SeanF Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I spent the latter part of the book expecting a Mountain vs Red Viper redux duel... Also, apparently I've read these books way too quickly. Why do we think it's post-apocalyptic earth?The geography approximates to Scandinavia and the ex-Soviet Union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerenthaClone Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 The geography approximates to Scandinavia and the ex-Soviet Union. Also, the description of an elf-stone necklace in book one is straight-up a circuit board. And in book two someone very clearly uses a semi-automatic pistol but calls it elf-magic. All of those are pretty vague spoilers, fwiw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valonquar Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Also, the description of an elf-stone necklace in book one is straight-up a circuit board. And in book two someone very clearly uses a semi-automatic pistol but calls it elf-magic. All of those are pretty vague spoilers, fwiw. It doesn't quite fit with a machine gun though, since the ground actually takes fire from its' use. And maybe it's just me, but the description of Thorn's elf-bangle doesn't really match a digital clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndance Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I thought her 'elf bangle' was just a bracelet with a couple karat diamond charm on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I like how the geography corresponds but also hearkens back to the geographical origins of modern cities: coastal trading in Scandinavia and the continental river system that the Vikings used to reach Constantinople, and founded Kiev along the way. Even without the similarity in names, the journey on the Divine and Denied was instantly recognizable from Viking trading voyages. It is a fun reimagining of Viking-era culture and situation with encroaching Christianity and a centralization of power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I like how the geography corresponds but also hearkens back to the geographical origins of modern cities: coastal trading in Scandinavia and the continental river system that the Vikings used to reach Constantinople, and founded Kiev along the way. Even without the similarity in names, the journey on the Divine and Denied was instantly recognizable from Viking trading voyages. It is a fun reimagining of Viking-era culture and situation with encroaching Christianity and a centralization of power.Christianity, as we would understand it, seems to have vanished.But, the worship of "The One God" seems to fill a similar role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maltaran Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Christianity, as we would understand it, seems to have vanished.But, the worship of "The One God" seems to fill a similar role. For all we know, that is Christianity, or at least its post-apocalyptic descendant - none of the protagonists have been followers of the One God, so we don't really know anything about its tenets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 The monotheistic religion, with Constantinople as a primary center, spreading northward and being used to support increased centralization of monarchic state power is a pretty close metaphor for Christianity's impact on Viking-era Scandinavia.The issue is not whether it actually is Christianity but that it's a transparent proxy for the historical role it had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Pounce FTW Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Just finished book 2. Really enjoyed it! I have to admit to being surprised at how much Yarvi has grown. He seems so much shrewder than in book 1 and it's only been a few years. I was surprised at the turn of events for Isriun. I expected a different story for her. Also loved the new characters. Pleasantly surprised at the roles for women in this series. And thanks, Wert and gang, for the RL map. That really helped with comprehending the story. Eager for part 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The hairy bear Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 The first three chapters of Half a War are online! Great read. I like that this third book starts already in the midst of action, straight to the chase. I love Koll joining the ministry, and Skara has a lot of potential as a character. Was it necessary to kill Safrit offscreen? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I just want Thorn and Brand to survive intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Not yet... I certainly hope he doesn't get there either. I think his intentions are largely noble.Half a War is now on sale in Waterstones, Piccadilly.I now think your comparison between Yarvi and Bayaz is not unreasonable. Yarvi still has a conscience, but perhaps Bayaz still had one in his twenties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Half a War is now on sale in Waterstones, Piccadilly.I now think your comparison between Yarvi and Bayaz is not unreasonable. Yarvi still has a conscience, but perhaps Bayaz still had one in his twenties.Iirc, Half the World also appeared earlier than planned in London Waterstones stores. Seem to recall mentioning that in the last thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The hairy bear Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Release dates are no longer what they used to be. I guess it's very hard to control when the distributors release the book, specially with the big ones. But still it seems unfair for the smaller bookstores and for readers who had planned to buy it in the first day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Abercrombie Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 It's an embargoed title so those books should not have gone out. Extremely annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 It's an embargoed title so those books should not have gone out. Extremely annoying.I bought Half a World in the same shop, a week before it's official release date.I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'm late to the party this go around. I just finished Half the World last night. Fantastic read. Honestly think it might be my favorite Abercrombie book. I need to let that thought marinate a bit before I commit to it. Either way, it was a great book. To chime in late to the party, I just assumed the bangle was a watch too. :dunno: I have a Rolex that I can never remember how to get unclasped unless I really think about it. I'm unaware of any specific watches that have a "mood ring" function, but I'm sure they exist. I also own a watch that is solar powered that sets its time from a satellite every night. Presumably, if the world went post-apocalyptic today; that watch could keep going with the correct time until the Vikings show up again. :lol: I didn't realize that Half a War was so close to release, after seeing Joe's dismay, I promptly went to Amazon and pre-ordered mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Half a War is now on sale in Waterstones, Piccadilly.I now think your comparison between Yarvi and Bayaz is not unreasonable. Yarvi still has a conscience, but perhaps Bayaz still had one in his twenties. Bayaz prequel where we get to see he wasn't all that bad at first? I'll hold on until Joe does his signing at Bristol on Friday. It's an embargoed title so those books should not have gone out. Extremely annoying. I didn't think an early release was a problem until (Mark Lawrence) mentioned it can screw up first week chart sales in the sense the early ones aren't counted and I guess those chart positions make a difference if you get on them.Do stores get a slapped wrist for breaking embargoes? I'd have thought Waterstones would be more careful unless they assume they are the majority of sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Bayaz prequel where we get to see he wasn't all that bad at first? I'll hold on until Joe does his signing at Bristol on Friday. I didn't think an early release was a problem until (Mark Lawrence) mentioned it can screw up first week chart sales in the sense the early ones aren't counted and I guess those chart positions make a difference if you get on them. Do stores get a slapped wrist for breaking embargoes? I'd have thought Waterstones would be more careful unless they assume they are the majority of sales. I'll give my reasons, once the official release date has passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'll give my reasons, once the official release date has passed. We may need to alter the thread to keep the spoilers safe. I better read it first too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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