my thoughts so far

[srowan.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone

I've now finished the Queen of Attolia and loved it. I have to admit that I have started to read it again because I feel like I missed so much the first time around. I also have started The King of Attolia.

I think I liked QoA more than The Thief. It's darker, much sadder and Gen grows so much during the course of the book. Some of my favorite parts are when Gen is struggling with his depression after losing his hand, and you almost think that he's never going to get himself back together, and then he re-emerges to steal the Magus and blow up the Sounis Navy. Is Gen actually dependent on the Lethium or is he just trying to make people think that he is addicted to it as part of his plan to make people think that he's only a danger to himself?

What also strikes me is how different each book is so far. The Thief is told in the first person and is so much less intense than QoA. And KoA (I'm only about 50 pages in) is moving so much more slowly but is still very engrossing. And I feel like, having read so much about Gen, that he has some wonderfully fantastic plan and is just biding his time and moving very slowly and carefully. 

I also really like the humor and Gen's comments. I loved the scene in QofA where he says that he will have the girl who served him dinner as his first mistress when he's king and Attolia snaps back that she'll cut off his other hand if he has any mistresses and he thinks its funny. You can just feel Eddis about to sink through the floor for a minute.

Sam

Comments

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

In KoA (no spoiler) someone says that Gen has never not gotten what he wanted. That's kind of the crux of this book. Unlike in The Thief, it can't be relegated to hi-jinks and gods-intervention. He is battling himself, the gods (to some extent), and the love of his life.
Gen is on some serious proving ground.

Thanks for inspiring that thought. I do love that part...in fact, I always love it when Attolia says awful things, and Gen just bursts into laughter (as you shall see) *waggles eyebrows* Nose to the book-binding!

I'm tired and attempting to be coherent. I'm not sure It's working.

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I Love, love, LOVE the scene where Gen steals the Magus. "Why did you come if not to kill my king?" "I came to steal his magus." "You can't." said the magus in question. "I can steal anything," corrected Eugenides, "even with one hand." :D:D:D

KoA is a bit slow to start (Who is this Costis person?) but wait 'til about Chapter 7. ;) I LOVE chapter 7. And 8. And 9. And... you get the point. Not that I dont like the beginning chapters. Those are great too. :D

I for one think that, although KoA definitely isn't as dark as QoA, it's still dark. (For Gen, mostly... Costis doesn't quite understand what is going on.) Theres one scene, near the end... I'm trying not to be spoilerish, its the scene when ... its one of my favorite scenes because not only does it make me laugh out loud but its also so sad it makes me want to CRY.

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

Sam, that's one of my favorite scenes, too. It always makes me giggle. :)

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I'm a little late here, but if lethium is poppy juice (and it says that in KoA) then certainly Gen was addicted to it. I remember QoA saying that Galen left him small amounts of it, so maybe he had to cut the dose down gradually to be able to stop taking it.

The part in Queen where no one sees Gen and there are rumors that he never leaves his room and Galen sees him to give him lethium? I think that was misdirection to hide what he really must have been doing--getting off the lethium, building up his strength and honing his plan to steal the Magus.

I know there was a post in the past about Lethium, but I don't know how I'd ever find it.