Community Readalong, week 2: The Thief, chapters 8-12

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

Reminders: Please refer questions about leading discussions to Jade, and please keep all Conspiracy of Kings comments spoiler-free as a courtesy to us poor souls who haven't read it yet. Thanks!

(All page numbers in this post are from the hardcover Greenwillow edition, with the ugly statue of Hephestia on the front.)

First line: “ ‘We’ll have to wait until nearly midnight,’ said the magus. ‘We might as well get something to eat.’” (115)

Last line: “You’re welcome, my queen.” (219)

As Jade noted last week, the second half of this book is where the plot really takes off—objects are stolen, the Attolian Guard is evaded, prisons are escaped, and secrets are revealed.  We also witness Gen’s confrontation with the gods he didn’t believe in, learn of Ambiades’ treachery, and hear for the first time about the Mede Empire.  Furthermore, we are introduced to the queen of Attolia, the captain of her guard, the queen of Eddis, and Eddis’ minister of war.  And Pol dies.

One great thing about this book is that even with all the exciting plots, we get character development too.  Gen gains respect for his companions and risks his life to help the magus and Sophos escape from Attolia, while the magus comes to respect Gen in turn, believing he deserves to know about the Mede Empire, for instance, rather than treating him as a tool.  And we, the readers, get socked again and again by Gen’s brilliance.  (At least, I do.)

Lines I like:

“ ‘This way,’ I hissed, ‘when they hear us chatting like happy sparrows in our nest, they won’t immediately be able to find us.” (187) [Gen’s turns of phrase delight me.]

“A thief never makes a noise by accident.”  (194) [Another reminder that Gen is usually deliberate about his actions, even when he appears to be out of control.]

“Oh, I believe that Attolia sends best wishes that the Queen’s Thief is well and hopes that she will have a chance to entertain him for a longer period sometime in the future.” (208)  [Be careful what you wish for, Attolia!]

Let’s hear from you! What do you have to say about this week’s chapters?  Do you have favorite lines?  Plot moments that amaze you?  Moments that resonate either with this book’s ending or with the rest of the series?  What are/were your initial impressions of characters we met for the first time in this reading?  Any eulogies for Pol out there?  What about reactions to the reveal(s) of the ending in general—either from this read, or remembered from your first one?

Next week: The Queen of Attolia, chapters 1-7

Comments

[mortalasabee.livejournal.com]

Here's what I think: God Eugenides says "take the stone." Gen has permission, and thus is not stealing it. This would explain how he survived near drowning. (Possibly the gods intervened to break the door?) Gen was holding the stone in his hand AND THE MAGUS TOOK IT FROM HIM. He did not have permission, he simply took it from his hand. Since it still belonged to Gen, when he took it back from the magus at the ford he was not technically stealing it, so its power was still protecting him. When he gives it to Eddis, she holds out her hand, and he drops it into her palm. The instant he lets go, he blacks out, goes into a fever, and almost dies. He GAVE it to the ruler of his choice, relinquishing its power over him.
I think that his living was an offense to the gods because, as Eddis says, the stone is not from this world, and was not meant to go on forever. It is time for it to move on.

That is my interpretation.
I know what you mean about interpretation--I hate picking things apart. But with MWT, nearly everything is a riddle that is worth untangling.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about interpretation--I hate picking things apart. But with MWT, nearly everything is a riddle that is worth untangling.

Yes, I agree. And I enjoy it here, because I suspect (no, know) that the author is brilliant and is giving us clues everywhere, if only we are smart enough to figure them out. That's why I have you guys. I cannot tell you how much I have learned since joining! No, Philia's comment just made me think of high school poetry, that's all. I do not, in any way, compare our discussions here to those we had in high school. Apparently our high school, which was supposed to be good, could not hold a candle to Sounis.

And, btw, thank you for clearing up the whole Gift question for me!

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say Gen isn't stealing the Gift. You're SUPPOSED to steal the Gift, right? You're just not supposed to steal it for your own personal gain.

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Aah! Lightbulb moment about the fainting afterwards! I had always thought that it was just Gen's immense strength and endurance and general skills that kept him going, through the city, across the river, and up the mountains. But the gift, too, must have helped. Good thinking.
Oh, and I just remembered... near the end doesn't Gen say in the narration that [misquote because *semi-sob* I don't have TT at the moment because I'm loaning it out.] "The only thing that had kept me going was the thought that I was carrying Hamiathes' gift to my queen"? It was probably a mixture of both. I don't think the gods would want to make it too easy for him, keeping him conscious no matter what. (but "easy" isn't a very good word. Not when he had to escape and hike and flee and all that with a huuuuge wound all night.)
Ah, well.