Who scribbles the Scribbler? (Part 3)

[Jack]

Discuss part 3 of the Rithmatist.

[Adri]

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.

[Jack]

Yes, it was very hard for me to not read chapter 18, but I'm holding off at least until I get this comment out!

I also suspect Exton after this last chapter. Who mentioned the principal before? Because now I suspect him too, if for no other reason than he was way too quick to jump on the Nalizar bandwagon thing. What I see between them is a sort of role reversal with Dumbledore and Snape, and if for no other reason I think the principal might be involved because the 'headmaster' is never involved in books like these. Sadly, I'm also starting to suspect Melody because her chalklings are so strong and the one thing all of the murders/kidnappings have in common are the advanced chalkling. Her "being bad at circles and lines" thing could just be a cover. I hope it's not the inspector because that would be cliché. "The detective did it!" Nah.

Okay so what if there was a huge chalk war of some sort where lines were drawn all around entire portions of the city. Then the wild chalklings ate through those lines, destroying the land underneath, causing isles? Long shot but it's the only thing I can think of so far.

[Jack]

I'm also wondering if there isn't an Atlas Shrugged thing going on. All the best students are disappearing, right? Well, what if they are in cahoots?

[Adri]

Jacob suggested it might be the principal after reading part one. I think it's incredibly difficult to believe that things could be destroyed so completely. But, like I said before, I do think the history just presented points to something having been there.

[Adri]

SPOILERS for today's reading!




Well, that was exciting! We finally found out what the new line does. And now it makes sense why no one could hear the victims. But who is behind the attacks? It seems like it is someone on campus...or else the person is very good at sneaking past guards. I don't think it's Exton anymore. I'm not surprised that he is a Rithmatist. And until Joel left the office, I was concerned that he was going to turn on Joel.
Do you think Joel will get to be a Rithmatist? I hope so. It'd be really disappointing for him to not get picked.

[Jack]

It seems to me that the Riddler went after Joel because he knew that he would become a Rithmatist, just like they knew it 8 years ago and didn't let him go into the chamber of inception. My new guess is that the principal and the priest guy are in cahoots, and they are the ones who killed Joel's father.

I found it interesting that the magic is tied specifically to this one religion. Why would that be? Is it an illusion?

[Sydney]

I am giving in and posting about the book, but I had to stop myself from reading it past today's allotted pages so I'm back into my Night Huntress series for now. (Great series by the way)
Anyway, back to this book. I'm highly suspicious of the Principal. The priest seems a little suspicious as well but more as a pawn and less as something really relevant. I'm thinking it was seen that Joel is some super savior and the principal didn't want it to happen so he convinced the priest to hold him back for one reason or another. My imagination might be running off but yeah.

Anyone else finding the parallels between the book and real life countries or the master's church and catholic church kind of creepily similar?

[Adri]

Jack, the Riddler? Isn't that a Batman villain? :-P Idk what y'all are talking about. Why would the priest have anything to do with it? And how does he know the principal? I thought the principal and Joel's father were friends.

Why do they need a savior? Do you mean from the wild chalklings?

Also, I think we still have no idea how becoming a Rithmatist works. How could they have known Joel would become a Rithmatist? It's apparently not hereditary. They make it sound like it's based upon whether The Master sees potential in you.

And I agree, that it's weird that it all comes down to this one religion. Why is it religious at all? I mean, people love to make things religious, but you would think that everyone else would have figured out how to have their own inception chamber without having to go through the ceremony at the Monarchist Church.

I don't think the similarities are creepily similar, just that Western society and Catholicism are obviously where he drew inspiration from.

[Sydney]

The priest would know the principal because he is the closest church to the school that teaches.
As for the savior thing, yes I do mean from the wild chalklings although I don't think it will happen in this book since this is a series in the making if it isn't already.
They very much hinted that there is more to it than just the master picking you by not speaking of what happens in the chamber, but I guess we will see tomorrow what happens in the chamber tomorrow.

[Adri]

I disagree. They won't discuss what actually happens, but they all clearly believe that the Master chooses the Rithmatists and he does so for a reason. On p. 183, Melody says, "I'm bad at Rithmatics, but the Master himself chose me. That implies that I must have the aptitude." And on p. 277, Father Stewart says, "To be a Rithmatist is to be chosen for service-it is not meant to make a man powerful or self-centered." On the next page, Melody tells the priest that he should encourage a boy who wants to do the will of the Master. On p. 295, the letter says that Joel can go through the inception ceremony because "If there is a chance that the Master wishes you to be a Rithmatist, we should not deny you the opportunity." We have no idea what actually happens in the inception chamber, but whatever it is, it's caused by the Master, himself.

[Sydney]

done. and this series will be added to my ones to read as they progress. good book

[Adri]

SPOILERS






So, what'd you guys think? Some of your predictions were right.

What was that in the inception chamber? Is it always there and only some people notice it? But I don't think it usually runs away like that. I felt so bad for Joel. :-(

Poor Exton, I knew he hadn't done it because he wouldn't have let Joel leave if he had. It was shady to me that the inspector made that arrest at all.

I feel like we didn't even know that Forgotten exist until we found out that's what was attached to Harding. There was that one mention in the book that Joel was reading before he was attacked. But did y'all catch any others? I still think the inspector was a good guy during the day (which was mostly when we saw him.)

And the victims being turned into chalklings makes so much sense. There was always something off about those chalklings.

Jack!! You got your team-up and it was awesome. Why didn't we suggest tracing like that? It makes Melody's drawings better and Joel gets to use strategy, he just needs help animating it.

Nalizar has a forgotten attached to him also. But he seems to work with it instead of being unconsciously controlled by it. And it looks like there will be a sequel and Joel still has a chance to become a Rithmatist.

I really liked this book. It was well-written, held my interest, and surprised me.

[Jack]

Didn't Joel ask other people who failed the test and all of them said they hadn't seen what Joel saw? I really hope in book 2 that Melody tells Joel what happens in the inception chamber. I wonder if he hadn't been interrupted that something more would happen? Also, you mention that they don't know who becomes Rithmatists. Do we know this is true, or is it just the accepted truth? For all we know the Master is a person who hand picks the people he/she wants to be Rithmatists. Look at the Muns family. They are all over achievers with great skill (except maybe Melody, but her chalklings make up for that) and they are all Rithmatists. Maybe it's something simple, like Joel's dad had a spotty record so they didn't bother with Joel. It could also be something less nefarious, like maybe there is a way to tell without the chamber, and the chamber is really just for show.

I also felt the Forgotten thing was kinda just thrown at us. In fact, that is the one reason I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 5. I feel a little bit cheated because it meant the Scribbler quite literally could have been ANYBODY and there was no way to tell, but then again it sets up really interesting things for book 2 with him knowing Nalizar is evil but also knowing that nobody will believe him if he says anything. So if book 2 is superfantasticmasimofragelisticagocious, then I'll probably have to go back and amend my rating, like I had to with some Harry Potter and Wheel of Time books that were not 5 star the first time I read them, but after re-reading the entire series I saw just how important or interesting those books were as part of the whole. That had nothing to do with Rithmatist. Moving on.

The team up was superfantasticmasimofragelisticagocious! Tracing! It's so obvious, but so perfect. When they caught Harding I was really sad that I wasn't going to get to see a true team up, but that last chapter was epic!

So, all in all, as far as YA books go, I really liked this book, maybe even more than I was expecting. Sadly, I've been spoiled by Sanderson's adult epic fantasy and his big "OOOOHHHHHH" moments so the Forgotten thing was a bit of a let down. Otherwise, it was a good time! Hopefully there will be a sequel sooner rather than later.

[Adri]

Well, Joel was in the chamber or an hour and usually people are only in there for minutes, so I don't know that anything else would have happened.
It is accepted that there is no method to who becomes a Rithmatist except that they are specially chosen. There's still so much that we don't know about the process. But apparently research has shown that being chosen as a Rithmatist is not hereditary.
I think that the fact that the Scribbler was a Forgotten only takes away from readers having the opportunity to guess who the attacker was. But the fact that they exist and can attach themselves to people makes the war against chalklings bigger and more dangerous. (I didn't really grasp the danger from the chalklings, but it's more ominous now.) I don't understand how new wild chalklings come about. Why can't the people in Nebrask just destroy them all at once? And the chalklings that the Forgotten sent out were misshapen and impossible to kill because they were actually people, not chalklings. Is that what the chalklings in Nebrask are like?

Jack, on p. 302, the excerpt from The Narrative of the Captivity and the Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson says, "It was at that point that I saw it. Something in the darkness, illuminated just barely by the fire of our burning house. A shape that did seem to absorb the light, created completely of dark, shifting blackness: like charcoal scraped and scratched on the ground, only but standing upright in the shadows beside the house. It did watch. That deep, terrible blackness. Something from the depths themselves. The shape wriggling, shaking, like a pitch-black fire sketched in charcoal. Watching."