Eugenides hand

[Elaney]

So, I know this ends up being for the better, but was anyone else completely torn up about his hand being cut off?

[Tirzah]

Before I answer, let me first jump with joy over the fact that someone else actually reads this series! Yea!

Okay...yes, I was shocked. I was so angry at Attolia at first. You are right, though that it ends up for the better. Dealing with the consequences of your actions and forgiveness follows suit and I think those are good themes to have in a story.

[Gerriane]

I was. I was really, really torn up and for awhile I didn't want to admit that it was for the better (actually, I was really baffled as to why the author would do that until she explained it at the end). I'm okay now though with how it turned out but my sister was a mess when she read the book.

And yes, Tirzah, we may only be a few but we are dedicated readers of these series ;) it's such a shame that this book isn't getting the love it deserves

[[deleted user]]

Yes, I was mad at Attolia! I thought Eugenides would never forgive her, but I'm glad the end turned out the way it did.

[Elaney]

I am so glad that I found people who share my feelings. Whenever everyone talks about his hand, they all pretend like it's no big deal.

[Kristy Hunter]

I thought it was all over for the Eugenides I hated when she cut his hand off. How could he possible be the same. Sill, he will always be the Queens Thief that I love.

Just a note: This is my absolutely number 1 favorite series. I just love everything. Megan Whalen Turner is a brilliantly clever writer.

[Tirzah]

I saw a GR post from about a year ago that she's coming out with another book...anyone know if it's true or not? If I remember right, the ending of "Conspiracy of Kings" was kind of inconclusive...

[Elaney]

You're right about the ending of A Conspiracy of Kings being inconclusive. There is still so much left for her to cover. The Medes haven't attacked yet, and I think that is reason enough for her to right a new book.

[Aspen]

It was terrible! I didn't even see it coming. When I first read the series I read The Queen of Attolia first (on accident), so I hadn't had time to know what was happening or get involved with the characters. The second time around though, I was so sad! The months after that seemed to be worse than the actual thing. Poor Gen.

[A.]

I was shocked. Completely shocked. I totally did not see that coming. I mean, an author usually doesn't do something that drastic...and unchangeable. But, surprisingly, Turner makes it work. (Except for the romance...talk about weird, at least in Queen of Attolia. Although I did love the way she worried over it so long. Talk about a guilty conscience.)

[corina]

I was so angry for the next day!! I walked around with a scowl, and everyone kept asking why I was angry. My response: *puts hand up as if to say stop* His hand just got cut off and now I want to strangle Attolia. Then they'd look at me like I was crazy and walk off, unless they'd read the series, and then they understood.

But Turner really manages to make it work out, for which I'm glad.

[A.]

Haha! I felt the same way. I was so stunned and upset. And I wanted to rant about it, but nobody else in my family has read the series and they wouldn't have understood. Plus, I'm trying to get my sister to read them and didn't want to spoil it. Keeping something like that to yourself is awful! And I felt so bad for Gen. Attolia took away his whole life's work. (Or at least tried to.)

[[deleted user]]

Im so glad people are as obsessed as me with this series! I made all my friends read it. I love Gen and the random assorted characters in these books. I actually wasnt so shocked when she cut his hand off. She had every right to. A could-be assassin in her very palace what else could she have done? This series is the type though that you wonder what you find so enthralling about. I cant figure it out but i love them!

[A.]

You weren't shocked????? Or mad????!!!! She may have had the right, but it was still an awful thing to do. (Although, it MAY not have been as bad if she had done it to someone besides Gen. He needed his hands!)

[[deleted user]]

Anne wrote: "You weren't shocked????? Or mad????!!!! She may have had the right, but it was still an awful thing to do. (Although, it MAY not have been as bad if she had done it to someone besides Gen. He neede..."

No i wasnt shocked. Its a very royalty thing to do. And of course he needed it thats why she did it! To make him unable to do anything

[A.]

I understand why she did it (and if you think about it, it was rather clever...in an evil sort of way...and I'm still mad about it), but I honestly wasn't expecting it. Torture, whippings, and an almost-death experience I could have seen coming. Gen could have easily recovered. Turner would have gotten a 'oh my goodness' moment and have created suspense. But cutting off his hand is irreversible. An author usually doesn't do something that drastic to a character, especially if it's a series. Tuner then had to work around Gen's handicap. That makes writing even harder.

[[deleted user]]

Anne wrote: "I understand why she did it (and if you think about it, it was rather clever...in an evil sort of way...and I'm still mad about it), but I honestly wasn't expecting it. Torture, whippings, and an a..."

I think it was the point of the whole series. So she didnt have to work around it per se but she built the story around it. (and the love story and gens rise to power.) It only happened because of his hand

[A.]

I see what you're saying, but to me, it came out of nowhere. If that was her original goal with the series, why didn't she do it in book 1? In my opinion, The Thief seemed like it was originally written to be a stand-alone book, but Turner liked her character too much and continued with it. (That's just what it seemed like to me.)

[[deleted user]]

Anne wrote: "I see what you're saying, but to me, it came out of nowhere. If that was her original goal with the series, why didn't she do it in book 1? In my opinion, The Thief seemed like it was originally wr..."

i agree. But then it sorta agreees with what i was saying. The first one was stand alone, then the next few were centered around the repercussions of the lost hand, and the basilius and Annux thing...

[A.]

True.

You had some good reasonings behind your feelings on the subject, but I have to stick to my original statement. I was definitely shocked and mad. (And sad.) We can just agree to disagree. It's been nice debating with you. :) ( I love a good argument when both sides have good points.)

[[deleted user]]

Me too! Come back anytime!

[A.]

Will do!

[Elaney]

Andra.e wrote: "I was so angry for the next day!! I walked around with a scowl, and everyone kept asking why I was angry. My response: *puts hand up as if to say stop* His hand just got cut off and now I want to s..."

Sounds like me!

[Molly]

Hope no one minds me jumping in six months late here:

I just finished this book and loved it (yes, I need the sequels NOW, thank you; hurry, Amazon), and yes, that cruel amputation shocked and haunted me. While it was hardly an unusual type of punishment for a brutal (by our modern standards) system of government, and while I've read more gruesome things, the event made me gasp and think, "That did not just happen. It did NOT." And the fact that Eugenides is so *not* stoic makes it worse, and more believable--how he's begging and terrified and crying--oh, it's heartbreaking. I hated Attolia (queen, not country) at that moment and thought this was going to be pretty damn hard to forgive.

However...seriously, kudos to Megan Whalen Turner, because she made me see how this was the kind of person Attolia had been pressured into becoming, and that deep down she hated herself for it. And when it comes to a romance, I do like me some good obstacles and curiously strange or asymmetrical status situations, and wow, does this ever qualify. Turner totally pulled it off and made me want to throw them together to heal one another's damaged souls. Woohoo, I love the feel of acquiring a new ship! (As in fandom relationship, not as in naval warfare. Though one could take it as the latter, in a series like this.)

[Jackie]

I absolutely adore this series as well! I was saddened at the loss of his hand. Not for pity of Eugenides, but for selfishness over not being able to read any more heroic thieving adventures.

[Elaney]

Haha! I know what you mean!

[Elaney]

Molly wrote: "Hope no one minds me jumping in six months late here:

I just finished this book and loved it (yes, I need the sequels NOW, thank you; hurry, Amazon), and yes, that cruel amputation shocked and hau..."

That was amazing. How far are you in King of Attolia?

[Molly]

Good point, Jbird - that IS another tragic aspect. :D

And thanks! I'm about halfway into KoA at the moment. Hard to put it down. My update last night (SPOILERY KINDA for KoA): (view spoiler)[Sly subtle jokes about sex! I am delighted! Oh, silly Attolians; he's a professional thief. He's gotten into her bedchamber undetected before. You think he hasn't lately? *I* think he has. (hide spoiler)]

[Kinga]

Well, I did have some trouble digesting the imaginative images that hand-cutting scene gave me. But I also believe it brought out Attolia's sadist side very well. We had to see her cruel side on close up.
But I also think Gen comes to the conclusion that it was necessary. It's my theory, but alas. Before their marriage Gen finds out that he's been betrayed by the gods and asks for answers. The gods tell him that if it weren't for his capture and hand-cutting and the re-capture he would've lost Attolia and she would've ended up marrying the Mede guy.
I find the gods' explanation fishy but it became obvious that the violence is what brought those two together.

[A.]

Lucia wrote: "Hello, I'm reading second book now and I just finished chapter with Attolia, when they cut off his hand. I am very angry with her, she is cruel woman, but I heard that this book is best of the seri..."

I know right...she seems like evil personified!

However, I must disagree. I think King of Attolia is the best in the series.

[Crazysabbath]

Seems like this topic is quite old, but oh well. I can't say that I wasn't shocked when eugenides hand was cut off, but I wasn't torn up either. I actually like when main protagonists get hurt and have to overcome something. It give sort of an edge to a protagonist :D

[Js700]

God I love this series!

I also accidentally read Queen of Attolia first and HATED it. (I think I was too young to appreciate it). When I stumbled into The Thief years later and then read Queen of Attolia again, it quickly became my favorite book. Some of those scenes….genius!

I think cutting of Gen's hand made the series. It's such a gritty, real-world kind of solution. And it leaves the characters with such interesting conflicts and dilemmas. I think too often authors go for grisly scenes which are written just to include some blood and gore or else use really cliched moments to show that characters can go through trials of fire and be 'fixed' later. But this can't be fixed. And how do you move on? That's such an important theme to discuss and leads to really interesting soul-searching about what you can and cannot forgive people for. So important!

I also just love some of the language from this scene as well. Gen fighting against the air which has suddenly thickened around him, the details of Attolia's dress, etc. Really stellar writing.

[Hannah]

I got to the point where his hand was cut off and went "well... that was fast" because I hadn't been expecting something with so much shock value so early in the book. I wasn't sure how Gen was going to climb out of that hole, and it definitely took him a minute (read as: half the book). He got there in the end though!