Anticipating A Conspiracy of Kings

[eachase.livejournal.com]

I fully expect that I will have to miss next week's chat (tragically, as ACOK is my favorite!), so I thought I'd post my observations, thoughts, and quetions today instead. I will put them in the comments so that you can avoid "spoilers" before next week.

However, I am begging you to make sure you ask the question, "If you were in charge of creating merch for ACOK, what quotes would you use on what merch?" and post all the answers here for me to see! Thanks!

Comments

Observations

[eachase.livejournal.com]

Page numbers reference the Vince Natale pk edition.

1. ACOK is obviously a parallel to to KOA as we watch Sophos and Gen, respectively, take the path to kingship. It's really interesting how much they have in common (neither wants to be king; both are scholars to the extent possible, with an interest in poetry, plays, and history; both have fathers whose ambitions for them do not match their own; neither has the approval of the court in his own country; neither is a great horseman; etc.), however, given the scene in which Attolia gives Sophos her advice about how to secure his throne and points out that his situation is much more like hers was than either Eddis' or Gen's, I wonder to what extent Sophos is a hint of what Attolia's character was like before her father and brothers were murdered and she had to fight for her throne and don her mask.

In QOA, she says to Relius, "Lo, the transforming power of love." and in ACOK, Sophos thinks to himself, "Lo, the power of poetry," (pg. 46) which makes for an interesting parallel between the two characters. Coincidence?

2. On pg. 52 Sophos describes the view to the North out of the window of the Library where he meets his tutor in his dreams. It's a view of Mountains, so one presumes the Hephestial Mountains of the gods. However, the description and Sophos's sense of longing for such perfection put me in mind of C.S. Lewis and his concept of Northerness "understood as a creaturely longing for eternity." Is this a deliberate allusion to Lewis, an unconscious influence, or coincidence based on the fact that Eddis is north of Attolia?

3. Animal comparisons. In TT, Gen describes himself as the "dancing bear" in Eddis's court, while the Magus calls him a viper. In ACOK, Sophos is variously described as a lamb, a lion, and a bunny. Lion and lamb are very Biblical, but bunny not so much. Is that intended as a comparison of who Sophos is intended to be (as seen by the gods) vs. how he sees himself? Someday I need to do a reading and track all the animal references.

Personal Amusements

[eachase.livejournal.com]

pg. 101 - "... and suspected from the beginning that Eugenides might have had a hand in his disappearance."
snarky eac - Well, he couldn't have two hands in it...

pg. 158 - "... won't rise up in our dooryard while you..."
I've only ever seen the term "dooryard" used in Maine literature before. Is it a more global term?

pg. 227-8 - "Also, I hated the scent of his hair oil, which is a stupid thing to care about, and I am not surprised that it makes you laugh."
Does Helen actually laugh because she's privy to Irene's thoughts on the scent of Nahusaresh's hair oil. (Another example of Sophos and Irene having something in common when, to appearances, they're complete opposites?)

Questions which MWT would answer "Not Telling", but You will have insightful or amusing responses

[eachase.livejournal.com]

pg. 51 - Why does Sophos not dream of his Library and tutor until after he names himself "Zec"?

pg. 172 - Why does Gen have Helen ask the Magus to get Sophos to training in the morning instead of Gen asking Sophos himself?

Pg. 173 - Is Costis among the Attolian guard in this scene?

COK Merch Ideas

[eachase.livejournal.com]

pg. 198 "I pray the gods will guide me on my path" paving stones for garden path

pg. 205 "Fare with the gods, and be blessed in endeavors" writing paper or notecards

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Saved the chat for you on my ancient journal. :)

https://ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com/24318.html

[eachase.livejournal.com]

Hi, Lady Jane,

Thanks so much for sending me the chat log and including me vicariously in the chat! Looks like y'all had fun and I was sorry to miss it -- especially to spend extra time sitting in traffic between PA and MD.

One shirt idea I thought of (I'm not sure if I posted it to Sounis) was a pair of shirts: He shot the ambassador / He gave me the gun.

I love the "Long Live the Lion of Sounis" shirt idea. And the Riffin is hilarious.

I, too, found fewer quotes and fewer new things in this book than the others. I wonder why that is? Of course, CoK is the only one that when I first read it, I finished it, turned back to the beginning and immediately re-read it, so maybe I'd just gleaned more in previous reads. I've tried not to note things I've noticed before because it we all did that it would take days for each chat! :-)

Hope you're having a lovely summer. We were thankful for cool, rainy days during our time in PA (such a nice change from TX summer) and not-too-hot, unrainy days for our day trips to DC.

Chat with you in August.

eac / librarian