirteen.) Yes, but it’s also realistic for the environment that she’s grown up in—not an excuse full stop, but it bothers me less if it’s executed with care the way it is here. And the fact that it doesn’t really move beyond this point helps assuage the weirdness. They write nerdy letters to each other. Roland helps Tiffany expand her knowledge and also gives her an important tie to her home. They both need each other in some capacity, and knowing one another becomes a boon.

As to the romantic piece here, Pratchett balances that act perfectly in Tiffany’s interest being more about the newness of feeling than the desire for active romance in her life. She’s a little excited, awkward, even panicked about the idea of the Wintersmith’s attention. And I appreciate, too, that there’s a vein of the story that discusses the need for this to all take place because it helps smooth out the bits that feel too “convenient” from a narrative perspective, e.g. Miss Treason tells Tiffany that she can’t join the dance, but there’s no explanation as to why, which is a pet peeve of mine. It seems authority figures always want their charges to listen without needed information, which is a bad lesson on its face and obtuse to boot—no one owes you obedience just because you’re old and wise.

But within the confines of this tale, Granny explains that this is something Tiffany has to suss out for herself; making the mistake is, in fact, part of her development as a person. And that’s an important lesson, too, arguably far more important than knowing when to heed the warnings of elders. It has a cost, certainly, but that’s just living in the world. We cannot exist without affecting everything around us, and so the story doesn’t suggest that Tiffany’s mistakes are wrong for the toll they levy, but necessary to her becoming the person she’s meant to be.

And it’s relevant that all of this is occurring when she’s bound to start asking other questions about her life that she hasn’t yet entertained. To that point, we have the section below, where Tiffany is thinking about the lives of the children she’s grown up with, and how different her own life is becoming when compared to her peers:

They were going to do the jobs their fathers did, or raise children like their mothers did. And that was fine, Tiffany added hurriedly to herself. But they hadn’t decided. It was just happening to them, and they didn’t notice.

…I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to having this exact same flow of thoughts at (more than) one point in my life. It comes clear when you follow any sort of path that isn’t what your general community expects. And you always have that same rush to say “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” because there isn’t, of course. It’s the lack of thought that makes it confusing to people like Tiffany (and me).

We’ll get deeper into death and funerals and probably Boffos next week…

Asides and little thoughts:

• Tiffany wears blue or green because she thinks that the only reason witches wear black is because they always have, and that is the kind of thought process I can get behind. Nothing guarantees that I will flout a rule so readily as “well, that’s just what we’ve always done” without an actual reason attached.

• Granny considers Mrs. Earwig’s sort of witching to be “wizarding with a dress on,” which again gets into the gendered aspects of magic in his world and how it plays into identity, but it’s odd to have this brought up with no mention of Esk… which thankfully won’t be the case forever.

• There’s a bit of Labyrinth about this story, and Legend too, those ‘80s fantasies that play on the coming-of-age trials that girls face, and how fraught they can become when an otherworldly entity is paying you too much attention.

Pratchettisms:

It wasn’t a spell, except in her own head, but if you couldn’t make spells work in your own head, you couldn’t make them work at all.

In the middle of the seesaw is a place that never moves…

Tiffany was an excellent cheesemaker and it did keep them moist, but Tiffany distrusted black cheeses. They always looked as though they were plotting something.

It looked pretty authoritative, too, without too many long (and therefore untrustworthy) words, like “marmalade.”

If a cheese ever looked thoughtful, Horace looked thoughtful now.

They say that there can never be two snowflakes that are exactly alike, but has anyone checked lately?

It wasn’t her fault that people slipped on packed layers of her, or couldn’t open the door because she was piled up outside it, or got hit by handfuls of her thrown by small children.

“But she—“ Miss Tick began, because no teacher like to hear anyone else talk for very long.

Next week we’ll read Chapters 5-8!

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: Wintersmith, Part I appeared first on Reactor.

Did I just say that? Really?

L: You sure did. I suppose even a broken clock like Hrathen is right twice a day…

P: I suppose it is! So, Chickens, join us for the wuv… twu wuv… and see how loopy our prince is, as well as how arrogant and self-important Hrathen is feeling now that he’s leveled up to HEALED BY JADDETH! ::beckons:: Right this way, you little cluckers. Join us!

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: (I think we’re safe for this week.)

Last time on Elantris: Connections and Conundrums…

Sarene is tossed into Elantris, and meets Raoden for the first time as an equal. Raoden lies to her about who he really is, but guides her into New Elantris and sets her up with an outfit. That night, Ashe—who has “mysteriously” not gone mad—finds Sarene, and she uses Ashe to contact her father. She refuses to leave Arelon, insisting that these are now her people and she must help them, even from within the walls of Elantris.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Hrathen, Raoden

Discussion

Chapter 42

Hrathen was back in control. Like a hero from the old Svordish epics, he had descended to the underworld—physically, mentally, and spiritually—and returned a stronger man.

Hrathen was back in control. Like a hero from the old Svordish epics, he had descended to the underworld—physically, mentally, and spiritually—and returned a stronger man. 

P: Oh, he’s so very full of himself after faking the Shaod and pretending to be an Elantrian. Merciful Domi, if he doesn’t get me all agitated with his self-righteous ::ahem:: … nonsense.

L: I have to say, I also really appreciate the little call-out to the Hero’s Journey here. 

On the off-chance that you’re unfamiliar with Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey/the monomyth, it’s the idea that all mythological narratives are essentially the same once you boil them down to their primary plot points. This structure can also be applied to most fictional narratives. The monomyth goes like this: The hero, secure in their home, is given a call to adventure, which they initially refuse. Once they accept the call (usually with the aid of a mentor figure), they embark on a journey, part of which usually involves delving into an underworld of some sort. While there, they learn something which helps them to overcome the climactic/main confrontation, and then return victorious to their home. This is, of course, a drastic simplification, but you can see the parallel here between our real-world monomyth and the one that Hrathen is referencing. I love the idea that the monomyth is universal, even within the text. How meta!

He would be the savior of this people.

P: And then he shows us that he’s not completely horrible as he really has tried to “conquer” Arelon without a bloody revolution.

L: I meeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaan I’d argue that that in particular makes him a good person. Sure, he’s trying to conquer another country, but at least he’s trying to do it peacefully. He didn’t even kill Sarene, though he could have sent a real assassin just as easily. Hrathen’s really, really trying to do this without bloodshed and save the people from that specific horror, which is—in its own way—noble. The ethical question of whether or not his country should be attempting to subjugate others is a whole other seon of wax.

P: That caveat notwithstanding, I don’t hate him as much as I should because Brandon has made him so complex!

Dilaf backed down unhappily. The arteth grudgingly promised to hold no meetings or sermons without Hrathen’s overt permission. And in exchange for being officially named head arteth of the chapel, Dilaf also consented to relieve his numerous odivs from their vows…

P: Dilaf was brought low by Hrathen’s miraculous recovery from the Shaod. He’s all but groveling. Which is really no better a look on him than gloating.

L: So true. I wonder what his followers think about being demoted like that, though. Can’t be a good feeling.

Dilaf would not, however, relent in his pursuit of Elantris’s destruction.

…

“Why do you forbid me to preach against them, my lord?” Dilaf’s voice was bitter—now that Hrathen forbade him to speak about Elantris, the arteth’s speeches seemed almost emasculated.

“Preaching against Elantris no longer has a point,” Hrathen said, matching Dilaf’s anger with logic. “Do not forget that our hate had a purpose. Now that I have proven Jaddeth’s supreme power over Elantris, we have effectively shown that our God is true, while Domi is false.

P: Of course, he won’t relent. There are other kinds of hatred that are as potent as religious hatred, but religious hatred is pretty high up the ladder. 

L: Personally speaking, I’m of the opinion that hate should never “have a purpose,” as Hrathen is saying here. Understanding and compassion are far better motivators, ethically and logically speaking. Hate is by its very nature a quick way to inspire people to action; but it’s also self-feeding and, like a fire, can quickly grow out of control. Empathy, kindness, understanding, compassion… this is a slower, but much more efficient method of enacting change.

Now… one could argue that Hrathen didn’t have time to use such methods due to his deadline, but I’m not sure if such things would even cross his mind as possibilities. He’s far too calculating and cruel to be truly empathic.

P: Very true, and as much as he might agree with Dilaf about Elantrians, has his eye firmly on the ball now. (The ball being the conquest of Arelon, but you knew that.) He won’t let Dilaf upset the boat now that they’re sailing along so smoothly.

It’s over, he realized. I actually did it—I converted the people without a bloody revolution. He wasn’t finished yet, however. Arelon was his, but one nation still remained.

Hrathen had plans for Teod.

P: Without a bloody revolution so far… 

And I can’t help but think that the sneaky gyorn’s poisoning of the princess has something to do with his plans for Teod. “Look what Jaddeth did for her when I appealed to him, he saved her, too!” Note, that I don’t recall if that’s what his plan is, but we’re soon to find out!

L: I wouldn’t put it past him.

L: I have to say, I also really appreciate the little call-out to the Hero’s Journey here.

On the off-chance you’re unfamiliar with the concept of story structure and Joseph Campbell’s theory of the HJ/the monomyth in particular, it’s that all mythological narratives are essentially the same once you boil them down to their primary plot points. This structure can also be applied to most fictional narratives. The monomyth goes like this: The hero, secure in their home, is given a call to adventure, which they initially refuse. Once they accept the call (usually with the aid of a mentor figure), they embark on a journey, part of which is usually delving into an underworld of some sort. While there, they learn something which helps them to overcome the climax/main confrontation, and then return victorious to their home. This is, of course, a drastic simplification, but you can see the parallel here between our real-world monomyth and the one that Hrathen is referencing. I love the idea that the monomyth is universal, even within the text. How meta!

He would be the savior of this people.

P: And then he shows us that he’s not completely horrible as he really has tried to “conquer” Arelon without a bloody revolution.

L: I meeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaan I’d argue that that in particular makes him a good person. Sure, he’s trying to conquer another country, but at least he’s trying to do it peacefully. He didn’t even kill Sarene, though he could have sent a real assassin just as easily. He’s really, really trying to do this without bloodshed and save the people from that specific horror, which is—in its own way—noble. The ethical question of whether or not his country should be attempting to subjugate others is a whole other seon of wax.

P: That caveat notwithstanding, I don’t hate him as much as I should because Brandon made him so complex!

Buy the Book

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Buy Book

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

Dilaf backed down unhappily. The arteth grudgingly promised to hold no meetings or sermons without Hrathen’s overt permission. And in exchange for being officially named head arteth of the chapel, Dilaf also consented to relieve his numerous odivs from their vows…

P: Dilaf was brought low by Hrathen’s miraculous recovery from the Shaod. He’s all but groveling. Which is really no better a look on him than gloating.

L: So true. I wonder what his followers think about being demoted like that, though. Can’t be a good feeling.

Dilaf would not, however, relent in his pursuit of Elantris’s destruction.

…

“Why do you forbid me to preach against them, my lord?” Dilaf’s voice was bitter—now that Hrathen forbade him to speak about Elantris, the arteth’s speeches seemed almost emasculated.

“Preaching against Elantris no longer has a point,” Hrathen said, matching Dilaf’s anger with logic. “Do not forget that our hate had a purpose. Now that I have proven Jaddeth’s supreme power over Elantris, we have effectively shown that our God is true, while Domi is false.

P: Of course, he won’t relent. There is other hatred as potent as religious hatred, but religious hatred is pretty high up the ladder.

L: Personally speaking, I’m of the opinion that hate should never “have a purpose,” as Hrathen is saying here. Understanding and compassion are far better motivators, ethically and logically speaking. Hate is by its very nature a quick way to inspire people to action; but it’s also self-feeding and, like a fire, can quickly grow out of control. Empathy, kindness, understanding, compassion… this is a slower, but much more efficient method of enacting change.

Now… one could argue that Hrathen didn’t have time to use such methods due to his deadline, but I’m not sure if such things would even cross his mind as possibilities. He’s far too calculating and cruel to be truly empathic.

P: Very true, and as much as he might agree with Dilaf about Elantrians, has his eye firmly on the ball now. (The ball being the conquest of Arelon, but you knew that.) He won’t let Dilaf upset the boat now that they’re sailing along so smoothly.

It’s over, he realized. I actually did it—I converted the people without a bloody revolution. He wasn’t finished yet, however. Arelon was his, but one nation still remained.

Hrathen had plans for Teod.

P: Without a bloody revolution so far.

And I can’t help but think that the sneaksy gyorn’s poisoning of the princess has something to do with his plans for Teod. “Look what Jaddeth did for her when I appealed to him, he saved her, too!” Note, that I don’t recall if that’s what his plan is, but we’re soon to find out!

L: I wouldn’t put it past him.

Chapter 43

 A dark stairwell lay hidden within, ten years of dust coating its steps. A single set of footprints marked the powder—footprints that could have been made only by feet as large as Galladon’s.

“And it goes all the way to the top?” Raoden asked, stepping over the sodden wreck of a door.

“Kolo,” Galladon said. “And it’s encased in stone the entire way, with only an occasional slit for light. One wrong step will send you tumbling down a series of stone stairs as long—and as painful—as one of my hama’s stories.”

P: And so Raoden and Galladon get back to the whole “let’s climb to the top of the wall” plan to see if they can guess what happened to the Elantris City Guard. Sounds like a harrowing climb when a slip will turn you into a Hoed. 

Oh, and is anyone else wondering why this stairwell INSIDE the wall is covered with dust instead of slime? Hmmm??

L: When reading this, all I could see in my head was the staircase inside the National Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland (246 steps, if you’re wondering, and yes I’ve climbed it. Twice). Granted it’s not quite the same, as the Elantrian version clearly has a big empty space in the middle, but…

Raoden had been atop the walls of Elantris dozens of times, but never had the sight of Kae looked so sweet. The city was quiet; it appeared as if his fears of invasion had been premature.

P: Fear of the type of invasion Raoden has imagined may be premature, but as our fallen prince will find out next week, there are other types of invasion.

L: A peaceful coup d’état is still a coup d’état.

“We did it,” Raoden said, resting against the parapet.

“Took us long enough,” Galladon noted, stepping up beside him.

“Only a few hours,” Raoden said lightly, the agony of the work forgotten in the bliss of victory.

“I didn’t mean cutting through the door. This is the third day I’ve tried to get you to come up here.”

“I’ve been busy.”

P: Our Lord Spirit has been stuck to Sarene like glue, it would seem. Raoden is all starry-eyed, I bet! All twitterpated! 

L: The only appropriate gif for a time such as this…

“Sule, the only time in the last three days I’ve seen you two apart is when one of you had to go to the privy. She’d be here now if I hadn’t snatched you when no one was looking.”

“Well,” Raoden said defensively, “she is my wife.”

“And do you ever intend to inform her of that fact?”

“Maybe,” Raoden said lightly. “I wouldn’t want her to feel any obligation.”

“No, of course not.”

P: Yup, stuck like glue. And, of course he wouldn’t want her to feel any obligation but I’m betting she would say the exact same storming thing. When they would both want SO MUCH to go through with their obligation!

L: Given that he’s someone who was brought up in a position of power and wealth, I don’t really blame Raoden for wanting his wife to get to know the real him without all the trappings and expectations of his title. Even if that title’s gone now, he’s still a prince, and I bet the opportunity to get someone to fall for you based solely on your personality and nothing else is a nice change for him. Now…deliberately withholding things from your intended so they can’t really get to know you (seeing as how your background and title are huge parts of who you are) is also a consideration here, but we know that Raoden’s gonna tell her eventually. I suppose we can’t blame him for going a little “Princess Jasmine” on Sarene, for a while at least.

Raoden nodded, remembering back to their short conversation two days ago. Has it really been that long? he wondered. He’d barely noticed. Perhaps he had been spending a little too much time with Sarene. However, he didn’t feel a bit guilty.

P: And why should he? The man got the rawest deal around and now he’s finally got access to his wife when he never thought he’d ever even see her.

L: After losing the life you thought you’d had, your riches, your family, your friends, your health… hell, practically everything, it must be real nice to get a win for once. We can hardly blame him for indulging in this one bit of joy that’s been thrown his way.

“There,” Galladon said, squinting and pointing at the city.

“What?” Raoden said, following the Dula’s gesture.

“I see a flag,” Galladon said. “Our missing guards.”

…

Raoden squinted, recognizing the building over which the banner flew. “That’s Duke Telrii’s mansion. What could the Elantris City Guard possibly have to do with him?”

“Perhaps he’s under arrest,” Galladon said.

“No,” Raoden said. “The Guard isn’t a policing force.”

“Why would they leave the walls, then?” Galladon asked.

Raoden shook his head. “I’m not sure. Something, however, is very wrong.”

P: Why would they leave the walls, indeed? Because their captain is corrupt and taking money from Hrathen, who is pulling all the strings, maybe? Ugh. The whole Telrii storyline is tiresome.

L: You’d think that Raoden would be more suspicious of Telrii, having grown up around the snake, but maybe the arrival of Hrathen and everything else that’s happened is just so far outside his consideration that he can’t imagine it. You know what they say…  truth is often stranger than fiction. Sometimes things happen that we’d never expect.

There was one way to find out what was going on with the Guard. Sarene was the only Elantrian to be thrown into the city since the disappearance of the Guard. Only she could explain the current political climate of the city.

P: Lucy! You got some ‘splaining to do!

L: Poor thing. At least we know that Raoden’s going to be asking the questions, and will do so with care and compassion.

The truth was, he really did enjoy his time with Sarene. Her wry wit made him smile, her intelligence intrigued him, and her personality encouraged him. After ten years of dealing with women whose only apparent thought was how good they looked in their dress—a state of forced obtuseness led by his own weak-willed stepmother—Raoden was ready for a woman who wouldn’t cower at the first sign of conflict.

P: Brandon, stahp. We all know how perfect they each thought the other was prior to Sarene taking sail toward their wedding. And now Raoden can see the reasons why, up close and personal-like. And it’s so wonderfully romantic and nauseating. ::giggle:: I don’t really think it’s nauseating… I’m over here sighing into my tea. 

L: Same, except coffee. I do love me a good romance, and while I’m not a fan of the “she’s not like the other girls!” trope being used here, I’m willing to give Brandon a pass for it because he was so young when he wrote this book. He’s come a long, long way in his portrayal of strong female characters.

However, that same unyielding personality was the very thing that had kept him from learning about the outside. No amount of subtle persuasion—or even direct manipulation—could pry a single unwilling fact out of Sarene’s mouth. He couldn’t afford to be delicate any longer, however. The Guard’s strange actions were troubling—any shift in power could be extremely dangerous to Elantris.

P: Indeed, it could. Don’t worry, my prince, your little songbird will sing. You just may not like the song.

L: But as Raoden says, it’s so very important to hear it. They’re in less danger than they were before Sarene was thrown in here now that Hrathen’s plans have come to fruition (or so he thinks), but it’s only a matter of time before things even out and he and Dilaf turn their attention back to the “unholy” denizens of Elantris.

The current Wyrn would have to be a fool not to strike soon. All he needed was an opening.

Internal strife would provide that opening. If the Guard had decided to betray the king, civil conflict would throw Arelon into chaos once again, and the Fjordells were infamous for capitalizing on such events. Raoden had to find out what was happening beyond those walls.

P: Oh, my sweet summer Elantrian child… your world is going to get so rocked. I feel so bad for next week’s Raoden! 

L: Yeah. But, knowing our Raoden, he’s going to pivot swiftly from shock to problem-solving mode. And now that he’s got his witty, beautiful genius of a wife by his side…

P: ::titters::

Raoden wasn’t able to keep himself from remarking again at her beauty. The dark-splotched skin of an Elantrian was prosaic to him now; he didn’t really notice it anymore. 

P: You’ll just have to allow us the sheer glee at all of Raoden’s heart-eyes in this chapter. We’ve been waiting a long time!

L: Finally.

Sarene’s body seemed to be adapting remarkably well to the Shaod. Further signs of degeneration were usually visible after just a few days—wrinkles and creases appearing in the skin, the body’s remaining flesh color dulling to a pallid white. Sarene showed none of this—her skin was as smooth and vibrant as the day she had entered Elantris.

She claimed that her injuries didn’t continue hurting the way they should—though Raoden was certain that that was just because she hadn’t had to live outside of New Elantris.

P: ::ahem:: Take two. Then take another two (such as the fact that she can’t draw aons), then put them together and you’ll get four. Wake up to what this means, Raoden!

L: Give the poor love-stricken boy a break. He’ll wake up to the signs eventually. Remember… Raoden’s really not that old. Late teens, early twenties at the most.

P: I would have thought him older than her and doesn’t she say she’s twenty-seven at one point? Do you remember, Chickens?

Their supplies wouldn’t last more than a month, but there was no reason to stockpile. Starvation was not deadly to Elantrians, just uncomfortable.

L: I guess it’s a good thing that we know that Sarene’s poison is going to wear off soon, because if she were stuck in here when the food ran out, she’d be in trouble with a capital T.

P: She would be. I wonder if they have water for her because, if I recall correctly, they don’t need it.

Most beautiful were her eyes—the way she studied everything with keen interest. Sarene didn’t just look, she examined. When she spoke, there was thought behind her words. That intelligence was what Raoden found most attractive about his Teo princess.

P: “You see, I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue.” Pardon my Elton John lyrics, you’re just lucky I don’t lyric you to death every week! I love that he thinks of her as “his” princess. Ahh, l’amour… 

L: I also love the fact that, unlike most romances, when he speaks of how beautiful her eyes are, he’s now talking about their physical beauty. He’s referring to how her intelligence shines through them. How refreshing!

Sarene held up the book, showing him the spine, which read Seor’s Encyclopedia of Political Myths.

…

“… it’s amazing. I have never read anything that so soundly debunks Fjorden’s rhetoric and manipulation.”

…

“Now that Fjorden is religious, they can’t have it sounding like their greatest historical king was a pagan, so the priests went through and rewrote all of the poems. I don’t know where this man Seor laid hands on an original version of Wyrn, but if it got out, it would provide a major source of embarrassment to Fjorden.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

P: I don’t believe this went anywhere… just an opportunity, I think, for Sarene to fear she was boring Spirit with her studies.

L: I love seeing how the religion has evolved over the years and been changed by its followers. Such good worldbuilding on Brandon’s part.

“You may have read a version of Wyrn the King,” Sarene said, shaking her head. “But not this one. Modern versions of the poem make references to Jaddeth in an almost Derethi way. The version in this book shows that the priests rewrote the literature from the original to make it sound as if Wyrn were Derethi—even though he lived long before Shu-Dereth was founded.”

L: Hmmmm. I wonder if there’s any connection here between this religion and Adonalsium? Like, did they originally worship Adonalsium under a different name? There’s no textual proof of this, just an interesting little Cosmere-rabbit hole my brain decided to wander into.

“Galladon and I just climbed to the top of the city wall.”

Her face grew perplexed. “And?”

“We found the Elantris City Guard surrounding Duke Telrii’s mansion,” Raoden said. “We were kind of hoping you could tell us why. I know you’re reluctant to talk about the outside, but I’m worried. I need to know what is happening.”

…

”I guess the important part began when I dethroned King Iadon—which, of course, is why he hanged himself.”

Raoden sat down with a thump, his eyes wide.

P: I think she’d have stunned him less had she whacked him in the forehead with Seor’s Encyclopedia of Political Myths. Poor, poor Raoden. Sarene wasn’t trying to be callous, of course, but what a way to learn your father is dead… Even if the jerk did exile you to Elantris.

L: Yeah, I do really feel bad for Raoden in this moment.

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 44 and 45.

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She makes magic wands for a living and will be helping out Santa Claus this season in Essex, CT. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty-Two and Forty-Three appeared first on Reactor.

(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!

Trigger warnings: Chronic pain.

Last time on Elantris: Patriarchs and Plots…

When the patriarch arrives on the shores of Kaye, he brings with him an unexpected bit of news; before Iadon’s death, the king had left instructions that upon his death, all standings of nobility are to be frozen in place and all titles be hereditary moving forward. Roial and Sarene are pleased by this, as it means that their planned marriage later that day will ensure their placement as king and queen. However, when Sarene removes her bridal veil, the depths of Hrathen’s cruel plans are revealed. He’s poisoned her with the fake-Shaod poison that he himself had taken; now she’s to be thrown into Elantris, and Telrii will take the throne.

Chapter Essentials

POV Character(s): Raoden, Sarene

Discussion

Chapter 40

“A newcomer has been thrown into the city, my lord.”

L: Finally!

P: I’m so excited about this!

“Hello, there,” he said affably. “I’m willing to guess you’ve had an awful day.”

L: Why is Raoden just the absolute best?

P: He really is quite perfect.

“I don’t trust you anymore, Spirit.”

“Did you ever?”

Sarene paused, then shook her head. “I wanted to, but I knew that I shouldn’t.”

“Then you never really gave me a chance, did you?” He stretched his hand out a little closer. “Come.”

Buy the Book

A Power Unbound

Buy Book

A Power Unbound

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

L: I’m so very excited for this.

P: Jinx!

L: For a die-hard romantic like myself, this is the moment I’ve been yearning for. Well… almost the moment I’ve been yearning for. The real one will be when Sarene realizes who Raoden is. But this is trending in the right direction at least!

P: Waiting a bit longer is okay. I want her to appreciate Spirit before she realizes he’s Raoden.

Eventually she reached out her fine, thin-fingered hand and placed it in his own for the first time, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

L: The only appropriate reaction.

P: I rather like this one. And even though a picture, or a GIF, is worth a 1000 words, I have to say that I am also extremely jazzed that he’s gonna get to show Sarene who he really is… I mean, who “Spirit” really is.

Chapter 41

None wore the rags she had assumed were the only available clothing in Elantris; their outfits were simple skirts or trousers and a shirt. The cloth was strikingly colorful. Amazed, Sarene realized that these were the colors she had chosen. What she had seen as offensive, however, the people wore with joy—the bright yellows, greens, and reds highlighting their cheerfulness.

“But where—” Sarene stopped. She knew exactly where they had gotten sheets of steel that thin. Sarene herself had sent them, again thinking to get the better of Spirit, who had demanded several sheets of metal as part of his bribe.

L: And so Sarene finally sees all the ingenuity that Raoden and his people are capable of, in using her “gifts.”

P: Yeah, I admit that I looked down on her a bit for that. But Raoden never seemed very fazed by it.

The woman held up a long scarflike piece of orange cloth. “For your head,” Maare said, pointing at the similar cloth wrapped around her own head. “It helps us forget about the hair.”

L: Much like those undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

P: Or those with conditions like alopecia.

Unbidden, she found herself judging his height. He’s tall enough for me, she thought almost offhandedly, if only barely. Then, realizing what she was doing, she rolled her eyes. The entire world was toppling around her, and all she could do was size up the man walking next to her.

L: Yessss, Sarene. Check him out. Mmmhmm.

P: I mean, the poor thing has had two ruined weddings. It’s not surprising she’d check him out, blotchy skin and all. That said…

“You are not a tyrant. This community proves that—the people love you, and there cannot be tyranny where there is love.”

L: Not quite sure I believe that. Many people arguably loved Hitler as he was rising to power, after all. Tyranny is rarely viewed as such by those whom the regime claims to be helping—especially if said regime isn’t being wholly honest with those people.

P: She sure changed her tune quickly!

Sarene felt a sudden stab of grief. Ashe must be like that now, she thought, remembering the mad seons she had occasionally seen floating around Elantris.

L: Ohhhh, but he’s not, is he? Since she wasn’t really taken by the Shaod!

P: Nope, he’s not. But will they figure it out?

“It seems like you got the better of me more times than not,” Sarene said, remembering with shame the time she had spent gloating over her sly interpretations of the demands. It appeared that no matter how twisted her attempt, the New Elantrians had found uses for all of her useless gifts.

L: She reminds me of a D&D Dungeon Master, excitedly figuring out alternate wordings/phrases for her players’ wishes. Only in this case, her mischievous acts might have caused people real harm.

P: And could have deprived them of things they sorely needed.

“Don’t even try and convince me you didn’t go,” Sarene said, turning back to the carvings. “You’re obviously a nobleman. You would have gone to church to keep up appearances, even if you weren’t devout.”

L: I love that she’s clever enough to realize that he was a nobleman. She’s so tantalizingly close to the truth…

P: She’s nothing if not clever, our little Sarene. And maybe a bit spiteful. But she needs to put two and two together!

“How long—” she began, turning away from the wall. Then she froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Spirit was glowing.

L: Uh oh.

P: Oh, no bueno. Poor Raoden, going through so much pain so often.

A spectral light grew from somewhere within; she could see the lines of his bones silhouetted before some awesome power that burned inside his chest. His mouth opened in a voiceless scream; then he collapsed, quivering as the light flared. … Something large, something impossibly immense, pressed against her. The air itself seemed to warp away from Spirit’s body. She could no longer see his bones; there was too much light. It was as if he were dissolving into pure whiteness; she would have thought him gone if she hadn’t felt his weight in her arms.

L: Well… that’s new. And unsettling to the extreme.

P: Absolutely unsettling. It’s like the Dor is beginning to be more insistent.

“AonDor? That’s a heathen legend.” There wasn’t much conviction to her words—not after what she had just seen.

L: Seems weird for her to say this, when the wonders of Elantris are still within living memory… Now granted, their secrets weren’t common knowledge, but even so…

P: Point. Ten years isn’t that long. She’d have been a teen.

Korathi teaching of the last ten years had done its best to downplay Elantris’s magic, despite the seons. Seons were familiar, almost like benevolent spirits sent by Domi for protection and comfort. Sarene had been taught, and had believed, that Elantris’s magics had mostly been a sham.

L: Ahhh, that explains that then.

P: I suppose it makes sense that people turned to that when they were unable to explain the fall of Elantris.

Spirit claimed that their bodies were in a kind of stasis, that they had stopped working as they waited for the Dor to finish transforming them.

L: How very unfortunate.

P: And the Dor is trying really hard to transform him. And I wonder why just him? Is it because of the injury he had as a child that was healed by an Elantrian?

Coupled with it was the knowledge of her failure. Spirit had asked her for news from the outside, but the topic had proven too painful for her. She knew that Telrii was probably already king, and that meant Hrathen would easily convert the rest of Arelon.

L: I don’t know about “easily,” but it’s certainly likely…

P: And just think… If she had spilled the beans, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hide who he was because of his reactions.

“My lady?” whispered a deep, hesitant voice. “Is that you?”

Shocked, she looked up through her tears. Was she hearing things? She had to be. She couldn’t have heard …

“Lady Sarene?”

It was Ashe’s voice.

L: I’m so glad that she’s got at least this one thing to console her. Now, let’s see if she figures out the implications…

P: As clever as she is…I think it will take more than this.

“Ashe, you’re talking! You shouldn’t be able to speak, you should be…”

“Mad,” Ashe said. “Yes, my lady, I know. Yet I feel no different from before.”

“A miracle,” Sarene said.

L: ::sigh:: Well, maybe it will be awhile before she figures it out.

P: I don’t remember if she tells “Spirit” about Ashe. Because he might figure it out even if she can’t.

“After the wedding dismissed, I spent an hour demanding that the patriarch set you free. I don’t think he was disappointed by your fall.”

L: My dislike for this man grows more and more.

P: Yeah, he’s not one of the good ones, like Omin.

“We must be fair, Father,” Sarene said. “If a peasant’s daughter can be cast into Elantris, then a king’s daughter shouldn’t be exempt.”

L: I do love that she’s so fair.

P: And I’d have still been screaming at the gates.

“Father,” she said, letting love and respect sound in her voice, “you taught me to be bold. You made me into something stronger than the ordinary. At times I cursed you, but mostly I blessed your encouragement. You gave me the liberty to become myself. Would you deny that now by taking away my right to choose?”

L: Well that’s an incredibly compelling argument. It’s nice that she knows her father well enough to know exactly which cards to play.

P: And she really does love and respect him. It’s good to see a healthy familial relationship like this.

“They have become my people, Father.”

“It has been less than two months.”

“Love is independent of time, Father.”

L: Well that’s beautiful.

P: And what choice does she have, really? They’re not going to let her out, even once she “heals.” at least, I doubt that they would. She hasn’t been lining the pockets of the Captain of the City Guard. Guess we’ll see what happens to our dear princess!

We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! We’re off next week due to the holiday—happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates!—and we’ll be back on November 30th with chapters 42 and 43.

Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.

Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She makes magic wands for a living and will be helping out Santa Claus this season in Essex, CT. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!

The post Elantris Reread: Chapters Forty and Forty-One appeared first on Reactor.

Summary

Vimes, Sir Reynold, and Sybil head into the Ramkin family attics and find Sybil’s replica of The Battle of Koom Valley. As they’re looking over it, Vimes realizes that the deep-down dwarfs believe that the painting is a map that will lead them to something important. He decides he’s going to Koom Valley and Sybil insists on coming along with Young Sam despite his protestations. Vimes tells Vetinari that he’s doing this with a crew of officers and Bashfullsson, and cannot be dissuaded. He secretly meets with Ridcully and asks if there’s anything the wizards can do to help his party get to Koom Valley faster since they’re a day behind the dwarfs. Ridcully agrees that he can do something to their coaches and that they obviously never had this conversation. Vimes wakes in the morning and Carrot informs him that the wizards have altered the carriages so that they weigh literally nothing, even with passengers. The horses have also been given some help with special harnesses. Detritus gets permission to take Brick along. The coaches set off, and when the harnesses for the horses kick into gear, the carriages lift off the ground and manage to hit sixty miles per hour.

Buy the Book

Infinity Alchemist

Buy Book

Infinity Alchemist

Buy this book from:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• Target

After going at that pace for a short burst, Vimes manages to stop the carriages and get them back to a normal speed, but Willikins points out that they could get to Koom Valley that day if they kept it up and that the dwarfs likely had brooms or some other fast mode of transit. They make it to twenty miles outside, but Sybil insists that they go the rest of the way normally so everyone can get rest in town and be fresh the following day. They stay with an old friend of Sybil’s named Bunty. She doesn’t consider trolls to be people of any sort, though Detritus takes this in stride. Angua and Sally are asked to bunk together and Sally leaves in the middle of the night. The next day the group head into the valley with the sketch of the painting, but Vimes is having a hard time matching up the landscape until he accidentally sits on the real painting. He finds a cave entrance and knows that this is where the cube was found. He also knows that there’s a tunnel below and decides to investigate before everyone else catches up to him, dropping into water below. He comes to on a dark beach in the cave and knows he must press on, despite the fact that he’d only come this far because of the voice in his head that told him to jump down into the cave.

Vimes is having a near death experience (which Death shows up for) as Sybil assures her friend that he will be home to read to Young Sam soon. The Gooseberry tells Vimes that he only has a few minutes to get back, and Vimes latches onto that to keep going. He comes upon a mine with dwarfs and is no longer himself, but a creature demanding of the dwarfs: Where’s my cow? Far away, Young Sam can hear him. He hones in on his target as the dwarfs scrabble to stop him and Sally arrives to help. Eventually, Vimes reaches his target… and stops. Inside Vimes, the Summoning Dark meets Vimes’ inner Watchman, and he tells the Summoning Dark to beat it. He comes to having been tackled by Angua, and surrounded by the Low King’s dwarfs. The deep-downers had been destroying this site where trolls and dwarfs had died side by side. Bashfullson explains that Vimes was possessed by the Summoning Dark, but he managed to beat it. Vimes goes to see his officers and tells the Low King’s captain that Detritus and Brick are to be better treated. The captain agrees to this when he sees the Summoning Dark symbol etched on Vimes as a scar. King Rhys arrives and learns that his men haven’t found the cube. Vimes has a hunch and tells Nobby to hand it over.

Rhys wants the cube, but balks when Vimes tells him to take it. He figures out the opening word (the dwarf word for “say” that sounds like “Awk!”), and the cube begins by speaking Things Tak Wrote… only the ending is different and suggests that dwarfs created the trolls and found them very good indeed. Then the voice of B’hrian Bloodaxe tells the tale: The cave was flooded and they won’t make it out, but dwarfs and trolls came here to make peace, and then someone shouted ambush and a fight broke out. They want the world to know that they brokered that treaty and dwarf and troll died side by side. Ardent is furious and insists it’s a hoax, and goes to fight Bashfullsson for lies; he’s quickly dispatched. Trolls have arrived to parley, and Rhys agrees to see them. Trolls and dwarfs work quickly to preserve the scene, then plan to seal it up. Vimes takes Sally aside and confronts her about being a spy for Rhys, but insists on keeping her. Sybil takes Vimes for their family portrait, finally: She has Otto take their picture. Carrot shows Vetinari the mines under the city, which now belong to Ankh-Morpork. Nobby decides to break up with Tawneee, Brick has a new watchman job, and Vimes reads his book to Young Sam.

Commentary

If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time Pratchett has created a mystical entity and admitted to what it was before the main character was properly introduced. Usually it’s all “the thing/being/creature did such-and-so” for every passage until the relevant person comes into direct contact with it. But in this instance, once Vetinari insists that Ridcully thinks that Summoning Dark is a real entity, it’s named in the next section from its vantage point. Almost as though either the Chancellor or the Patrician’s vote of confidence is enough to tell the reader, yeah, that’s definitely what it is, we’re going with that.

Sam Vimes is running on fumes as always, but this time he’s possessed by the Summoning Dark, and mad with grief at the thought of not being able to read to his son at six. The setup on that climax is admittedly flawless, and so much more interesting than your usual rampage sequence all because they’ve managed to fuel Vimes’ rage with something that truly does matter more than anything in the world—his love for his son.

Which is interesting because it means that you can’t really write this particular story until Vimes is a father. His relationship with Sybil wouldn’t have this hold; Sam Vimes loves his wife, but he’s very practical about that love. Young Sam is the one he’s pinned all his expectations onto. Sybil loves him in turn for all of his mess, but with his child, there’s an ideal that he needs to live up to.

It’s telling that for Vimes, the last two books have basically been about the same thing—they’re marking out that line where his morality lives and asking if a cop can stay above corruption. I’d argue that the need for this conversation springs directly from Vimes’ actions in The Fifth Elephant, and proceeds in a straight line. And the answer is roughly the same on both tales: most of the time. The difference is that this book makes that ability to watch himself a manner of superpower… which is cool from a storytelling perspective, but maybe less impressive from a realism standpoint. The idea of other people keeping an eye on Sam Vimes is still important, no matter what line he’s holding for himself. He needs Sybil and Carrot and Angua and Vetinari for that.

I do love that it’s not difficult for Vimes to write off the Summoning Dark at all. People believe what they want to, even—or maybe especially—when they’re being possessed by ancient supernatural entities.

The other part of the tale is zeroed in on how far people will go to perpetuate their prejudices and cultural givens. And again, it’s made a point of (more than once) how horribly Detritus (and Brick by extension) is treated and how much of that treatment he takes on the chin. The hunting trophies at the embassy in Bonk are sprung on everyone in The Fifth Elephant, but here we have a school pal of Sybil’s essentially treat Detritus like an animal. He’s the one who defuses the situation, and by doing so, prevents Vimes and Sybil from having to say anything on his behalf. In many ways this almost reads like both a self-own and sharp audience check on Pratchett’s part—we get this far along in the series and he turns around and points out that the reader probably has some notions about troll ability and intelligence based on the way he’s written them.

And with all that said and done, it’s time for another story. Possibly a long nap, too.

Asides and little thoughts:

• About Sybil’s family attics: “Maybe that was the reason for their wealth: they had bought things that were built to last, and now they seldom had to buy anything at all.” I’ve talked a bit about this before, but as an addendum to Vimes’ Boots Theory, this is completely accurate to how “old money” thinking works: If you’ve got quality and space to keep it, you are likely to always have what you need indefinitely. Unfortunately, “new money” seems to have largely embraced the capitalist consumerism message of “just buy more stuff and throw away the old stuff.”

• Look, I really love the phrase “mad as a spoon” because it inevitably forces me to consider what makes the spoon mad, and I wind up thinking things like “it’s having a bowl, isn’t it,” which is exactly the sort of thought I want to be having about phrases like “mad as a spoon.”

• There’s also a description of a rocking horse that’s “all teeth and mad glass eyes” and I know exactly the one he means.

Pratchettisms:

Difficult reading, too, because a lot of them were half-burned, and in any case Rascal’s handwriting was what might have been achieved by a spider on a trampoline during an earthquake.

And that was his life: one huge oblong of canvas. Methodia Rascal: born, painted famous picture, thought he was a chicken, died.

He heard a brief scream as the rear coach tore past and swerved into a field full of cauliflowers where, eventually, it squelched to a flatulent halt.

With that, Sam Vimes walked back to the milestone, sat down next to it, put his arms around it, and held on tight until he felt better.

His ribs were carrying the melody of pain, but knees, elbows, and head were all adding trills and arpeggios.

He shuffled on, aching and bleeding, while the dark curled its tail around him.

HAS IT NEVER STRUCK YOU THAT THE CONCEPT OF THE WRITTEN NARRATIVE IS SOMEWHAT STRANGE? said Death.

Vimes thought that was a bit too pat, but nature can be like that. Sometimes you got sunsets so pink that they had no style at all.

We’re gonna pause for the next two weeks, and then we’re back with Wintersmith! We’ll read Chapters 1-4.

The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: Thud! Part IV appeared first on Reactor.