Return to Speculation

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

I was going to wait until after the TaT reread for this, but the previous post got me thinking about this so I'm go to go ahead anyway.  With another year to prepare now, why not return to our regularly scheduled programming of speculation?

Working my way through past reread discussions recently, the POV progression has seemed more noticeably deliberate. Each book has moved further from first-person Eugenides and broadened in scope. It occurs to me that the books together could read a bit like a historical volume – a collated collection of contemporary works all relating to the life and history of a political figure (a la “The Life and Time of Eugenides the Great”). You’ve got the first-person origin story (TT), an overview possibly drawn from contemporary writings and possibly summarized from journal entries, etc. (QoA), and a couple stories from contemporaries (KoA, CoK, TaT) with a broader view of the political arena of the time and major historical events (the first year of the reign of Attolis, Sounisian civil war and becoming an Attolian tributary, the loss of a Medean slave and some political instability after and so on). I don’t think the final book will be written like a history textbook, but I could see some kind of foreword/closing note by the historian in question (maybe the Tykus Namikus of the map or even MWT herself). I could even see it being compiled by Kamet in a historian capacity like Tacitus or Pliny (who did write a natural history and died in the Vesuvian eruption, btw), especially as two of the books are about Costis and himself.

I feel like the addition of a world map bears this out a little, as well as some comments I’ve seen floating around from Megan about the map.  Am I crazy?

Comments

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Not crazy at all. I love your thoughts!

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

OK, back with more thoughts.

Am I remembering correctly that we know Gen's POV is returning, or is that still speculation (seemingly encouraged by the title)? My guess would be that we'll get multiple POVs this time around, like we did with QoA. I would further bet that the character we're calling Pigeon will be one of them. I think Helen's another likely candidate (much as I want more Sophos), as we haven't gotten much of her in the past, and there's the whole LAVA plot-line to wrap up. I'm not sure who else--perhaps more Kamet, or one of the Medes, or another unknown (perhaps from one of the other countries mentioned in TaT?). All guesswork at this point, though.

I do think we'll get another map.

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking I heard a vague secondhand comment by someone that Megan had stated some first-person narrative, but I am not confident asserting it's true or false either way. I would love to get some Helen because she's a favorite character that just hasn't been onstage as much as I'd llike. I'm very interested to see where the Pigeon story goes, and I could absolutely see that being a POV.

I'm really hoping there's some narrative by a Braeling to provide a fresh (and chilly) take on the political and interpersonal situations. Or possibly the assitant to the Mede ambassador.

[qwentoozla]

That's a great idea and seems plausible to me, especially since The Thief was supposed to be written for Helen, so is an existing text in that world.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard of any confirmation of a first-person narrative, but wouldn't be surprised if there was one. Am I remembering correctly--did Pigeon not speak?? Wasn't able to speak, maybe? If that's the case, it would be fascinating to have the narrative from his POV, with him as a sort of overlooked, possibly disabled kid who no one took seriously but who sneaks around and hears what everyone says. They we'd get his in-my-head narrative. Or, was it just that he didn't speak the language? Obviously, it's time for me to do a TaT reread!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I like your ideas about the POV changes and how they all sort of combine to tell the historic tale of Eugenides the Annux. And, I think you've absolutely hit it on the head that there may be an epilogue/closing note, possibly about the mythology of Eugenides. We'll see!

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

Ahh, Megan left us with such tantalizing crumbs... but crumbs only! I don't know if Pigeon is *mute, struggling with the language, or just shy/mischievous, but I'm SO curious to learn more about him, and maybe get his POV, too!

(*I hope that is not an offensive term, please correct me if there's a better word for those who cannot speak or have difficulty speaking.)

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

I just reread this section last night, and while it never states that he's mute, Pigeon certainly chooses not to communicate in any way besides pointing, facial expressions and a noteworthy smile.

There certainly would be a Gen-worthy kind of irony in replacing Erondites with someone who doesn't speak. And I agree freenarnian, I think that scene was pretty blatantly a preview of a character to come. Kamet himself only had a few pages of screen time in QoA but ended up having his own book, so it's not outside the realm of possibility. I think for a concluding book I'd hope it wouldn't all be in his perspective, but getting some glimpses from him would be fascinating. I agree, I could see the narrative moving between a handful of different characters, playing constantly with the POV and limitations of unreliable narrators to progress the storyline.

Also, I'm tickled by the idea of Pigeon, being tutored by Relius, having his own Relius-like origin story, i.e. Gen saw him looking out at him from under a wagon, possibly seeing him get hit in the face by a peashooter, and knew he needed him around. I love the idea of him being a perfect and unexpected source of information and action in the story.

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

As is TaT, written at Relius' requests and Kamet specifically stating 'for my reader' (readers maybe?).

[whataliethatwas.livejournal.com]

It also just occurred to me that Return of the Thief could potentially be a play on words itself. What if it means not just return of the thief we know and love, but the original thief - "we are all named after him."