Well, after a short (ish) hiatus, I'm ready to start posting again!
Except that I don't remember most of what I read: great.
The Divine Comedy's taking me a good while; I just keep ending up doing other things, despite vaguely wanting to continue reading it. It's not really engaging, somehow.
When I left off, Dante and Virgil were passing through the desert of those who committed violence against God. Through this, he passes on what I believe to be a strip of land in the middle of a river of blood. On this strip, the heat of the desert is cooled.
Reaching the next circle, Virgil drops the rope around Dante's waist down (perhaps he was wearing a monk's habit). This lures the beast Geryon (slain by Hercules for his oxen; the description used is found in Rev. 9:7-10) who carries them down on his back.
This Eighth Circle is itself divided into ten chasms, which are crossed by ridges and bridges (heh).
In the first, two groups flee in opposite directions (some towards the two, the others away from them) from demons who smite their backs with scourges. Here are the panders (those who further affairs [which, interestingly, seems to be a markedly less-serious sin]) and seducers, including Jason (who seduced Hypsipyle and abandoned Medea).
In the second are the Flatterers, who are covered in what Dante thinks to be human waste.
The third chasm holds the Simonists (who sell holy offices for money). They are stacked on one another into the depths in wholes wide enough to fit only one while their feet burn brightly. Here Dante meets Pope Nicholas III, who is expecting [the then still-living] Boniface VIII and Clement V.
In the fourth chasm, Dante finds the Diviners, Augurs, and Sorcerers, who have their heads turned round so that they must walk backwards. Amphiaraus, Michael Scott (certainly a different viewpoint than that of the protagonists in The Adept), and others are found here.
In the fifth chasm reside the Barrators (who sell civil offices) and Barterers (I honestly have no idea). They are held in boiling blood and pitch by Demons.
The Hypocrites are tortured in the sisth, where they are cloaked with gold-gilded lead and forced to walk for eternity.
In the seventh, Dante finds the Thieves. The serpents of this chasm inflict the Theives' pain (even turning them into serpents occasionally). Here, Dante's own exile is prophesied.
The eighth chasm is filled with those who gave evil counsel in life. Here are Ulysses and Diomedes. They are forever burning so that their bodies cannot be seen through the flames.
In the ninth, the sowers of Scandal and Schism are rent in various places. Some have only ears or hands lopped off, but others have more horrific punishment. In particular, Muhammed is cleaved in half from chin down, and his son Ali from chin up.
Falsifiers of all sorts - things, deeds, and words - have their fate in the tenth. Diseases of all sorts afflict the Alchemists, Forgers, and their ilk. Sinon, whose actions felled Troy, is found here.
Around the ninth circle stand the giant Nephilim, who include Nimrod (who speaks a tongue only he understands), Ephilates (who is chained down), and Antaeus (who lifts the two down).
The final circle is locked up in icy Cocytus, a frozen lake formed by all of the rivers in Hell. Those nearest the edge reside in Caina and did violence against their kin in life; only their heads are above the ice (which is as clear as glass).
Farther in is Antenora (named for the betrayer of Troy), where those who commited treachery against their country are punished; only their faces are above the ice.
Finally, is Judecca. Here are all those who betrayed their own benefactors. Various sinners are buried under the ice, but there are four who steal the show. The Beast himself is encased to his chest here. With his six wings he strives to return to the Heavens, but this, along with his tears, only binds him all the stronger. He has six heads, one red, one black, and one a sickly yellow. In his three maws are the sinners Brutus and Cassius (who betrayed Caesar) and Judas Iscariot (of whom only the legs are visible).
The pair climbs down his back, encrusted with filth and ice, to the southern hemisphere. There, Dante is surprised to find that the Beast is suddenly above them.
Opinion:
Uf, that took a while (hmm, that's not really an opinion).
Honestly, it's been a good two weeks since I read this, so...
I'm still enjoying all of the Greek and Roman references (although Norse is always better). ; they serve to give you a bit better idea of what is actually being punished. It almost feels like each circle is being passed through too quickly, though; Each punishment only takes up about three pages. Anything more would be a bit too long, I guess (seeing as I'm already having enough trouble getting through this).
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Nine Rounds of Hell
In Limbo, he meets many famous souls: Hector, Aeneas, Caesar, Plato, Orpheus, and others. They live in the Noble Castle, with seven walls representing the liberal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding) and seven gates representing the liberal arts (grammar, logic, rhetoric, music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy). (According to the footnotes, that is.)
Passing through here, they enter the second circle (or round), where Helena, Paris, Cleopatra, and Achilles reside. Here, lustful souls are blown up and down, left and right for eternity. Hearing the sad story of a pair who were killed by their family (located in a lower circle), he faints (again).
He awakes in the third circle, where gluttons are punished. They lie on the ground, where hail, snow, and turbid water fall onto them. The hound Cerberus tears at them.
Progressing, they come to a pass guarded by Plutus, Roman god of riches. Here the most mystifying words of the poem are uttered: Pape Satan! pape Saten, aleppe! After seven centuries, no one knows what this may mean, and can only guess that it is a phonetic spelling of things in other languages. Virgil understands it, however, and comforts Dante before yelling at Plutus to calm himself. When told that their journey was mandated from on high, Plutus falls to the ground.
They then enter the next circle, where the wasteful and greedy are forced to roll giant stones while beating each other; many of them held high offices in the Church in life.
Passing through, they see a tower in the distance. It makes signals using two flames, and another, farther off, answers it. Phlegyas, son of Ares and Chyrse and king of the Lapiths, arrives on a small boat. He ferries them across the Styx (seen as a marsh, here). As they pass, they see the souls of the wrathful, muddy and naked, beating and tearing at each other.
Arriving at the City of Dis (Satan, Lucifer), where the sins of violence or maliciousnous are punished, rather than Incontinence, they are stopped by fallen angels, who attempt to petrify Dante with Medusa's head. They are allowed to pass through by one of the Messengers of God.
In the sixth circle, heretics are forever burned in flaming sepulchres. A Florentine foretells Dante's exile (the poem taking place before this, but having been written during it) and explains that spirits can see the past and future, but not the present. As such, they will become blind at the End of Days, when the Universe becomes timeless (being the End of all Days, after all).
They pass the Centaur, which Virgil distracts by mentioning his death at the hands Theseus, sending him into a rage.
In the seventh circle, violent souls are punished. They first come upon those who were violent against other men, who are submerged in a boiling river of blood, some only to the ankles, others to their very brows. Centaurs patrol the banks, shooting any that would seek to raise himself above his alotted depth. Here is located Alexander, Dionysius, and Attila. Dante, unable to walk across, being alive and solid, is carried by Nessus.
Farther in is the Wood of Self-Murderers. Here, those who have committed violence against themselves (suicide) are punished. They have become thorn bushes, growing not fruit, but poison. The harpies nest in them and devour them. They are unable to speak unless one of their branches are broken, which then bleeds.
At the edge of the Wood is a desert. In it, those who have committed violence against God (generally in the form of hate) are tortured. Some walk in bands, others sit, and still others are forced to lie down, but all are in agony from the burning sand and falling brimstone.
Opinion:
The Divine Comedy is an interesting book. There is no conflict or any such thing, but it still manages to be interesting; at least partially from shadenfreude. Also interesting are such things as the amount of Roman and Greek myths mixed in, the continual stream of things to look up (from Bible verses to philosophers), and the discord with what is taught today; at least as far as what I know, such things as Limbo and the damnation of suicides are no longer believed in.
Perhaps because of the lack of conflict, I've been lagging behind a bit, though. Despite my enjoyment of it, it doesn't always hold my attention. Plus, the large amount of footnotes (a good quarter of all of the pages are just clarification) tends to drag down the page-per-minute rate.
Also, I have some news!
I fully intend on continuing this blog into the new year, despite the end of the semester and English class. What the post rate will be, I cannot say.
Passing through here, they enter the second circle (or round), where Helena, Paris, Cleopatra, and Achilles reside. Here, lustful souls are blown up and down, left and right for eternity. Hearing the sad story of a pair who were killed by their family (located in a lower circle), he faints (again).
He awakes in the third circle, where gluttons are punished. They lie on the ground, where hail, snow, and turbid water fall onto them. The hound Cerberus tears at them.
Progressing, they come to a pass guarded by Plutus, Roman god of riches. Here the most mystifying words of the poem are uttered: Pape Satan! pape Saten, aleppe! After seven centuries, no one knows what this may mean, and can only guess that it is a phonetic spelling of things in other languages. Virgil understands it, however, and comforts Dante before yelling at Plutus to calm himself. When told that their journey was mandated from on high, Plutus falls to the ground.
They then enter the next circle, where the wasteful and greedy are forced to roll giant stones while beating each other; many of them held high offices in the Church in life.
Passing through, they see a tower in the distance. It makes signals using two flames, and another, farther off, answers it. Phlegyas, son of Ares and Chyrse and king of the Lapiths, arrives on a small boat. He ferries them across the Styx (seen as a marsh, here). As they pass, they see the souls of the wrathful, muddy and naked, beating and tearing at each other.
Arriving at the City of Dis (Satan, Lucifer), where the sins of violence or maliciousnous are punished, rather than Incontinence, they are stopped by fallen angels, who attempt to petrify Dante with Medusa's head. They are allowed to pass through by one of the Messengers of God.
In the sixth circle, heretics are forever burned in flaming sepulchres. A Florentine foretells Dante's exile (the poem taking place before this, but having been written during it) and explains that spirits can see the past and future, but not the present. As such, they will become blind at the End of Days, when the Universe becomes timeless (being the End of all Days, after all).
They pass the Centaur, which Virgil distracts by mentioning his death at the hands Theseus, sending him into a rage.
In the seventh circle, violent souls are punished. They first come upon those who were violent against other men, who are submerged in a boiling river of blood, some only to the ankles, others to their very brows. Centaurs patrol the banks, shooting any that would seek to raise himself above his alotted depth. Here is located Alexander, Dionysius, and Attila. Dante, unable to walk across, being alive and solid, is carried by Nessus.
Farther in is the Wood of Self-Murderers. Here, those who have committed violence against themselves (suicide) are punished. They have become thorn bushes, growing not fruit, but poison. The harpies nest in them and devour them. They are unable to speak unless one of their branches are broken, which then bleeds.
At the edge of the Wood is a desert. In it, those who have committed violence against God (generally in the form of hate) are tortured. Some walk in bands, others sit, and still others are forced to lie down, but all are in agony from the burning sand and falling brimstone.
Opinion:
The Divine Comedy is an interesting book. There is no conflict or any such thing, but it still manages to be interesting; at least partially from shadenfreude. Also interesting are such things as the amount of Roman and Greek myths mixed in, the continual stream of things to look up (from Bible verses to philosophers), and the discord with what is taught today; at least as far as what I know, such things as Limbo and the damnation of suicides are no longer believed in.
Perhaps because of the lack of conflict, I've been lagging behind a bit, though. Despite my enjoyment of it, it doesn't always hold my attention. Plus, the large amount of footnotes (a good quarter of all of the pages are just clarification) tends to drag down the page-per-minute rate.
Also, I have some news!
I fully intend on continuing this blog into the new year, despite the end of the semester and English class. What the post rate will be, I cannot say.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
La Divina Commedia
My newest book is The Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Florentine by birth, but not by character (as supposedly described by Dante himself.
Before I start on the summary and my opinions, there is some backround information that I'll give you (which isn't really necessary, but you'll get anyway).
Let's start with the title: The Divine Comedy. 2/3 of it may cause some misconceptions. First, Divine; it wasn't actually Dante himself that used this adjective, it was added a century or two later. My initial thought was that he wasn't that pretentious but, 30 pages in, I honestly think that he would have added it if he had thought of it. Comedy is clearly th more important word, but its possibility for causing confusion is larger. The word "comedy" did not initially mean that something was funny. It was simply the opposite of "tragedy," meaning that a comedy just had a happy[ish] ending; this is the sense in which Dante uses it.
On to Dante himself. As shown in the title, he was born in Florence, Italy in 1265. In the period in which he lived in Florence, his family had sided with the Guelf party, who wanted to give more power to the pope. They opposed the Ghibellines, who sided with the emperor. This division seems to have affected Danted less than another division; the White Guelfs (who were in the industrial and new-rich class, in general) and the Black Guelfs (who were largely the old aristocracy, though actually poorer than the Whites). (Note: these two parties have nothing to do with race.)
Dante, an important white, was exiled from his home city in 1302, when the Blacks came to power in the city with the help of Philip IV, king of France. Sentenced to death should he ever return, he never saw the city again.
The story opens to Dante (he is the main character in his own poem) being chased by a leopard, lion, and she-wolf (representing Worldly Pleasure/Florence, Ambition/France, and Avarice/the Papal See, respectively and drawn from Jeremiah 5:6) on Good Friday, 1300. He is saved by the poet Virgil, who offers him an alternate path: through the lands of the dead. He was sent as help by Beatrice, whom Dante had loved in life (in real life, as well as fictional).
They descend, crossing the river Acherus, carried by Charon (who does not want to let Dante [being alive] in at first).
They have now entered Limbo, the first ring of Hell, where the only torment is that of being eternally seperated from God. There, they meet Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan.
Opinion:
Despite the large amount of words that go on my list to look up (such as those last three people), The Divine Comedy is still off to a great start. It has a nice meter to it that keeps it firmly in the "verse" category, but doesn't fall to far into it. As a result, it reads almost like prose (which, for some reason, more easily holds my attention), while still feeling vaguely musical (for lack of better word).
How of this is due to Dante himself and how much to the translator, I couldn't say.
As I mentioned earlier, he does seems rather full of himself. Just the fact that he wrote himself in as the main character (who is having a miraculous journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven) is almost enough to demonstrate this, but he also appears to put himself on par with Virgil and Homer (which may or may not be true, but still).
Before I start on the summary and my opinions, there is some backround information that I'll give you (which isn't really necessary, but you'll get anyway).
Let's start with the title: The Divine Comedy. 2/3 of it may cause some misconceptions. First, Divine; it wasn't actually Dante himself that used this adjective, it was added a century or two later. My initial thought was that he wasn't that pretentious but, 30 pages in, I honestly think that he would have added it if he had thought of it. Comedy is clearly th more important word, but its possibility for causing confusion is larger. The word "comedy" did not initially mean that something was funny. It was simply the opposite of "tragedy," meaning that a comedy just had a happy[ish] ending; this is the sense in which Dante uses it.
On to Dante himself. As shown in the title, he was born in Florence, Italy in 1265. In the period in which he lived in Florence, his family had sided with the Guelf party, who wanted to give more power to the pope. They opposed the Ghibellines, who sided with the emperor. This division seems to have affected Danted less than another division; the White Guelfs (who were in the industrial and new-rich class, in general) and the Black Guelfs (who were largely the old aristocracy, though actually poorer than the Whites). (Note: these two parties have nothing to do with race.)
Dante, an important white, was exiled from his home city in 1302, when the Blacks came to power in the city with the help of Philip IV, king of France. Sentenced to death should he ever return, he never saw the city again.
The story opens to Dante (he is the main character in his own poem) being chased by a leopard, lion, and she-wolf (representing Worldly Pleasure/Florence, Ambition/France, and Avarice/the Papal See, respectively and drawn from Jeremiah 5:6) on Good Friday, 1300. He is saved by the poet Virgil, who offers him an alternate path: through the lands of the dead. He was sent as help by Beatrice, whom Dante had loved in life (in real life, as well as fictional).
They descend, crossing the river Acherus, carried by Charon (who does not want to let Dante [being alive] in at first).
They have now entered Limbo, the first ring of Hell, where the only torment is that of being eternally seperated from God. There, they meet Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan.
Opinion:
Despite the large amount of words that go on my list to look up (such as those last three people), The Divine Comedy is still off to a great start. It has a nice meter to it that keeps it firmly in the "verse" category, but doesn't fall to far into it. As a result, it reads almost like prose (which, for some reason, more easily holds my attention), while still feeling vaguely musical (for lack of better word).
How of this is due to Dante himself and how much to the translator, I couldn't say.
As I mentioned earlier, he does seems rather full of himself. Just the fact that he wrote himself in as the main character (who is having a miraculous journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven) is almost enough to demonstrate this, but he also appears to put himself on par with Virgil and Homer (which may or may not be true, but still).
Friday, December 31, 2010
Ha! Post number 10!
Anyone who doesn't check this blog daily and wants to know what's happening may have a lot of reading to do.
There really isn't a happy ending for anyone in this book.
King Olin is well and truly dead. Despite what lies underneath, he is buried in the family crypt after several days of mourning.
Briony will soon be crowned queen. She has refused Prince Eneas's marriage proposal, in part because she does not want Southmarch to trivialized under the larger Syan's king, but mostly because she has realized that she loves Ferras Vansen (I never really mentioned this, but believe me, there was a suitable amount of thought devoted to this).
Ferras Vansen (having loved Briony for the entire series and having been resigned to her marriage to Eneas) is now Briony's lover, but, due to his low birth, this fact must be kept secret. Being unable to marry him, Briony instead makes him the Lord Constable.
Barrick, distanced from his home and family after the events in the shadowlands, will return to Qul-na-Qar (capital city of the Qar) to be their king. He was only briefly present at his fathe's funeral.
Qinnitan is comatose, but has received the Fireflower from Saqri. Able to communicate with Barrick (her lover) at times, both of them are likely to spend the rest of their lives trying to get her back to the land of the living.
Saqri died from wounds received in battle.
Yasammez died in the deluge in the depths, causing the Shadowline, the physical barrier between the Qar lands and the rest of Eion, to disappear. With no way to remain secluded, how long will the Qar last?
Chaven died at the hands of Vo.
Chert is now hated by many (but not all) of the Funderlings, due to his plan destroying their holiest site and will live with his wife, Opal, in the castle to raise Alessandros.
Flint, actually well over fifty, has resolved to wander the world in order to learn more about himself. Earlier in the story, part of the essence of Kupilas fused with him, so that he is no longer entirely himself. This devastated Opal.
Scotarch Prusus, a brilliant mind despite his disabilities, is the temporary autarch. With Vash at his side, he will rule Xis for five years (at which point an autarch from the insane royal family will take the throne), attempting to bring peace to his own land.
Merolanna will die within another year. She is, however, happy that she was able to see her son.
Sister Utta will create a new, larger shrine to Zoria (who may or may not be dead).
Shaso has been cremated and brought to Southmarch by Dawet, his old enemy in life (for having raped his daughter [maybe]).
Dawet has been Briony's ally through the other three books and will remain in Southmarch in order to perform Briony's dirty work. His first act was to kill Queen Anissa, Olin's second wife and mother of Alessandros, but also indirect murderer of Kendrick. Briony's plan had been to have her imprisoned. It seems likely that he had been in love with Shaso's wife.
Elan M'Cory, not returning Tinwright's love, will attempt to nurse Gailon Tolly, her lover, back to health (it is much more likely that he'll die).
Tinwright, having been saved from death by a prayer book in his pocket, will write a play of the events.
Like I said, the best anyone really gets is a bittersweet ending. Ferras and Utta seem to have ended up better than the others, but neither are untempered by sadness. Ferras will have to keep his love for Briony secret, while Utta will watch Merolanna die a slow death.
I'm not really sure how much I like the ending; everything seems so unfinished. None of it really feels like it's over. There almost seems to be enough loose ends to write a book off of (not that Williams will).
Hmm, I was going to write about how unusual it is to have such an unhappy (meanint "not happy but not really sad") ending, but then I remembered Lord of the Rings. And Dune. And Moby Dick. And War and Peace. What's so hard about letting a hero end up happy? With that said, I'm not sure that I really want an absolutely happy ending; a more ambiguous one tends to be more interesting, as nothing really gets too predictable.
If everyone had gotten the girl/boy and lived out a happy life, those last hundred pages would have been horribly boring. An ending like this keeps you on your toes the entire way through.
Regardless of how well these characters' lives went, remember to have a Happy New Year, everybody.
Anyone who doesn't check this blog daily and wants to know what's happening may have a lot of reading to do.
There really isn't a happy ending for anyone in this book.
King Olin is well and truly dead. Despite what lies underneath, he is buried in the family crypt after several days of mourning.
Briony will soon be crowned queen. She has refused Prince Eneas's marriage proposal, in part because she does not want Southmarch to trivialized under the larger Syan's king, but mostly because she has realized that she loves Ferras Vansen (I never really mentioned this, but believe me, there was a suitable amount of thought devoted to this).
Ferras Vansen (having loved Briony for the entire series and having been resigned to her marriage to Eneas) is now Briony's lover, but, due to his low birth, this fact must be kept secret. Being unable to marry him, Briony instead makes him the Lord Constable.
Barrick, distanced from his home and family after the events in the shadowlands, will return to Qul-na-Qar (capital city of the Qar) to be their king. He was only briefly present at his fathe's funeral.
Qinnitan is comatose, but has received the Fireflower from Saqri. Able to communicate with Barrick (her lover) at times, both of them are likely to spend the rest of their lives trying to get her back to the land of the living.
Saqri died from wounds received in battle.
Yasammez died in the deluge in the depths, causing the Shadowline, the physical barrier between the Qar lands and the rest of Eion, to disappear. With no way to remain secluded, how long will the Qar last?
Chaven died at the hands of Vo.
Chert is now hated by many (but not all) of the Funderlings, due to his plan destroying their holiest site and will live with his wife, Opal, in the castle to raise Alessandros.
Flint, actually well over fifty, has resolved to wander the world in order to learn more about himself. Earlier in the story, part of the essence of Kupilas fused with him, so that he is no longer entirely himself. This devastated Opal.
Scotarch Prusus, a brilliant mind despite his disabilities, is the temporary autarch. With Vash at his side, he will rule Xis for five years (at which point an autarch from the insane royal family will take the throne), attempting to bring peace to his own land.
Merolanna will die within another year. She is, however, happy that she was able to see her son.
Sister Utta will create a new, larger shrine to Zoria (who may or may not be dead).
Shaso has been cremated and brought to Southmarch by Dawet, his old enemy in life (for having raped his daughter [maybe]).
Dawet has been Briony's ally through the other three books and will remain in Southmarch in order to perform Briony's dirty work. His first act was to kill Queen Anissa, Olin's second wife and mother of Alessandros, but also indirect murderer of Kendrick. Briony's plan had been to have her imprisoned. It seems likely that he had been in love with Shaso's wife.
Elan M'Cory, not returning Tinwright's love, will attempt to nurse Gailon Tolly, her lover, back to health (it is much more likely that he'll die).
Tinwright, having been saved from death by a prayer book in his pocket, will write a play of the events.
Like I said, the best anyone really gets is a bittersweet ending. Ferras and Utta seem to have ended up better than the others, but neither are untempered by sadness. Ferras will have to keep his love for Briony secret, while Utta will watch Merolanna die a slow death.
I'm not really sure how much I like the ending; everything seems so unfinished. None of it really feels like it's over. There almost seems to be enough loose ends to write a book off of (not that Williams will).
Hmm, I was going to write about how unusual it is to have such an unhappy (meanint "not happy but not really sad") ending, but then I remembered Lord of the Rings. And Dune. And Moby Dick. And War and Peace. What's so hard about letting a hero end up happy? With that said, I'm not sure that I really want an absolutely happy ending; a more ambiguous one tends to be more interesting, as nothing really gets too predictable.
If everyone had gotten the girl/boy and lived out a happy life, those last hundred pages would have been horribly boring. An ending like this keeps you on your toes the entire way through.
Regardless of how well these characters' lives went, remember to have a Happy New Year, everybody.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
(Note: what follows does not even approach chonological order)
Now that Briony controls the majority of her castle, she goes after Hendon Tolly with several of Eneas's men. They find him in her family's crypt. The man about to sacrifice Alessandros (in order for his God's blood to be smeared on Chaven's mirror as a sacrifice to Zoria) is quickly shot in the chest with an arrow. While Briony engages in a losing fight with the more well practiced Hendon, a ghastly figure appears at the door.
Going back to the man with Alessandros, Tinwright was being forced to do so by Hendon. The regent of Southmarch had captured his love, Elan M'Cory, and was threatening the both of them.
Evidently, Shaso really was dead all along (it was my own assumption that he was alive). Instead, the crippled man was Gailon Tolly, Hendon's older brother, who was "killed" mid-way through book one (in a grab for power by Hendon). He had laid in his hidden grave (he wasn't immediately "known" to be "dead") for days before realizing that he was actually still alive. Despite the numerous arrow wounds and other ailments, he set out to warn the Eddons of his brother's treachery. Clearly too late, he now wishes to help kill Hendon However, Gailon is simply stabbed in the chest by said brother.
Hendon then runs off into a dark corner of the crypt. Following him, Briony discovers a large crack in the wall leading into a cave. Seeing a large chasm to the side, she stops to think. Hendon drops down from the ceiling, and Briony manages to stab him in the chest and eye. As Hendon tries to take her with him into the chasm, she is saved by Chert, who has finished his business with his own plans. She then starts her way down the cave, knowing that it leads to the Shining Man in the depths, despite Chert's warnings that she would be killed.
Despite having successfully stood against the Xixies with the help of the Qar, Ferras and the Funderlings are dismayed to learn that it was all in vain; the autarch found an alternate way to the Depths. They fight their way down to the Sea in the Depths (the Shining Man being on an island in a sea of his own silver blood), in time to see Sulepis summon the god.
The autarch sacrifices dozens of children, spilling their blood into the sea before beginning the ritual. He then reads a ritual summoning, binding the god with his many names: Kernios, Xergal, the Stonelord. He offers Olin as the god's physical body (which puts Olin through extreme pain, and Qinnitan through only a little less).
To his chagrin, it was not Kernios that he had summoned, rather, it was that god's son; the trickster, the god of fire and poetry; Lok-- er, that's not right --Zosim (that's it!). Chaven appears, having been the god's half-willing slave the entire time. When he joined the Godstone with the Shining Man (completing the whole; the Godstone had broken off centuries earlier), he would manifest as he wished.
Chaven is promptly dispatched with by Vo. Both the god and autarch try to bargain with him, and he eventually joins the Godstone and Shining Man. With this, a firey form arises out of the void that was once the Shining Man. Described as looking light a beautiful young man made of white flame, with a cloak of fire, he promptly eats Vo and tears the autarch's limbs off before using him a a crest for his helmet (Sulepis now being on fire and still very much alive).
Yasammez, daughter of Crooked, who originally sealed away Zosim, and wielder of Whitefire, the sword of Zmeos (called the Great Enemy by the people of Eion and venerated as Nushash, god of fire, on the continent of Xan), challenges him. Growing to large size herself, though clearly pushing past her limits, she fades rapidly.
Back during the ritual, we followed Beetledown the Bowman, a Rooftopper (who we have seen several times during the series). It was he who obtained the Astion and ensured that Chert's plan would come to fruition, [possibly] losing his life in the explosion.
Shortly before the ritual, Barrick and Vansen attempted to prevent the summoning and save Olin and Qinnitan by fighting their way to the autarch. Having failed and been forced to watch the ritual, they climb into one of the reed boats that the autarch used to get to the island (Barrick having received warning to do so from the Fireflower).
Shifting back to the god; it was never Yasammez's plan to kill Zosim. Her intention was actually to stall him.
As Chert's explosives go off, a great roaring is heard. What better way to combat Zosim, the lord of fire, than with the power of Erivor, lord of the waters? (Did I mention that Southmarch castle is on an island? No? Well, there it is.) As the water rushes in, Barrick and Vansen struggle to hold onto the boat while keeping hold of Olin and Qinnitan's limp bodies; everything else is drowned.
Rejoining Briony, she finds Willow (who had been lost behind the Shadowline for a time; an event that tends to drive people mad) and Kayyin (who spent some time with humans, and especially Willow) under attack by elementals. She and Chert try to help, but are unable to prevent the elementals from taking back the Fever Egg (now enhanced to be able to wipe out all life on the planet over several years).
To prevent it from being broken, Kayyin (who had more face time in the three previous books) grabs onto the "feet" of the elemental about to smash it to the ground. Now over the pit leading to the Shining Man, Willow holds onto Kayyin, dragging all three down into the rising waters.
Briony watches as the waters begin to rise up the pit. On the top of the waters are Barrick, Vansen, Olin, and Qinnitan in their boat.
Vash has been conspicuously absent throughout this section.
Now, my opinion:
I'd say that this is a pretty good climax; perhaps not the twist I was expecting (though there is 100 pages and plenty room for something to happen), but good none-the-less.
To Ms. Washburn, this is what I wanted when I complained about Dracula's lack of an epilogue; Shadowheart is going to devote a seventh of the book to the aftermath of the climax and character developement. That sort of thing is what makes a story "come alive" for me.
Also, an interesting fact.
I hear that over 99% of murderers in the U.K. have used the substance Dihydrogen Monoxide.
Now that Briony controls the majority of her castle, she goes after Hendon Tolly with several of Eneas's men. They find him in her family's crypt. The man about to sacrifice Alessandros (in order for his God's blood to be smeared on Chaven's mirror as a sacrifice to Zoria) is quickly shot in the chest with an arrow. While Briony engages in a losing fight with the more well practiced Hendon, a ghastly figure appears at the door.
Going back to the man with Alessandros, Tinwright was being forced to do so by Hendon. The regent of Southmarch had captured his love, Elan M'Cory, and was threatening the both of them.
Evidently, Shaso really was dead all along (it was my own assumption that he was alive). Instead, the crippled man was Gailon Tolly, Hendon's older brother, who was "killed" mid-way through book one (in a grab for power by Hendon). He had laid in his hidden grave (he wasn't immediately "known" to be "dead") for days before realizing that he was actually still alive. Despite the numerous arrow wounds and other ailments, he set out to warn the Eddons of his brother's treachery. Clearly too late, he now wishes to help kill Hendon However, Gailon is simply stabbed in the chest by said brother.
Hendon then runs off into a dark corner of the crypt. Following him, Briony discovers a large crack in the wall leading into a cave. Seeing a large chasm to the side, she stops to think. Hendon drops down from the ceiling, and Briony manages to stab him in the chest and eye. As Hendon tries to take her with him into the chasm, she is saved by Chert, who has finished his business with his own plans. She then starts her way down the cave, knowing that it leads to the Shining Man in the depths, despite Chert's warnings that she would be killed.
Despite having successfully stood against the Xixies with the help of the Qar, Ferras and the Funderlings are dismayed to learn that it was all in vain; the autarch found an alternate way to the Depths. They fight their way down to the Sea in the Depths (the Shining Man being on an island in a sea of his own silver blood), in time to see Sulepis summon the god.
The autarch sacrifices dozens of children, spilling their blood into the sea before beginning the ritual. He then reads a ritual summoning, binding the god with his many names: Kernios, Xergal, the Stonelord. He offers Olin as the god's physical body (which puts Olin through extreme pain, and Qinnitan through only a little less).
To his chagrin, it was not Kernios that he had summoned, rather, it was that god's son; the trickster, the god of fire and poetry; Lok-- er, that's not right --Zosim (that's it!). Chaven appears, having been the god's half-willing slave the entire time. When he joined the Godstone with the Shining Man (completing the whole; the Godstone had broken off centuries earlier), he would manifest as he wished.
Chaven is promptly dispatched with by Vo. Both the god and autarch try to bargain with him, and he eventually joins the Godstone and Shining Man. With this, a firey form arises out of the void that was once the Shining Man. Described as looking light a beautiful young man made of white flame, with a cloak of fire, he promptly eats Vo and tears the autarch's limbs off before using him a a crest for his helmet (Sulepis now being on fire and still very much alive).
Yasammez, daughter of Crooked, who originally sealed away Zosim, and wielder of Whitefire, the sword of Zmeos (called the Great Enemy by the people of Eion and venerated as Nushash, god of fire, on the continent of Xan), challenges him. Growing to large size herself, though clearly pushing past her limits, she fades rapidly.
Back during the ritual, we followed Beetledown the Bowman, a Rooftopper (who we have seen several times during the series). It was he who obtained the Astion and ensured that Chert's plan would come to fruition, [possibly] losing his life in the explosion.
Shortly before the ritual, Barrick and Vansen attempted to prevent the summoning and save Olin and Qinnitan by fighting their way to the autarch. Having failed and been forced to watch the ritual, they climb into one of the reed boats that the autarch used to get to the island (Barrick having received warning to do so from the Fireflower).
Shifting back to the god; it was never Yasammez's plan to kill Zosim. Her intention was actually to stall him.
As Chert's explosives go off, a great roaring is heard. What better way to combat Zosim, the lord of fire, than with the power of Erivor, lord of the waters? (Did I mention that Southmarch castle is on an island? No? Well, there it is.) As the water rushes in, Barrick and Vansen struggle to hold onto the boat while keeping hold of Olin and Qinnitan's limp bodies; everything else is drowned.
Rejoining Briony, she finds Willow (who had been lost behind the Shadowline for a time; an event that tends to drive people mad) and Kayyin (who spent some time with humans, and especially Willow) under attack by elementals. She and Chert try to help, but are unable to prevent the elementals from taking back the Fever Egg (now enhanced to be able to wipe out all life on the planet over several years).
To prevent it from being broken, Kayyin (who had more face time in the three previous books) grabs onto the "feet" of the elemental about to smash it to the ground. Now over the pit leading to the Shining Man, Willow holds onto Kayyin, dragging all three down into the rising waters.
Briony watches as the waters begin to rise up the pit. On the top of the waters are Barrick, Vansen, Olin, and Qinnitan in their boat.
Vash has been conspicuously absent throughout this section.
Now, my opinion:
I'd say that this is a pretty good climax; perhaps not the twist I was expecting (though there is 100 pages and plenty room for something to happen), but good none-the-less.
To Ms. Washburn, this is what I wanted when I complained about Dracula's lack of an epilogue; Shadowheart is going to devote a seventh of the book to the aftermath of the climax and character developement. That sort of thing is what makes a story "come alive" for me.
Also, an interesting fact.
I hear that over 99% of murderers in the U.K. have used the substance Dihydrogen Monoxide.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saint Antoine
While this has nothing to do with independent reading, it is something that I found interesting, and it relates to class (plus, I still need a few more posts).
The use of the name "Saint Antoine" in A Tale of Two Cities refers to the Bastille. It was originally built during the Hundred Years' war as an add-on to the Saint-Antoine gate. The Bastille Saint-Antoine (Castle of Saint Anthony) was built in 1383 as extra protection for eastern Paris.
"Saint Antoine" seems to be a French localization of "Saint Anthony." Which Saint Anthony, however, (Anthony the Great, a hermit famous for being tempted in the desert [as portrayed in The Torment of Saint Anthony, painted by Michaelangelo] or Anthony of Padua, who was visited by a child Jesus and after whom San Antonio is named), I do not know. On one hand, Anthony the Great is likely the more well known, but on the other, Anthony of Padua was at least geographically and chronologically close.
Why on Earth you would name a gate of a city after a saint, I do not know.
Also, "Crocodilopolis" is a great name for a city.
The use of the name "Saint Antoine" in A Tale of Two Cities refers to the Bastille. It was originally built during the Hundred Years' war as an add-on to the Saint-Antoine gate. The Bastille Saint-Antoine (Castle of Saint Anthony) was built in 1383 as extra protection for eastern Paris.
"Saint Antoine" seems to be a French localization of "Saint Anthony." Which Saint Anthony, however, (Anthony the Great, a hermit famous for being tempted in the desert [as portrayed in The Torment of Saint Anthony, painted by Michaelangelo] or Anthony of Padua, who was visited by a child Jesus and after whom San Antonio is named), I do not know. On one hand, Anthony the Great is likely the more well known, but on the other, Anthony of Padua was at least geographically and chronologically close.
Why on Earth you would name a gate of a city after a saint, I do not know.
Also, "Crocodilopolis" is a great name for a city.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Now that everyone is at Southmarch, the big fighting is starting up (interestingly, the next 220 pages are all going to take place during a period of 12 hours or so).
Briony and Eneas move toward the castle to find the Xixian camp under attack from the caves below. The enemy of an enemy being a friend, they help, and destroy the camp. They meet with Queen Saqri, who takes command. Under her orders, they go to take back the keep from Hendon Tolly. Some soldiers rejoice at the return of the Eddon family (though they remember only Olin's name), while others are loyal to Tolly.
Ferras Vansen and his Funderlings have retreated to the very deepest of the tunnels: the Maze. With hours (perhaps a day; not all of the characters' stories are occurring at the exact same time) before the worst danger is past, they can retreat no farther; they must make a stand here, and do their best to defend the Shining Man (the dead god Kupilas or Crooked encased in stone, though they do not know this).
Chert's plan has been put on halt due to a simple formality. Without an Astion signifying official Guild work, it has been put on hold indefinitely. Attempting to reach the guild, he briefly helps Briony by showing her to the Stormstone roads (created years ago by a Funderling named Stormstone, who realized that having few exits from Funderling Town was a recipe for disaster; this is -was- a closely guarded secret). He also contacts the Rooftoppers.
The Qar are now fighting their way down to help the Funderlings. They are taking a path that goes largely around the Xixian army. Barrick is wearing the armor of Saqri's son.
It was the death of this son, and his sister/wife Sanasu's abduction that caused the Qar's hatred for humanity. He and Sanasu were taken during a pilgrimage to the Shining Man [human] generations ago, having been given up by Stormstone. It is through Sanasu, queen of Southmarch, that the Eddon family has the blood of the god Kupilas.
Within the Qar ranks, the Elementals have peacefully [for now] rebelled, and no longer fight alongside their brothers and sisters. Worse, one of the youngest and most brash of this race holds the Fever Egg, which has the power to destroy all life within a large area. The girl holding it considers it to be worth the sacrifice of the Qar in order to destroy Southmarch; it is only Yasammez's power (as a demigod, daughter of Kupilas/Crooked) that holds her in line.
Chaven has been discovered by Barrick deep in the caves. He does not remember what he was doing, but attempted (and failed) to hide a small statue that had been stolen (by Barrick) from the temple of Kernios years ago.
Duchess Merolanna (an old relation to Briony and Barrick, mother of Flint (with Avin Brone), many years ago; longer than Flint is old, it seems) has had a dream (according to her, one sent by the gods) that she must protect the children; she goes to act on this.
Shaso has gained entrance to Southmarch through the Skimmers' secret entrances with the guidance of Rafe, who was payed with a large gold coin.
Vo is currently lost in the tunnels beneath Southmarch. He is also going crazy.
Qinnitan is being held caged by the priests of Nushash, and being forced to drink mixtures that will bring forth the blood of the god in her (again Kupilas, during a period when he lived among humans [I think]).
Tinwright has continued helping Tolly (who is increasingly unstable), discovering that the Godstone disappeared from the temple of Kernios several years ago, never to be found again (gee, I wonder where it is now). He is also working as a spy for Avin Brone, who is gaining increasing support due to Tolly's disregard of the autarch's attack. Right now, he is stealing the child Alessandros Eddon; youngest of the Eddons, Tolly's token claim to the place of Lord Protector, and planned sacrifice to Zoria (having the same blood as King Olin).
I have quite high hopes (read: "expectations") for the ending of this book. Between the incredible twist of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and the bolt-out-of-the-blue ending of Otherland, I think that this is a reasonable expectation (or maybe the biggest surprise would for there to not be a surprising ending).
Part of what I about Tad Williams, I think, is the detail put into each world. Both Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and Shadowmarch have their own religions (which differ based on the part of the world). Memory even had a Christ figure: Usires Adon (who was crucified upside-down on a tree, but whose role was otherwise left ambiguous). Otherland had newsfeeds at the start of each chapter that revealed "fun" tidbits (such as otters being extinct). All the characters are also nice, as you'll almost certainly end up with one you like (it may be a bit of a cop-out, but Good King Olin is pretty great; he's a fun, smart guy).
I've run out of ideas for titles.
Briony and Eneas move toward the castle to find the Xixian camp under attack from the caves below. The enemy of an enemy being a friend, they help, and destroy the camp. They meet with Queen Saqri, who takes command. Under her orders, they go to take back the keep from Hendon Tolly. Some soldiers rejoice at the return of the Eddon family (though they remember only Olin's name), while others are loyal to Tolly.
Ferras Vansen and his Funderlings have retreated to the very deepest of the tunnels: the Maze. With hours (perhaps a day; not all of the characters' stories are occurring at the exact same time) before the worst danger is past, they can retreat no farther; they must make a stand here, and do their best to defend the Shining Man (the dead god Kupilas or Crooked encased in stone, though they do not know this).
Chert's plan has been put on halt due to a simple formality. Without an Astion signifying official Guild work, it has been put on hold indefinitely. Attempting to reach the guild, he briefly helps Briony by showing her to the Stormstone roads (created years ago by a Funderling named Stormstone, who realized that having few exits from Funderling Town was a recipe for disaster; this is -was- a closely guarded secret). He also contacts the Rooftoppers.
The Qar are now fighting their way down to help the Funderlings. They are taking a path that goes largely around the Xixian army. Barrick is wearing the armor of Saqri's son.
It was the death of this son, and his sister/wife Sanasu's abduction that caused the Qar's hatred for humanity. He and Sanasu were taken during a pilgrimage to the Shining Man [human] generations ago, having been given up by Stormstone. It is through Sanasu, queen of Southmarch, that the Eddon family has the blood of the god Kupilas.
Within the Qar ranks, the Elementals have peacefully [for now] rebelled, and no longer fight alongside their brothers and sisters. Worse, one of the youngest and most brash of this race holds the Fever Egg, which has the power to destroy all life within a large area. The girl holding it considers it to be worth the sacrifice of the Qar in order to destroy Southmarch; it is only Yasammez's power (as a demigod, daughter of Kupilas/Crooked) that holds her in line.
Chaven has been discovered by Barrick deep in the caves. He does not remember what he was doing, but attempted (and failed) to hide a small statue that had been stolen (by Barrick) from the temple of Kernios years ago.
Duchess Merolanna (an old relation to Briony and Barrick, mother of Flint (with Avin Brone), many years ago; longer than Flint is old, it seems) has had a dream (according to her, one sent by the gods) that she must protect the children; she goes to act on this.
Shaso has gained entrance to Southmarch through the Skimmers' secret entrances with the guidance of Rafe, who was payed with a large gold coin.
Vo is currently lost in the tunnels beneath Southmarch. He is also going crazy.
Qinnitan is being held caged by the priests of Nushash, and being forced to drink mixtures that will bring forth the blood of the god in her (again Kupilas, during a period when he lived among humans [I think]).
Tinwright has continued helping Tolly (who is increasingly unstable), discovering that the Godstone disappeared from the temple of Kernios several years ago, never to be found again (gee, I wonder where it is now). He is also working as a spy for Avin Brone, who is gaining increasing support due to Tolly's disregard of the autarch's attack. Right now, he is stealing the child Alessandros Eddon; youngest of the Eddons, Tolly's token claim to the place of Lord Protector, and planned sacrifice to Zoria (having the same blood as King Olin).
I have quite high hopes (read: "expectations") for the ending of this book. Between the incredible twist of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and the bolt-out-of-the-blue ending of Otherland, I think that this is a reasonable expectation (or maybe the biggest surprise would for there to not be a surprising ending).
Part of what I about Tad Williams, I think, is the detail put into each world. Both Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and Shadowmarch have their own religions (which differ based on the part of the world). Memory even had a Christ figure: Usires Adon (who was crucified upside-down on a tree, but whose role was otherwise left ambiguous). Otherland had newsfeeds at the start of each chapter that revealed "fun" tidbits (such as otters being extinct). All the characters are also nice, as you'll almost certainly end up with one you like (it may be a bit of a cop-out, but Good King Olin is pretty great; he's a fun, smart guy).
I've run out of ideas for titles.
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