Eddis, Attolia, Sounis

The review was interesting, but the review of Eragon was hilarious.

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emerald-happy.livejournal.com

Yes, it was!

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peggy-2.livejournal.com

Thank you Jade! I laughed so much the dogs came over to make sure I was ok. Good thing no people were around.

God I love my job

Priceless. :)

*goes to find Keturah and Lord Death*

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Oh, those are funny. I've never heard of the first series she mentioned, but the review of it cracked me up.

But she didn't like QoA! That makes me sad. :( There are hints all through that book; they're just hard to pick up in the first read-through. At least people have been telling her that. :)

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This touched on a reaction I felt when I first read QoA -- namely, I LIKED hating the Queen, and resented having to rethink her and end up possibly liking her!

However, I now adore her.

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empmai.livejournal.com

I always loved Att.
Her debut in TT was fabulous and I was all "ahhh the boy she loves just insulted (kind) and worshipped (beautiful) in one sentence, so she doesn't know what K to do; kiss or kill him. He's totally flirting - like a little boy on the playground throwing sticks at the girl he loves".

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jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com

I am amused that both Avian and Willow went to suggest she reread QoA. *giggles at the vigilate-type nature of the Sounis fans*

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Ha! I just did, too!

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Um. I still don't like her. Not at all. Should

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crazyviolin.livejournal.com

Ohh, sorry. That was me. Couldn't sign in. Yeah, I don't like Irene at all. She's too cold and unfriendly. I don't care what Gen thinks, he is obviously not the best judge of character. (And that would probably be the first time I've ever critizised him).

Love those reviews:) Thanks for posting them. But Jonathan Strange is looming and I've been putting him off for about a year. But oh well. Amazon's about to get a nice big order from me.

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I would say by the end of QoA, I didn't like Attolia, but I did understand her. In KoA, I started to really like her.

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jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com

*shrugs* I think it sort of goes along with what you said--in QoA I understood her. I also read that one first, and she fascinated me, I think, and then after reading TT and rereading QoA I really adored her, in that sympathizing kind of way.

But I have always been overwhelmingly fond of her. ^_^

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I'm afraid I loved Attolia right from the start of the book (I read QoA first). :P I always like characters who mask their emotions well, and she certainly does.

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empmai.livejournal.com

Me Too.

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Yo, Lesser Known Attolian Goddess of Mercy and Brilliance, you had some profound things to say to the reviewer that made a lot of sense to me. Ok if quote them here?

Thanks! I knew you wouldn't mind! :P

Here's what Philia said:

"One thing I think you're ignoring is that Gen is fairly young in The Thief -- probably 15 or 16. He's young enough to not really understand his feelings in "Thief." In QoA, he's a crucial year and more older. He also understands perfectly well why she has his hand cut off -- even if we don't, the first time through. He left earrings on her night table, entering her room while she slept. He spies on her. He's expressing his love for her all wrong, in an adolescent, look-I'm-so-clever-and-sneaky-but-I-have-no-clues way, and she is afraid of what he might do. I think that even though he is horribly wounded and depressed at the loss of his hand, the worst of it is that he knows it was his own damn fault.

I guess the way I see it is that, at the end of "Thief," Gen is torn in his feelings. He remembers the lovely girl in the garden, he sees the beautiful woman, but he knows all the stories of her cruelty and he's afraid of her -- and all the more afraid of her because of the feelings she arouses in him -- feelings he doesn't want to have. He doesn't tell us everything, because that's just Gen, isn't it?

Then I think you have to assume that some stuff happens during the next year, before "Queen" starts, where the magus sends him more information about her, he goes to Attolia and spies on her over and over, he watches her and starts to really understand what makes her tick and admire the way she holds her throne against traitors, and sympathize with her in her isolation. And then he rather stupidly reaches out to her with the earrings and (possibly) notes as well.

There's a similar leap that happens between "Queen" and "King," I think, where you have to reconstruct how Gen must have sworn he'd just be a figurehead, and Attolia decided that that wasn't going to work and tried to change his mind...Part of the fun of all three books is filling in the missing pieces yourself.

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Sorry, forgot to end my quote. It's all Philia.

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Well, I don't think I changed her mind, but I felt I had to defend the book. I'm kind of surprised to see this reaction from someone -- loving the other two books but not liking Queen, because if you absolutely made me name my favorite (which I would resist) it would probably be Queen. The first time I read it, I kept using the word "stunning," and after multiple rereads, I only love it more.

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I agree about Queen. I read it first so I've wondered if that is why it is my favorite, but "stunned" is the word that describes me when I read it.

Megan has said that she did not think of writing a sequel to Thief until after it won the Newbery Honor. Gen's falling in love with Attolia may have been an idea that came later. Certainly there is no indication in Thief that he did love her, but I think your explanation works well, taking into account all the clues from Queen.

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Yes, I think that's what this reviewer has picked up on -- that Thief was written before there was real thought of getting Gen and Attolia together. But in my opinion our esteemed author did a wonderful job of making it plausible. I myself feel that you can go back and read that scene between them in "Thief" and see that there's a double meaning -- even if Megan didn't mean to get them together at the time, her subconscious left the door open for it.

In fact, her subconscious must have known she was going to write sequels. Otherwise, why all that stuff in "Thief" about needing to unite the three countries to oppose the Mede, if the book was going to end with the three countries still separate -- and that "invitation" from Attolia for Gen to come back.

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Good point. Thief left hanging threads and unanswered questions. And many opportunities.

The reviewer also had a quibble about Gen and Attolia's conversation in Thief. She felt that showed that Gen had no feelings (well, good ones, anyway) for Attolia because of his cutting comment about her kindness. But Gen talks that way to her all the time! He talks to everyone that way, really. In fact, the more danger he is in, the more he seems to mouth off.

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Plus, he's all the time noticing how beautiful she is, and how she reacts to his comment and all...you don't have to convince me!

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emmaco.livejournal.com

*frantically trying to catch up with the blogging world before starting real life again after holiday*

Thanks for the link! I like the range of books she chose to review, even if she did diss my favourite MWT. I admit I didn't finish reading Eragon (my eye balls were bleeding from Teh Drama and the language) but sincerely appreciated her take on it.

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I want to read Eragon now (or at least attempt to), just because it sounds like it's so poorly written it'd be funny.

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crazyviolin.livejournal.com

Maybe I should explain why.

Well, perhaps I'm jealous of her. She's married to my favourite fictional character after all. I read QoA first too and Irene was scary. I was only ten. Obviously I'm remembering the traumatic childhood experience of reading about the woman who just cut off some guy's hand for no apparent reason. Thinking back, I actually thought Gen was a random pickpocket or something.

I've never admitted this before, but in some parts of QoA, I didn't like Gen. Still don't sometimes. Shock!! But I argue with my friends sometimes and it's a bit like that in a way. Rereading made me realise that he was angry and scared and everything but he doesn't seem very nice sometimes. So it wasn't too much of a surprise that he liked the Queen of Attolia.

Well. Yes. I still don't like her though. I don't care how she suffered or whatever. Elizabeth I never married and she did fine. Mary I on the other hand (hmm bad choice of words) married a foreigner too and went on a Protestant murder spree for political reasons (dispersed with religious). She was suffering and pressured too and I don't sympathise with her, even if I'm the only one in my history class who doesn't.

I'm stressed out now. How could Gen do this to me!? I'm going to go reread The Thief to comfort myself. Nothing beats original Gen.

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I adore Gen, but I don't always like him, either. I mean, I do like him, because he's on paper and I relish him. But if I had to live in the same house with him, I would be throwing a lot of inkpots! Imagine just trying to get a straight answer about something simple, and having it turn into a court intrigue!

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If I were married to someone like Eugenides I'd spend many days screaming in frustration. He doesn't merely deceive...often he just tells baldfaced lies. Really, he needs a wife as strong-willed as Attolia to keep him in check. Otherwise, his wife would be miserable, and he'd get himself in trouble...well, more trouble than he does. :P As it is, Attolia gives him a lot of free rein, (reign? :) but puts her foot down every so often. Relius did tell her that if she had met her match, so had Eugenides.

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