Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Cytonic - Brandon Sanderson

February 1, 2022.
Requested by Siobhan.

I really want to join this BR but I don't know if I'll be able to get to it in time. I actually just bought the first two skyward books today (err yesterday?) so if I can read them in time in between all other books that I have going on then I def want to join in!

Thank you Jenna!

Would be great to have you join if you can, Julian.

Siobhan wrote: "Thank you Jenna!

Would be great to have you join if you can, Julian."

You're welcome:)

I'm going to make a start on this tomorrow! (Hopefully).

I just started with Sunreach first. :) First few pages in and I realized I badly needed a recap of Starsight--all I remember is the beginning and the end, none of the middle! I even forgot that Spensa had returned home for a short spell to spark the climax.

Also, I wasn't expecting for this novella to start (view spoiler)[before the end of Starsight--during the above time period I'd forgotten.

It's fun seeing a different viewpoint than Spensa so far--and seeing how her teammates and fellow DDF folks see her. (hide spoiler)]

I haven't read the novellas and won't until the physical release, so no spoilers for them please! XD

I could definitely use a recap of Starsight too!!

Whoops sorry! I figured that was back-of-the book info so didn't spoiler tag it--but I fixed it, and I will make sure to spoiler tag anything else on the novellas.

Sunreach through Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Rig & FM are so cute. I had forgotten Rodge liking FM. I like the level of romantic pressure so far, it's cute but not too emo.

I really like spending more time with the doomslugs. They sound so cute, and I now have serious cuddly pet withdrawal. I like how FM has appointed herself slug welfare specialist, and the insight that she brings to the situations, though not cytonic nor engineer.

I also find her inner...not quite conflict, but conversation, maybe? between the fighter pilot who finds it hard to trust, and the Disputer who wants to find a peaceful path.

And straightlaced Jorgen crammed in a cubby... (hide spoiler)]

This chapter made me laugh out loud. While I was in line at the bank. It was slightly embarrassing. >.<

Finished Sunreach. Enjoyed it! I'm curious to see what ripples it has in the later books. (view spoiler)[Jorgen glimpsing Spensa, figuring out how to use the doomslugs to hyperjump, and the introduction of Counselor Cuna to the DDF.

I found it funny how Cuna thought the middle of a battle was a good time to have a talk about pronouns. It was nice to have that recognition, and also made me laugh. I thought Jorgen responded well. (hide spoiler)]

Starting ReDawn. Anyone else reading/read the novellas?

ReDawn through Chapter 6. (view spoiler)[Alanik's culture is interesting. The parallels between sports and politics--voting for one's favorite team hits hard. I like that the first few chapters felt a little disorienting--her culture should feel alien, from the planetary makeup, to the politics, and even down to the metaphors. Lots of tree metaphors.

Little observations help bolster that feeling--like noticing Cobb's moustache, or human coloring.

And more doomslugs! Can't get enough doomslugs. (hide spoiler)]

Oh, as for a recap of Starsight--I found the wikipedia page pretty useful!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starsight

So much I had forgotten!

Nirkatze wrote: "Whoops sorry! I figured that was back-of-the book info so didn't spoiler tag it--but I fixed it, and I will make sure to spoiler tag anything else on the novellas."

No no not to worry! I wasn't suggesting you had spoiled anything - just letting you know in advance!! :D

Ahh thanks for that link!

Whew! I should be able to finish ReDawn today and start on the book proper. Looking forward to the conversation!

ReDawn throwaway quote Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[Alanik says/thinks: "One of your ancient writers even preserved bits of our language, so that when we began to travel across the universe, some of your people could speak to mine." I’d never read the book, though now I wished I had. There were still a few copies on ReDawn. Something about a ring. OMG! LotR reference! Probably, rather than Volsung Saga or something else. Alanik's people are frickin' elves! (hide spoiler)]

I'll start as soon as you're ready :) I got sidetracked reading Billy Connolly's autobiography!

Just finished ReDawn! Starting Cytonic. :) Is it just us chickens then?

How are you liking the autobio? I'm not familiar with Billy Connoly.

Just cracked open Cytonic. Even reading the synopsis for Starsight on Wikipedia, I definitely feel like I'm forgetting a lot. Fortunately, in the first chapter (view spoiler)[the story takes a left turn where it feels like I don't have to worry too much about what I forgot--we're in new territory here!

Now that I remember--Starsight did the same thing. A chapter or two in, it introduced Alanik and opened up whole new territory for the story. (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[Cool! Dinosaur riders!

And is it just me, or is M-Bot a little more annoying than usual? (hide spoiler)]

Mysteries to solve! Up through Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[Who/what are the Delvers? How/why is the one Delver who helped Spensa different? Why do they hate Cytonics? What has Spensa done to them?

What is up with AI & sapience? Why do radios etc. attract the Delvers? What is the Path of the Elders, and why did the friendly Delver encourage Spensa toward it?

And who is Chet? He seems very much in tune with Spensa--makes me think of the Lone Ranger stories she likes to tell. I wonder if Chet has read those too? Is he a Detritus human, from the same colony as Brade, or something else? Maybe he's been created out of the Nowhere by Spensa's need & imagination? We have no idea how things work here yet, except that reality is currency. Does that mean that someone like Spensa, with an overabundance of reality power, can actively affect the composition of the Nowhere?

Spensa thinks: "He reminded me of . . . well, someone from one of the stories. The people I’d dreamed about meeting, even imagined myself joining in an adventure."

Chet also mentions that he has no memory of who he was. Even if Spensa didn't dream him up, maybe her dreams had an effect on who he became? (hide spoiler)]

Wow, chapters are really short and just go boom boom boom. I started typing this post at Chapter 4. 15 minutes later I am up to Chapter 8.

Chapter 7 OMG moment. (view spoiler)[OMG! Chet is M-BOT'S PILOT! I'm not ready to 100% subscribe to this theory, since Sanderson is fond of pulling double-blind twists, but the facts fit:
--200 years old
--Cytonic, adventurous like a pilot
--has knowledge that suggest Earth origin (or a planet unlike Detritus)
--last memories of caverns and old ruins

!!!! (hide spoiler)]

He's a Scottish comedian. :) And it's great thank you!

Charlie was supposed to be joining us, but I think she's behind on January reads.

You're going to be much quicker than me, I apologise!!

lol, no worries! I look forward to the conversation whenever it picks up.

I'm rushing through things a bit since I'm supposed to be starting another BR today, and another on the 8th. I'm hoping to finish Cytonic today.

Thoughts through Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[I find a lot of parallels in M-Bot and Chet's memory issues. Both characters have extraordinary abilities (self-evolved AI, Cytonic), and both have had parts of their "memory banks" erased/degraded. I the absence of pure memory, they have searched out aspects of they could recall (mushrooms, stories), and used it to cobble together a band-aid-like personality for themselves.

As for Spensa's suspicions about Chet--she's done this before. With Jerkface in Skyward, with Cuna in Starsight. Or maybe I should say Sanderson has done this before. Led us to be suspicious of a character who ultimately didn't deserve it. But I keep thinking of The Rithmatist with (view spoiler)[its double-blind twist--the first person you're suspicious of, gets cleared, then turns out to actually be the bad guy (hide spoiler)], so even though Chet has explained himself satisfactorily, I can't quite let my guard down.

There's also a lot that feels like "teachable moments" in the book. Maybe it's just that I work with children, but I can see a lot in Spensa's journey that a young reader might turn to when facing a crisis of identity, or having to deal with having hurt a friend. How to apologize. Be true to your core self. The YA audience this book is aimed at will probably see a lot of themselves in Spensa. That said, I do like how these books aren't emo in the same way a lot of YA I've read is.

Last words: PIRATE CHAMPION! If this doesn't happen, I will be very disappointed. Just like Spensa. (hide spoiler)]

Hey, Siobhan, congrats on your book fairy visit! So excited for you!

Chapter 25. (view spoiler)[YES! Pirate Champion! It's going to happen!

It better.

I wonder if Spensa's suspicions of Peg now will prove unfounded, as her suspicions mostly have been so far, or if this is the one that is not a red herring?

I also found it funny throughout her interactions with Cutlass Flight earlier, how she would think something like "maybe with a few days of work, I could persuade them" or how she'd need to be sneaky to find something out--and then they'd just tell her. None of them seem to have a distrustful bone in their body. Though some don't have bones at all.

Jason Write! That's the Telephone Company guy from "Defending Elysium"! I guess it's time to go back and reread that short story. Will we find out what happened to him now? (hide spoiler)]

I'm reading so many books at once, wish I could read as fast as you! 😂

Aww thank you!! I'm so excited :D

lol, you're probably reading just as fast, but spread among more books.

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 25..."

Oh great catch. I totally missed that one. I might need to reread that short story too.

Narilka wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 25..."

Oh great catch. I totally missed that one. I might need to reread that short story too."

At first I thought (view spoiler)[it was actually referring to Jorgen, since same initials--JW. Jorgen Weight, Jason Write. Not very dissimilar. But then the description queued me in. Though I wonder if maybe there's a link still? Would be interesting if someone is descended from him. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 27 (view spoiler)[I love the trashy romance novel! And the culture shock Spensa feels while reading it--a very different kind of analysis and reaction than most have to romances. The addition of sharks was a nice touch.

Chapter 29 (view spoiler)[Hesho! So glad to see the Kitzen's still around! I don't remember what happened specifically in Starsight, but I do remember thinking that I didn't believe that was the end for him. But how did he get here? Is he a Cytonic too, or did it have to do with the circumstances of his ship getting taken out--was there a Delver involved??--or was he captured afterwards and tossed in? (hide spoiler)]

Through Chapter 31, general thoughts. (view spoiler)[I always like to make guesses as I read. So I'm trying to follow the threads, and guess what plotlines we're going to see resolved in this book, and what will be hanging for the next. With the focus on Cytonic powers and Delvers (not to mention the title), I'm hoping we get the answers to those mysteries by the end here. I'd like to see Spensa liberating the residence of the borderland zone--like a "hey mom, look what I brought home--can I keep them?"--and bringing them back to Somewhere through the Detritus portal. At the very least, hopefully these residents and representatives of various species will be good allies for her going forward.

And what happened to her pin? Who would have taken it? Only M-Bot and Spensa knew where it was buried--unless someone was watching, or someone came across by chance. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Okay, took a break to read "Defending Elysium." Notes: (view spoiler)[Jason White is legally blind, but can "sense" his surroundings--this seems similar to Chet's Cytonic abilities. He can also use Mindblades with insane precision--Mindblades are supposed to be one of the most difficult Cytonic abilities to master.

Suppression of Cytonic abilities is also introduced, and the crux of the story revolves around the ability to invade someone's body Cytonically. I wonder if that is the same ability the Delvers are using on the unaligned people in Nowhere?

At the climax, Jason teleports, spending a moment in the Nowhere--but there are no eyes.

Varvax--Winzik & Nuluba's race--are the first aliens mentioned.

Tenasi are also mentioned, as well as Hallo--I don't think they've come up yet in the Skyward series, have they? Hallo is a funny name--makes me think of "Hello?" like on a phone.

2071 is mentioned as the year of first contact. "Cyto" was used to refer to "cybernetic-based telepathic linking"--I wonder if that's where the AI component comes in?

Lanna reminds me a little of Spensa in her chattering--though less bloodthirsty. And I still love the end reveal that she's married to Jason. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 32, Tenasi (view spoiler)[PEG is a Tenasi! The first race (in modern times) to make contact with humans! Glad I reread Defending Elysium. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 34, Delver thoughts. (view spoiler)[The conflict between Cytonics and Delvers mirrors the conflict between the Superiority and its dissidents. The Delvers see themselves as a Unity in peace, while the Cytonics are individuals full of boisterous noise. The Superiority is similar--it believes in peace through Unity and by excising any dissenting voice. This is also mimicked in ReDawn, (view spoiler)[down to the names of the political parties: Unity and Independence--not Independent form the Superiority, but independent as individuals with their own voice (hide spoiler)]. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 35, favorite quote. (view spoiler)[“I told you that I understood crazy,” Chet said. “I was wrong. Thank you for the master class.”

Had me loling for real! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 36, deal. (view spoiler)[My first thought when Spensa was considering agreeing to the Delver's deal was that, even if the Delvers did honor it, it would only be good for the span of Spensa's lifetime. She needs to find a way to neutralize them--either through making them capable of actually negotiating (like the one Delver she changed), or by removing them as a threat. Delvers as they currently are--reacting only in hatred and fear--are not reliable oathkeepers. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 38. (view spoiler)[Doomslug! This image! A version of her in my arms, but now with eyes and a smiling mouth plastered on her front.

It's the plushie!


And LOL--reality ashes=doomslug poo!

Though, that makes me wonder about the dog plushie that came in with Peg--if all reality icons are actually doomslugs, then are these two the only ones? Does the Superiority know about their power in the Nowhere? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 39. (view spoiler)[In the vision, a human suddenly stepped through the portal. He wore a civilian suit with a lapel pin in the shape of a silvery bell. He was perhaps in his late fifties, and though he glanced around and could obviously see, there was something odd about the way his eyes focused. Or rather, the way they didn’t focus. Equally curious, a silvery sphere emerged from the portal and floated in the air alongside him.

Hey, it's Jason! Really glad I reread "Defending Elysium"--I'd forgotten he was blind. And the Phone Company pin.

Who are the "they" who told him "it" would work? And why is he so distraught? My first instinct is that it has something to do with his wife. Did she die, and he try to upload her consciousness into a computer?

And ha! I feel justified in not subscribing to the Chet is really M-Bot's pilot thing 100%. His seeing AI as abomination makes more sense now--that's a Delver reaction. As to Delvers being evolved of AI...but why do they hate AI so? Or is it just that they are drawn to them?

I also like the use of the Cytonic powers to change shape in the Nowhere--first with Doomslug, then Chet. This also means that all Delvers are Cytonic--Cytonic AIs. Can M-Bot develop to that point, I wonder? Is this linked back to the original "cybernetic telepathy" of the original Phone Company? The "cybernetic" aspect suggests a machine connection. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you for leaving so many spoilers for me to read! <3

LOL. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as you move through!

Just finished. I really enjoyed it! It pretty much fulfilled all my expectations, and I had a lot of fun exploring the new horizons in the book. I think it meshed really well with the novellas, and I'm going to jump in to Evershore now.

Prediction for next book. Or maybe it'll be revealed in Evershore? (view spoiler)[I think the new planet is Earth! I was actually expecting Spensa to end up teleporting to Earth accidentally, so if it's Earth, that would make me happy. The lost planet! What will they find there?

And I want to know about how Delver-style AIs can function in the Somewhere--will M-Bot be able to come back? And Chet? (hide spoiler)]

Re end of book speculation (view spoiler)[I think M-Bot will be back. He's cytonic so just has to figure himself out and literally pull himself back together.

The shape change thing means that Spensa could potentially have shape changed if she'd wanted to. I wonder if any of that will carry over into the regular universe.

I have a feeling there were more than two doomslugs in the Nowhere. Those little slugs are awfully good at hiding. (hide spoiler)]

Narilka wrote: "Re end of book speculation"

I totally agree! (view spoiler)[From Chet's comment about the Delver heart, it seems that at least evolved AIs can create their matter at will (or by instinct) when they materialize in the Somewhere. I wonder what shape M-Bot will take? Will he automatically re-create his original starship body, or will he choose something that can more easily study mushrooms?

And that matter manipulation could totally be a shared Cytonic trait--and if that's the case, who needs holograms? It will be curious to see if Sanderson continues to use that gimmick--I got the impression that its use was done with the revelation of Chet though. I bet Spensa would use it to make herself taller if she could.

And I wonder how Chet's memories/presence are going to affect the story and Spensa going forward.

I also wonder about the period of history when the Cytonics disappeared. I might need to reread that portion of the Path, but it seemed like it was due to a battle with the Delvers--except the Delvers didn't exist for another thousands of years later. Will time travel play into it? After all, the Delvers exist in one point in time, in all points in time, so it seems possible. Will that be revisited, or did I just not fully understand the explanation?

Totally more slugs in Nowhere. But why and how? I could see the Superiority sending a slug with their major mining operations to provide them with a stable source of reality dust, but only if the person leading the operation was a stalwart Superiority drone. Peg had to sneak hers in. And it seems like if they come through in the portals, that they're stuck there, and they can't use their normal powers easily. I can't see the slugs entering a portal of their own will (unless by total accident--but I would think they're smart enough/aware enough to avoid that kind of accident.) Maybe, like Spensa's Doomslug, some slugs accompanied friends who were thrown in, but the Superiority hyperdrives are tortured into use and not bonded. Maybe people who ended up in there like Hesho did? Which we also still don't have an explanation for. (hide spoiler)]

Evershore, through Chapter 13. (view spoiler)[OMG KITSEN! I love the Kitsen! SO glad to see them again! I love the Japanese-samurai nuances, the fierce honor, the poetic names, and the importance of hospitality.

And the scene with Juno trying to teach Jorgen through meditation--and in full power armor--loved the imagery.

The portal in the library--I'm glad that the story is poking into the mystery of the disappeared Cytonics. I wonder if the voices Jorgen & Gran-Gran hear are them? And if it is also linked with the missing Earth?

Vice-Admiral Stoff--Jorgen reads him very differently from what I do. I'm seeing Stoff as rather similar to Jorgen--he likes having someone else in charge, telling him what to do. He's as lost without Cobb as Jorgen thinks he is--except that Jorgen is actually acting and Stoff isn't. I think Stoff is honestly relieved that someone else is taking charge, and willing to uphold the fiction that the mastermind comes from Cobb as long as it means that he doesn't have to be in charge, and shoulder the responsibility for the future and safety of his people. Probably not the kind of who should be in charge though--he's been promoted past his level of competence. It will be interesting to see how he handles it if/when Cobb returns. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Evershore! (view spoiler)[Some nice action sequences, and I like how Jorgen's evolution of powers fits right into his role as commander. I remember in ReDawn, how Alanik confronted him about staying back out of the fighting, and Jorgen replied that he had to in order to be able to observe and direct the overall fight.

Cobb stepping down to let Jorgen take over as admiral makes me think of other young military commanders in history, like Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, or Augustus Caesar. Cobb's totally right that no one has more experience than Jorgen in this new world of Cytonic powers and hyper-capable slugs, so might as well stick him in charge and surround him by good advisors. Plus, I think Cobb is tired, and trusts Jorgen's judgment more than most.

I'm kinda bummed the new planet Detritus is orbiting at the end of Cytonic isn't Earth, but I still have hope for Defiant. Every story so far has brought us to a new geographical location, and Earth is still an unsolved mystery. That, and while we may have found the Kitsen Cytonics, we still don't know what happened to the Cytonics of other races during that drought period. Why weren't they all together? I hope we get the debrief in the next book. And about how they survived, and if they were in the Nowhere, or somewhere else...how long do Kitsen live for, and how long have their Cytonics been missing? (hide spoiler)]

Still confused about the timeline of the Path of Elders... (view spoiler)[Cytonic made it seem like Earth Cytonics were active during the age of the Pyramids, but other factors suggest they were active still much later. I'm a bit confused on the timeline and might need to reread those portions. (hide spoiler)]

I still need to read the novellas. Seems you liked them well enough?

I loved them! But then, I like everything. :) It looks like I liked Cytonic a lot more than most folks in the November BR too.

Nirkatze wrote: "End of Chapter 3 "

(view spoiler)[ Yay for dinosaur riders!! In my head this guy has a British accent 😅
And it's not just you, M-Bot has only made me laugh once so far. (hide spoiler)]

British accent would be awesome! Very intrepid explorer. :)

Glad it wasn't just me!

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 7 OMG moment. OMG! Chet is.."

Just started this tonight (really late to the party) and got up to this bit, I can't believe it! It seems too coincidental but very cool if its true.

Charlie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 7 OMG moment. OMG! Chet is.."

Just started this tonight (really late to the party) and got up to this bit, I can't believe it! It seems too coincidental but very cool if i..."

It does seem a bit coincidental/ convenient!!