jade_sabre: (attolia:  Costis is one hot piece of...y)
jade_sabre ([personal profile] jade_sabre) wrote2010-03-24 02:55 am

[SPOILER-Y TITLE REDACTED]

A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS REVIEW

actual title of the post: ONE CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT HOT PIECE OF ATTOLIAN MANFLESH

four hours, minus half an hour of walking and another fifteen minutes of squeeing to Lovie and rereading scenes

okay okay okay okay okay okay uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, bad things first:

1) this is definitely not the strongest of the four, and also not a standalone novel, I would say at all, period. 50% of the enjoyment and several of my favorite scenes just wouldn't be the same if you didn't know the characters and hadn't read KoA, for reasons which I will elaborate on later.

1a) There's a lot of self-referential-type humor, which made me smile, and which totally works even out-of-context, but is way better in-context.

2) This feels like a setting-the-pieces novel, and so it was of course going to be shorter, and its not-as-goodness is perhaps going along with that. Which is confusing, given the fact that there are allegedly two more books; again, more on that later.

3) I didn't find Sophos to be as memorable of a narrator as Eugenides, and I also found that knowing he was talking to Eddis lessened my worries about how his sections would turn out (although to be granted, I didn't figure out he was talking to Eddis until p.131, so). Not to say my worries disappeared altogether, though. Still, while I enjoyed his POV, it wasn't as characterally colorful as Gen's.

4) COSTIS. WHERE IS COSTIS. More on that later too. But still. Costiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis. :-(

I think the best way to describe A Conspiracy of Kings is as TT and QoA spliced, then sprinkled with liberal doses of KoA. I mean hell, it's even structured that way, so go figure.

OKAY SO

SQUEE TIME

1) wait hold on I have a piece of paper I ought to take a picture of it it has all my reactions written down starting with me figuring out about Eddis being the audience on page 131 anyway I will post that picture later BUT

actually I don't even know where to start. I can't quite number the things that made me squee; I could list the moments I wrote down, such as "staving off her smile by crossing his arms" and ATTOLIA GRABBING EDDIS'S HAND and and and and "I can tell when I'm being an ass" and the epic music in my head as Sophos was chasing after Eddis and MOIRA TUTORING OMG (also LOLOLOLOL the philosophical moment about how classifying everything won't explain everything, we talked about that in class today, MOIRA, ILU SO HARD), and the myths in this one! (more obviously explicated than the one in KoA and slightly moreso than QoA). And the fact that the self-referrential stuff BECOMES IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT OMG EDDIS YOUR LOVE LETTER IS AWESOME (also the fact that I knew something was up as soon as Eddis was like mmmmmmmm marriage bed) OH MY GOD, INKPOTS OTPS, THE INKPOTS, I READ THAT LIKE LIKE A BAZILLION TIMES

let's see, I could list what I loved by what I read aloud to Lovie
INKPOTS
"my brothers made you cry"
a couple of other things
the most important of which I am saving for its own spot.

But mostly, what I loved about this novel is probably that which puts me off KoA, a little: everyone was back.

They were back, and we were getting their thoughts! Unfiltered! Attolia took Eddis's hand! (I have a whole paragraph about that I think too.) Sophos grouched to the magus! And EUGENIDES WAS BACK.

Eugenides was back, and we got this beautiful little character moment gem handwrapped and given to us:

"He was trying to propose marriage and she thought he was talking about a poem he was writing. I was laughing like a very quiet fiend, trying not to make the branches around me shake, and then, between one heartbeat and the next, and to my complete surprise, it wasn't funny anymore."

As I said to my roommate, "Um, this time that I'm reading it to you? Is like the third time I've read this paragraph." And then I read the scene about two more times, just for good measure. And I mean, in KoA, we get moments like that, but they are very rarely unfiltered--here, it's just Sophos and Eugenides, and Gen is telling us THE MOMENT HE REALIZED HE WAS IN LOVE, and like, I never ever expected to get that, and it's just so--Dite! Attolia being oblivious! Eugenides's immediate reaction being MUST DESTROY DITE! The fact that we're able to have this scene at all, that we're able to have Eugenides being himself like this--oh, that is what I missed in KoA.

So for that alone, for having double dates with Gen and Attolia and Eddis and Sophos all just being together being BAMFs, as Quark's icon so aptly says, for that alone, I loved this novel. Because in KoA we lost a lot of that, and I missed it terribly.

But! We do not have Costis.

In KoA, we have Costis, and once you get used to him he almost makes up for the lack of Gen (almost, and I say that as someone who loves Costis unconditionally). Costis, while not up to Gen's level of machinations, is not politically stupid; he gets what's going on with the dogs and Aris right away (both times), and it's easy to see how he could one day become Captain of the Guard. And there are moments, in the book, when he and Eugenides are on the same wavelength (fertilizer on the tables!), and while he'll never be Gen's advisor he could certainly be a friend--but then at the end of the novel, BAM, Gen reminds us that while we've been living in Costis's head, he's "never heard [him] put that many words together at one time," that there's a vast gulf between the two. And I personally find that frustrating because I want them to be BFFs so that I can have both Costis and Eugenides, because I love them both very, very much.

Alas, it seems it is not to be. Because to me, this book, in its shortness and its character reuniting wonderfulness, is the last book before the big battle. MWT's putting all her pieces on the chessboard and organizing them the way she wants; everything has fallen into place, the last moment of laughter before the ultimate showdown. And yet there are, allegedly, not one but TWO books left in the series. So it seems that the last book will be the ultimate showdown, which means there's one more bridge left--and so I think it will be in the Medean Empire, and I think Costis will play a major role, while Eugenides and his BAMF Brigade have little scenes of preparation scattered throughout. The fan theory about Costis being a ninja in Medea isn't that far off from being plausible (I mean, okay, Costis will probably never be a ninja), and I think, if we were to have another novel that was more him and less Eugenides, that I would want it to be about him, rather than the ways in which he gets bounced around and occasionally does something decisive.

So. Costis in Medea. We'll see.

Back to things I loved, like Eddis and Attolia. I think one of the things that doesn't come across here (because MWT is notoriously bad about that sort of thing) is the age difference between Sophos and Eddis; she's five years older than Gen, and even if Sophos was fourteen in TT that still makes him six years younger than her, and in my head Eugenides and Attolia are seven years apart. So when Attolia takes Eddis's hand, when Sophos is leaving, and the magus is the one who sends her to watch for her fellow monarch--they're all older, and perhaps Eddis, in her own way, was as adjusted as Attolia was to the idea that she'd never actually fall in love, or marry someone she loved. Sure, she didn't have Attolia's other emotional problems, but I feel like they were both in that situation, and so when Attolia is there to take Eddis's hand it's a deeper understanding about how love affects one. It's rather like the scene in QoA where Eddis assures Attolia that Eugenides is only sleeping.

There were lots of scenes that were similar to ones in the other books, but not really in a bad way.

I liked that Gen was an idiot about Sophos and his loyalty; it was nice to see Gen screwing up like that. Although I did yell at my book at one point, "EUGENIDES. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MARRIED THE ICE QUEEN. You get the whole masks thing, the whole figuring-out-what's-below-the-surface, not-trusting-appearances, yadda yadda, SOPHOS IS IN LOVE WITH EDDIS, HE DOES NOT GET THESE THINGS." Eddis smiles and men beg to walk across hot coals; Attolia smiles and men go "I CAN'T TELL IF SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME, OR IF SHE'S PLEASED."

I did feel like the resolution to that was a little rushed, almost as if she went "oh God, grumpy cold distant Gen is depressing, I'll just have Sophos trip him so we can hurry up and get to THAT SCENE WHERE THEY GO TO THE BAR, I LOVE THAT ONE" which hey, not like I'm disagreeing AT ALL with that part.

I love the subtle communications between Eugenides and Attolia. I love the way Sophos is like "Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous and also kind of funny OH GOD HER JOKES ARE TERRIFYING." I love love LOVE, as previously mentioned, that scene where Gen talks about her, but I also just loved the camaraderie the two kings shared and just--them being themselves, and everyone being together, and oh my goodness, I've missed them terribly.

ALSO SOPHOS'S PARENTS OTP, they're like the Malfoys, I LOVE IT WHEN GRUMPY PEOPLE REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER.

OH I guess I could talk about the plot. For the most part, I figured out the twists or at least guessed where they were coming--I think the biggest surprises where Sophos getting captured the second time, and HOLY SHIT THE EXTRA TEN THOUSAND MEDE, WHAT, WHAT. I don't know how much of a twist that counts as since it was all on the Medes' part (also, lolol hatred of the Mede, I hate them SO MUCH), but I still had to reread that a couple of times. My initial reaction was "he's totally bluffing!" and then no, he was not bluffing.

YOU SHOT THE AMBASSADOR? oh Sophos.

AND THE LIBRARY. It sounds wonderful. And Sophos hiding in Gen's room. WOULD LIKE A SHORT STORY OF INA'S VERSION OF THEIR ESCAPE, PLZKTHXBAI.

Okay, I think I covered all the main points I wanted to, and everything else can be remembered in the comments. Overall, I really, really loved it, and it's still really, really good, and the ways in which it is lacking are bolstered, at least for fans I think, by the characters.

Remind me to tell y'all my adventures in finding my copy. AND REMEMBER, FEEL FREE TO SQUEE AWAY.

my favorite new icon. for realsies.

[identity profile] styromgalleries.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 08:16 am (UTC)(link)
actual title of the post: ONE CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT HOT PIECE OF ATTOLIAN MANFLESH
Pretty sure we knew that was coming from some interview or something Megan did...IDK. I did. But I was still very saddened by this absence. And look at you bein' all considerate.

This feels like a setting-the-pieces novel, and so it was of course going to be shorter, and its not-as-goodness is perhaps going along
I definitely got that from this one. I don't know why
that's all I have to say on the matter. But it is. Deal with it.

and I also found that knowing he was talking to Eddis lessened my worries about how his sections would turn out
Actually I could almost have highlighted this entire section of your post. I agree very muchly, with the whole "Not being as memorable of a narrator" thing. I think that's part of the reason the first person POV didn't work for me in this one. It may as well have been third person omniscient or even limited. There were a few notable humorous moments, but I think those could even have been snuck in there if the narration were third person throughout.

"He was trying to propose marriage and she thought he was talking about a poem he was writing. I was laughing like a very quiet fiend, trying not to make the branches around me shake, and then, between one heartbeat and the next, and to my complete surprise, it wasn't funny anymore."
This is obviously from the final version, and as I only have the ARC (*sob*) I am having trouble figuring it out. I shall have to squee about that later. Preferably not at 3am, like it is now; maybe I can think more clearly then. Oh...just read the next paragraph. Gen and Dite...maybe I do kind of remember it then. 3am, I told you. Thinking = not so much right now. So, yeah, AW!! GEN I LOVE YOU!

And I personally find that frustrating because I want them to be BFFs so that I can have both Costis and Eugenides, because I love them both very, very much.
Hm. You're right about the whole them being on different levels. Honestly, I've never really thought that much about it. I guess I'm just too stuck in Costis's head to notice what Gen is not noticing. But, yes, my dream is for them to be besties in Attolia forever when Costis becomes Captain one day.

And I kind of want Eddis and Attolia to be BFFs as well. They are so different and they had that mutual hate thing going on for a while, but that comforting moment between them (and the one you mention from QoA) just makes me love them that much more.

AND NOW I REALLY WANT MY COPY TO BE HERE! ALL AMAZON TELLS ME IS "IN TRANSIT." THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. I WANT A LOCATION, DAMMIT! AND I WANT THAT LOCATION TO BE MONTGOMERY, AL!!!!

Re: my favorite new icon. for realsies.

[identity profile] elle-winters.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"He was trying to propose marriage and she thought he was talking about a poem he was writing. I was laughing like a very quiet fiend, trying not to make the branches around me shake, and then, between one heartbeat and the next, and to my complete surprise, it wasn't funny anymore."

Oh, it is? I was sitting there looking at that going...uhh...did Jade just make that up, cuz that's pretty darn good? LOL
I swear, I need my car NOWNOWNOW

And I kind of want Eddis and Attolia to be BFFs as well. They are so different and they had that mutual hate thing going on for a while, but that comforting moment between them (and the one you mention from QoA) just makes me love them that much more.
YESYESYESYES!!

Re: my favorite new icon. for realsies.

[identity profile] jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com 2010-03-26 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
HEY SO

I have an answer as to why we didn't get more from Eddis's POV about her and Sophos. I will tell you when I am more awake.

OH GOD, I AM SO GLAD I DID NOT READ THE ARC because that line I oh my goodness I just. Every time. I eat it up.

[identity profile] emerald-happy.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 11:23 am (UTC)(link)
I couldn't wait to see your review!

My favourite moments were when Attolia took Eddis' hand and just Attolia in general. She was awesome here.

I miss Costis. It was nice to see Aris. I hope he gets me a pair of emerald earrings with all those coins Gen keeps giving him :P

[identity profile] styromgalleries.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Attolia really did shine in this one, didn't she? I mean, we've been seeing so much more of her since QoA and KoA, and I knew I liked her, but this book just cemented my love of this BAMF!!

LOVE IT

[identity profile] elle-winters.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I just loved reading your review!! Really well organized!!

But mostly, what I loved about this novel is probably that which puts me off KoA, a little: everyone was back.

<<<----- I COMPLETELY AGREE :-) Omg I just wanted to join in on that group hug, for reals.

2) I completely agree with your number two! That's how I felt about this! It's definitely setting the stage for some hardcore two books coming up.

Costis-I'm sorry Jade, perhaps he was off saving you from being eatten by that dragon? ;-)

I just loved the simplicity of Eddis and Sophos's love. It's a good contrast to Gen and Attolia (which I lovexinfinity) but still.

Also, I love that scene where they're all having dinner and Attolia's like "you should have them all publically executed" or whatever it was that she said and Eddis, Gen and Sophos all look totally uncomfortable, and she's like "What?" LOVE IT.






Re: LOVE IT

[identity profile] emerald-happy.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I swear she used the word "granched"

That's the second time she's used that word. She likes the words ridiculous and granched. Is it possible to ridiculously granch someone? Only if they're a v. annoying Gen pre-QoA, I suppose.

Re: LOVE IT

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Re: LOVE IT

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Re: LOVE IT

[identity profile] jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com 2010-03-26 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
Costis-I'm sorry Jade, perhaps he was off saving you from being eaten by that dragon? ;-)

*pats seat next to her* you, you may come sit with me at the high table. This comment, I like it muchly. :-b

AND YES THE SIMPLICITY. I LOVE HOW THE OTPS IN THIS SERIES ARE DETERMINED VIA INKPOTS THROWING.

question: did MOW and Gen's mom throw inkpots, or not?

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Re: LOVE IT

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[identity profile] tiegirl.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Ok, so I'm not a good reviewer, being all scientific-y and all, but I agree with what you said about ACoK. I probably liked loved KoA more than you did, though I can't articulate why (being more like Costis than you all, which is why he should be mine, not yours, just sayin' ;P we can still be friends, right?). But I devoured this book because of the writing, the shifting POV's, the returning characters, all of it. It seemed much more straightforward adventure story than the others, without all the hidden meanings (ALTHOUGH THERE WERE ENOUGH THAT I WILL HAVE TO LIVE IN SOUNIS FOR AWHILE SO YOU ALL CAN FIGURE THEM OUT FOR ME) of the others. I loved Sophos being an ass and Attolia/Eddis, and OH MOW!! YAY! I missed Relius and Ornon and Teleus (not enough of him!) AND OF COURSE SMEXY COSTIS.

And what is up with Gen? I have my theories about his "ailments" which I will splash all over Sounis and The Conspiracy Room: he obviously has sand colic. Horses living in the desert states get it sometimes, because they pick up sand when they're nibbling on the grass. It messes with their digestion. And someone in Attolia's kitchens still doesn't like Gen. Probably Dite's first girlfriend/sexual experience. She knew she wouldn't end up with Dite, but wanted to be mistress to the King, or even just in the King's favor. Gen royally messed that up.

[identity profile] elle-winters.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
OH, TG YOU JUST CRACK ME UP. I SWEAR. THAT POOR KITCHEN GIRL! Who loves Attolia, dislikes Eddisians, hates Gen and was Dite's FIRST LOVE. HAHAHAHA...

Sand Colic? :O oh, he probably does! Poor baby! And now Sophos will too..hahahaha OH, Sophos you ARE a prince among men!!

*hugs* I totally know what you mean, I suck at being coherant and writing reviews compared to these smarty pants! I've only just started reading books again because I've met people on Sounis with great suggestions, else I never read, don't have the time.

[identity profile] styromgalleries.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
OH MOW!!
That's kind of what my reaction was. He was just there for a second, but I'm pretty sure I did a little happy dance whilst sitting in my bed reading. And yes, I did just use the word "whilst". I've been reading a lot of Tolkien, Mkay? SUE ME!

I have my theories about his "ailments" which I will splash all over Sounis and The Conspiracy Room: he obviously has sand colic
Hm..interesting. I wondered if it wasn't just a general, his health is ruined since he has been laid up in prison, sick and weak and not being taken care of so much. But this could be it too. We shall see, we shall see. I just want my bb Gen to be OKAAAAAAYYYYY!!! I was so sad to see that people were still putting sand in his food, but it was a great little moment between him and Sophos (and Attolia glaring with a raised eyebrow staring at him across the table.

[identity profile] farens.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
OH MAN I JUST FINISHED LIKE...LIKE JUST NOW AND I AM SO FREAKING PSYCHED. AHHHHH. AV AND I WENT TO B&N YESTERDAY AND I TRIED TO FINISH IT LAST NIGHT BUT I HAD FREAKING SCHOOL SO. SO I JUST FINISHED DURING LUNCH. OMG my life. It is complete. So I find it utterly hilarious that the whole book focuses on Sophos (who I love) but I decided to reread the BAR SCENE WHICH I HEART SO HARD IT COMPLETES MY LIFE because it had REAL Gen in it and I just I just I mean I had to squee because I love him and that's why I love QoA so much and perhaps KoA a little less, because there's SO MUCH GEN. But I love Sophos being a BAMF and getting scarred up and rugged and I mean, getting really aweosme in the space of a short time. And he and Eddis are so fucking adorable, I love them so much and their relationship makes me so happy inside and Attolia, I LOVE HER she is wonderful, and she and Gen, and one of the best lines is about Gen and Irene sleeping with knives and handguns...yeah, that made me so happy, along with Sophos tripping Gen and being like Well that felt wonderful, the bastard, and Gen is like FINALLY that felt good too and like I said THE BAR SCENE made me happyful. And I hated the Mede so much, I mean the A-whatshisface guy with the name I can't pronounce. So much. Hate. And I sort of loved the parts though, when Sophos was a slave. Like. That sort of content that was beautiful and you're like I could go on hearing about this, after Sophos gets past his pity party and starts enjoying himself. And I was also sort of like AWWW because Sophos and his dad sort of stopped hating each other which was adorable and you're so right that Sophos's daddy and mommy are completely the Malfoys when bad people love each other and are secretly soft and fluffy with their feelings. Ohmygoodness. The bickering physicians, insignificant as that was also amused me. And GEN TELLING ABOUT HOW HE FELL IN LOVE AHHHHHHH. Perhaps I'm repeating myself at this point...just...man. I loved it so much. Especially Ion. I liked him. But boo that there was no Costis. He really made me love KoA. I feel like MWT was making up for lack of him with the other various lackeys who obligingly put up with Gen/Sophos/Eddis(sort of)/feared Attolia. But I agree, I think he'll crop up in the next book OMG TWO MORE BOOKS I CAN HARDLY WAIT. So. I must go finish reading Othello for English, and squee some more. AHHH I AM NOT GOING TO FOCUS AT ALL TODAY.

SO MUUCH LOVE. *SPINS IN CIRCLES AND DIES*

[identity profile] jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com 2010-03-26 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
AH-HAHAHAHA THAT IS ABOUT WHAT I SOUNDED LIKE WHEN I TOLD MY ROOMMATE ABOUT IT AND THEN WHEN I CALLED QUARK ON THE PHONE TO DISCUSS IT.

I LOVE IT.

HATE THE MEDE.

I AM GLAD YOU LOOOOOOOOOVED IT :-D :-D :-D

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[identity profile] viviolo.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I LOVE THIS REVIEW, it is just the right amount of coherent and squee.

Eddis was AMAZING (mmmmmmmmmm marriage bed lololol), and so was the continued saga of her friendship with Attolia. HAND-HOLDING, aaskjfn;khglsd!

oh, Costis is so in Medea being a superspy. maybe he is guarding the Attolian ambassador! who... probably needs it at this point, to be honest.

"Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous and also kind of funny OH GOD HER JOKES ARE TERRIFYING."

AMAZING TRUE STORYYYY. <333 god I love that they have a matched knife set. it's like His-and-Her toothbrushes! with homicide and bamf-ery.

w-would you mind if I friended you? YOU ARE PRETTY AWESOME.

[identity profile] emerald-happy.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
HOMG. The knives. I am totally making the knives and a new set of dolls. Or am I making handpuppets this time? SO MANY QUESTIONS

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[identity profile] styromgalleries.livejournal.com 2010-03-25 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
I love that they have a matched knife set. it's like His-and-Her toothbrushes! with homicide and bamf-ery
*snort*

They can have a whole roomful of wonderful, matched torture instruments.

[identity profile] jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com 2010-03-26 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
:-D :-D :-D I HAVE, UH, YEARS OF PRACTICE?

AMAZING TRUE STORYYYY. <333 god I love that they have a matched knife set. it's like His-and-Her toothbrushes! with homicide and bamf-ery.

LOLOLOLOL

OKAY OKAY LET'S BE FRIENDS I APPROVE OF THIS WHOLE-HEARTEDLY BECAUSE DUDE, YOU ARE AWESOME TOO

[identity profile] spellcoats.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't answer this coherently right now because I am tired but you are making me very very sad that I do not have my copy yet.

Also everybody fails to mention pimp!magus. Is he not in the final version? If he is not in it, I will be very very sad.

Also this book officially made Gen/Irene/Helen/Sophos my OT4. Between the romance and the bromance and the sismance and the cousinsmance and the...thronesmance? What would you call Sophos and Irene's relationship anyway?

[identity profile] styromgalleries.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Also this book officially made Gen/Irene/Helen/Sophos my OT4. Between the romance and the bromance and the sismance and the cousinsmance and the...thronesmance?
OH GOD LOLOLOLOLOL. SO TRUE!!

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[identity profile] checkers65477.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
This has to be fast--I have a meeting in 10 minutes--BUTBUTBUT.

It's funny; we see many parts of this book in completely different ways, which is pretty cool. Just shows how much the reader brings to a book.

also not a standalone novel, I would say at all, period.

I completely disagree with this. I see this book as the best standalone since Thief. I was so wrapped up in Sophos that his adventure story kept me from being disappointed about Costis's absence. I wonder if this book might bring in lots of new readers, readers that may not have been attracted to Queen or King because they were so dependent on their place in the sequence of books. But Sophos's story is so compelling on its own. People who don't know about all the older political stuff can overlook it and focus on what's happening now.

Maybe this is all because I enjoy Sophos more than I enjoy Costis. Yes, it's true. I thought Sophos was hilarious and very, very dear.

My favorite part of the book, I think, is where Gen spars with the Mede and Sophos pushes him down. That part didn't seem to me to be rushed. I felt like Grumpy Gen was going to go on forever and was so surprised and delighted by that shove.

This book isn't necessarily simpler, but it IS more linear. Readers who love the back-and-forth-in-time narrative might find this disappointing; but again, this could attract a whole new readership who love a great, straightforward, adventure story.

Oops, time's up. Gotta go.

[identity profile] jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com 2010-03-26 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
OKAY CHECKERS

It's also really funny how as soon as you reminded me that this is a book about SOPHOS and his journey that, uh, I totally agreed with you re: its stand-alone-ness. Because if you're in it for Sophos--if you start reading and get hooked by him--then it really is his story. Whereas for me, I focused on everyone else too, and the group dynamic of everyone was what made the book for me.

I, um, have never had strong feelings about Sophos, and while I liked him well enough I still didn't feel like I got as good a grasp on his character in the first-person sections as I did on Eugenides in TT, which might change on subsequent rereads. Whereas Costis, for me, once I got over the fact that he stood between me and the Eugenides of QoA, is just...perfect. But then I am a sucker for his kind of character in general (HONORRRR).

I guess I just didn't understand why that was the point at which the shove came. I mean, I was happy that it came, but it just felt...a little disconnected. I was also having trouble spatially organizing myself in the scene beforehand and figuring out who was where, and so that didn't help.

Did I call it simpler? I didn't mean to! But yes, definitely more linear.

THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT THING ABOUT SOPHOS BEING THE MAIN CHARACTER, :-b.

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[identity profile] rj-anderson.livejournal.com - 2010-03-26 13:08 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] dannybailey.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Good review! I agree with you on a lot of points, particularly:

ALSO SOPHOS'S PARENTS OTP, they're like the Malfoys, I LOVE IT WHEN GRUMPY PEOPLE REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER.

YES! I so agree, and I love the HP reference of course.

I also agree that Sophos cannot live up to Eugenides as a narrator, and given his tone in the new book I think it's safe to say that Sophos himself would also agree. :)

AND, I agree that the resolution between Sophos and Eugenides was quite rushed. In fact, that's one of my biggest issues with the book. Why have Eugenides go to all that trouble giving the cold shoulder, only to have him revert back to his usual self at the drop of a hat? I'm hoping on my reread (which I'm only 3 chapters into right now) that this will get a little clearer.

The one thing that I have to disagree with you on is the assessment of KoA, in comparison to this book. I thought Eugenides was much more himself (albeit himself being stuck in an uncomfortable environment) in King of Attolia. We saw his sense of humor repeatedly as he dealt with Costis, his attendants, and with herself Attolia even. I thought that given his circumstances, his attitude was actually pretty chipper. :) Here, while I understand why he seems more distant, I thought we got a lot less of his personality.

Anyway, thanks for giving a great review! I hope I didn't get carried away in my reply. :)

[identity profile] checkers65477.livejournal.com 2010-03-24 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Why have Eugenides go to all that trouble giving the cold shoulder, only to have him revert back to his usual self at the drop of a hat?

I thought it was that Gen was all like "Oh Sophos HATES me because I'm stealing his country and making him do all these things so I'm won't even try to be his friend." Then when Sophos finally gets fed up and shoves him, they sort of got back on the same terms they were on during Thief. At least, I think. I'm rereading, too.

[identity profile] aged-crone.livejournal.com 2010-03-25 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
"So for that alone, for having double dates with Gen and Attolia and Eddis and Sophos all just being together being BAMFs, as Quark's icon so aptly says, for that alone, I loved this novel. Because in KoA we lost a lot of that, and I missed it terribly."

We had all those marvelous Gen and Attolia scenes in KoA, so I didn't miss anything. But I loved the interactions in this book, and especially that Attolia was the one to comfort Eddis when the realization of how much she loved Costis smashed down on her like a tidal wave.

And also the continuation of Gen and Irene's strange ways of showing how much they love each other - from "you have any mistresses and I'll cut off your other hand" to "If I didn't love you it wouldn't matter *how* many knives you kept under your pillow!"

And the goddess calling Sophos "Bunny."

And and and... I'm re-reading, I'll post more some other time!

[identity profile] kulai-raito.livejournal.com 2010-03-25 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
lol sorry but did you mean "comfort Eddis" when she realized she was in love with SOPHOS??
not Costis now, no no !! I actually, probably out of most ppl, didn't miss him much, he was always the distraction in KoA to enjoy more moments of Gen x Irene!! not that there was much in this one..

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[identity profile] aged-crone.livejournal.com - 2010-03-25 03:38 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] elvenjaneite.livejournal.com 2010-03-25 06:43 am (UTC)(link)
Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous. Attolia was cold and gorgeous and also kind of funny OH GOD HER JOKES ARE TERRIFYING

YES. Partly because you know that's exactly how we all felt when first reading QoA and KoA.

[identity profile] newbia.livejournal.com 2010-03-27 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I liked that Gen was an idiot about Sophos and his loyalty; it was nice to see Gen screwing up like that. Although I did yell at my book at one point, "EUGENIDES. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MARRIED THE ICE QUEEN. You get the whole masks thing, the whole figuring-out-what's-below-the-surface, not-trusting-appearances, yadda yadda, SOPHOS IS IN LOVE WITH EDDIS, HE DOES NOT GET THESE THINGS." Eddis smiles and men beg to walk across hot coals; Attolia smiles and men go "I CAN'T TELL IF SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME, OR IF SHE'S PLEASED."

This. This paragraph is Truth.

[identity profile] avian-xj.livejournal.com 2010-04-04 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
You just made my day so much better :)

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