Welcome to the Malazan Reread of the Fallen! Every post will start off with a summary of events, followed by reaction and commentary by your hosts Bill and Amanda (with Amanda, new to the series, going first), and finally comments from Tor.com readers. In this article, we’ll cover chapter two of The Crippled God.
A fair warning before we get started: We’ll be discussing both novel and whole-series themes, narrative arcs that run across the entire series, and foreshadowing. Note: The summary of events will be free of major spoilers and we’re going to try keeping the reader comments the same. A spoiler thread has been set up for outright Malazan spoiler discussion.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
SCENE ONE
Tulas Shorn can no longer trust the sky and so walks the earth. He is drawn to a particular place and can smell something odd from within a crevasse. He jumps down from a great height, snapping bones, and finds the remains of a T’lan Imass, forced to face in one direction. Skan Ahl tells Tulas Shorn that he can still hear the breathing of the one who was his quarry from behind him, but cannot see her. She was a Jaghut woman. Tulas Shorn goes past him and sees the skeleton of a newborn. Skan Ahl requests that he be turned to see what he thinks is the Jaghut woman that slayed him. Tulas Shorn knows that there is cruelty in both sides of his decision—either he leaves Skan Ahl unknowing, or turns him so that he can see the truth. He turns Skan Ahl and listens to his howls as he leaves.
SCENE TWO
Ralata contemplates vengeance while Draconus and Ublala Pung talk behind her about their journey in a language she can’t understand. Ralata covets Draconus’ sword and thinks that she is meant to have it—she plans how best to take it, but knows she needs Draconus for now to survive in this wasteland. Ublala is still trying to court Ralata. Draconus asks her to tell him about Onos Toolan and she explains how he led them here, to the east, because the Barghast gods demanded they fight an ancient enemy. Draconus comes to realise that Tool is part of the Tellann ritual, and is angry. Relata tells him as well that she suspects Onos Toolan has not found peace in death and will be hunting revenge.
SCENE THREE
Mappo thinks about his vows and how he is desperate to fulfil them, to be back at Icarium’s side. Gruntle interrupts his musings and they talk about war, about the nature of tigers and wolves, and how the current gods of war are in conflict. Gruntle tells Mappo about his visions of his mistress of the hunt lying gored by a boar’s tusk—that of Fener, who was unchallenged as god of war. They discuss where they are going next. Mappo seeks the battlefield to once again take up the trail of Icarium, while Gruntle needs to find his mistress, to take his place at her side.
SCENE FOUR
Faint is trying desperately hard to find a comfortable position to lie in with her injuries and is struggling to succumb to sleep. Setoc has told her that Mappo is leaving in the morning, and that Gruntle won’t be long behind him. Faint worries about who is available then to do the fighting, and thinks that Torrent looks too young. She thinks about how life was so much better on the carriage.
SCENE FIVE
Torrent wakes from a bad dream. He goes to his horse and longs for a homely scene around him, of his own people starting their day. The fact that he is the last of his people weighs heavily upon him. Setoc also wakes and approaches him. She tells him that her wolves sense something out there, and Torrent tells her it is Olar Ethil. Setoc knows that she has drawn close for three mornings in a row, but then vanished with the rise of the sun. This morning she grows bold.
SCENE SIX
Olar Ethil approaches the camp and tells them that she wishes to bargain for the boy—the son of Onos Toolan. To begin with they all argue against her. As they argue Baaljagg fights her and gets his spinal column torn out for his trouble, so Gruntle smashes her face to a pulp. With her words and her offers, she manages to take the boy and the twins.
SCENE SEVEN
Mappo leaves the company, his conscience stained by his desertion of the three children.
SCENE EIGHT
Setoc talks to Torrent as he prepares to leave, to protect the children from Olar Ethil. The company is breaking up around them.
SCENE NINE
Cartographer asks Setoc why the least of their company would be the one prepared to defend the children and give his life for theirs. He has decided to remain here—he can feel that the world of the dead has arrived here—and has no further purpose.
SCENE TEN
Masan Gilani chases on the Bonehunter’s trail, accompanied by the T’lan Imass. She comes upon the field of battle and realises that it is the Bonehunters who have been involved. The T’lan Imass tell her that the K’Chain Nah’ruk were the foes, and that this was a battle and a harvest—that they fed upon their fallen enemy. They say that an Azath as born and conclude that the Nah’ruk were defeated. They mention something about winning their Master’s release.
SCENE ELEVEN
Bottle thinks on his Grandma, on his Father, on his family as he starts to pull himself back together and wake after the battle. He can remember vague parts of how he was rescued from beneath the noses of the Nah’ruk. It sounds as though Quick Ben was responsible for tying strings to Bottle to keep him where he should be. Bottle wakes up properly to realise that Ruthan Gudd has been dragging him on a travois since the battle. Ruthan is very evasive about both a) the fact it looked like he died beneath a pile of Nah’ruk in the battle and b) how he found Bottle. He refuses to answer any of Bottle’s leading questions regarding who/what he is.
SCENE TWELVE
Near the Spar of Andii, Ben Adaephon Delat retrieves two items (one tucked into his belt, the other a sceptre of plain black wood that he uses to inscribe a circle). A presence arrives that is palpable and vast—Quick Ben refers to it as Mother and also refers to a Father. He tells his Mother to beware her child, that he has been among humans for too long, that “when our backs are against the wall […] you have no idea what we can do.” As he leaves, there is the tapping of a cane on rock.
Amanda’s Reaction
The image of that fossilized newborn skeleton is a grim one to open with, and I do like the desperate cruelty of choice offered Tulas Shorn here. I also approve his decision of showing Skan Ahl exactly what the situation is, to take away some of his arrogance and certainty about the Jaghut woman. This is a little reminder, a little echo, of how we first viewed the Jaghut in Gardens of the Moon—that fearsome Tyrant that needed to be defeated at all costs. Since then I have certainly felt my sympathy swinging to the Jaghut people—enjoying their dusty humour, seeing their grace and dignity, knowing characters like Hood and Icarium who have at least a little Jaghut in them.
Some lovely moments in the scene featuring Ralata and Draconus. In this scene I feel that Ublala Pung is actually a nuisance, that he doesn’t add anything to what is occurring. I much preferred the talk between Ralata and this warrior that she simply can’t comprehend.
“She remembered this warrior killing Sekara the Vile, snapping the old woman’s neck. The ease of the gesture, the way he seemed to embrace her to keep her from falling, as if her lifeless body still clung to something like dignity. He was not a man easily understood.”
I was also amused by Draconus’ view of courtship: “Courting is the art of growing like mould on the one you want.”
It seems that Draconus believes himself to be without certain virtues—that he left them behind in the chains of Dragnipur—but his compassion still seems present. Certainly the way that he talks to Ralata about how things pall the more you obsess about them shows that he can empathise with her.
I am not entirely clear who Draconus refers to when he says ‘That bitch […] You selfish, spiteful hag!’ Does he mean Silverfox, who is mentioned a little later? Or is it someone else? Is it Olar Ethil, considering she fashioned the ritual of Tellann?
There has been a very definite theme of vengeance in this book (and, indeed, in Dust of Dreams)—after hearing Ralata, we now see Mappo thinking: “You feel outraged. Violated. This is pride and indignation, isn’t it? These are the sigils on your banner of war, your lust for vengeance.” Makes you wonder how much of his desire to find Icarium is because of him and how he feels, rather than because of trying to protect Icarium.
I love the fact that Trake’s Mortal Sword has such a downer on war—Gruntle really was far from the best choice, if Trake wanted someone hot-headed and willing to charge into the fray. Words like this show that Gruntle recognises the absolute futility of war:
“Soldiers are herded into the iron maw and the ground turns to red mud, and someone on a nearby hill raises a fist in triumph, while another flees the field on a white horse.”
If Gruntle’s mistress of the hunt (who is this, by the way? Someone we know?) has been gored in his dream, does that mean that Fener now walks back into the field of play again?
How does Setoc know about Mappo and Gruntle’s plans, especially when she tells Faint that “Gruntle thinks he’s going someplace to die. He doesn’t want us to die with him.” Is this as a result of the wolves connecting with Setoc?
I like the simplicity of a horse’s life represented here: “I feel you, friend. You do not question your life. You are in its midst and know no other place, nothing outside it. How I envy you.” We’d probably all be better off if we could live in the moment more and enjoy our time for what it is, rather than striving and wishing for more and better.
Ha, I do love Gruntle:
“I told Gruntle of my visions, the Wolves and the throne they guard. Do you know what he asked me?”
Torrent shook his head.
“He asked me if I’ve seen the Wolves lift a leg against that throne.”
Precious is currently a broken soul, isn’t she? Willing to do pretty much anything to gain the power to return home, including abandoning three children. I dislike the way she thinks that Faint and Sweetest will not want to surrender the children, because they are women. I’m pretty sure that Torrent doesn’t want to, and he’s a man. If Mappo were thinking more clearly, then he would be against surrendering them as well.
And what’s this business about being a mahybe? Did this mean vessel?
Gruntle is so bad ass, taking on Olar Ethil like this:
“I will leave you in pieces, do you understand me? Pieces. How’s it done again? Head in a niche? On a pole? The crook of a tree?”
So it seems that Olar Ethil plans to use Onos Toolan’s son to keep his anger in check and focused on the right thing?
Faint’s view of Torrent being too young to protect any of them seems so wrong when you look at him here, facing Olar Ethil: “He’d drawn his sabre, but the look in his eyes was bleak. Yet he did not waver. Among them all, this young warrior was the only one not to turn away.” I love that he is prepared to follow Olar Ethil and use himself to protect Tool’s son, that his decision has been made by asking what Toc would do. As Cartographer asks: “How is it that the weakest among us is the only one so willing to give up his life protecting those children?”
Is there anything more heartbreaking than Mappo’s thoughts when he sends out this plea:
“Memories. The past. All so precious—I want it back, I want it all back. Icarium, I will find you. Icarium, please, save me.”
Even though Cartographer has decided he has no further purpose and that he plans to remain here, the fact that it’s being pointed out makes me wonder if there is a part for him to play in the future.
Masan Gilani’s reaction to realising that her erstwhile comrades have been cut down and involved in a rather nasty battle is a little phlegmatic for my tastes. She doesn’t seem to care one jot about what she’s found, seems more concerned with making sure she is fed.
Very curious as to who the Master might be of these T’lan Imass accompanying her. It sounds rather foreboding.
Love the way that Erikson wrote in the introduction to Bottle as he came around—the fact that we didn’t know immediately who this was, that we knew it was likely one of those we saw fall, and were now desperately waiting the reveal (if we didn’t pick up little clues about who it was). Yay, Bottle!
I’m intrigued by what it was that Quick Ben did to ensure that Bottle wasn’t lost. I guess that he could have spread himself so thinly across all the beasts that he wouldn’t have been able to bring himself back together, but Quick tied strings to enable him to do so. “Grandma, someone tied strings to me. With everything coming down all around us, he’d knotted strings. To my Hood-damned rats. Oh, clever bastard, Quick. Clever, clever bastard. All there, all here, I’m all here.”
Is it that Ruthan Gudd made himself invisible while retrieving Bottle? Or that the Nah’ruk recognised him as someone to leave well alone after the battle?
Wow, Quick Ben. Always creating more questions than answers. Since the only Mother we’ve seen real reference to is Mother Dark, I’m guessing that this is who he talks to. Does that mean that one of Quick’s souls is Tiste Andii? We never knew all of them, did we? Who is the Father referred to, then—Father Light?
All I can say is that when Quick Ben says that things are about to be set ablaze—well, that makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
Amanda Rutter is the editor of Strange Chemistry books, sister imprint to Angry Robot.
Amanda, many of your questions have answers, and indeed, most of them can be found earlier in the series (if not in DoD itself.) Here’s just a couple that I won’t answer directly: :)
Who is Gruntle’s “mistress of the hunt”? Recall his dreams in DoD of a panther. Do we know any panthers?
Who is the master of the Imass accompanying Masan Gilani? Recall that they’re what remains of the Unbound, who have been working for a certain someone since HoC…
I should also say that I love just about any scene that includes Draconus.
And look! It’s the Spar of Andii! It was first seen early on in GotM (Hairlock and QB pay a quick visit) and never glimpsed nor so much as mentioned since. There are so many callbacks to early GotM/DG stuff in this book, it’s crazy.
And speaking of QB, this last scene might be the most frustrating section in the entire MBotF. @@@@@#$%.
Quick Ben!!!! @2 – It could be frustrating, but that in no way diminishes its incredible badassness! Literal chills every time I read that section.
The scene where Mappo gives up the children to Olar Ethil in order to progress his search for Icarium was where I started to dislike him, knowing that his soul was lost.
I love how Draconus has learned compassion during his time in Dragnipur.
Reading about Bottle getting himself together was a big relief. I guess that goes for most vets, since we had to wait a year between DoD and this book :)
Amanda:
Is it that Ruthan Gudd made himself invisible while retrieving Bottle? Or that the Nah’ruk recognised him as someone to leave well alone after the battle?
I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that this is happening after the KCC killed the KCNR.
We had never heard of Skan Ahl before, had we? And we never hear from him again, do we?
Although I was never specifically sure who Gruntle’s dream mistress was, I always thought maybe she was Tool’s sister.
Why were the wolf ghosts terrified of Olar Ethil?
If I recall correctly, the T’lan Imass who meet Masan Gilani are The Faces in the Rock, correct?
And once more I am going to complain that I don’t understand the versions of Mappo and Icarium we get in these latter two books. These characters may have the same names, but they don’t act like the ones we first met.
@5 -Wilbur
Mappo is a broken man, who had the person he loves most in the world stolen from him, and is desparate to get him back. Icarium has defined Mappo’s existence for centuries, if not millenia, and without him, he is lost. This a Mappo who has fallen, hard and fast. It’s tragic.
“Masan Gilani’s reaction to realising that her erstwhile comrades have
been cut down and involved in a rather nasty battle is a little
phlegmatic for my tastes. She doesn’t seem to care one jot about what
she’s found, seems more concerned with making sure she is fed.”
I think this is a little harsh. To me, it seems like she’s trying very hard to bite down on her grief at what she knows as happened, and is doing so by trying to keep focused on the simple, immediate things, on the here and now. It is what many people do in the first stages of grief.
As Saltman already covered nicely, the questions of the panther’s identity and who the Master of the Unbound is can probably be answered easily enough (especially that latter one).
As for Bottle, that interpretation seems spot on. Indeed, if we go back to his POV during the battle in Dust of Dreams, we can see him feeling his mind being torn apart by his constant possession and repossession of the Wyvals. He should have died from that – but Quick Ben is a smarty pants :)
Speaking of Quick Ben, I’m in full agreement that that is one of the most frustrating, obtuse scenes in the entire series! But at least it’s counteracted by the fact that we know so soon in the book that QB didn’t bow out like a chump in DoD.
That scene with the Trygalle party, one by one, all giving in to their desires and abandoning children (symbolism ahoy!) is both heartbreaking and anger-inducing. How disappointed are we now in the likes of fan-favourites Gruntle and Mappo? And what a turnaround this seems for Torrent – the immature, arrogant and ignorant youth of Reaper’s Gale. Toc sure has an influence on people.
That end scene with Cartographer sums up the entire sad episode. I always picture this bit cinematically, with the camera focused on Cartographer and moving ever further and further away, showing nothing around him, until he’s finally lost in the distance.
As for Mappo: As has been said above, he’s a broken man (Trell). Utterly broken. He’s lived in the company of Icarium for hundreds of years, and he doesn’t know anything else. So now he becomes a symbol – much like the Errant – of those who strive to bring back the past (and are surely doome to failure, for the past by definition can never be recovered and made like it was) instead of being willing to move on or make way.
What makes it even more pitiful is that he is trying to recover an individual who doesn’t even remember that relationship, let alone care. And within that Mappo wants to recover him “as is”, an Icarium who wants to keep ignorant of all that he is.
You can pity Mappo, but you have to ask, why did none of his companions ever try to tell him he was on a path so obviously wrong? Presumably because they too have all been too wrapped up in their own personal issues. Even Setoc, who seems to have some gift of foresight, proves that in fact it is no gift at all for she doesn’t use it to change anything, and indeed if anything is blinded by the vision of her own destiny.
Wasn’t in mentioned early in the series – probably Memories of Ice when Whiskeyjack is talking to Anomander – that one of the 12 souls in Quick is a female Tiste Andii? I seem to recall that being one of the 12 who fled across Raraku.
It amazes me how MBotF can ask “Won’t somebody please think of the children?” without sounding like a Mrs. Lovejoy-style self righteous scold. That may be its most awe-inspiring achievement.
@8
Nope.
The only people with explicit TA blood are Topper (halfblood) and Pearl (1/4 blood).
Quick Ben has 10 named souls within him, and two further yet to be named.
Kebharla, more a scholar than a mage
Renisha, a sorceror of High Meanas
Keluger, a Septime Priest of D’riss
Narkal, the warrior-mage sworn to Fener and aspirant to the god’s Mortal Sword
Ullan, the Soletaken priestess of Soliel
Set’alahd Crool, a Jhag half-blood
Etra, a mistress of Rashan
Birith’erah, mage of the Serc warren
Gellid, witch of Tennes.
He himself was a mage of Meanas, a High Priest of Rashan prior to the invasion, and his sister Torahavel was also a High Priestess of Rashan according to the tablet Apsalar finds in BH. They come from a large family in Aren, but the ancestry is unclear, although it clearly has an … affinity to Rashan and Dark.
But the best comment comes from Steve himself in an interview
Q: – Is there enough information dropped along in the series for the fans to piece together, with some degree of accuracy, who Quick Ben really is?
A: No.
Amanda, pretty sure the “bitch” Draconus mentions is Olar Ethil (for what she did to the Imass via the ritual).
Re: Quick, didn’t Steve say that he would appear in the Kharkanas Trilogy, but that we probably wouldn’t recognize him?
Re: the Spar of Andii, … well, I guess I’ll have to wait (a couple of years). [Must not mention FOD. Must not mention FOD.] Although it is, I guess, relevant to ask how ST knew to go there.
It took me a long time, but I have finally caught up with you lovely folks.
I just wanted to thank both Bill and Amanda, as well as all the commentors here for helping me to get into this amazing series. It’s changed the way I look at fantasy and writing in general. I even went out and got a Bridge Burners tattoo.
Wilbur @5: Re: Mappo and Icarium, yes, they are totally different from what they were in the early books. But what I don’t understand is why you think they should be. The Mappo and Icarium of those books were defined exactly by the relationship they both had with one another. Icarium constantly searching for his past, Mappo constantly obscuring it, keeping each other on that endless cycle and avoiding the outbreak of Icarium’s rage. The threat of what Icarium might do was always there.
Once Mappo was removed and Veed took over Icarium’s purpose was changed to use that rage against Rhulad and that brought him close to one of his creations which opened him up to his past again. Both his search and his rage were exposed. So is it any wonder that Icarium is massively different? No, not to me it isn’t.
And Mappo himself is also defined by his relationship, and he’s been trying to recover it ever since they were separated. That search grows increasingly more desperate so it doesn’t surprise me that he too has changed. Is his choice unlikable? Sure is, but it’s clear he feels his existence is defined by Icarium.
They don’t surprise at all with what they have become.
Hi all,
Popping in quickly on one of my sporadic–“hey look–I have an internet!” days.
that opening description of Tulas Shorn works in a few neat ways. One is that image of the high brought down low. One way of course to read that is the formerly high or powerful being taken down, something that we have seen already but that is also clearly potentially something we are heading for. Another way to read that is to see how those who are “high up”, are powerful, lose touch with those on the ground–the average or common person. All those obstacles we common folk have to struggle with are mere blips far below to the aloofly powerful. To put it in thematic terms we’ve grown familiar with over this series–it’s hard to have empathy when you’re looking down on everyone–literally and/or figuratively. Finally, one can also see in that “truncated lines of sight” the ways in which we groundlings, we mere mortals, struggle with long-term thinking and viewpoints, which may go a bit to explain how destructive and self-destructive we can be.
down in the actual depths (in more ways than one), I like how this little scene gives us a bit of a parable of how we are haunted by our actions, our desperate desire to not be haunted–to gain peace despite the results of our actions. I like as well Tulas’ line, “I am not particularly inclined to mercy.” Oh, how are views on this Jaghut–T’lan Imass have turned!
It’s a nice move from that stark horror of the T’lan Imass vengeance to Ralata and “Vengeance held tight like an iron-shod spear in her hand,” implying this obsession with vengeance may not be for the best.
Note that little further reminder of the green spears in the sky (the “Strangers”), then again a bit later yet another reminder via Mappo’s “green sheen”–we are clearly not going to be allowed to forget them. Wonder why?
Yeah Amanda, I confess to not being a big fan of Ublala here either.
In Draconus’ words about stepping on something unintentionally, “An insect. A snail. A lizard”, we see an echo of that image from Tulas’ scene of the high and powerful being aloof, being oblivious to the paint they cause or fly over. And it’s also interesting that we have two such beings, each imprisoned for a long, long time, neither perhaps the same as what they once were. Could a cold Draconus have spoken of his “penance”? I think not.
I think Amanda when Draconus follows up “That bitch!” with “You selfish, spiteful hag,” it is meant to point us toward Olar Ethil rather than Silverfox.
from one character wondering what he’s lost over time to another character wondering the same, as Mappo questions whether “his nobler virtues had withered on the vine.” A question that sets us up nicely for what is about to happen with the just-referenced Olar Ethil. It has been a while I think since I’ve mentioned this, so it is good to stop here and just note the way in which Erikson uses these similar themes or echoes or set-ups to unify this book/series and also move us smoothly from one segment to the other. One can see another echo in the image shift from the undead Tool as a “thing of bones” and the “skeletal branches” of Mappo’s soul. Note as well the repeated reference to the idea of “penance.”
I, like Amanda, enjoy Gruntle’s antipathy toward war as a First Sword, and I love Mappo’s understated, “I warrant Trake takes little pleasure in his chose warrior’s views.”
What does Setoc dream? Are her dreams different than what the Wolves would wish? What might it mean if the answer is yes, or no?
We’ve seen that panther before in his dreams. And another panther as well, several times. So I think we are pretty clearly meant to put those two together here (and that, btw, may be one of the last “clear” thinks in this particular storyline . . . ) As for that rape reference, I take Gruntle’s words to Mappo about not being too literal to heart here and read that as his dreams being meant to goad him into action, toward a certain direction, and the sender of those dreams knowing Gruntle’s sore spot with regard to rape and war (remember Stonny). Mappo seems to think it is Trake sending those dreams, “feeding” Gruntle the “ripest meat.” And while the
“does she haunt you, whoever she was,” can easily be read as a reference to the panther, the mistress, I see it as a reference to Stonny.
As with the green shards, another reminder of Fener. Does he yet have a part to play?
Faint’s wish, “let’s not bury any more friends, shall we,” could stand in for the reader’s plea to Erikson at this point: “Please, not Fid. Not Lostara. Not . . . ”
In that vein, when Setoc says “I will miss Gruntle,” does she mean simply when he leaves, or is she already mourning his death, the one she says he believes he is heading for?
So many of these characters are so complex, with so many millennia of actions and reactions, results and regrets, so many motivations and games within games and unintended results, etc that it is nigh impossible to know who to root for or against or whether one should root at all. That said, I can’t help but love that moment when Olar Ethil starts to invite Baaljagg into her company, and he jumps her mid-invitation. And again a moment later when Gruntle punches her in mid-veer (not to mention his line, “Spit on the tiger god!”)
Whose “ancient betrayals” was Baaljagg responding to? Since he attacked Olar Ethil, is it implied the ancient betrayal was hers? If so, what does her acknowledgement of that say? Could she too be thinking of “penance”? And what does it mean that she fears Tool being unleashed in “this way”, in such dark anger? Does that mean he can’t be trusted to do what she wants him to do? Or does it mean that what she wants him to do should not be done in such anger, that it requires something else–love, compassion? Is that possible? This sort of rich ambiguity, while I can see how some can find it frustrating, is one of my favorite aspects of this series. Then again, it’s possible our author doesn’t see it as ambiguous at all, and I just suck as a reader . . .
What a grim scene this is. And yet, as mentioned above, it is not really clear how grim the result is. Though certainly it is dark in how children are given up to serve the needs/desires of adults. And made even darker by how much we have loved Mappo, how pure his loyalty to Icarium had seemed, how noble we had thought him, and now to see him fallen to this, and worse, to have him note his own fall, and yet continue. But even there, it is not wholly grim–we have Gruntle’s first stand. We have Setoc’s anguish. And we have Torrent–the “pup”–who will abandon them. And we have what stands behind Torrent’s choice–Toc. I love the simplicity of that line–
“Why do you do this?”
“I knew Toc.” Three small words. But to the reader who has come this far, those three little words say so much.
so Masan’s T’lan Imass want to free the Crippled God. Who are their enemies to stand in their way of this (the Forkrul Assail, who feed off of the CG, are clearly one such enemy)? Who are their allies? What is implied by their knowledge of Shadowthrone? Asking if ST is a liar would seem to indicate he has promised them something, negotiated somehow with them. Is he then in accordance with their goal? Or did he lie about being in accordance?
I’m not only happy that Bottle is back, but I like this stylistic shift here–the discontinuity, the associative/allusive nature of it. The mystery (who carried him away, though we get a pretty good hint–“your touch was cold, gods it was cold!”) And how it lets me root once again for Quick Ben–“oh, clever bastard Quick. Clever, clever bastard.” And I’m glad Ruthan Gudd is here as well.
And speaking of Quick Ben. For all the mystery around this guy, it’s finally nice to get a scene that clarifies so much about him. Sigh.
Despite the frustratingly opaque nature of this scene, it remains one of my favories, both for its mystery and its stirring nature, its heightened language and tone and emotion.
So many questions in this. Mother. Is this simply capitalized as a reference to his unknown specific mother? Or is this the Mother we’ve seen referenced so often–Mother Dark? Is the Father an unknown father, or is it Father Light? Is it “old blood” because so much time has passed? Or because it has been thinned in other ways? What was Quick Ben’s choice? Why the odd phrasing of “The two of us did the best I could”? Is it he and his father did the best Quick could? Is Quick referring to himself as two people? Is the “We’re still here” a reference again to himself as multiple or does it mean that he and someone else are still there–a sibling perhaps? What did Quick almost get all of and how did it change him/them? Do his souls work in here? Was he/they collecting souls? Or could “get them” refer to killing someone, say, in vengeance? Which might indeed change someone. Who is the “them” he has been amongst–mortals? All his time with humans has become the dominant shaping aspect of his personality as opposed to his Mother’s shaping? If Mother Dark is the Mother, then Rake opened the way And then Nimander is the one who much come claim the sceptre? What is Mother’s part–Mother Dark is back after all. What is Father’s part? What is meant by “If he is of a mind to?” Could that be a reference to a god who seems to want to stay out of things, since Father Light seems absent? Could it be a reference to a father (as opposed to Father Light) who is often indifferent to events (say, Osserc?)
I get a chill every time with that “we will blaze!” Every time. Seriously. Every time.
Also, I know that reading Forge of Darkness, if it doesn’t actually throw a clarity of light on this scene/Quick Ben speculation, does throw some differing spectra of light in terms of that speculation. The spoiler thread would probably be the best spot for that I’d think (until we get to Forge of course . . . )
Shadowthrone. What the hell is he doing there? . . .
When I first read through to the Quick Ben scene after a year of not knowing, I’m pretty sure I shouted out a YES! with an accompanying fist pump.
Very cool that he was back and with such interesting yet mysterious details.
And, yes the Mappo scene is heartbreaking.
The scene in which Olar Ethil confronts the Trygalle group struck me a shocking display the power of words. Just stop a second and think of the collective power of the Trygalle group. We have Mappo – who was able to knock out Karsa Orlong and survived a fall down a cliff and a tumble into Burn’s realm – badass. We have Gruntle – who is a Mortal sword, single-handedly defended a building against a huge mob of crazed attackers, and survived a fall from a high flying demon’s clutches – badass. Setoc – who is a beast hold destriant, commands an army of spirit wolves, and is hinted at having extreme powers yet to bud – imminent badass. Could you imagine any physically-oriented character from the series walking up to this group and walking away with their charges? Olar Ethil systematically took apart each of these badasses with just the power of words (albeit words gained from intimate knowledge unavailable to most non-ascendants).
This scene made me think of the Karsa Orlong scene in the previous chapter where he states: “You say that I am a man of too few words, but against the sea of needs, words are weak as sand.” We have seen Karsa grow from his early stages when he believed the ultimate end was destruction of the ‘children’ and rise of the Teblor through force of physical prowess. He now recognizes the value of some ‘children’ as his friends (Leoman, Torald Nom, and Samar Dev). He now recognizes the stories of rape, plunder, and pillage from his grandfather that he used to covet were not all that glorious after all. He even managed to stop and watch when Rake battled Traveller. The Karsa of old would not have been able to restrain himself to spectator at such an event in my opinion. But now we see one more avenue of potential growth for this uncanny unstoppable force. If Karsa found himself in the presence of either Olar Ethil or Badalle and discovered the true power that words could offer, he would no longer be an unstoppable force, he would be THE FORCE.
All these different styles of exerting power we see in the various characters makes me think of the reality series Survivor. Some contestants survive by outsmarting the competition, some by winning the physical challenges. But the winners usually have to use some combination of the above. Which characters in MBotF can outwit, outlast, and outplay? Can’t wait to find out!
@Coldar
The Survivor analogy is an interesting one, because it is definitely that kind of game that the Errant and other Elders are playing – gang up, backstab, never trust for long.
Yet Shadowthrone & Cotillion seem to have a different approach … don’t play their game … change the rules!
Well, its nice to know I’m not alone in being utterly lost regarding the Quick Ben scene. Judging from others’ responses, sounds like even finishing the series won’t answer all of the questions that scene raises by a long shot. Still, definitely looking forward to finally popping over to the spoiler thread after all this time (little less than half of the book left!).
I just have to say the scene where Olar Ethil takes the children was heartbreaking to read. It started on such a high note with the general defiance of Olar Ethil (esp. Gruntle), but then to watch as each character places their own desires ahead of the children was so sad. Very well done, though maddening and sad.
Won’t spoil anything for Forge, but I think that admission from Draconus definitely shows that his time in Dragnipur has changed him.
Just some more (temporary) speculation on the QB scene:
– He was pretty assuredly referring to Mother Dark;
– His reference to “them” was to her grandchildren living among humans, particularly Nimander (and thereby changing and acquiring some surprises from us – (“you hve no idea what we can do”);
– “Father” could be Nimander Purake (Anomander’s dad) or Draconus or Father Light or Anomander, himself. Or perhaps, Ben’s biological father?
His “we” — the “two” — that may have to wait, but my first speculation was that he was referring to Bottle and himself.