Beyond Reality discussion

Post here if you have finished reading A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham! Spoilers ahead!

This is a story that is slow to unfold, with interesting characters and an unusual system of magic.

I love to visualize what is happening in a story as I read, but my mind could not come up with enough poses for all the gestural/body language nuance of their communication. Nor could I picture what their sleeves must be like in order to hold all the documents and bars of metal they carry around!

I like the fact that at least some of the major characters were not adolescents or young adults, but rather middle-aged, sometimes unlovely people. And the plot features actions based on mixed motivations and good intentions with unexpected outcomes.

I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

Has anyone else read this yet? And if so, are you interested in reading (and discussing) the rest of the series?

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and went on to read the remainder of the series. This is a nuanced world with elaborate etiquette. I loved the idea of poses to compliment or even take the place of words. Kathi, I definitely agree that the diverse cast of characters adds richness to the story.

I found the idea of the andat disturbing. Not only do they require a significant price from their poet, but they have seemingly unlimited powers to do good or evil, and to have significant effects on the world at large. Im not sure that anyone should wield such vast power, or that anyone even with the best of intentions can remain uncorrupted by it.