ACoK: Chapters 20, 21, 22, and 23! AND THAT'S IT!!!!!

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Don't worry! Reading this post will not spoil anything! However,

DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED LIKE MOLDY BREAD!

It's here, Sounisians! Many of us now have our hand(s) on copies of the lovely new book known as A Conspiracy of Kings.
This system of posts is designed to put a little bit of organization in the chaos. Thus, if you want to discuss what happened in ACoK, leave your squeeings, questions, exclamations, and happy-sparrow-in-the-nest chatter in the comments. There will be a post for every four chapters, so it will be extremely lovely if the comments are placed in their approximate place. Of course, that isn't always possible for overall themes, etc. Don't worry. We won't put you in prison. :)
Also, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY, of course. This chapter by chapter thingy isn't meant to monopolize discussion. It even may disappear after a few days in the deluge of excitement that's currently sweeping toward and around us, threatening to wash away everying more than a day old on the Recent Entries page. Yeah. So. Just remember to use lj cuts for any discussion of the content of ACoK!

Happy discussing! Be blessed in your endeavors! We are Sounisians, hear us roar like bears!

Aww, now we're done with all the chapters. But it's only just begun!

Comments

[kaijuu-chan.livejournal.com]

I'm not the kind of person who is even close to aware of the passage of chapters as I read, so I'm just going to post this here, at the end.

Was there anyone else who was NOT particularly surprised by any of the twists in the story this time around? I mean, Thief made me giggle and re-read with an entirely new POV, Queen baffled and amazed me, and King BLEW my mind! But Conspiracy was just kind of... a great read. I LOVED reading it, but I wasn't often amazed or intrigued like I had expected to be. I was also kind of thrown off my the switching narration style. I didn't really feel that it heightened the read in any way either, since when it was third party non-onmiscient voice, it was almost all Sophos's POV in any case. (That being said, the fact that the first section was essentially all being said to Helen WAS one of the twists that caught me by surprise and made me giggle!)

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Hm, you’re right. I was definitely surprised by Gen’s gun gift (I thought really hard about what it could possibly be before we were told -- what could make him cry like that? But I couldn’t think of anything.)
But yes, there was no Thiefy or QoAy TVIST that made you go “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?” and sputter incoherently. The things that were twists were more surprises that clarified things or added new meaning (like the fact that they were in each others’ dreams.)
On the subject: HOW AWESOME IS MOIRA, ANYWAY? Pretty awesome. Really, very, very awesome.
Oh, and I actually wasn’t surprised when it became clear that he was talking to Eddis. When I realized that he was talking to someone, I tried to figure it out, and I decided it was her. Which meant I had a “yessssssssss!” moment at the line where he says something like “to be honest, I would have been more comfortable if you were there, but I didn’t see you.”

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

to be honest, I would have been more comfortable if you were there, but I didn’t see you."
That's pretty much when I figured it out. XD

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

I was surprised by the 10,000 Medes, just like Sophos was. But I think I've gotten better at finding the hints. Like I knew the Attolians were going to be there to fight the Mede.

I was surprised by the gun and I felt that he cried because Sophos who is Sounis is no murderer. The only man he'd ever killed was in the heat of battle and this was going to have to be premeditated and in cold blood. With Gen's blessing I think he pretty much saw that was the only way.

Another thing that surprised me was Sophos walking away from Nomenus in the cell without ordering at least a blanket for the guy. In fact, that whole scene haunted me for another chapter at least.

Okay, I'm getting really disorganized here and I'm trying not to.

Helen and Sophos. That was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. Her feelings of guilt over sending him away with a partial army, knowing they could have sent him with more were really effective. And when he chased her down the hall to apologize I thought it was ever so romantic. *sighs*

I was left with a major sense of unease at the end of this one. WHAT'S WRONG WITH GEN!!!!????!!! Is he really sick or is he just acting it? I know he explained it away as these physicians smothering him, but why did he ask to see Galen in the first place?

I'll stop now, although I'm sure more things will pop up.

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

I assumed he wanted him to look at the healing injury from King, but now I am extremely worried that he might be ill! D:

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Well, I think I summed up most of my thoughts in a little review (http://zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com/55231.html#cutid1) on my lj, so I'll just direct anyone who's interested in reading it there.

Basically I loved the book, but I definitely think it was an in-between book--it's setting up for the fifth book in the series. It also focused less on a major twist because it was a really intense character study, and Sophos isn't a really shady/twisty guy. He's honest and out there, and I think that's why most of the book was too.

But MAN that climax scene was AWESOME and Sophos is totally cool and manly. *swoon* Sneer at me more, Sophos.

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I do agree with saying this book is more about Sophos as a character and that is a very good reason why the twists (which ARE there) aren't as huge/surprising as the others. Sophos is honest. He's not good at lying and hiding things.

[viviolo.livejournal.com]

AGREEMENT about Sophos' POV. Everything is a twist in QOA and KOA and The Thief because Gen likes to lie not only to other characters, but to the audience as well. Sophos himself says he can't pull it off.

But I was definitely surprised by the 10,000 Medes! Well-played, Akretenesh, well-played.

[(Anonymous)]

Late post just quickly because I finished the booky and its late.

So its wonderful that the 4 years wait ended like in 7-8 hours of reading...what happened to 400pages? Blinks* anyways, ya I think well did we need to have a big twist again, caused we all anticipating such turn of events after 3 books, I felt there no use trying to hide things because we expecting it now, I guess. At least it felt we had more dialogue. I felt things were explained more clearly, don't have to play the guessing game we.

So for my interest, how much different is it from the ARC?

Post more tomorrow, or today really.

Kulai

[harlyn.livejournal.com]

The business with Nomenus creeps me out quite a lot too. I really hope Sophos doesn't forget about him.
Gen isn't acting ill, and Sophos and Eddis never really speculate about it. Then again, when something is seriously wrong, he never lets it show. I like the idea that it has something to do with Irene being pregnant much better, but that wouldn't explain the dueling physicians.

[harlyn.livejournal.com]

Wow, that went fast. I still need to do homework tonight, but it was totally worth it. CoK was everything I'd hoped it would be, even if it didn't include a serious twist. Overall, I found it more surprising and unpredictable than KoA. I do hope there's more of Eugenides in the next book, but this was just marvelous.
I'm really interested in the interference of the gods, and Gen's line that Sophos "couldn't offend them with a pointed stick". Because he's so honest? So true to character, and lacking in mean spirit? (I quite like Sophos now, though I'll need to do a compare/contrast with Costis later, b/c their voice is somewhat similar even if their personalities are not. And the way S. hero-worships Gen to some degree is adorable.) If Gen offended the gods, I imagine it would be by refusing a "gift". I don't recall if the library's layout was mentioned in previous books, but it absolutely startled me.
And where did Costis go???

[coyul.livejournal.com]

I think there weren't as many twists for two reasons: Sounisians have gotten too good at figuring them out and Sophos is too honest. Anything he didn't think/say outright, we were able to pick up on from years of practice. Maybe. XD;

I think the POV shift was a little weird at times, but that's because I wasn't expecting it. You can tell when we're actually seeing the scene and when he's telling the story to Helen.

Lol Teddy is the only cool thing in that book

[coyul.livejournal.com]

I'll have to re-read to be able to come up with anything more constructive than reciting funny lines and squeeing. And responding to things that suddenly make me remember something I'd say if I weren't just loving it so much. XD I am so glad the book was as wonderful as I'd hoped. :D (I'm looking at you Deathly Hallows).

[coyul.livejournal.com]

Costis is doing a super sekrit mission for Attolis, I bet.

[alineadrklrdsis.livejournal.com]

I need to re-read the entire book, very, very slowly and at a decent hour. The reason for this is that I find myself disliking Gen. *gasp!* Perhaps it's because I'm still naive enough to not be able to understand the difference between kings and normal men but I still don't get why Sounis & Attolia couldn't have made a treaty without all those pesky oaths. Not only that but why on earth was he such a jerk in the beginning? Did he really think that acting like an annux required that?

Was anyone else not at all surprised at the gun? Same with the 10,000 Medes, although I think that one's just exhaustion speaking.

I sincerely hope that I'll be able to string together more coherent thoughts on it when I've re-read at a decent pace and it's not five o'clock in the morning.

[jennifer19l.livejournal.com]

Hello! New here, my name is Jennifer and I found the Thief series a little over a year ago. Needless to say it was quickly relegated to favorite status. I've lurked a bit before, but with the new book I desperately needed to "talk" to people who loved the books as much as I did!

All that said, I'm so glad I was not the only one with that reaction to the book. The others all left me warm and fuzzy at the end. This one chilled me to the bone. I started babbling to my husband how I was getting a horrible feeling about what MWT was hinting about my beloved Gen. I think it went something along the lines of, "oh my God, she's going to kill him at the end of the series... she's going to kill him and ruin EVERYTHING..."
Perhaps the best description is to steal a couple lines from the Thief. "Little birds began to peck in my stomach." Then, in reaction to the final scene on the roof - "The little birds stopped pecking, and they all fell over dead."

I would love nothing more than to be entirely wrong, but I am very afraid.

On that pleasant note, ::waves:: nice to meet you all!

~Jennifer

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

I thought of Ornon in KoA, telling Attolia "His health was broken" or whatever that line was -- basically that he's never been as strong since the hand-cutting. I do feel something's being set up here.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

What surprised me about the gun was how Sophos didn't even look until the last minute, just as instructed. I mean, the Medes knew what was in there and he didn't!! I know it had to be that way for the story, and I can accept that Sophos is just that patient and obedient that he wouldn't have peeked, but I sure would have! I'd have peeked as soon as I got the chance!

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Oh, indeed, I certainly got some smaller surprises. There just wasn't one big HUGE one.

But I don't mind. :3

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Costis doesn't strike me as super sekrit mission type. *laughs*

It does make me wonder if the next book might be about their ambassadors in Mede. Surely they're being held prisoner by now.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

Hi Jennifer! Perfect description of how I felt at that last scene when Sophos asked Gen if he was okay.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

That's exactly the moment I'd been thinking of. Also, when Gen was stabbed in the The Thief he said he 'should have died'.

But then again, he is messing with the Mede's head -- 'losing' to him in sparring and such. He might be trying to make the Mede think he's very sick so they'll be over-confident. This could all be a ruse.

But I just got a bad feeling in that scene that Gen was really trying to hide something.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

Coyul, that's what I think. I think he's doing something about the Medes since that was the language Gen had him working on.

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

I would've peeked too, lol but then so would Gen and Irene and Eddis only Sophos wouldn't...oh, Sophos you're so honorable and good... :D

[elle-winters.livejournal.com]

Hi Jen!

I felt that way too, but I highly doubt mwt will KILL OFF Gen, I mean, she could, and it would make sense and it would be well written, but I'm quite sure I would never be able to reread the series if he just died...okay, well at least that's what I'm telling myself here....Oh, you just never know with mwt! :X