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!

[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.

[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]

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...

[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.