PVB - The Demon Cycle discussion

I know this group is based in the UK, but has anyone started reading or finished The Skull Throne? I personally worked every angle I could think of and got an ARC of the book in February. I've read the book once and I'm almost finished rereading it. If anyone else has read the book I'd love to begin a discussion on it.

You read it twice in two months? Wow! I just started reading it.

I'm a big fan of the series and there wasn't anything I wanted to read more at the time so I read it again. I figured I should take advantage of having an ARC as much as possible.

I just finished it last night and I could not go to sleep because I was so upset with some of the outcomes of some of the characters.

On a whole, I liked the book but I was very disappointed that there was very little page time with Arlen and Jardur and demon fighting. However, the politacal intrigue and maneuvering in the Krasian and Thesan courts kept things hopping which I enjoyed and I found myself so involved I almost forgot about Arlen and Jardur.

I do not know why Renna was chosen for this cover in the US. I like Renna but she wasn't in the story very much. I think the cover should have been Rojer. If anyone in the UK can get me a Rojer cover to replace my Renna one or to trade, please let me know here and we'll trade emails for addresses. I'll pay the postage for mailing. I really want that Rojer bookcover.

Beverly wrote: "I just finished it last night and I could not go to sleep because I was so upset with some of the outcomes of some of the characters.

On a whole, I liked the book but I was very disappointed that..."

Yeah I wanted 30-40 times more Arlen and Jardir. I found the choice to exclude them so much confusing. I would've condensed the Hollow chapters in about half.

I've read it twice and I'm still in shock and denial over a bunch of the character outcomes.

I had the exact same thought on the US cover choice. Renna has no business being on the cover.

I found and read your review. It's good.

I am only about 5 chapters into it right now. I can tell you right now that I love the scene between Jardir and Arlen, but I am not digging the parts with Ashia. So far, they just seem like filler.

Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "I just finished it last night and I could not go to sleep because I was so upset with some of the outcomes of some of the characters.

On a whole, I liked the book but I was very d..."

MAJOR SPOILER(view spoiler)[Do you think Rojer and Ashia are really dead? I think Rojer is, but I didn't believe Inevera when she said Ashia died. (hide spoiler)]! If you haven't read the book this will absolutely spoil it for you.

James wrote: "I am only about 5 chapters into it right now. I can tell you right now that I love the scene between Jardir and Arlen, but I am not digging the parts with Ashia. So far, they just seem like filler."

Ashia seemed an odd POV choice in my opinion. I would've preferred Asome or to just give most of her chapters to Arlen, Jardir, or Renna.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!
finished this book a few days ago, i kind ofbwished there were more scenes with Arlen. Also i can't believe what happened to so many characters i liked, has peter v brett been taking pages from George R. Martin

Barry wrote: "SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!
finished this book a few days ago, i kind ofbwished there were more scenes with Arlen. Also i can't believe what happened to so many characters i liked, has peter v brett been ..."

I personally don't mind my second favorite author Peter V. Brett writing like my favorite author George R.R. Martin. I was shocked by the deaths, but they make sense and now I'm worried to see who lives at the end of The Core.

I would've loved more Arlen, but I'm just glad Brett didn't make this book completely into A Feast For Crows and leave him out entirely.

I am halfway through and, in my opinion, this is the best book of the series so far.

Fabi wrote: "I am halfway through and, in my opinion, this is the best book of the series so far."

Good to hear you're enjoying it. I really enjoyed it but it's not my favorite. With more Arlen and Jardir it might have been, but with their limited appearance it's about even with The Desert Spear and The Daylight War. They are all different and fun in their own ways. My favorite parts of the series all involve Arlen and Jardir and I don't care about any of the other characters quite as much even though a lot of them are quite interesting.

(view spoiler)[Ashia is not dead. Inevera was lying Asome to protect her. (hide spoiler)]

I don't really like either Arlen or Jardir now. My growing favorite was Thamos, after seeing him grow as a leader. Plus all the scandal was great.

Brianne wrote: "[spoilers removed]

I don't really like either Arlen or Jardir now. My growing favorite was Thamos, after seeing him grow as a leader. Plus all the scandal was great."

I have to ask why you don't like Arlen or Jardir now? I agree that Thamos impressed me although it's mostly in comparison to how he viewed him in The Daylight War as a pompous nuisance. I even mentioned it in my review.

Well Jardir I didn't have slowly grown to dislike as he is constantly slaughtering people and such. Arlen seems very disconnected from the world. I feel like his character has not grown very much in the past few books. We see very little of what he is thinking, often scenes with him in it are from the point of view of people trying to figure him out. I still like the books. But I feel like the main characters are stuck in a rut.

Brianne wrote: "Well Jardir I didn't have slowly grown to dislike as he is constantly slaughtering people and such. Arlen seems very disconnected from the world. I feel like his character has not grown very much i..."

Ok I see what you're saying.

I've slowly grown to like Jardir and he's easily my second favorite character short of as you mentioned the slaughtering and practical enslavement of people. Jardir is certainly the kindest gentlest Krasian and as we witnessed in The Skull Throne things get worse without him quickly.

Arlen didn't grow in this book, but I thought he had a massive change in the last one. He stopped being the mysterious and disconnected Warded Man and became Arlen Bales again. Arlen purposely disconnected himself from the world to save the Hollow because if the Minds kept coming for him after each waning the Hollow would be destroyed within 2-3 months. Arlen pinpointed the number one thing he could personally do by trying to kill the Queen. Plus despite Arlen not wanting anything to do with the world he taught the Hollowers to survive and lead.

I have a hard time picking a favorite character. They are all so unique and fully developed. Its why I like this book best. We get more in depth with many of the characters. But I also really enjoyed Arlen and Jardir's interaction. It Was sorely needed in the series. I'm almost done, and like Terrence, I want to immediately re-read it because I hate leaving this fantastical world Brett built. Maybe I should reread the whole series...

Fabi wrote: "I have a hard time picking a favorite character. They are all so unique and fully developed. Its why I like this book best. We get more in depth with many of the characters. But I also really e..."

I do enjoy going back to The Warded Man and reading the whole series again. I've lost count on how many times I've read The Demon Cycle series.

It's funny I never go out looking for a favorite character, but I find them regardless. My favorite characters are generally the characters whose chapters I have to read immediately regardless of how late at night.

Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. There was once piece of demon bone that Ahmanva could have used but it wasn't mentioned. I'm wondering and holding onto the hope that Peter surprises us in the next book.

Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. There was once piece of demon bone that Ahmanva could have used ..."

(view spoiler)[If Rojer could be saved then I imagine a dama'ting could do it, but from the way everyone was talking about his body at the end I somewhat doubt it. There were no hints or thoughts from Leesha to make it seem he'd somehow survived. If he isn't dead I want it to be out of this world like him coming back as the herald for the creator and being stronger than ever. I'd be disappointed if Amanvah slipped a demon bone into the wound that slowly healed Rojer's insides until he was perfectly fine. (hide spoiler)]

I just finished. And, holy crap,

SPOILER ALERT!!!





Brett went on a killing spree. Some of my favorite characters *poof* gone.

I still absolutely loved this book. Again, like Terrence, I can't think of another I really want to read next. Everything in my tbr pales in comparison to this masterpiece.

Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. There was once piece of demon bone that Ahmanva ..."

I don't remember there being any mention of a herald.

A demon bone is not inserted in the wounds to heal. There are healing wards drawn on the person or in the air and the bone is passed over the person. Also there are wards to make the person go into a deep sleep. There could have been a ruse to fool the "bad" guy while they looked for him to kill him. Then all the Cutter people want to leave with *everyone* without any more delays.

Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. There was once piece of demon bo..."

(view spoiler)[I'm sorry I must not have been clear. I realize how healing with hora works, but everyone was speaking of Rojer's corpse so I was simply stating that I didn't want a new advanced hora technique like slipping a bone in the wound to somehow save him. I was also saying if he's dead and needs to come back I'd rather it be over the top such as the creator bringing him back to be his herald.

It could be as simple as a ruse to make everyone believe Rojer is dead, but I didn't get that feeling and I personally hope that isn't the case. (hide spoiler)]

Z wrote: "Just finished and still kind of digesting the book. There's this weird tangent that seems especially strong in this book compared to the others. Everything about the Krasians are superior in EVERYT..."

Almost everything (view spoiler)[They certainly aren't better with the secrets of fire. Leesha and the mountain spears proved that. The Krasians are really focused on fighting so it makes sense they'd be superior in most forms of war and healing. (hide spoiler)]

Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. There was once p..."

Another thing, I have been thinking about is that (view spoiler)[ Ahmanva must have known something really bad was going to happen way in advance, via the dice, when she bargained to get visits with Rojer. She used the dice to keep her forewarned of what could happen and she was prepared to act as best she could for what was going to happen. She got herself arrested and put into the dungeon with him. She used all of Sikvah's bone jewelry, but there was no way she did not remember the larger piece that would save him. (hide spoiler)]

Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. ..."

That is a very good point. Unfortunately all we'll have to do is wait and see. (view spoiler)[Perhaps it was a larger plan to kill all Rojer's enemies. Maybe the dice hadn't indicated who really wanted Rojer dead or perhaps the dice said the men coming to kill Rojer will tell you who's behind it all. As long as Brett does a good job writing it, I'll be ok with Rojer living. I just want a strong reason for him to live. Saving his wife and child was a good death (hide spoiler)]

Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what happened to Rojer. ..."

i think she used enuff to just keep him alive but to pass of as dead , as she was insistent on taking his ' body ' to the hollow .

Lyall wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Terence wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Trying not to give away anything for those who haven't finished Skull Throne, but I have been thinking about what hap..."

It's certainly possible. Back to my least favorite thing about books, the wait.

I think what Peter did for the Skull Throne is prepare us for The Core's narrative which may go the other way and be mainly about Jardir and Arlen. We might just hear folks say they wanted less A & J and more about the Hollow. Hard for me to believe that someone reads these books and Arlen and Jardir are not their favorite characters. Thamos? Favorite character? Cmon. As brutal as the Krasians can be, they know what it takes to win the war against the Core. The last 100 pages of the Skull Throne are crazy. One of the greatest series of action sequences you're going to read.

Sorry I don't know why there's a triple post.

Daniel wrote: "I think what Peter did for the Skull Throne is prepare us for The Core's narrative which may go the other way and be mainly about Jardir and Arlen. We might just hear folks say they wanted less A &..."

That's a good point. It would be surprising if they don't dominate The Core. The last hundred pages were definitely insane without a doubt.

Daniel wrote: "Sorry I don't know why there's a triple post."

You are able to delete the extras. At the lower right hand corner of each post you should see 'reply edit delete flag.' Just hit delete on the extras.

Daniel wrote: "I think what Peter did for the Skull Throne is prepare us for The Core's narrative which may go the other way and be mainly about Jardir and Arlen. We might just hear folks say they wanted less A &..."

We know in The Core there has to be some resolutions involving the Krasians and Thesans. How their scheming and infighting and fighting each other and fighting the demons are going to play out.

However, I would be very disappointed if the main focus of The Core was not Arlen and Jardir, after seeing little of them in Skull Throne. After all, we have been promised that Arlen and Jardir are going to be the leaders of Alagai'sharak.

Hey Thanks Terence. The thing was that on a mobile phone you can't delete texts....

Daniel wrote: "Hey Thanks Terence. The thing was that on a mobile phone you can't delete texts...."

Ahh I've never used the mobile app or page, sorry if that wasn't helpful.

I have to say The Skull Throne makes me wonder once again how the Krasians haven't exterminated themselves. If you have to kill somebody to get the best position, then I think I'd be a slacker Dama like Abban's nephew Jamere. It really makes Inevera's plan seem even more brilliant, if Jardir only killed Arlen then I imagine Krasia would be nearly unstoppable at least against any surving duchies.

Speaking of our lovely Abban, what do you think Hasik's plan is?

Ugh, this mobile app sucks.

Daniel wrote: "Speaking of our lovely Abban, what do you think Hasik's plan is?"

(view spoiler)[The obvious choice would be that Hasik will seek eye for an eye style retribution. That's the only thing that makes sense since Hasik said he wouldn't kill him. Perhaps that's too obvious though. Maybe he'll crush his other leg and totally cripple Abban, as that would hurt him more than being made into a eunuch. Brett doesn't seem dark enough, but maybe Hasik goes full mutilation...eyes, ears, nose, tongue. I doubt Brett would go that far.

It all could come to nothing though and a dama could kill Hasik for killing Jayan before he can irreparably harm Abban. (hide spoiler)]

I thought The Skull Throne was excellent. I didn't mind that Arlen and Jardir weren't the main focus as this allowed other characters to progress. It's a very dark entry in a dark series however I don't think this is a bad thing. I do wonder how our Hero's will cope when they have to fight the real enemy and stop fighting each other.

I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen and Jardir were not the main focus. As Arlen keeps trying to tell everybody, he isn't the Deliverer and neither is Jardir. They're all Deliverers and they need to learn to stand on their own. The Hollow gets this but the rest of the Dutchies don't. Although, they are starting to get it in this book. Arlen and Jardir cannot win this war alone and it is important to know what the rest of the world is up to.

I loved some of the new characters we met like Captain Dehlia (the Sharum's Lament is spectacular) and Briar, in particular, fascinates me. (view spoiler)[Who is his father? What happened to him? How long has he been in Angiers? So many questions! (hide spoiler)]

I really really loved Ashia's chapters and getting to know her. She is a very intense and interesting character and it is neat to see how scenes that took three seconds in the last book turned out for those involved. In Daylight War, Inevera just had the girls taken away. Now we know what became of them. Ashia is a microcosm of all the changes happening to Krasian society since fighting began and the Krasians have seen how Greenlanders live. (view spoiler)[Given how the book ended, with her being betrayed and coming to Inevera's side, I think she will be even more important in the next book. (hide spoiler)]


Now for all the spoilers! (view spoiler)[I am so glad Jayan is finally dead. But Abban! Oh I fear for my favorite Khaffit. Holy crap, Asome. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for I guess. I was heartbroken by his betrayal of Ashia and scared at his cold blooded murder spree of the Dama. I'm very glad Inevera killed Melan and Asavi. Abban knew something was up with Asavi. She was acting straight up shady and giving bad advice. Rojer. Oh, sweet Rojer. I can't talk about him right now.... (hide spoiler)]


I have a theory about why Renna is on the cover. She's super cool, so that helps but (view spoiler)[ at the end the Consort calls her, Arlen, and Jardir "Heir. Explorer. Hunter". She's learned to dissipate like Arlen and gotten strong and better with magic. I bet she'll have a pivotal role to play in the next book as they hunt demons in the core in the next book. (hide spoiler)].

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait for the next.

The only question I have for this group is why there are spoilers removed. It's A tiny group and the thread is small...aren't we allowed to discuss the book with other people that have read the book?

I used spoilers because I was following the format of previous posts. It's my first post and the rule said "don't be a dick". I didn't want to be "that guy".

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen ..."

Jessica, you should get the short story Peat wrote, Messenger's Legacy. It is Briar's story. It is my favorite of the short stories Peter has written thus far.

Beverly, thank you for the recommendation! I'll read Messenger's Legacy. Somehow I missed that one and Brayan's Gold. I did read The Great Bazaar.

Reading the description of Measenger's Legacy, I remember Ragen and can't wait to read this short story. :)

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen ..."

Awesome glad you enjoyed it. On Renna being on the cover (view spoiler)[I'd personally prefer her being on the cover of a book she plays a pivotal role in rather than one she barely appears. I love the whole Heir, Explorer, and Hunter titles the Consort gave Jardir, Arlen, and Renna. It gave me the chills in a great way. I'm really excited for The Core (hide spoiler)]

Beverly beat me to it, but I was going to mention Messenger's Legacy is all about Briar.

I love how people can enjoy a book for completely different reasons. I didn't enjoy Ashia's chapters that much and the absence of Arlen and Jardir made this book my least favorite in the series although it's still one of my favorite books.

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen ..."

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen ..."

Jessica wrote: "I just finished the book last night and it may be my new favorite in the series. It tied together and really brought home a lot about Krasia we learned in Daylight War. I actually liked that Arlen ..."

my theory on renna is she is gonna eat the consorts brain or defeat him in a mind battle absorb his power then her , arlen and jadir will battle the queen , shanvah to deliver the killing blow ....

Lyall wrote: (view spoiler)["my theory on renna is she is gonna eat the consorts brain or defeat him in a mind battle absorb his power then her , arlen and jadir will battle the queen , shanvah to deliver the killing blow ..." (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Renna would need an insane power up to defeat the Consort in a mind battle. The Consort kicked Arlen's but when he tried to match wills. He also clearly is far beyond anything Arlen can do with magic and auras. He can send out false auras and can still read Arlen, Jardir, and Renna's auras even though they are masking them. The Consort is incredibly skilled in controlling magic as shown in Anoch Sun and in breaking the warded chain.

Arlen, Jardir, Renna, and Shanvah could kill The Consort then Renna or whoever could feast on his mind, but I don't see any of them besting him in a battle of minds. (hide spoiler)]

Yet the Consort is clearly afraid of the three of them discovering something about their relationship and their potential.

Daniel wrote: "Yet the Consort is clearly afraid of the three of them discovering something about their relationship and their potential."

That certainly seems to be the case, but overall I think the real concern is the three of them not being able to form a dynasty like Kaji did.

Terence wrote: "Lyall wrote: [spoilers removed]

Renna would need an insane power up to defeat the Consort in a mind battle. The Consort kicked Arlen's but when he tried to match wills. He also clearly is far beyo..."

yes i agree with that .... but i can see her and arlen slipping into the consorts mind together to do battle , the consort most probably will dominate till when near their doom rennas love for arlen and self sacrifice will make him hesitate for he will not have faced this sort of threat then arlen will strike .... hows that for a theory

Lyall wrote: near their doom rennas love for arlen and self sacrifice will make him hesitate for he will not have faced this sort of threat then arlen will strike .... hows that for a theory

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. I assume you mean Renna will go wild attacking because she loves Arlen so much and the consort won't be prepared for such an onslaught. If that's what you are saying then it's as likely as any theory I'd have.

My guess is The Consort will say Everam is fiction one too many times and then he will find the spear of Kaji through his chest.

I'm not sure Renna is going to make it in The Core….after what happened in the last 100 pages of The Skull Throne…anything is possible.