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The Unholy Consult Post-Release SPOILER THREAD II

Werthead

By Werthead,
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Spring Bass Council Member

Spring Bass

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Ajûrbkli said:

Shower thought: Why did the Survivor only have one kid?  What was the point of the Whale Mothers if there wasn't a litter of Anasurimborlings?  There clearly wasn't a litter, since he the only one he had was Defective.  So unless it was a 14-set litter with 14 defectives, with Crabicus the least Defective, the Whale Mothers seem sorta pointless, yeah?

Maybe those two killed and ate the others to survive. I'm honestly not joking.

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Caligula_K3 Council Member

Caligula_K3

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23 hours ago, Kalbear said:

It was also amusing to hear that it is probably 2-3 more books or possibly more. 

Ugh, that's the final nail in the coffin for me reading any more Bakker. IMO The Aspect-Emperor could have been a very good duology, written in the style of The Judging Eye/The White Luck Warrior. Instead it dragged on for four over-long books, and it all really amounted to set up for the next series.  I'm so tired of epic fantasy authors who need more than ten books filled with padding and god knows how long to tell a story.

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Darth Richard II Council Member

Darth Richard II

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27 minutes ago, Caligula_K3 said:

Ugh, that's the final nail in the coffin for me reading any more Bakker. IMO The Aspect-Emperor could have been a very good duology, written in the style of The Judging Eye/The White Luck Warrior. Instead it dragged on for four over-long books, and it all really amounted to set up for the next series.  I'm so tired of epic fantasy authors who need more than ten books filled with padding and god knows how long to tell a story.

It is kind of disappointing to hear after all his talk about how this was the ending he always envisioned, etc.Plus, really, read and find out? I red 7 books and didn't find out shit.

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Callan S. Council Member

Callan S.

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12 hours ago, Ajûrbkli said:

Shower thought: Why did the Survivor only have one kid?  What was the point of the Whale Mothers if there wasn't a litter of Anasurimborlings?  There clearly wasn't a litter, since he the only one he had was Defective.  So unless it was a 14-set litter with 14 defectives, with Crabicus the least Defective, the Whale Mothers seem sorta pointless, yeah?

He could only successfully raise one child without being destroyed (even then the whole premise is he did the non optimal thing)? Maybe he had a Sophie's choice to make.

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redeagl Noble

redeagl

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13 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

Ok so keeping in mind I did finish it and actually ended up liking it(although I have THOUGHTS) I found this review on goodreads to be absolute hilarious for some reason, so I'm posting it here because I want to. :P

 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2075789530?book_show_action=false

I had a discussion with this Malice on a Facebook group. Turns out she don't understand the plot at all.

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Caligula_K3 Council Member

Caligula_K3

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2 hours ago, redeagl said:

I had a discussion with this Malice on a Facebook group. Turns out she don't understand the plot at all.

Does anybody understand the plot of the Aspect Emperor? Having read through both Unholy Consult threads now, there's disagreement about nearly every aspect of this series and book, including some of the most basic questions.

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jurble Council Member

jurble

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My brain is still turning on that.  Maybe the Ark's AI is once more functional?  I can't find any hints of it, but Bakker saying we missed something about the Consult is in direct response to questions about the competency (and apparently lack thereof) of its leadership.

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Kalbear Council Member

Kalbear

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Just now, Ajûrbkli said:

My brain is still turning on that.  Maybe the Ark's AI is once more functional?  I can't find any hints of it, but Bakker saying we missed something about the Consult is in direct response to questions about the competency (and apparently lack thereof) of its leadership.

Maybe, but what bugs is that he gives people flack for missing parts of things or not liking them, and then teases people about things without actually informing them when literally everyone misses out.

Again, I made the comparison to Lost, and now we have confirmation that Bakker's intent is to make his entire series deliberately ambiguous for the most part in order to cause frission. That he now is going into discovery mode and doesn't have the next series mapped out or have a good idea of where he wants to go with it should be an extra big warning; this level of ambiguity is what he has when he KNOWS what he's wanted for 20 years, right? What's it going to be like when he has no idea?

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Kalbear Council Member

Kalbear

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1 minute ago, Ajûrbkli said:

Fresh off the AMA

Shae's alive.

Yeah, that's what I took from it.

In which case this was essentially all something of a Titirga trap. Shae lures Kellhus in with the promise of Dunyain thinkers and the nuke, either because he is now DunShae (or ShaeYain?) or because he thinks Kellhus will come to that conclusion. He flatters Kellhus into thinking that he will become the No-God and all of this was for his benefit - which might work, but it is also just one of many options for dealing with Kellhus. DunShae's real ace in the hole is the one he's been watching via skin-spies for a long time - Kelmomas. He also suspects Kelmomas will work (or any Anasurimbor might work - the prophecies true and false) so it works out. 

But the plan was always to kill Kellhus in one form or another - by putting him in the Sarcophagus, or choraeing him with 100 skin spies, or using his stronger magic, or confusing him with Kelmomas. This was just the trap to bring him in. And just like Kellhus says he's like Titirga, he falls for a fairly simple ruse. 

I guess that's fine, but it needed a lot more work to really sell, and missing that out entirely as even an option means that at best it's interesting but trivial behavior. DunShae or DunSult don't end up mattering that much; what ends up mattering more is trying to figure out if this was intended or accidental, and that's just not that clear.

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Rhom Council Member

Rhom

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Have not read any other posts in this topic... I'm about 100 pages from the end of the story.  I was laying down with my son last night to put him to bed and I got to the scene where Kellhus meets Mek at Sil's throne.  I was starting to get a little sleepy and figured I'd better quit then.  I would imagine I need to be at full alertness to follow whatever is about to happen.  :lol: 

Hoping to finish off tonight.

At first I didn't understand Malowebi's purpose in the story, but then as I saw him describe the Aurang/AK confrontation and now the Mek/AK meeting, I understand that it was RSB's way to give us a POV with Kellhus without actually giving us his inner monologue.  I like it.

I will also say that when I first read the scene where Lil Moe woke up in the Scylvendi camp, I had to do a double take.  When the chapter started "Anasurimbor Moenghus woke..." I thought we were talking OG Moe and I was stunned, but then it said he "saw" something and I had to read it over again to realize they were talking Lil Moe.

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