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The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie [SPOILER THREAD]


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On 11/6/2021 at 5:40 AM, sologdin said:

can't bayaz just explode people? being an eater with matrix kung fu doesn't seem to match up.

Yes he can, but in BtaH it was clearly established that doing so takes a toll on him, and he was incapacitated for weeks as a result of doing that to a couple dozen guys.  Plus Eaters are a lot harder to kill than men. 

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1 hour ago, Maithanet said:

Yes he can, but in BtaH it was clearly established that doing so takes a toll on him, and he was incapacitated for weeks as a result of doing that to a couple dozen guys.  Plus Eaters are a lot harder to kill than men. 

Doesn't Yulwei melt 2 Eaters without breaking a sweat? And Bayaz is supposed be stronger.

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18 minutes ago, sologdin said:

so eating is fast charging, whereas bayaz believes that slow charging is superior for battery life.

Yes, although the seed complicates this somewhat.  When he used it in LaoK, he was not exhausted but revitalized.  If he has used the seed to make some sort of weapon or defense system, then he could indeed be very well protected.  We don't really know anything about that. 

Losing Sulfur is a big deal for Bayaz.  Sulfur was powerful, loyal and reliable.  He kept Bayaz's secrets and executed his agenda for (seemingly) little or no personal gain.  Bayaz relied on him to travel all over the world and execute his bidding, and he was extremely effective in projecting power.  Bayaz doesn't want that job to fall on him, he's too hands off to want to be traveling all the time threatening people.  But can he trust mere humans to do it?  Will he be able to make another eater that he actually trusts?

One shortcoming (IMO) of the series is that we never got any idea of why Sulfur was so loyal and what he got out of his relationship with Bayaz.  What was Bayaz giving him that he would embrace a life of servitude? 

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Doesn't Yulwei melt 2 Eaters without breaking a sweat? And Bayaz is supposed be stronger.

Yes, although Yulwei also says they were young and weak Eaters.  Their power levels varied greatly.  Grey Wind is supposed to be one of the worst. 

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47 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

 

One shortcoming (IMO) of the series is that we never got any idea of why Sulfur was so loyal and what he got out of his relationship with Bayaz.  What was Bayaz giving him that he would embrace a life of servitude? 

 

I always assumed that this was sort of a teacher/apprentice relationship. These guys live for centuries apparently, so a period of servitude in exchange for the knowledge of how to acquire/keep power would seem a good investment. (Bayaz did this himself, once upon a time)

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3 minutes ago, Ninefingers said:

I always assumed that this was sort of a teacher/apprentice relationship. These guys live for centuries apparently, so a period of servitude in exchange for the knowledge of how to acquire/keep power would seem a good investment. (Bayaz did this himself, once upon a time)

True, but Shenkt turned against Bayaz, so what kept Sulfur so loyal? Personally, it was probably just his personality. He likely just agreed with everything Bayaz did, so he was ok with being his enforcer. 

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Yeah, we can guess that, but I feel like it would make more sense if we were shown that at some point.  I don't recall any scene where Bayaz was teaching Sulfur anything.  It's always "go to Styria and threaten Monza" or "kill and replace the Tanner, then surrender to Jezal".  Not exactly a lot of learning opportunities. 

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isn't it coarsely material? bayaz tells the counsel in the trouble with peace that they need to keep themselves in the position of benefiting from the world's wrongs, kinda like kennan in 1948:

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we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. To do so, we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and day-dreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world-benefaction.

that in itself was enough during the cold war.

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33 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

Yeah, we can guess that, but I feel like it would make more sense if we were shown that at some point.  I don't recall any scene where Bayaz was teaching Sulfur anything.  It's always "go to Styria and threaten Monza" or "kill and replace the Tanner, then surrender to Jezal".  Not exactly a lot of learning opportunities. 

Kill and replace? I thought he was always the Tanner.

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28 minutes ago, Maltaran said:

Kill and replace? I thought he was always the Tanner.

I guess that's possible, but it doesn't seem likely to me.  The Tanner was leading a grassroots movement against the throne for better working conditions.  That's the kind of thing where having a lot of established connections would go a long way.  It seems hard to believe the Tanner would have had the success that he did if it had just been Sulfur dropping in and giving a few speeches.  To me it's much easier to imagine that the Tanner was a real man who became troublesome for the crown and Bayaz decided to turn his rebellion into an opportunity. 

This also makes sense as a way of highlighting Sulfur's ability to take other people's form, so that when he does it with High Justice Morovia it isn't out of left field. 

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3 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

True, but Shenkt turned against Bayaz, so what kept Sulfur so loyal? Personally, it was probably just his personality. He likely just agreed with everything Bayaz did, so he was ok with being his enforcer. 

Maybe he didn't want the additional headaches that come with being the one in charge?

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Does anyone else hate Broad? I kept waiting for something to set apart from all the other characters who say they want a peaceful life, but rush towards committing violence.

Still think it’s a bit weird no one seems interested in magic even when it can literally make you live for centuries like it has Bayaz.

Also why wasn’t sulfur attemptted to be seized/killed at the people’s chamber?

Not a fan of Vick’s betrayal. Saw it coming but I’d always saw it naturally from the boy taking the lessons Vick taught to heart and using it to do something she failed to—protect his family. Glocka  orchestrating from the beginning seems convoluted.

Also Rikke going over to the Union seemed really stupid given that for all she knew Leo would have her killed in a rage. I think it’d be best to send an ambassador first to get a feel to his current mood and a give before talking about reconciliation.

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Does anyone else hate Broad? I kept waiting for something to set apart from all the other characters who say they want a peaceful life, but rush towards committing violence.

well, he begins as part of the paris commune as an adherent, but then deviates from it by becoming a scarlet pimpernel opportunist, working thereafter as a union busting thug and then insurrectionary against duly constituted monarchist authority as part of the setting's MAGA movement, before arriving at a jacobin incendiarii position up until the final moment when he is duped into becoming a thermidorian.  that's a bit more going on than a simple addiction to violence. that said, he wasn't my favorite character in the new series.

 

anyone know if it's confirmed to be a trilogy with a set of cliffhangers, rather than the third installment of a longer series?

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1 hour ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

Does anyone else hate Broad? I kept waiting for something to set apart from all the other characters who say they want a peaceful life, but rush towards committing violence.

 

I think just about everyone had the same reaction as you. Abercrombie has done this character trope to death. 

EDIT: And one can hardly blame him. His most popular character and the one that put him on the map is like this. We shouldn't be surprised to see him return to that well, especially now that Logen is unavailable. 

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30 minutes ago, sologdin said:

Does anyone else hate Broad? I kept waiting for something to set apart from all the other characters who say they want a peaceful life, but rush towards committing violence.

well, he begins as part of the paris commune as an adherent, but then deviates from it by becoming a scarlet pimpernel opportunist, working thereafter as a union busting thug and then insurrectionary against duly constituted monarchist authority as part of the setting's MAGA movement, before arriving at a jacobin incendiarii position up until the final moment when he is duped into becoming a thermidorian.  that's a bit more going on than a simple addiction to violence. that said, he wasn't my favorite character in the new series.

 

anyone know if it's confirmed to be a trilogy with a set of cliffhangers, rather than the third installment of a longer series?

Broad is simply an opportunist.  The cause is irrelevant.

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