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Bakker XLVIII - Selected to LEAD not to READ


lokisnow

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Completed my re-read of The Judging Eye last night -- 4th read since its publication, I believe. Reviewing the book with the hindsight of TGO, one can pick out a few little details that are expanded upon later, and the descriptions of Cil-Aujas resonate stronger with Ishterebinth in comparison.

Overall, my impression remains as it was before -- it's a serviceable set-up novel with some really, really great writing, but it seems to lack something... It feels a bit short on events, compared to the previous trilogy. I've always thought that if RSB had used the opening chapters from WLW on the Ordeal/Sorweel POV and placed them in contrast to the Cil-Aujas stuff, it would have made TJE a stronger novel overall.

It also feels slow. In fact, the whole of TAE feels quite slow -- a slog, in places, though one that I enjoy reading because of the quality of writing. Hopefully TUC will pick up the pace (it seems that it absolutely has to, to deliver a satisfying finale to this 2000 page story), but I'm not so sure.

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4 hours ago, kuenjato said:

Completed my re-read of The Judging Eye last night -- 4th read since its publication, I believe. Reviewing the book with the hindsight of TGO, one can pick out a few little details that are expanded upon later, and the descriptions of Cil-Aujas resonate stronger with Ishterebinth in comparison.

Overall, my impression remains as it was before -- it's a serviceable set-up novel with some really, really great writing, but it seems to lack something... It feels a bit short on events, compared to the previous trilogy. I've always thought that if RSB had used the opening chapters from WLW on the Ordeal/Sorweel POV and placed them in contrast to the Cil-Aujas stuff, it would have made TJE a stronger novel overall.

It also feels slow. In fact, the whole of TAE feels quite slow -- a slog, in places, though one that I enjoy reading because of the quality of writing. Hopefully TUC will pick up the pace (it seems that it absolutely has to, to deliver a satisfying finale to this 2000 page story), but I'm not so sure.

You'd have to figure at least 1/4 or even 1/3 of the book will be devoted to the battle at Golgatterath.  Although MG did drop a hint that 

Spoiler

a surprising amount of the book deals with the journey to Golgatterath.  Which might be a lot of slower-paced cannibalism or one long-running pitched battle.

Either way I'm hoping for something that eclipses the Shimeh chapters that close out TTT!

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10 hours ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

You're assuming that Kellhus doesn't know about the Eye. I find it very unlikely that he'd spend twenty years digging into the metaphysics of the Earwa and not be aware of it.

He was too busy reading about scaldings, k! ;)

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640 pages for TUC as per Orbit, UK publisher. They have Great Ordeal at 512 pages which sort of fits with the US hardcover from Overlook, so their hardcover might be around 640. Question is of course how long the appendices are, I would guess about 150 pages since the actual text should be about 480/490 pages, based on the fact that Scott said the manuscript itself was only "a few thousand words" shorter than TGO, after he had some additional chapters.

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57 minutes ago, Hello World said:

Last year I think we saw the first reviews around now. Early May.

The first TGO ARC's started popping up on eBay around the same time.  And TGO excerpts all landed around the third week of May, about 6 weeks from publication.  

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I received an e-ARC. No, you can't have a copy. Yes, I have read the ending. No, I won't tell you what happens. Well, only that if Bakker never writes the final series, there may be riots. Very small riots, but riots nonetheless. Also, pretty sure I have no idea whatsoever what the final duology will be called. Maybe the actual read will reveal something more.

To Cal's point: The text makes up 451 pages. The Glossary is 141 pages. There's also 26 pages of "bonus material" (I'll ask if it's safe to reveal what this is, as it's pretty cool but non-spoilery) and then 9 pages of maps (every map previously published) and then an acknowledgements page. 631 in total.

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22 minutes ago, Hello World said:

Wait, so you read the ending without reading the whole book?

Not quite.

 

We're in Memory of Light Last Battle territory here. The finale takes up a massive chunk of the book, almost half of it.

25 minutes ago, Hello World said:

Hmm. I didn't know e-arcs existed.

Overlook are sending out ARCs about now, so they should be showing up fairly imminently in other venues. It was about this time last year the ones for TGO went out. I actually got my copy of TGO late because Overlook were reluctant to send out international copies, but with Orbit not producing ARCs (this time either) they had to do that or let the European reviewers not post any reviews. This time around Scott just sent me an electronic copy.

Quote

 

Who got acknowledged?

 

Family, editors, publishers, beta readers and everyone at Three Pound Brain and the Second Apocalypse forum.

Ah, the final names of the Nine Mansions:  Siöl, Nihrimsûl, Ishoriöl, Viri, Cil-Aujas, Illisserû, Curunq, Incissal, and Cil-Aumûl. Unfortunately it looks like the First Age map that Scott created didn't make it into the book.

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2 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said:

It better have some sort of conclusion or I'm going to be throwing things.

The 150 page glossary is pretty rad so far and comes at the end of the book, so...yes?

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1 minute ago, Werthead said:

The 150 page glossary is pretty rad so far and comes at the end of the book, so...yes?

I'm hoping it's a "wow the world is forever changed and I want to read more stories in it" rather than a "YOU WILL KNEEL (and wait for the next series)".

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I guess he has to write a huge battle now that it's the final book of AE, but I hope the 'action' scenes don't distract too much from the revelations. I didn't really care for the battle in TGO and don't remember much about it if anything.

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24 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said:

Well, explanations to some of them crazy questions would be fine.

To a LOT of the questions, frankly. The whole series is dependent on the revelations implied & explicitly promised.

Wert -- in a general sense, what did you think of the novel? Does it fit with the proceeding three as a natural whole? Is there a "g-string" moment/info-dump worthy of TTT? 

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