Quinalums and lethium

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

What are the Community theories surrounding Heiro's visit to Gen after his attack by the assassins and before the nightmare?  When I first read it, I assumed she brought the quinalums, at Gen's request, so he could spike his own lethium.  Now I'm not so sure.  What else might they have discussed?


And later, the queen accepts Petrus, the court physician, did not spike the lethium.  After the Dr leaves:

"You trust him?" she asked. ...
"I know something you don't," the king told her.
"Who put the quinalums in the lethium?"
"That too."

"that too" - What else does Gen know besides who put the quinalums in the lethium???

Comments

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I'll admit that the scene between Gen, Sejanus and the attendants was the weakest part of the book for me. I didn't get it at all the first time I read it, and the second time it bothered me that Gen had created trumpted-up charges against Sejanus rather than charging him with what he actually did. We don't learn until later that Sejanus had stood on the balcony directing the assassins and I thought Gen had Sejanus jailed for something he hadn't done. The pleasure I would have gotten watching him destroy the House of Erondites was dimmed a little because I didn't know why Gen had done something so deceptive as poisoning the lethium then forcing Sejanus to confess to it.

OTOH, by forcing the situation before Sejanus could make another attempt or Erondites could put his plan with the mistress into play, Gen resolved it with no one dead and with Dite, who was a pretty good guy, happy in his exile as music master. I suppose he resolved it about as well as it could have been.

By showing us a bit of all three Erondites as they faced their destruction I felt a little bad for them, and it gave me a taste of what Gen must feel as king, making hard decisions that hurt others.

[hemisofia.livejournal.com]

I actually like this scene a lot. I thought it was quite a climactic scene that reveals the Gen that we know from the previous books is truly still there - and he hasn't turned into the pathetic king everyone thought he was.

I must admit I didn't understand it the first time I read it, but what Gen said in the end to Sejanus was revealing enough: that he was doing this to destroy the Erondites House because it was too powerful. I thought it was reason enough. Plus, we know Sejanus hasn't been exactly the good guy before.

I think you are right in saying Gen tried to avoid killing anyone because he hates it, and the only way to destroy the House besides killing everyone in it is to politically exile them with valid reasons.