lady narcissa Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 I caught up on reading this morning. You know its funny but I feel there is a little bit of Old Ones memory erasing dispersed at the end of the book on the reader. Because I have read this book...dozens of times over the years and every time I read it, its like I have a faint memory of it but cannot remember all the details and things seem fresh and new every time I reread. So its always a joy to reread and to revisit the story anew. Just to visually inspire your reread...some pictures of Dorney Court which is the real life inspiration for the Manor in the book. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will see some images of it in the snow: https://dorneycourt.co.uk/gallery/house-grounds/nggallery/page/2 And some pictures of St. James the Less Church which is the local church to Dorney and inspiration for the church in the book: https://dorneycourt.co.uk/gallery/st-james-the-less-church/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 At the end of Silver on the Tree does Will retain his memory of the events of the series? I was always unclear on that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 Yes, Will does. For he is an Old One. But the other children don't. They only remember it if ever as if a dream. Which is always such a dilemma to me for I can't imagine not being allowed to remember and being robbed of those memories after everything they go through. But then other authors have done interesting takes on children who had adventures and then the issues they face as adults with remembering and not being able to be a part of it anymore. I think Lev Grossman did a good job in his Magicians series with that. But I do think the children should have been given a choice after all they went through. ETA: Sorry brain fog due to Old Ones magic and not remembering everything...if I remember correctly I think Bran is given a choice to join his parents or stay in the present day in which case I assume he would have remembered if he went back but he chose to stay and thus forget. I was mainly thinking of Jane and her two brothers who were not given a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 6 hours ago, lady narcissa said: Yes, Will does. For he is an Old One. But the other children don't. They only remember it if ever as if a dream. Which is always such a dilemma to me for I can't imagine not being allowed to remember and being robbed of those memories after everything they go through. But then other authors have done interesting takes on children who had adventures and then the issues they face as adults with remembering and not being able to be a part of it anymore. I think Lev Grossman did a good job in his Magicians series with that. But I do think the children should have been given a choice after all they went through. ETA: Sorry brain fog due to Old Ones magic and not remembering everything...if I remember correctly I think Bran is given a choice to join his parents or stay in the present day in which case I assume he would have remembered if he went back but he chose to stay and thus forget. I was mainly thinking of Jane and her two brothers who were not given a choice. I suspected Will remembered given that he is an “Old One” but it was never explicitly stated or, a somewhat confusing because of Merriman’s speech to all the kids... including Will. I agree they should have remembered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 *pulls out dusty old copy of Silver on the Tree* It says: "So the last magic will be this - that when you see me for the last time in this place, all that you know of the Old Ones, and of this great task that has been accomplished, will retreat into the hidden places of your minds, and you will never again know any hint of it except in dreams. Only Will, because he is of my calling, must remember - but the rest of you will forget even that. Good-bye now, my five companions. Be proud of yourselves, as I am proud of you." I remembered another book I read last year which had another take on children remembering their adventures and the devastating result on at least one of the children who could not handle remembering - The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth. It really made a case for them forgetting being a kindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted December 28, 2020 Share Posted December 28, 2020 So, is Will immortal? Or do Old Ones have normal life spans and appear “immortal” because they jump around in time so much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felice Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 8 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said: So, is Will immortal? Or do Old Ones have normal life spans and appear “immortal” because they jump around in time so much? I'd guess they have greatly extended but not unlimited lifespans. It's not clear if Miss Greythorne is an Old One or not, but if so she certainly ages. And while they can travel in time, I get the impression that's only for special occasions, rather than carrying on lives in multiple time periods at once, so Hawkin as Merriman's servant would have been centuries in Merriman's personal past, as well as centuries before Will's time (and he hasn't aged visibly enough for Hawkin to notice the change, though I suppose that could be a glamour). Maggie's temptation of Hawkin involves extended life like an Old One, and he clearly isn't missing out on time travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 You know my initial recollection was similar to that of felice’s but I was just looking at the wikis and the publisher’s website and the author’s own website and all of them describe the Old Ones as immortal. Cooper’s own website describing them as such seems pretty definitive to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felice Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 3 hours ago, lady narcissa said: Cooper’s own website describing them as such seems pretty definitive to me. If she wrote it herself, perhaps. Not so much if it's a publicity department thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felice Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 On 12/29/2020 at 5:57 PM, felice said: I'd guess they have greatly extended but not unlimited lifespans. It's not clear if Miss Greythorne is an Old One or not, but if so she certainly ages. Yes, she is. She seems to have physically aged many years over the course of a century. Will will presumably age at something like the normal rate for at least a few years, otherwise pretending to be a regular human would be impossible. Perhaps the older they get, the slower they age? Which isn't necessarily incompatible with immortality, if it's asymptotic. Hmm... but Miss Greythorne must be at least 500 years old, since Will is the first Old One to be born in that time, so ageing that noticeably in just the last century doesn't seem right. If she's been living in the Manor all that time, maybe she appeared to age normally, then reverted to a younger state and claimed to be her own daughter, in order to avoid the villagers noticing her impossibly long life? Or perhaps they just use mind tricks to stop people thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LugaJetboyGirl Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 The thing about the Miss Greythorne is that Will jumps back exactly 100 years for the sign of wood, and she is a pretty young. Where are you getting the 500 years? Also I am sad to day is the last day of the reread : ( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wall Flower Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 28 minutes ago, LugaJetboyGirl said: The thing about the Miss Greythorne is that Will jumps back exactly 100 years for the sign of wood, and she is a pretty young. Where are you getting the 500 years? Also I am sad to day is the last day of the reread : ( Prompted by this thread, I read the book for the first time ever and loved it. I'm ancient enough to have been Will's age when the book first came out and it's everything I would have loved at the time and apparently still do! I don't know why I never read it as a kid but thanks for prompting me to read and enjoy it as an oldie (sadly, I can't quite claim to be an Old One). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felice Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 3 hours ago, LugaJetboyGirl said: The thing about the Miss Greythorne is that Will jumps back exactly 100 years for the sign of wood, and she is a pretty young. Where are you getting the 500 years? The Sign-Seeker, page 52-53 in my copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 3 hours ago, Wall Flower said: Prompted by this thread, I read the book for the first time ever and loved it. I'm ancient enough to have been Will's age when the book first came out and it's everything I would have loved at the time and apparently still do! I don't know why I never read it as a kid but thanks for prompting me to read and enjoy it as an oldie (sadly, I can't quite claim to be an Old One). That's wonderful! I highly recommend you read the rest of the series if you enjoyed this one as you did. The culmination of the series with the last two is just a fantastic and satisfying reading experience. Because of my work schedule this week I'm unable to finish my re-read this week. But hope to finish this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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