The Not a Book Club Club discussion

Please keep all discussion to the events and speculation from this section.

No spoiler tags required. Though it would be highly appreciated if you Uncheck Add to my Update Feed to avoid accidentally spoiling this for your goodreads friends.

Please do not discuss events from later chapters. Referring back to events from a previous section/book is fine.

This section covers the 6th Dawson chapter through to the 9th Cithrin chapter. The first sentence of the section is:

Kaltfel stood on a wide plain rising up from the long strips of farmland like a strange dream.

Ok so things got a little heated in this section. So I don't see how this plays out with Dawson. You would think that he should be executed but then his family probably would be also and I don't see us losing two POVs like that. So maybe a rescue by the new in-laws?

Cithrin hit the jackpot for the bank but don't see her sleeping with Geder turning out well for her personally.

How old is Aster? I had the idea that he was in his early teens but is he younger?

Wester got the old knife in the back. You would think considering his past that Yardem should have killed him. I mean if the guy murdered his king for betraying him you would think Yardem's chances aren't great.

Yardem's betrayal took me by surprise.

I read this a couple months ago and just finished the third book, but I think Aster is around 12?

I thought the reason Yardem didn't kill Wester is because he thought that if he gave him enough time to cool off and think about what he was considering, he would come around to Yardem's way of thinking. If not, I thought Yardem's thinking was that he and Wester were probably pretty evenly matched in a fight (and he is intimately familiar with Wester's tactics) and so he would just take his chances that way if he had to.

Also, Wester is his friend, and he really cares for him. He thinks his friend is doing something misguided and he can't let him do that, but he also can't kill him. He's a sword for hire, not completely heartless. :) Yardem always struck me as someone very accepting of consequences. He isn't going into this blind to the risk.

Justine wrote: "I read this a couple months ago and just finished the third book, but I think Aster is around 12?"

Ok thanks.

Justine wrote: "I thought the reason Yardem didn't kill Wester is because he thought that if he gave him enough time to cool off and think about what he was considering, he would come around to Yardem's way of thi..."

I thought much the same about Yardem. I was talking about it more from how Wester would react. He doesn't seem to think about the reasons that Yardem did this to him only that he did. His behavior has gotten so erratic since Cithrin left. Like Dawson he is pretty much a man whose time has passed. Obviously they will both still have an impact on the world but it won't bring them any happiness or peace.

Rob wrote: "Yardem's betrayal took me by surprise."

Me too. I totally thought that he was going to follow him even knowing how wrong he thought Wester was acting.

Bill wrote: "I thought much the same about Yardem. I was talking about it more from how Wester would react. He doesn't seem to think about the reasons that Yardem did this to him only that he did. His behavior has gotten so erratic since Cithrin left. Like Dawson he is pretty much a man whose time has passed. Obviously they will both still have an impact on the world but it won't bring them any happiness or peace. "

Oh absolutely he's gone off his rocker so I don't think he is thinking at all clearly. I guess I meant that I thought Yardem was hoping that by doing something this extreme it might cause his friend to realize just how erratic his behaviour had become i.e. his most trusted friend has had to take some really serious steps. I guess this is the equivalent of a mercenary intervention? :)

I thought of it as a mercenary intervention too - ha I like that phrase Justine.

Heh...yes, you do that for the ones you like, otherwise you just kill them. :)

Great phrase.

Rob wrote: "Yardem's betrayal took me by surprise."

Really? The "is this the day?" running joke didn't telegraph it for you?

Abraham also made it explicitly clear that Wester and Yardem had very different motivations for doing what they did. I remember thinking along the way that Yardem's loyalty wasn't blind and that Wester could easily lose it under certain circumstances.

“I am sorry the world came to this, love. It ought to have been on better behavior with you in it.”

Those "is this the day" conversations were like the equivalent of a guy checking in with his AA sponsor...only in this case Yardem was like Wester's Mercenaries Anonymous sponsor.

I can't highlight and reply because I'm on my phone...but you always pick out the best quotes, Lindsay. That's a nice one.

There's going to be hell to pay if Cithrin ever finds out that Geder ordered the burning of Vanai.

Justine wrote: "I can't highlight and reply because I'm on my phone...but you always pick out the best quotes, Lindsay. That's a nice one."

Thank you.

Great quotes.

Lindsay pulled all the best ones out of Eternal Sky too. :)

Lindsay wrote: "Rob wrote: "Yardem's betrayal took me by surprise."

Really? The "is this the day?" running joke didn't telegraph it for you?

Abraham also made it explicitly clear that Wester and Yardem had very ..."

Yes, really. Either it lulled me into a false sense of security, or I felt it too obvious.

Not to mention he didn't kill him. As others have pointed out, it's likely out of respect/love.

I don't think he did it for personal gain. I think he did it to stop him making a terrible mistake.

I get why he did it. I was still surprised when it happened.