The Not a Book Club Club discussion

I like to build the library tower and fill every single bookshelf ... kinda like real life

So, we got a cool little origin story of how Fiddler got his name and Kalam and Quick Ben joining Whiskeyjack. Guess that's how QB got to be so powerful, soul-shifting with 11 other mages. Jesus. His bones game with Kruppe was awesome

Hearthstone is actually a Warcraft game. Hearthfire is the Skyrim DLC.

In related new, I'm still a giant asshole.

*pushes glasses up*

Geeze ... way to kill the party Betty Buzzkill ;)

Scott wrote: "I like to build the library tower and fill every single bookshelf ... kinda like real life

So, we got a cool little origin story of how Fiddler got his name and Kalam and Quick Ben joining Whiskey..."

I really enjoyed this history of the Bridgeburners

Hope we get more of the "Bridgeburners, the early years"

My favourite parts of Book Two:

- Bridgeburner's backstory, albeit just a snippet
- Whiskeyjack and Rake's friendship
- Toc and Tool's friendship
- The Segulehs' efficiency in decapitating the K'Chain Che'malle. (And to think Rake fought a whole lot of them to gain the title of the Seventh)
- Itkovian's growing on me

The unfavourite parts
- Mhybe getting really annoying
- The depravity permeating the Pannion Seer's army
- Poor Toc!!

I'm a fair bit into this section, the three Seguleh just took out one of the K'ell Hunters as if they were bored. I'm not digging this section much. The most interesting parts for me were the Bridgeburner bits; Toc's story is going meh and the internal politics of Capustan feels like same shit different city at this point. Hopefully it picks up or something.

So far the books have followed a very similar path. Interesting beginning, stalls around the 30% mark and then kicks your ass at the end

I find that MoI picks up a bit earlier as compared to the previous books (GOTM and DHG).

TS wrote: "The unfavourite parts
- Mhybe getting really annoying"

Agreed. It seems to go on and on.

Scott wrote: "So far the books have followed a very similar path. Interesting beginning, stalls around the 30% mark and then kicks your ass at the end"

And they're all focused on a convergence.

Aw, that scene between Korlat and Whiskeyjack was really touching.

I think Erikson does depraved and violent so often that when he does set out to portray something especially depraved and violent, it just comes across as the standard.

Case in point, the temple that Lady Envy and co. stop at on their way into the domain of the Pannion Seer. I've been expecting something especially atrocious, but when we finally get a peek, it just seems 'meh' to me. The opening of Deadhouse Gates was just as messed up.

Alex wrote: "Sir, there are souls within this. Not two or three—a dozen, maybe more—yet they are bound within one. I have not seen its like before.

That's the Mortal Sword talking to the Destriant right before..."

Lol, oh snap, for real! J.K. should have read Malazan.

Alex wrote: "It's the third or fourth reference in this book already that QB is more adept at Horcruxes than our friend Tom Marvolo ever was..."

LOL, love that analogy!

- The CG is unveiling the House of Chains
- Gethol, Jaghut, brother of Gothos. Gothos has been everywhere in the last two books, in obscure references - opening chapter quotes, it was in his ancient scrolls buried in Pale that Bellurdan learns the location of Raesk's tomb.
- Gethol becomes the Crippled God's Herald.
- Seems like bitterness is a quality that the CG seeks out in his servants. I worry about the Maeybhe. Not only is she getting more annoying, she is getting more and more bitter.
- We see where QBs access to all the various Warrens comes from. Cool backstory about the BBs. People get annoyed at info dumpy books. I love it when Erikson finally infodumps on us :P
- "Raraku has burned the bridges of their past"
- Rake has never before unleashed the power of the Tiste Andii. Apparently all 1100 of them can wipe out a continent (but apparently so could 1 Jaghut?)
- CG is poisoning the warrens, in an attempt to kill off sorcery.
- The Barghast were T'lan Imass who arrived to late for the first gathering. Hah! Got left behind in more than one sense.
- Quote about the second race, the Tiste Lians, in the beginning of ch. 10. I don't think we've heard much of them yet. Tiste Andii, yes. Tiste Edur, Yes. Tiste Lians, no
- Trake, The Tiger of Summer is ascending and replacing Fener, the Boar of Summer
- Keruli is a priest of K'rul. Go K'rul!
- We learn about the ancient sea-faring battle between the Barghast (then still T'lan Imass) and the Tiste Edur. Explains the undead ship from DHG.
- Poor Toc :(
- Pannion Seer is a Jaghut. Two beings behind him. The second is the K'Chain Che'Malle matron, the CG, or someone else? In any case Pannion and the matron are in alliance.
- Who will claim the beast throne?
- Who is Toc's god? Is the wolf a god? Which god? He is definitely older than the elder gods.
- Was the first warren, the one with the rent, the warren of chaos? The the matron the original soul that sealed the rent in the warren of chaos and was unleashed by Tool's sister by releasing the two Jaghut children into it? Is perhaps Pannion one of the two Jaghut children and thats why he is in alliance with the Matron? Did she become his mother as well?
- So eight powerful wizards called down the crippled god from another world?
- The warrens are Krul's blood and life force. how cool is that. So not only is Burn getting poisoned, with CG being chained to her, but K'rul as well, since the warrens are
- Kallor now serves the CG, in return to for chance to kill silverfox.
- I wonder if the undead dragon in The Mhybe's dream is the same Imass dragon we saw in DHG

So I am pretty sure that Nightchill is K'rul's sister, Sister of Cold Nights, either still her, reincarnated, a portion of her spirit, or something of the like.

This explains why Kallor hates Silverfox - he swore vengeance against the 3 elder gods that trapped him, telling Sister of Cold Nights she would die of betrayal - and indeed Nightchill was betrayed by Tayschren.

Alex wrote: "At the beginning of chapter 9, I could be reading too much into this, but did anyone notice the repeated use of "hoary"? I only picked up on it because it's an uncommon word.

Erikson uses it in th..."

That's an interesting theory/thought!

Hah...I remember looking up hoary too. Not seeing the connection yet (and I assume the spoiler is for later books, not end of this book, so not clicking) but I think hoary shall forever be stuck in my head from this point on....

Alex wrote: "This was previous Raraku right? Because this book and Deadhouse Gates happen concurrently?"

Yeah, this was their first visit, prior to the events of either of the books

"Do we see him? I know about Gothos's folly (the book), but what about Gothos the character? Do we encounter him in the Azath House? I want to say yes, but I think I'm wrong."

It's been a few weeks and I can't recall. Either it is Gothos, or the father of Gethol and Gothos. I think it was their father? It wasn't Icarium's father right? Someone's father. I need to go back and check.

Sky wrote: "Alex wrote: "This was previous Raraku right? Because this book and Deadhouse Gates happen concurrently?"

Yeah, this was their first visit, prior to the events of either of the books

"Do we see hi..."\

I believe that it was Icarium's father, Gothos, who is the guardian of the Azath House (or Deadhouse as they call it) in Malaz City.

Yeah, that's right. Is Gethol related to them or was I totally mixing that up?

Sky wrote: "Yeah, that's right. Is Gethol related to them or was I totally mixing that up?"

Yes he is. I can't remember which part of MoI that Gethol made an appearance so not sure if it's spoilerish in this thread.

Sky wrote: "Yeah, that's right. Is Gethol related to them or was I totally mixing that up?"

Got it! It's in Chapter Eight when the Chained One tried to recruit him as his Herald, he mentioned "When your brother Gothos called upon you-"

Yeah, that's it...thanks TS! Nice summary, Alex.