ACoK musings...

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

I've just started re-reading A Conspiracy of Kings, and thought I'd post things as I thought of them.

I am thinking that the thoughts of Hyacinth, that loathsome little traitor, wherever he is now and assuming the people who kidnapped Sophos didn't just kill him out of complete disgust (there's no mention of what happened to him, is there?), are probably running along these lines:

"Um. So, the feeble useless guy I betrayed and who even in the midst of being kidnapped tried to strangle me with his bare hands and nearly succeeded, is now the King of Sounis; has just sent the Medes packing; is good buddies with the King of Attolia who we all *know* can slip in and out of anywhere he wants; is also on quite good terms with the Queen of Attolia, who frankly scares the liver and lights out of everybody who makes her cranky; and also apparently now has muscles that just won't quit.

"You know, I have always wanted to be an explorer who travels to the far, far, far, far, far, far, far, farfarfarfarfar reaches of the world..."

Comments

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. Wherever Hyacinth is right now, he'd better be shaking in his boots. But I have to think that Sophos won't go looking for revenge... as long as the opportunity doesn't land right in front of him, that is.

Also, "muscles that just won't quit." Love it!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I don't think Sophos goes in for revenge, either, but that leads me to a question I've been pondering. When Sophos meets back up with Basrus, the slaver, at Elisa just prior to the meeting with all the barons, he allows Basrus to pose as the rat catcher Bruno. He doesn't give Basrus away, when most people would be pointing a finger shouting, "There's that dirty slaver who gave me this sinister, though dashing, twisted lip!"

Why does he seem cordial with Basrus? He certainly didn't owe him any favors after what was done to him. But Sophos was "unexpectedly pleased" to see him. pg 249.

What do you all think?

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

I sort of took it as (1) gladness to see a familiar face, like it says; and (2) relief to finally meet a person whose motives he can be sure of. Here Sophos is in the middle of a giant guessing game, what with the Medes who are trying to steal his throne from him but pretending to be his friend, and barons who may or may not be rebels with various ulterior motives, and all of this uncertainty as to who he can trust and who's lying to his face...

...and he sees Basrus, who was always very straightforward with him even though he was kidnapping him to sell into slavery, and who didn't lie or pretend to be a friend or do anything according to hidden political motives. Basrus was in it for personal gain from beginning to end, and that was something Sophos could trust.

That's not a perfect explanation, since there's a line later where Sophos admits to being uncertain about Basrus... "I wasn't sure if I had a wolf or a dog, but I knew how to tell the difference: a dog does what you tell it to," as he sends Basrus off to fetch somebody for a dressing-down. Basically, though, I think the idea is that whether Basrus is a wolf (and too much for Sophos to handle) or a dog (and able to be used as a tool), he only has one motive: his own survival and self-interest. That's comforting to Sophos amid all these other confusing political power games.

Sorry for the mini essay. Does that make sense at all? I'm sure it's only one possible theory.

[creative-lefty2.livejournal.com]

It certainly relates back to the fact that Basrus was technically honest with Sophos. He might not have told Sophos who he was working for, but he was otherwise open about what was happening. I also got the feeling that Basrus was a little apologetic after he beat up Sophos, which would show Sophos that Barsus is a real person and not just someone's puppet.

What I don't understand is how he got Lady Hanaktia on his side. She seriously has no reason to love or respect him.

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

He found out from Berrone's breakdown that Lady Hanaktia had been part of the plot to get Sophos and Berrone married, and then kill Sophos off as soon as his heir was born so Hanaktos could be the regent. Knowing this, Sophos called Lady Hanaktia back into the room to speak to her, and it's implied that he used this new information to obtain her cooperation. Probably he said something to the effect of, "Hey, guess what I just found out? You're a traitor and your daughter's a witness. Now, I could have you beheaded, orrrr... you could help me out." And she agreed.

[katecoombs.livejournal.com]

I agree. Basrus was exactly what he seemed, unlike just about anyone else Sophos had run into in the last few years (including Gen!). And Basrus wasn't malicious, just pragmatically mercenary. Love the dog/wolf quote!

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

I agree. That's actually maybe my favorite part of the book, when Sophos turns to Basrus because in a weird way he trusts him.

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Maybe he went to the Medes. I imagine he'd want to put a large body of water between the three countries and himself.

[ballerina-222.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It seems like something he'd do. Since he can't suck up to Sophos and gain favours like he wanted to, I could see him going to the Medes and acting as a traitor (again).

P.S. Another Princess Tutu fan! I love your icon. And now I think we should be friends :) Are you over at the PT community too?

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

I can't seen him being able to give very good spy information, though.

"He's very good at poetry! No, wait, I can think of some other things about him, don't kill me!"

Aww, thanks. Tutu-ers unite! I'm not really in the fandom, though, I just adore it in my own little corner and frantically push it onto anyone that I can.

Yay new friend~!

[ballerina-222.livejournal.com]

Haha yes, I feel like he would fail utterly at being a spy. Then he'd have to find a new place to run off to, if he was fast enough.

[kindigo.livejournal.com]

I could be totally off-base but I feel Hyacinth's fate was at least alluded to. But I must be wrong because I can't remember what it would have been. Perhaps he fled like you suggest...on the other hand, he never seemed that smart, so maybe he doesn't realize he should run!

I don't know where everyone in the comm is in regard to reading CoK, maybe everyone has indeed read it, but Hyacinth's role is something you don't want to spoil for those who haven't read it yet. Consider an lj-cut?

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

Well, the book's been out for six months now. It doesn't seem to me that we need to worry about spoilers at this point.

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

I wanted to post comments as I went along, but I kept getting pulled into the book and not wanting to come out long enough to go to my computer. So I'll just post snippets and random thoughts.

Sophos thinks that his father despises him, but I'm sure his father loves him. He gets so angry about Sophos' poor abused face.

I do hope we get to see more of Ina and Eurydice.

"That lying little monster complained about everything: the food, the horses, the blankets, the company. He even found fault with the stories I told by the fire, but I cannot recall that he ever once complained about the climbing." Snicker. "Lying little monster."

"Eddis' slow, broad smile appeared. Sounis crossed his arms and bolstered himself against it." Hee!

"We do not, all of us, need to be throwing inkwells." So the stories of that traveled far and wide, did they? (And why inkwells and not inkpots?)

"She only ever gets angry at him." For which I'll bet the court is devoutly thankful.

And once again I have to chortle over "No doubt she had overcome her own rebels with ten men and a penknife."

"Eddis? What about Eddis?"
"It isn't pronounced that way."

"'You're being a fool,' said Attolia. She was sitting on a low-backed chair as Aglaia removed the pins from her carefully braided hair. There was more she would have said, but she held her tongue. Not because Aglaia was there..." Oh, I would so love to hear Attolia's attendants discussing what they've overheard in Attolia's apartments, since she and Eugenides basically ignore their presence and talk freely.

more later...

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Gah! I want to reread!

[sclerotia.livejournal.com]

It is implied that Hyacinth survives because he and his family are certainly alive long enough to betray Sophos' mother and sisters. Sophos will have to do something about Hyacinth whether he wants to or not because now he is Sounis and as a king he can not overlook treachery. Whether MWT ever tells us what he did is another think altogether.

Ink pots and inkwells are more or less synonymous, although inkwell implies that there is a built in recepticle in the desk in which it fits, while an ink pot wouldn't necessarily have such spot.

[sclerotia.livejournal.com]

Argh! "thing"--not "think", although it does make a certain sort of sense that way.