Adri’s Comments (group member since May 20, 2013)

Adri’s comments from the First Rule of Book Club group.

So, I really thought that the person behind the attacks hadn't been introduced yet. But now...Officially, my first suspect is Exton. I like him, so I hope he isn't involved. Yet I feel like we're being reminded that he's an alumnus for a reason. I also suspect Nalizar, despite my surety that he isn't involved. I really think he's a suspect simply because he's so unlikable. Other than that, I completely disagree with y'all that there is anything shady about the principal or the inspector. I think they're both upstanding citizens.
Jack, if you think that the Isles were a continent, what are your theories on how it came to be what it is? I suspect you'll have more to go on after today's reading. I still stand behind my statement that it could be an alternate reality. Yet the history presented in chapter 17 has me wondering. Could we be in the future? Something (possibly involving chalklings) has destroyed not only the continent, but also all of the technological advances. There aren't even remnants of our cities or society left. And they reset the calendar. I'd rather believe the alternate world thing, but I'm quite confused by the history at the beginning of the chapter.

Possible SPOILER:

And lastly, obviously Joel had seen that Rithmatic design from something of his father's. I've known that since he first mentioned being sure that he had seen it somewhere before. The chapter kind of leaves you hanging on the other thing that Joel has in common with the principal, so hopefully none of you are disgruntled by this comment.

Hmmm, I'm going to respond to that in the part 3 thread because my reply has changed since today's reading.

Not something that had crossed my mind. :-)

Fair point, but I don't think the Master is on a throne. He's not referred to as some royal figure but with a reverence not quite understood.

Does it follow the other 2? Because I haven't read them.

Never mind, I'll just post here.
SPOILERS!!!!



So, I was totally right about the odd timing of Joel's dad's death. I absolutely think that there was foul play involved and that it had something to do with Rithmatics. I also believe that Joel would have been chosen as a Rithmatist. I think he will become one anyway. I mean, he didn't even go through the inception chamber. Also, I think that Nalizar is trying to find the attacker and figure out what is going on. I don't think that he is the person behind the attacks, but I think he could have incidentally led the miscreant to the school...Or that he had learned about the plot before he arrived. I still think the Master is a god-type figure. it seems to be a religion. I don't think that eliminates the possibility of him being a person as well, though.
Since the story is taking place in the early 1900s and real places and people of the world are mentioned, I think it is taking place in an alternate universe/reality. There's no reason to think that the United Isles was ever a continent like the one that we live on. I get a steam punk feel from the technology. It's not that they haven't made progress, just that their society progressed in a different way than ours did.
I'd like to find out how Joel's dad really died and what his research is about. I'm still intrigued by the idea of Rithmatists existing in the first place. It seems to have started about 300 years before the current time, but we haven't learned how (practically) or why. I don't think the wild chalklings in Nebrask were around then. And I can't help but wonder why that particular "super power" was chosen. Why chalk? And why drawings that can protect or come to life?

When I checked this post this morning, all that I saw was an ellipsis. I thought you were intimating that I wasn't being very helpful, lol.

It's getting better. I have some ideas that don't necessarily agree with Joel's.

You're talking about Doctor Who, aren't you?

It depends on the book. I don't have any suggestions at the moment.

Hahaha! That's impractical. But if we knew more about how people became Rithmatists, we could come up with a better theory.

Yeah, I told her to join the group.

I think Joel was at least supposed to be a Rithmatist. But I don't really get how they could team up? I mean, Joel could teach her to care and draw better, but it still wouldn't make him a Rithmatist.

Just checking, lol. :-P I was the kid always reading ahead in school...but I'm behaving.

Did you already read them?

Ok. Who is the Master? Is it like a person? Or a god-type figure? And why does the choosing happen at 8-years-old? Also, I think it's odd that Joel's dad died around the time when he could have been chosen as a Rithmatist. And it was apparently an "accident".

Theories on how Rithmatists came to exist? Do you think the book will share that information?