The Malazan Fallen discussion

Ch 20 discussion - No spoilers from beyond this chapter

(view spoiler)[Wow last time I didn't realize that was a conversation between Shadowthrone and TCG! (hide spoiler)]

Well damn I did it again, it's in 21. I'll put the above in spoiler tag.

I have a couple of concerns here:

First, the battle with the short tails was the climax of the last book. But if the short tails hadn't killed all those soldiers, isn't it likely that the group would just have run out of water more quickly? And thus had even greater casualties?

Second, and here I'm probably not giving Erikson enough license: Mael is the god of the sea. Has anyone ever tried drinking sea water? Remember the phrase "Water, water, everywhere... and not a drop to drink." So maybe, as the sea god, he also has the power of desalinization, but this gimmick to get them through the desert left a bad taste in my mouth.

Oh, and putting the original comment into spoiler tags doesn't do much good if it gets quoted in plain view in the next comment.

I'm deleting David's post. He's on vacation..

Duffy wrote: "Mael is the god of the sea. Has anyone ever tried drinking sea water? Remember the phrase "Water, water, everywhere... and not a drop to drink." So maybe, as the sea god, he also has the power of desalinization, but this gimmick to get them through the desert left a bad taste in my mouth.
"

I was thinking the exact same thing. I was like..but salt water... He is an Elder God though..so yeah.

David shouldn't be allowed to take vacation this close to the end of the series. I'm confused about the scene with Fiddler and the Bridgeburners. But what else is new?

I assume you mean the scene with Fiddler and Whiskeyjack. I took two major points away from it: First, that Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners had sent Hedge back specifically so he could join up with Fiddler. That means that Fiddler has some making up to do. And secondly, that there is a bigger purpose to what Fiddler is doing, or at least that Whiskeyjack thinks so.

If there's something else in particular is confusing you here, I'd be happy to try to puzzle it out. But I agree that it's a lot easier when David unravels everything for us.

Yeah, that's about what I took away from it as well. I guess as per usual, we're not meant to know more. I'm sure some stuff could be drawn from the random comments of Mallet and the others.

Rob wrote: "David shouldn't be allowed to take vacation this close to the end of the series. "

Ha Ha! It's a hard life when you are torn between goodreads and the beach...or the penthouse balcony. Especially when what sparse contribution I do make gets deleted anyway.

I think my takeaway from Whiskeyjack's pep talk with Fiddler is that the Bridgeburners didn't go to all the effort of sending Hedge back and taking over from Hood so that the Bonehunters could die of thirst in a desert. In other words the general opinion that you're all going to die today is false.

But also Whiskeyjack gives his take on the name "Bonehunters" - You collect the bones of the fallen - and who fell further than the Crippled God. In other words - you guys were for the Crippled god from way back in Raraku.

Speaking of Raraku - again the Brideburners and Bonehunters are marching across a desert - again we have a dead sea come to life.

David Sven wrote: "Especially when what sparse contribution I do make gets deleted anyway."

For good reason. I can't edit it to put in spoiler tags for quoting things from the wrong chapter.

David Sven wrote: "But also Whiskeyjack gives his take on the name "Bonehunters" - You collect the bones of the fallen - and who fell further than the Crippled God. In other words - you guys were for the Crippled god from way back in Raraku."

Ah. Yeah this is the bit that I was wondering about, but was in the middle of a D&D session and didn't have my book in front of me to look it up.

was in the middle of a D&D game good to hear!

I am working hard on getting a work trip to the US this year, if I do, we HAVE to catch up. Unfortunately my current trips are to Middle East, HK and China. Sigh the problems of a spy with territory in the east.

Yeah, my regular group broke apart when our DM moved to Ohio, but one of the members looked into playing online and so now I play with people all over the country including one of my D&D buddies from college.

So it a lot of ways it's better, though I miss rolling real dice.

I can image. My limited experience with D&D was all about the fun round the table.

Lee wrote: "I can image. My limited experience with D&D was all about the fun round the table."

Kind of. I would change that to say the fun is largely based on the people playing. Playing online lets me play with people I wouldn't be able to otherwise. In some ways it's more fun. Of course we changed DMs too, so that's also part of it.

I'm actually working on my own adventure to let some of my monthly boardgame group try it.

Duffy wrote: "I have a couple of concerns here:

First, the battle with the short tails was the climax of the last book. But if the short tails hadn't killed all those soldiers, isn't it likely that the group w..."

Ya i was confused too, the water which adjunct unleashed it should have been saline water logically.

But also Whiskeyjack gives his take on the name "Bonehunters" - You collect the bones of the fallen - and who fell further than the Crippled God. In other words - you guys were for the Crippled god from way back in Raraku.

So what this basically means that they were following crippled god even when they were hating him ?.Also how can whiskey jack forget that it was CG who was responsible for his death and also the death of Dujek.

Sumant wrote: "Also how can whiskey jack forget that it was CG who was responsible for his death and also the death of Dujek. "

Actually it was Kallor who killed Whiskeyjack and Poliel who killed Dujek - but neither of them were Bonehunters in any case. And none of the Bonehunter campaigns were about fighting the Crippled God.

David Sven wrote: "Sumant wrote: "Also how can whiskey jack forget that it was CG who was responsible for his death and also the death of Dujek. "

Actually it was Kallor who killed Whiskeyjack and Poliel who killed ..."

But wasn't Kallor at that time promised King in house of chains and poliel was also influenced by CG.

Kallor wasn't acting on the CG's behalf when he killed WhiskeyJack. He was attempting to kill Nightchill/Silverfox in revenge for his curse and Whiskeyjack stepped in the way. So then we have the humourous situation where Kallor can't imagine why Korlat is so intent on killing him in revenge because he considers Whiskeyjack's dying just bad luck and she should be able to just get over it.

And I'm not sure that Poliel was acting directly under the CG's instructions - I think her actions were more opportunistic - she sought to use the CG to bolster her own power - much like Bidithal (one of the priests of Shaik)