The Long Price Quartet

[Rhom]

Finished the first over the weekend. Certainly did not end as I expected. Even with all the Abercrombies and Bakkers of the literary world that I'd read, I suppose I was still thinking there'd be some way for our hero to save the day and his morales. :lol: One day, I'll learn.

On to the next. I'll probably finish up all three before I come back and read this entire thread.

[Errant Bard]

The first one is far better then the second imo. The first has this great feeling to it and the plot is really interesting and different from what you'd expect.

The second has a few interesting parts but really feels perfunctory. It feels like a book that had to be written but not one that really tells anything interesting. It exists to bridge the gap in the character's situations from 1 to 3.

I don't know about that. To me the author tried to convey the feeling of what happens to people of the hero's age each time. The first feels maybe more contained and nostalgic because it is at heart a teenage romance, seedless is kind of in the background compared to the romantic triangle and all the awkward growing up taking place, but the second is really about a young adult's first commitments, and heavy choices: the wife, the house, the conscious alienation/defeat of some people. I liked the character studies and the themes, and since I did not really care about the war thing in the third (it felt hollow, devoid of life) I suppose I could say that I feel Autumn bridges the gap between Winter and Spring, even though I also liked the character studies there... Yet something like The Folding Knife feels both similar and superior, if I choose to disregard the fact Autumn bridges the gap between the birth of Danat and the time he reads that speech that always makes me teary eyed (dammit, just thinking about it too. It's pitch perfect.)

[Tears of Lys]

The thing that I like the best about this series is that it surprised me. Nothing was what I expected. It took me a little bit to understand the culture, but once I did, I was hooked. Everything seemed new and fresh, yet timeless. You meet real people in these books, not charicatures.

And Danat's speech at the end KILLS me every time I read it.

[karaddin]

After attending my uncles funeral a couple of weeks ago I've decided I want that for my eulogy, it captures how I feel about life and death so well.

ToL - me too on that, it felt different and fresh.

I feel like some of these post Martin authors are on a continuum. In Bakker no one is sympathetic and lots goes bad, in Abercrombie they aren't sympathetic but they can be likeable anyway and lots goes bad, in Abraham everyone is sympathetic and lots goes bad.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Yet something like The Folding Knife feels both similar and superior

I thought the Folding Knife was only pretty good. The dialogue wasn't smooth, the plot without consequence and the allegory heavy handed.

[Errant Bard]

I thought the Folding Knife was only pretty good. The dialogue wasn't smooth, the plot without consequence and the allegory heavy handed.

Yet it was still sharper than An Autumn War in every area than mattered to me, while staying very similar in tone story direction, character development and philosophy.

[TheWizard]

Just got the first two books(well its one book that has the first two novels in it) and I'm excited to read it.

[Underfoot]

There are two threads for this?

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/44259-the-long-price-quartet/page__st__240

[Errant Bard]

There are two threads for this?

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/44259-the-long-price-quartet/page__st__240

More than that actually. Anyway, does it surprise you that there might be a june 2011 duplicate of a june 2010 thread?

[Rhom]

Finished up The Price of War omnibus over the weekend. Fantastic series. As I said back when I was just a hundred or so pages into Summer, it was a vastly different pace than I was accustomed to but there was a palpable sense of dread hanging over every page I thought. There were several surprises along the way and even the things I saw coming still managed to subvert what I expected somehow. I agree with all the posters that talk about the feelings of nostalgia and emotion that are so perfectly conveyed across the pages.

I did find myself constantly wondering what the Andat were for each of the other cities of the Khaiem though!

I don't remember the name of the Andat that Removing-The-Part-That-Continues was bound to replace, but then we heard about Stone-Made-Soft and Water-Moving-Down for Machi. We heard of those four and I feel like there was a mention of one other one for another of the cities. A few more sideways mentions of the other Andat would have been great.

I also thought that Maati's conversation about an Andat he thought about binding called Returning-To-True would come back to be relevant somehow. He joked that he would have been really useful fixing axles, but I thought they might find a way to adapt that concept to fix the damage done by Sterile or Clarity-of-Sight. :dunno:

I thought it was an interesting theme that one of the main characters of the series was essentially defined by his repeated failures. Even Otah never really saves the day, he just adapts well to the calamities around him.

Overall, very glad that I had the chance to read the books.

There are two threads for this?

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/44259-the-long-price-quartet/page__st__240

Funny, I've posted in both threads since I started reading the books and didn't realize they were separate discussions. :lol:

[Emo Jon Snow]

I just finished it myself. It's easily one of my top 3 favorite series. There is just something about it that I really connected with. There is an overall sadness to the series.

What I really like about Abraham is his point of view on life. There was a small paragraph in Price of Spring where Otah is thinking of his children and how he hopes to die before them because they will be lives he can always cherish and never have to mourn. I couldn't help but think how beautiful that was. Otah's letters to Kiyam hit me every time too.

[Tears of Lys]

Finished up The Price of War omnibus over the weekend. Fantastic series. As I said back when I was just a hundred or so pages into Summer, it was a vastly different pace than I was accustomed to but there was a palpable sense of dread hanging over every page I thought. There were several surprises along the way and even the things I saw coming still managed to subvert what I expected somehow. I agree with all the posters that talk about the feelings of nostalgia and emotion that are so perfectly conveyed across the pages.

I did find myself constantly wondering what the Andat were for each of the other cities of the Khaiem though!

I don't remember the name of the Andat that Removing-The-Part-That-Continues was bound to replace, but then we heard about Stone-Made-Soft and Water-Moving-Down for Machi. We heard of those four and I feel like there was a mention of one other one for another of the cities. A few more sideways mentions of the other Andat would have been great.

I also thought that Maati's conversation about an Andat he thought about binding called Returning-To-True would come back to be relevant somehow. He joked that he would have been really useful fixing axles, but I thought they might find a way to adapt that concept to fix the damage done by Sterile or Clarity-of-Sight. :dunno:

I thought it was an interesting theme that one of the main characters of the series was essentially defined by his repeated failures. Even Otah never really saves the day, he just adapts well to the calamities around him.

Overall, very glad that I had the chance to read the books.

I did too. I felt like a young poet-in-training that hung on every word of their teachers when they'd speak of the Andat. I wanted to hear more grisly details of failed poets and other concepts for Andats yet-to-be or those-that-were.

[shortstark]

What surprised me most is that a consensus was reached that denied the andats a place in the world.. If I was Otah I would be trying to develop one in secret, a 'just in case'... I find the fact they essentially abandons their nuclear weapon admirable..

Really excellent books....

[Tears of Lys]

That's what made Otah such a rare and wonderful human being... making the ending so much more bittersweet.

And, yeah, I'd be tempted to try and keep an Andat too - and would probably end up filled with seawater or worse.

[Errant Bard]

That's also Otah's flaw: he is a great human being, but he rolls with it, he adapts, he accepts, he never tries to fight and change things truly. That's the difference with Eiah in the last book: she wants to change the world, not merely make the best of what's already there. If Otah had had Wounded, he would never have set him free, he would have used him to heal indiscriminately everyone, all the time, forever.

Thinking about it, it's funny, but I had never realized Otah was actually a perfect reluctant hero archetype.

[Rhom]

Another thing that I got from reading this thread is a question of ethnicity for the Khaiem in my head.

I kind of pictured them as being Indian, but it appears that perhaps they were more Oriental? Is there any passage that specifically discusses their skin tone? I think some of the names like Saraykhet just felt more sub-continent to me. :dunno:

Also, I saw mention that there have been several threads discussing the series; but I only seem to find two threads titled exactly the same. Anyone happen to remember what some of the other discussion was called?

[Underfoot]

Also, I saw mention that there have been several threads discussing the series; but I only seem to find two threads titled exactly the same. Anyone happen to remember what some of the other discussion was called?

There would have been some discussion int he Daniel Abraham threads as well. This is what I found searching specifically for the author:

http://asoiaf.wester...r-and-the-coin/

http://asoiaf.wester...daniel-abraham/

http://asoiaf.wester...nce-of-nothing/

http://asoiaf.wester...daniel-abraham/

http://asoiaf.wester...-second-thread/

ETA: had a link in there twice

[Rhom]

There would have been some discussion int he Daniel Abraham threads as well. This is what I found searching specifically for the author:

http://asoiaf.wester...r-and-the-coin/

http://asoiaf.wester...nd-the-dagger-ahttp://asoiaf.wester...daniel-abraham/

http://asoiaf.wester...nce-of-nothing/

http://asoiaf.wester...daniel-abraham/

http://asoiaf.wester...-second-thread/

Thanks!

[RedEyedGhost]

Another thing that I got from reading this thread is a question of ethnicity for the Khaiem in my head.

I kind of pictured them as being Indian, but it appears that perhaps they were more Oriental? Is there any passage that specifically discusses their skin tone? I think some of the names like Saraykhet just felt more sub-continent to me. :dunno:

Also, I saw mention that there have been several threads discussing the series; but I only seem to find two threads titled exactly the same. Anyone happen to remember what some of the other discussion was called?

Your Kentucky is showing, Rhom.

[Rhom]

Your Kentucky is showing, Rhom.

Shit. I hate it when it hangs out like that.