Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

May 5th.

Next week!

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in :)

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I'm just finishing up book 1, and will be here.

I'll join, if you don't mind - I love this series!

Starting today. Page 26:
Why (view spoiler)[West seemed so surprised when meeting the Northmen and saw what their warriors looked like, I thought he already met Logen in the first book? (hide spoiler)]

Page 52 (only open spoiler if you have read this book before)
(view spoiler)[Bayaz history lesson to Jezal was his preparing the silly boy to become a king. He knew Jezal did not like listening tips on governance yet he kept droning on. All was planned. (hide spoiler)]

Silvana wrote: "Starting today. Page 26:
Why [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Logen had a chance to bathe before going to the Union, where he was a fish out of water, whereas this crew is still in the field, on their home turf. Dogman seems like he would naturally be scarier to look at than logen. (hide spoiler)]

Logen doesn't always look scary (The Thing About Trust):

(view spoiler)[You would have had to look far and wide to find anyone less beautiful than the big nine-fingered bastard. He sat in his saddle slumped over like some great sack of rice. Slow-moving, scratching, sniffing, chewing like a big cow. Trying to look like he had no killing in him, no mad fury, no devil. (hide spoiler)]

Silvana wrote: "Page 52 (only open spoiler if you have read this book before)
[spoilers removed]"

I enjoyed the first book so much, I jumped straight into the second :-) I've just finished and loved it!

Yes: (view spoiler)[Bayaz is a super sneaky plotter :-) It makes me laugh to think back over all the 'lessons' he tried to impart to a very bored Jezal. Although, Jezal definitely experiences hardship and character growth in this book! I actually started to like him a bit better towards the end. (hide spoiler)]

Campfire Politics:

(view spoiler)[

Bayaz shook his head. “Taking forms. A dread and insidious trick.”

Oh god who's the shapeshifter (hide spoiler)]

Huh? Where is that, James?

I am around 50% and enjoying it.
This time more than Glokta's part, Bayaz & Party seems to take the limelight. I am liking Logen and Jazel a bit more than the last book.
(view spoiler)[
Logen is more forthcoming than grunting.
Jazel is questioning his beliefs.
Ferro is less animal and trying to be a bit human!!
Quai is not brooding & more silent/ neutral.
Bayaz is same except readers come to know his limitations.
Glokta is Glokta.
(hide spoiler)]

@Silvana which? In my copy the Logen description is on page 63, Bayaz on 93.

@Pallavi (view spoiler)[Logen the lifecoach (hide spoiler)]

I was referring to your shapeshifter comment

Page 173

(view spoiler)[Logen: If I am the whore, who's the Northener?

and his previous thoughts on cooking in the campfire haha (hide spoiler)]

Page 188 don't open this spoiler if you have not read the whole trilogy
(view spoiler)[damn, I just remembered Quai was actually Tolomei. His (her?) attitude had significantly from the previous book, getting more hateful towards her former lover. (hide spoiler)]

52%

(view spoiler)[Bayaz is the real life coach, and he's been doing it for millennia. To what purpose is he grooming Jezal? Also there's definitely something going on with Quai - when Bayaz is unconscious he starts acting evil, killed off Jezal's attacker

“Came up and knocked him on the head with a pan. Well, I say knocked. Smashed his skull to mush, didn’t you?” He grinned over at the apprentice, who sat staring out across the plain. “He hits hard for a thin man, our boy, eh? Shame about that pan, though.”

either he's the shapechanger, or maybe using forbidden magic (hide spoiler)]

55%

(view spoiler)[

Quai stayed hunched on his cart. “Well enough.”
“Well enough? That’s all? You have learned to stay silent, then, at least.
How did you teach him that, Bayaz? That I never could make him learn.”
Bayaz frowned up at Quai. “I hardly had to.”

something happened between Quai's time with Zacharus and his time with Bayaz.
(hide spoiler)]

63%

(view spoiler)[Ladisla's death sorta makes sense, he would have the same character arc as Jezal - spoiled court fop grows up fast. Bayaz grooming Jezal to be a king seems more likely now that the prince is gone.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm confused about the mythology of this world. Why would there be temples to gods when there's a demon oriented magic system?

Hmm... So you think both are exclusive? A world should have only one?

If people are in the habit of making temples, why aren't there temples to demons, or to Euz and his sons? The only temples we've seen are for gods with the least amount of evidence to their existence.

Finished It :)
It was good....
(view spoiler)[
Sad thing that it felt abruptly ended with all loose ends... which irritates me.
I loved the old characters. None disappointed me at all... I liked the drama and lore of Khalul/Kenedias etc.... But one thing stood prominent from the first book is all the major characters got stronger.. Like less talkative ones were more talking and forthcoming. Strong opinions and identities... In the first book everyone felt faraway except Glokta/West/Jazel.


The things that took me by surprise:
1) West killed Ladisla !!!??
2) Glokta is afraid of that Bank , Y? Creepy bank (I forgot the name)
3) Ferro and Logen .... OMG!!!
4) Quai is not right... NOT RIGHT!!
5) Where is that stupid SEED...Bayaz getting conned :P
(hide spoiler)]

done!

(view spoiler)[for me this book felt exhausting, we start and end at war, the journey to the west was bust, friends were buried. well, there was some nice character development at least, but the plot didn't seem to advance. (hide spoiler)]

@Pallavi #2
(view spoiler)[the bank was mentioned in the first book, no one knows who runs it, they're involved in conspiracies (hide spoiler)]

I am moving so slowly! Page 284
(view spoiler)[Glokta letting Eider go... What was he planning? I did not remember but I hope there was more to it than just pity or sense of moral. (hide spoiler)]

Jezal (view spoiler)[losing his good looks, is definitely a defining moment. (hide spoiler)]

I am also enjoying Logen and Ferro's interaction now. They were almost like an old married couple.

@Silvana Glokta's actions make more sense later in the book: (view spoiler)[he's disillusioned about his purpose, Dagoska is just a spot on a map the king can point to. in one of his internal dialogues he says "I get to save so few people", and he saves more women, Vitari and Ardee (hide spoiler)]

Yeah....I guess he was even nicer than I expected.

I finished.had to take off one star from my original rating since I think the book could be shorter, with fewer travelogue. I felt myself getting tired reading it sometimes, especially the West and Logen POVs. I did enjoy Glokta's, Jezal's and *gasp* Ferro's. was bored with Bayaz's storytelling I guess I am not that into the world's mythology. Still a solid read nonetheless with several character development.

I am only up to Ch 11 and already want to personally kill all the nobility... I want Jezal to learn how to be a regular human as soon as possible!!! At this point I just want to smack him over the head 😐

I wanted to read this book in May, but I believe I could manage to start next month only :( so sad.

I can’t believe I stopped reading after the first book the first time around...

A couple of us are reviving this BR thread as we're picking up with book 2.

Started today...

Chris wrote: "A couple of us are reviving this BR thread as we're picking up with book 2.
Started today..."

I'm here...

1. I like how in this book some secondaries, mainly the Dogman and West (some others) come a bit more into their own. Can always empathise with West's well-meaning/clear thinking but innefectual "stifled by the system" rage.

2. Careful firstime readers...FullSeries Spoiler
Glokta and the Council + first mentions of Spicers Guild
(view spoiler)[
Now that I know, everytime I look at Severard I wonder how I couldn't have seen it before...Glokta's heartbreak waiting to happen...in the end, the one place his heart WASN'T broken (Ardee) was the one place I always expected it would deffo be...I'm very cynical, Lannister...don't go by all the surface Disney...
(hide spoiler)]

3. 😂😂😂 those Sand Dan Glokta italics tho!!
Seems the Dagoskans have done well by joining the Union......
Sh!t I wish I was doing this on audio bcuz I want to hear that (evilness of the) *kick* in "Glokta voice".
Is the narrator good?

Oh yes, the narrator is fantastic. He has a distinctive snark when doing the Glokta internal dialogue. I've laughed out loud a few times while listening.

I'm almost 5 hours in. Lots of stage setting at this point.

Oh, I also love the way he does Farro. He gets her pissy attitude just right, especially when she spits out "pinks".

I've been kinda flying through this. How far are you, Zaara?

Chris wrote: "I've been kinda flying through this. How far are you, Zaara?"

Hi Lann :) I'm here. The notifications were broken for everyone (and then restarted in a flood apparemtly as Narilka were saying) but I DID reply you on my tracker the last time I was on. When I tried to get in the website didn't even load over here so (after trying couple times) I just left the site alone for a day or two.

Oh!! I rushed on the Mage's Bloof on audio (1.75x) seeing as how our Scarlet Tides BR starts tonight...you are restarting that for the points, yes? Or (according to rules) it won't count even if you read the full book...👀😧 just a thought...

On this one I'm (eyeballing it) about a third thru...just started the chapter name Fear...I think Ghost somewhere tabulated the chapter numbers for everyome but I can't be stuffed to find that post.

33%

1. The River Aos scene is one of my favourites in the trilogy so it was cool to reread that...Long Shadows is one of my fave chapters in the series because of the geography/archeology/Lara Croftiness of it all...also reminds me of Ozymandias (the famous poem) and Malazan 2 (view spoiler)[ that creepy Otataral giant hand sticking out of the sands (hide spoiler)] in DG.

2. Always nice to spend time inside Logen 9⃣✌️'s mind...espxcially when he is totally nomplussed by Ferro and the Navigator...
Navigator: A marked odour of sweat but that just might just be your armpit... 😂😜
And Ferro (I think this was when she was stitching up the Pink): You have to look far and wide to find anyone less beautiful than the big nine-fingered bastard.
😂😜😝 everytime he tries to talk to her and she literally crushes him... 😂 poor Logen!! She just can't dissemble tho, Ferro.........

3. Bayaz and the sudden "comes from nowhere" thundering rages...they're terrifying actually :/ as are his psychotic changes of heart and persona.

40%

4. Love when Glokta meets his match in sarcasm...he is always crushing ppl like Vurms n their ilk...BUT did you see whenever Glokta is with people he trusts/likes/respecta
S the italics grow drastically LESS? Because he just "shares" more...it's what makes his scenes with Kahdia (the native priest) stand out so much. Even Nicomo (the mercenary).
Btw I loved what you said about the narration...made me go on YouTube just to listen for a bit...I had no qualms about this because I own the series both in print (cheap paperback copy and the box set) AND also in ebook...but sometimes you just can't beat what you get out of the visuals/words on the page!

5. Also Abercrombie and the sex/"anatomical" discussions...(view spoiler)[ 😂😂😂 Glokta's (almost locker room were it not set in a torture chamber) talks with Harker...what a surreal life, Lann... *posh maître d voice* a spot of n!pple torture followed by a weird "date"...soup and conversation.... (hide spoiler)]
😂💪 NOBODY CAN DO THIS (and get away with) XEPT LORD GRIMDARK!!

Where have you gotten? Thoughts changing much on reread? Mine aren't...I'm just seeing the nuances/big picture so much more clearly + enjoying all the snark & Glokta-ness.
+ Also...just..........glad you're in a much happier mood, Chris........🙌
I ❤️ how you're always laughing nowadays!

EDIT None of the above are plot points...just general feels, since its a reread for us....I haven't gone overboard with spoilertags, xept where necessary.

Yes, the strengthening relationships between the main characters is what makes this book stand out. I love the banter between them. Bayaz is pretty scary... I keep picturing him as Anthony Hopkins the way the narrator does him.

I'm on the No Good For Each Other chapter in Part II (view spoiler)[ The funniest yet, when Ferro and Logen get their "alone" time. Hehe... (hide spoiler)]

Finished! Damn, still two loads of laundry to finish lol

Ohhhh I never got farther than the first book last year so I'm really tempted to join you guys! :D Are you continuing with the third book afterwards?

Definitely. The plan is to go to the stand-alones too and eventually get to A Little Hatred.

Chris wrote: "Definitely. The plan is to go to the stand-alones too and eventually get to A Little Hatred."

Perfect! I've got the third book on my shelf and would love to continue with the stand-alones and the new trilogy as well :D

Awesome, great to have you :)

Kathrine wrote: "Perfect! I've got the third book on my shelf and would love to continue with the stand-a..."

Hi Kathrine! Welcome aboard and we are definitely going to do the standalones.
:))

@Lann...sorry, didn't cut and run...death in the fam, had to make a quick 2-day visit. She was very old and barely there....needed all-round care, it was prolly more a relief to that branch of the family than anything. She was a martinet tho, when she was all there!

60-70% and this is still one of the best middle books in any series I've encountered...yea it is a journey book n all...but say one thing for Mark Lawrence, say that the middle books in his first two trilogies didn't equal the rest...

(view spoiler)[
Ladisla is a such a (sorry but there's no other word for him) künt! How many lives have been lost to military idiocy?

Eider is the one we will meet when we start the "new books", right?
+ Logen and his catalogue/explanation/stories of scars...he better be coming back!

Totally forgot about that weird bird mage they meet out in the desert...good to recap. All the Maker/Tolomei stuff too.

Also....😂 FURIOUS!! It only made the end of this trilogy more galling to me....
(hide spoiler)]

You must've finished this by now......

Thank you both for letting me join :D

I'm a bit behind but I'll try to catch up as soon as possible!

Chapter "The Great Leveller" to "Questions" (9%): (view spoiler)[Off to a great start! I find it so funny that I started the first book absolutely loathing Glokta and now he's my favorite character. His inner monologue is simply hilarious but it also makes me kinda sad because his story is so tragic... I hope some happiness is coming his way but Joe Abercrombie is not called Lord Grimdark for nothing so I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up... :( (hide spoiler)]

No worries, Kath. We will still be here to chat with you...ppl in this group are great at coming back that way, no thread is ever fully ghostfree...😂😂😂

EDIT re your spoiler.....eeeeeeep the urge to reply to this....*bites tongue*

Zaara wrote: "No worries, Kath. We will still be here to chat with you...ppl in this group are great at coming back that way, no thread is ever fully ghostfree...😂😂😂

EDIT re your spoiler.....eeeeeeep the urge t..."

Yay :D

And also.... I'm getting scared from your comment xD Please let my boy Glokta have some happiness... :(

Zaara wrote: "@Lann...sorry, didn't cut and run...death in the fam, had to make a quick 2-day visit. She was very old and barely there....needed all-round care, it was prolly more a relief to that branch of the ..."

Awww, so sorry to hear that, Zaara. It's still tough, even with all of that. It was much the same when my grandmother died...

Yes, I finished. Downloaded LAoK yesterday.

Agreed on Ladisla.

Good deal, Kathrine :)