Great Ordeal Feedback

[rsbakker]

The book's finally out. I figure I owe a couple explanations. I got some legwork to do convincing people to blow dust off the covers. And I'm curious to see what people think before The Unholy Consult passes from my power forever.

[redeagl]

Are you a god??!  The book was Bakker-level. Means it was a GROUNDBREAKING MIND BLOWING NO PUTTING IT DOWN UNTIL FINISHING book.So to avoid some long ranting, it had no flaws.

[Hello World]

Hey, Bakker. Probably off-topic but when do you think we will get an excerpt from the Unholy Consult? Seems way too early I know but I figured I'd ask since you're sending copies to some readers like with TGO.

[sologdin]

...wut?

[rsbakker]

Thank you, redeagl! tho I'd be just as happy as a False Prophet...

My guess is that you'll love The Unholy Consult.

Speaking of which:

Quote

"Probably off-topic but when do you think we will get an excerpt from the Unholy Consult?"

I was just thinking about this today. I'm not sure, and I likely won't have any idea until I see the pub schedule.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

My question would be, why are there so little physical copies for the UK/overseas release? Seen that Waterstones (?, UK's biggest book chain?) had only 4 copies for all of their stores. I know this isn't your end of the deal, but it would be frustrating if I was in your shoes.

[rsbakker]

These things are often simply done by computers for the big vendors. Fact is, I was out of the picture for almost 5 years, and this is what you get when you're not a bestseller. I find it frustrating, worrisome, but I still think this story will win out.

[Naithan]

Hey Scott, I am not usually one for responding to these kind of things but I felt sure why not? I've been a fan (and long-term lurker on the Second Apocalypse Forum) for years.

Put simply, The Great Ordeal was great. Earwa is without a doubt the fantasy world that feel the most “lived-in” if that makes sense. The sense of authenticity is frankly unmatched in modern fantasy. But the apex for me was the Nonmen sub-plot. The Ishterebinth sections were some of my favourite scenes in any fantasy fiction ever. I think your world-building and lore really came into focus in the Great Ordeal; the Nonmen as an exploration of the elf trope and what immortality actually wreaks on a people was just fascinating to read. I would happily read an entire novel just about Nonmen, their politics, and culture. In terms of the philosophy and metaphysics of the world, well I have my own theories about what weight perception has on the physical world. But anyway, as always The Great Ordeal was a worthy addition to the saga, and I flew through it. I’m eagerly looking forward to the finale. 

[Calibandar]

Just wanted to say it's awesome to see you back posting here

I have no comment yet on TGO because I read the first 50 pages , reading up until Serwa compels Sorweel and they encounter a "mountain weeping " from the Mark and then thought " man this is really excellent I am going to hold off as long as I can to reduce the time between the end of TGO and TUC's arrival next summer". 

My resolve is slowly slipping. 

[AncalagonTheBlack]

Are you really the RSB? Or is this more sockpuppetry?

[Happy Ent]

Let me just say, with passionless tact, that such substitutions. They have happened before.

[Rhom]

I'm confused...

But, uh, if indeed the real Scott; I enjoyed the book quite a bit and am looking forward to TUC.

So anyways, I'll bite.  What's the harm?  My question would be if you are answering these sort of questions; at what point did you actually decide to split TUC?  Was there ever really the intention of releasing it as a larger novel?  Or was the plan generally to split it from early on?

[scortius the charioteer]

I want you to know I put down Guy Gavriel Kay's latest to read The Great Ordeal when it came out and I did not regret my decision.  That is high praise.  I am in the middle of a reread because I tend to blast through series books and then go back multiple times for rereads, and kind of let them sit with me a bit.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it left me hungry for more.  Thank you for continuing to write this series.  12 years ago a friend gave me a copy of TDTCB and I was terrified and entranced in equal measure.  There is truly nothing like it out there.

[redjako]

Nothing on Three Pound Brain or his twitter, so I doubt this is Scott.

 

Otherwise, I loved it. Their their is a ton of debate and discussion on the Consult bomb/nuke, as well as the Whale Mothers, and why Kellhus went back to Mommen. I'm waiting until Unholy Consult to worry about these issues, as I look at them as plot hangers/interesting bits to later uncover. However, I have a specific critique.

Essmenet doesn't read well. Her insecurities and feelings of always failing would make sense if she was in her first to fifth year of ruling with Kellhus. However, being twenty years in bei royalty, I wonder why she always diverts back to being an old whore and can't make any confident decisions.

Mara started out pretty abused/easily self-recriminating, but already has better character growth that seems more in-line with what she is dealing (all the death, horror, etc. but she's embracing her Judgement).

Essmenet has been through some nonsense as well, and has been watching Kellhus conquer the known world for 20 years, but doesn't seem very in-line with her first books character growths (e.g., when she spoke up to Xorringus and Proyus, despite her consternation of "what will they think of me" and showed growth).

Otherwise, I thought all of the characters were fantastic, and its moving forward in an epic manner.

[redeagl]

7 hours ago, rsbakker said:

Thank you, redeagl! tho I'd be just as happy as a False Prophet...

My guess is that you'll love The Unholy Consult.

Speaking of which:

I was just thinking about this today. I'm not sure, and I likely won't have any idea until I see the pub schedule.

A little off topic but check your inbox Mr,Bakker.

[rsbakker]

It's me. No worries.

By way of proof I mention Jean Labris from "Crash Space" and both envy and pity his new eyes. 

Thanks, Nathan. Thank you all!

I only realized would need to be split after I told my agent the size and he told me the Encyclopaedic Glossary would have to go. Once the thought of splitting them struck, I just knew it was the only way to go.

[rsbakker]

"Essmenet doesn't read well. Her insecurities and feelings of always failing would make sense if she was in her first to fifth year of ruling with Kellhus. However, being twenty years in bei royalty, I wonder why she always diverts back to being an old whore and can't make any confident decisions."

That's the way depression works. Learned helplessness is only a trigger away, that's what makes it so pernicious, so tragic. And that's what makes bootstrapping characters out of damaged pasts so unrealistic. But even still, despite the continual rain of hammer blows, the hardest a mother can endure, she remains standing. She is not always decisive, she continually questions her judgment, but she is not weak.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

1 hour ago, rsbakker said:

"Essmenet doesn't read well. Her insecurities and feelings of always failing would make sense if she was in her first to fifth year of ruling with Kellhus. However, being twenty years in bei royalty, I wonder why she always diverts back to being an old whore and can't make any confident decisions."

That's the way depression works. Learned helplessness is only a trigger away, that's what makes it so pernicious, so tragic. And that's what makes bootstrapping characters out of damaged pasts so unrealistic. But even still, despite the continual rain of hammer blows, the hardest a mother can endure, she remains standing. She is not always decisive, she continually questions her judgment, but she is not weak.

I am one of the few who have loved Esme in TAE. I think she gives us a great look into the thoughts and actions of the Dûnyain. You can even see that Kellhus has rubbed off on her, wether she likes that......I don't think so. I suggested that as you said Serwa was a cipher for the books, Esme could be looked at as a cipher to the Dûnyain in TAE. You can correct me if I'm wrong.

[Guest]

Puts the odds that this is actually Pierce Inverarity at about 0.5%.

[lokisnow]

I really enjoyed the book, the ishterebinth chapters may be my favorite thing you've ever written.  I have three quibbles: 

1) it really stinks that esme didn't kill meppa, I was so bummed out by his survival and even more bummed out he was just kept alive for another Kellhus fatality

2) I cannot comprehend how kellhus knew about radiation poisoning.

3) our view of the inverse fire was rhetorically meh, given the three book build up, the viewpoint character is totally non plussed.

***

I thought each segment had pretty dramatic endings even if they're not resolution filled endings. The ishterebinth ending is pretty similar to Brienne at the end of AFFC in terms of cliffhangering on an open mouth, but it's still much more satisfying

can we get the glossary entry for Emilidis as a preview of what we are in for?

what is the name of koringhus' son?

how does Kierkegaard relate to koringhus' final action?