Revelations mark the beginning of book three, Her Father's Fugitive Throne, as the cliffhangers from the closing events of the previous book begin to playout. As readers who have read the books in close enough proximity to one another would recall, these sequences are among the most wide reaching forms of intervention the Makers have partaken since the storylines began. As to whether these will double as the most important will have to be determined. The order of guardians, and more specifically the representatives on Loam have taken a hit. So too have the characters of the Blue Mountain Realm been stirred up by the group of diviners arriving at the Lord Mayor of Tilmar's door. Some have confessed their sins partially whilst others have deemed they will. but as yet have not.
As with many confessions, amends are to be made. The other very real, tangible and intangible, accompanying experiences are like that of fire and ice to a burn: the fire is in the telling and as expected it exacerbates the blistered skin, inflicting further pain; but the ice follows the post revelation experience and offers soothing relief. Getting our sins of our chests is a dichotomous experience of condemnation precipitating forgiveness, the latter cannot occur without the former enacting righteousness first. The prophet voices of Jauphenna followed by Shauwby, and the example given by Meluscia exemplifies it perfectly.
The task now in front of Meluscia has never appeared more daunting as it has before now. Under different circumstances I imagine she'd feel more confident given the validation of her suspicions, but with Savarrah's admissions the task has grown to unimaginable proportions. I am somewhat surprised though that Savarrah chose to leave out her role in the blight, surely knowing that this knowledge of how Meluscia's parents come to be poisoned would've benefited the negotiations with the Verdlands' king. At least in the sense that the Luminar's letter specifically seems to have been written to precipitate the confirmation expected that it was the king who arranged for the poisoning to occur. Savarrah is far from absentminded, I would've thought this crime being elucidated was necessary for goodwill to begin.
Young Winter's disenchantment has been confounded further by the, yet again, inability to alter the path of her visions. Karience's resolutions about the alternate objectives of her order must surely be further solidified given Winter has again saved her life; but, as we know, this only occurred because of Winter's still present faith. If the order gets it way the young lady would no longer have forewarning and given Karience's life altering gains, her internal chaos and maelstrom of alternately pulling sides of her conscience versus her duty. But inevitably it is only the righteous that wallow in doubt, subjecting themselves to the greatest scrutiny available to their morals. Therein however lies the weakness of the mechanism; "...available to their morals". Morals can be endlessly subjected to the greatest debate of humanity and what causes our behaviour, even those who've never read a book still know what I speak of; the nature/nurture debate.
Does a group of people raised on opposite sides of a chasm between their environments, a chasm so great that it prevents communication between the two sides by any means whatsoever, develop similar or different morals which guide their behaviour? The most likely answer is yes and no, to both. So if there's no means for these groups to have shared experiences and yet they develop some the same morals is it nature that innately guides those similarities? Where there are differences between the two is it then their own particular nurturing that derives those differences? As long as there are both does it not suggest that both nature and nurture contribute?
However, what if the fact that living within a group regardless of locations or contacts with other groups, simply applies external influences that are the same regardless of where they are; if this premise is acceptable then perhaps there are universal nurturing influences and therefore there is no nature. The nature debaters will undoubtedly point out though that tigers living in India's forests have almost identical methods of reacting to their environments as do tigers living throughout Asia's forests; and that if this is accepted then there's instinctual forces contributing to both species behaving the same so nature is the cause. The point though is that whilst Winter allows for every possible element of the equation to have importance her contenders do not.
It is the morally bankrupt that will judge her and act accordingly because doing so will further their interests in obtaining or maintaining power. As long as a behaviour serves only the perpetrators interests without regard for the victim's or the environment, this cannot be said to be moralistic. Morals are social beliefs that serve the greater good by constraining behaviour that seeks to hurt another person. What Winter believes and does, doesn't inherently act against the rights of the consecrators nor their henchman, and yet they still seek to silence her. Without external intervention Winter is likely a sitting duck because her moralistic stance prevents her from harming another, perhaps even invself defense. This is how those seeking power are able to accrue it. Their ethical requirements do not prevent them from doing whatever is easiest and necessary to further those desires, regardless of their assertions that it serves a misconceived greater good. History is painted in the endless and constant rivers of blood of the victims of people seeking to ensure the greater good.
Even Winter's brother Aven, who wholeheartedly rejects the Makers and to a large extent the ideals of the guardian order, still won't act in ways that might save his life at the expense of another's. Power, authority, control, and any number of factors that seek to place the goals of the one (or the few) above any other is the sickness that plagues the galaxies of the Song of the World series. No single group is completely free of committing said wrongs, regardless of their altruistic assertions; save perhaps the so-called lowest social groups of peasants/farmers who just want a roof over their heads, food on their plates, and people they love and whom love them back. Therefore the inescapable quandary becomes, who are truly the most advanced people throughout the many worlds and realms? Certainly it appears both within these novels and within our own real lives, technology, industry, money, or for that matter any other commidity outside of basic subsistence, creates environments that allow people to commit the greatest type and frequency of harm against humanity. Saddest still is that its at the hands of humanity.
This latest novel culminates the intricacies carefully layed out in previous books, finishing at a pivotal transition in the greater saga. Whilst most stories are driven by the obvious attitudes, decisions and desires of the characters of the story, the more enjoyable and influential books we read reveal the ways in which events lead to other events, rather than the simple playing out of wishes. Like a chess board of life, authors meant to write can manipulate and choreograph plots until such a time when what happens is both natural but not entirely expected. If expectation was the only benchmark then stories would fail after a time to elicit the same experiences. Events need to be both natural and intriguing otherwise I imagine many readers would hold more interest in only standalone novels. To be able to provide successful sagas that hold the same interests in their audience after second, third and so forth additions the authors must have exceptional writing abilities: that is undoubted herein. From my own perspective my interest has increased with each new novel and the skill by which events flow into the greater story are exemplary. I cannot wait to see where book four takes the lives of our character set, and the worlds where the story plays out. And finally, the philosophical life characteristics that are thought of as you read the Song of the World.