James
asked
Scott Hawkins:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Some serious questions!
- What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
- Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld? (I forget what you named it)
- A super pedantic point: You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy', was this just meant to be part of the healing catalog? (hide spoiler)]
- What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
- Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld? (I forget what you named it)
- A super pedantic point: You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy', was this just meant to be part of the healing catalog? (hide spoiler)]
Scott Hawkins
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[Hey James,
What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
Margaret had a couple of purposes. The first one is kind of spoilery for a sequel I may never write. Read this paragraph at your discretion, I guess. Margaret was a research project. The main reason Father kept killing Margaret over and over was that she was building a map of the path back from the Forgotten Lands. The idea was that if Father ever got killed in a way he didn't approve of, Margaret could help him find his way back to the world of the living.
Second, Margaret was a warning. Remember in the end how she tells Carolyn a whole bunch of stuff like "we're sisters, you and I" and "you're like me now". The point of all that was that Carolyn was in serious danger of reaching no-going-back levels of dissociation (or whatever the medical term is). Becoming like Margaret, in other words. Father was, in his own way, trying to point her away from that. Steve was the carrot in this endeavor, Margaret was the stick.
Also, I would argue that aving somebody around that you could send to ask dead people questions would definitely come in handy sometimes.
Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld?
Yeah, good question. I sweated that a little bit. There is an answer in the text, but it's kind of buried. Remember, Father got killed in the Library. And, as we learn later, the Library is a separate universe. As such, it has its own afterlife.
When they're all standing around at the end chapter 1, somebody asks Margaret what happens if you die inside the Library. She dances around the question because it's one of the secrets of her catalog, but she doess say something along the lines of "when you die inside the library, it's different." At that point Carolyn interrupts and aggressively changes the subject, because the line of questioning is a little too close for comfort (this is around page 19 in the trade paperback version)
You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy'
It's probably a distinct catalog, but not a very big one. Father didn't spend much time on mercy--maybe like a couple lines on the back of a CVS receipt, or something. But it had to be shelved somewhere.
Michael is in charge of the catalog of "mathematics and cooking" for similar reasons. (hide spoiler)]
What does Margaret actually _do_? Is she useless in the normal universe?
Margaret had a couple of purposes. The first one is kind of spoilery for a sequel I may never write. Read this paragraph at your discretion, I guess. Margaret was a research project. The main reason Father kept killing Margaret over and over was that she was building a map of the path back from the Forgotten Lands. The idea was that if Father ever got killed in a way he didn't approve of, Margaret could help him find his way back to the world of the living.
Second, Margaret was a warning. Remember in the end how she tells Carolyn a whole bunch of stuff like "we're sisters, you and I" and "you're like me now". The point of all that was that Carolyn was in serious danger of reaching no-going-back levels of dissociation (or whatever the medical term is). Becoming like Margaret, in other words. Father was, in his own way, trying to point her away from that. Steve was the carrot in this endeavor, Margaret was the stick.
Also, I would argue that aving somebody around that you could send to ask dead people questions would definitely come in handy sometimes.
Why did Margaret not find Adam Black in the underworld?
Yeah, good question. I sweated that a little bit. There is an answer in the text, but it's kind of buried. Remember, Father got killed in the Library. And, as we learn later, the Library is a separate universe. As such, it has its own afterlife.
When they're all standing around at the end chapter 1, somebody asks Margaret what happens if you die inside the Library. She dances around the question because it's one of the secrets of her catalog, but she doess say something along the lines of "when you die inside the library, it's different." At that point Carolyn interrupts and aggressively changes the subject, because the line of questioning is a little too close for comfort (this is around page 19 in the trade paperback version)
You mention at one stage a catalog of 'mercy'
It's probably a distinct catalog, but not a very big one. Father didn't spend much time on mercy--maybe like a couple lines on the back of a CVS receipt, or something. But it had to be shelved somewhere.
Michael is in charge of the catalog of "mathematics and cooking" for similar reasons. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Christopher
asked
Scott Hawkins:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
Hi Scott, big fan here :) I've got quite specific question. Did you devised yourself idea that predators kill their hunt painless? (and ALL that elaborate theory?) It is amazing! (my mind was blown). It's so refined that our ancestors should have come up with it :) And if you stood on the shoulders of giants that's great either because I didn't hear about it. I think your theory should be placed in every fantasy novel
(hide spoiler)]
Richard
asked
Scott Hawkins:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
Dear Scott,
Before my question, I'd like you to know that I'm very grateful that you answer questions. You already answered some questions related to mine, but what were your inspirations for Ablakha and his story? So the world is in it's 4th age in the story, so I'm curious to know what inspired you to say that. Who are the Emperor, Duke, and the rest of Father's enemies? I'm bursting at the seams with questions!
(hide spoiler)]
Before my question, I'd like you to know that I'm very grateful that you answer questions. You already answered some questions related to mine, but what were your inspirations for Ablakha and his story? So the world is in it's 4th age in the story, so I'm curious to know what inspired you to say that. Who are the Emperor, Duke, and the rest of Father's enemies? I'm bursting at the seams with questions! (hide spoiler)]
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Feb 22, 2019 07:30AM · flag