Which book do you reach for first?

[jennifer19l.livejournal.com]

 Now that there are four books to pick from, I'm curious.  Which book is your favorite?  Why?  I'd love to hear everyone's answers.

Comments

[jennifer19l.livejournal.com]

I'll start, unless someone beats me to it :)

Hands down, Queen of Attolia. Why? It has everything. Love. Despair. Ingenious, foolhardy plans. Hidden meanings.

While I thoroughly enjoyed The Thief the first time I read it (and now thoroughly love it), this is the book where I fell in love with Eugenides. And Eddis. And Attolia. And the MoW. And...okay everyone. Except the Medes.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

This is EXACTLY how I feel, too. I read QoA first and it's always been my favorite. Favorite book ever, still.

[lizzyazula.livejournal.com]

The king of Attolia. QoA won me over, but it sort of left you starved for more Attolia/Gen, and KoA delivered. It had a lot of romance (Yeah, I admit, the romance is what made this book for me) It is the best romance I've ever read. THE BEST. It wasn't cheesy or stupid, it was heartfelt, serious, funny, believable... everything you could ever want - and it didn't take up the entire book. A large part yes, but there was political intrigue (I LOVE political intrigue!,) and my favorite boy trio: Relius, Teleus, and Costis - I love those boys. They're not really a trio but...well I think of them that way. I mean this book was PERFECT. The only flaw was the severe lack of Eddis, but let's be honest, this is Attolia and Gen's book. And besides, she made up for it in ACoK.

[jennifer19l.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree about it being the best romance ever. I was recently explaining the series to two librarians at my library who hadn't read the series(?!?!) and that was one of my selling points. It's a romance, but it's not blatant and wouldn't make you cringe if you found out your 12 yr old niece was reading it (as I did when I found out said niece had read Twilight). Every time I think of Gen and Attolia I just sigh. Happily.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I'm either boring or predictable, but I only read them in order. I see it as one big story, and I can't see starting in the middle. I'm always, at least that I can remember, that way with chronological series. Not so time consuming with these books, a lot more so with George RR Martin.

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

I tend to read them in order, too. I feel like I get a better sense of the story arc that way, and that way it also feels like reading one book that takes as long as four, so it's not as much of a letdown when I get to the end.

That said, I also randomly grab whichever book is nearest (usually over lunch, or during times of intense procrastination) and reread favorite scenes. Several times.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

King of Attolia. It's so much fun! And I love seeing the interplay between Gen and Costis, Gen and his attendants, and Gen and Attolia. This is the first book that made me LOVE the series, so it's my favorite, though the others get better and better with every reread.

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

QoA on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays

KoA on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays

On Sundays I can't make up my mind.

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

KoA, partly because it was the first one I read and mostly because it was just so absolutely incredible.

QoA is a close second, though. Clearly I'm a romantic at heart.

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

THIS except I didn't read KoA first. I did fall absolutely positively in love with it first, though.

[ulkis.livejournal.com]

Queen of Attolia, I think. What made me pick it over King is that it has more action (and more of Eddis and the MoW).

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

It can depend on my mood but I reach most often for QoA. It was the first one I read and is my favorite... not just in the series but of all the books I've read it's on my favorites list. It's probably my second favorite book of all time, actually!

I think I've said this before but there is no time at which I fell for a character or a scene and so became hooked on the series. I fell hard and fast for mwt herself at right about page 5 of QoA (and then lost my mind just a bit after the boat scene - holy crap she's good!). There's been no looking back. :) I like Gen (and many others:) very much indeed but if he never appeared again I would still keep coming back. It's mwt's amazing craft that has me completely hooked.

[puppeteergirl.livejournal.com]

I'd have to say I like the Thief and KOA on the same level, and then QoA and then CoK. But between TT and KoA? I just can't say.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

Well, it might change once the novelty wears off, but I dearly loved A Conspiracy of Kings. I just loved it. Sophos was a true, Gen-caliber hero, Eugenides was there, being awesome (and heartbreaking), and Eddis... Oh, I just adore Eddis. I loved her in every other book, and honestly I wouldn't have loved her as much here if I hadn't read the others, and I didn't love her as much before this book as I do now. Her two personas, the queen we've seen before and the raw, real person in CoK, fit together perfectly.

I loved the insights we got into Mede culture, and Sounisian culture, and the politics of the peninsula. I loved the wide geographical scale of it, and the flashes to other books.

I think the only thing that could have possibly been better was Attolia. There needed to be MORE of her.

But GAH! I loved that book.

[eme369.livejournal.com]

Definitely KoA, though QoA and TT are very, very close seconds. CoK would also be close other than I haven't read it as much and like many others I lament the lack of Gen (though it was still great!). KoA was the book which really captured my heart, possibly because of the resonating poignancy of Gen's struggle to deal with the conflicting sides of his heart ~ that which hates being King and that which loves Attolia. This book was so powerful, and so powerfully well-written (with lots of Gen-style humor and intrigue thrown in) that it forever hooked me on the series and remains to this day my very favorite novel.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

The Thief.

Because it is a) awesome and b) doesn't make me want to stab things.

....Although I haven't read CoK yet.

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

Also, because Gen still had all his appendages.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Definitely KoA, by a mile. I love outsider viewpoints of my favourite heroes. When I participate in fanfic exchanges in various fandoms, my request is usually for my favourite character to be observed through the eyes of an original character who initially dislikes him very much, but slowly comes to realise his awesomeness. Wounding must be involved, too - ideally my favourite character getting wounded being awesome, but the viewpoint character initially not realising it.

So, really, KoA gave me my all-time most favourite fictional scenario. Add in the fact that it also featured my all-time most favourite fictional type - the super-clever hero who's ten steps ahead of everyone else - I was just in heaven.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tencups-i-swear.livejournal.com]

The King of Attolia
Except we don't get enough Gen.
The Queen of Attolia
Except we get really awful bits
The Thief
Except we don't get enough . . . I dunno, romance? :)
A COnspiracy of Kings
EXCEPT THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH GEN! AT ALL!

[kitsune-rains.livejournal.com]

I just spent three minutes staring at your icon and cracking up. XD

[kitsune-rains.livejournal.com]

Always KoA. When I'm going on a trip or a plane ride, that's the book I take along. I'm a sucker for the Ha!-You-just-don't-realize-how-awesome-he-is,-you-idiot set up and for the slow reveal.
That said, I almost never start at the beginning of the book. I usually take it either from the Relius Falls scene or where the king and Dite become bosom friends and skip around from there.

[jennifer19l.livejournal.com]

I tend to pick this book up further along as well, which is why I pick QoA over it. The first part of KoA is so painful for me to read, I hate seeing how Gen is treated and how he lets them do it etc. To me it's worse than getting his hand cut off.

[teenareena.livejournal.com]

Definitely QoA coz I have this thing for coming-of-age novel.

Also, this book established all the characteristics of the characters we love. Gen stole a queen and a country! Eddis led an army! Attolia showed her feeling!

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I feel like I should add that I rarely reach for these books to read specific scenes from them. Like with QoA, I may start reading it being like ZOMG BOAT SCENE WANT but I will tell myself that I have to get through the rest of the book first in order to make it to the boat scene.

now, Gone with the Wind, that one I just grab and start flipping through my bookmarks for the Rhett scenes. Mmmmm, the Rhett scenes.

[(Anonymous)]

King of Attolia.

The Thief is great, and it's one of my favorite books ever. But it lacks the depth and character development in the other books.
One of the reasons I love these books so much is because of the characters (and Gen!). And many of my favorites aren't even in TT, and if they are, they aren't as well developed yet.
Queen of Attolia is definitely a close second. It has such a wide range of emotions, a couple of beautiful scenes (like the ending...), and it shows Eugenides at his very best. But sometimes it's just a little too angsty for me.
And Conspiracy of Kings...well, as much as I love Sophos, he doesn't quite match up to Gen. (Or Costis.)
But KoA has everything. The characters are wonderful and the relationships are perfectly written. It has great romance and political intrigue. And it has my favorite "everybody thinks Gen is an idiot until his awesomeness is revealed at the end of the bok."

But they're all so good. :)

[kulai-raito.livejournal.com]

QoA!! I liked that it was third person, it had politics and war and that was it moving from places, and i love all the double meanings and how each section is a scene that i can clearly picturing it in my mind. I just thought it was written really well.

Next is KoA. ACok is good, i love the middle part of course..but too little Attolia and Gen!! Thief, i like it a lot for having Gen narration.

Agh needs to go to bed...

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Naa! This is an awesome post!

I tend to reread whatever it's been the longest time since I've read (baaaad, sheepy grammar or, anyway, that's really an awkward sentence, but hahaha I don't CARE!)

I'm going to have to say QoA, though, because I love the whole middle part of the book in Eddis, and all the HOLY GOAT AWWWEEEEESOME moments in the second half and --- there are so many perfect, perfect bits of dialogue and description.

I have to say, also, that I'm REALLY enjoying the bits of rereading I'm doing in ACoK. I feel like I can open it to any part like at the beginning when he's ... there (spoilerproof) and the middle with ... them, and the end part with ... that.

IT'S ALL REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

*was the only one who said CoK*

I CAN HAZ UNIQUENESS NOW, PLZ?

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

KoA or QoA, I really can't make up my mind. Well... all right, KoA. It's the subtle references back to QoA that get me. So, so well done...

But CoK is slowly working its way up there. I am starting to memorize the bits I read most often. This is a sign I should STOP.

sorry for rambliness... this is a good topic!

[hazelwillow.livejournal.com]

QoA and The Thief are practically tied... I love them both so much. I tend to think the Thief the most "perfectly crafted", though. It's just a flawless entity, so self-contained. Not that the others can't be enjoyed on their own, but they have a kind of inter-textual thing going (if I can call it that). For instance, it really helps to have read KoA when re-reading QoA ~having seen their love later on I can *completely* imagine what Gen's love for Attolia must be like all the way along. But the first few times I read it I felt there was NO emotional buildup --there's less on the page and more in your head than in The Thief, which means on the first read it's hard to be emotionally "with" the characters all the time. Being able to insert that stuff on re-reads makes up for it, but for me there is something sacrificed on the first read. I still loved the ending, but it felt like a flaw. Like, maybe I didn't need his love for her to be a complete surprise ~it would have felt more resonant if it had been more recognizably a possibility, or something.

the surprise of her giving into her love for him (the earrings!) on the other hand, is TOTALLY PERFECT. I always believed her love for him, even on the first read. I think the foreshadowing was easier to pick up on.

In The Thief ~ I must admit I have a thing for first person narration and Gen's is one of the best I've ever read... if not the best. Also, even though you don't know his motivations for much of the Thief if you're reading it for the first time, it's easy to feel what the characters are feeling in the moment anyway, because we're so close to him we get a sense of his feelings even if we don't know ALL of *why* yet. And the sense of atmosphere is SO evocative, especially in the maze --if I'm reading that part at night I get legitimately creeped out. And she broke all the conventions of pov! And it made COMPLETE sense because Gen's a trixter! OMG. Mind = blown.

QoA is one of the best to re-read, though. I think it's the most exciting and... romantic, and... oh boy, I love it so. And the atmosphere, come to think of it, is haunting too (the skirmish on the hill, with the rain and the tents with their lights...). It seems like MWT took more risks with this one and so it's richer than the thief. Actually just writing this is making me realize how much I love it....

In KoA I loved guessing at motivations, but I felt a bit confined to the palace. It was almost clautophobic after all the moving countryside in Thief and QoA. And the emotions felt more muted than QoA, which deals with so much rawness.
BUT you know, each book always illuminates the one before it, for me. And I can already feel CoK performing its magic on KoA...

Re: sorry for rambliness... this is a good topic!

[ulkis.livejournal.com]

For instance, it really helps to have read KoA when re-reading QoA ~having seen their love later on I can *completely* imagine what Gen's love for Attolia must be like all the way along.

Yeah. I love Gen and I love Attolia, but I'm not OTP about them. I'm still not OTP about them but KoA made me like/understand the couple much more.

I wonder if we will ever get back to a Gen first-person POV? I would like that.

[generalblossom.livejournal.com]

The King of Attolia.

[(Anonymous)]

The King of Attolia. Hands down, everything about it was AMAZING. I mean, the combination of Teleus, personal-fave side character Relius, Ornon and Costis was so great that I almost didn't miss Eddis. Relius and Gen in the prison and the hospital remain my all-time favorite moments of the series, although the big reveal about Gen after the assassination attempt always leaves me breathless. There wasn't a single bit that I didn't love... it was simply beautiful.

The Thief is spectacular on re-reads, though, and the Queen of Attolia contains some of the most gut-wrenching scenes I have ever read anywhere.. I still can't read the chop-chop scene without getting this really sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Often I just can't read it period, but I LOVED the end to death. ACoK was awesome, but I have to give it time to establish itself fully in my heart.
~toastisyummy