The Not a Book Club Club discussion
Joe Abercrombie
>
TBI - Section 5: The House of the Maker - The Tools We Have
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Edit: Oh yeah, and I'm still not sure why Bayaz wanted Jezal and Glokta along specifically but he was definitely planning to enter the tower anyways.
I wonder just what that heavy box is meant to hold:
"Kanedias forged it to be strong. As strong as all his great skill could make it. Not to keep its contents safe from the World." He leaned close and spoke softly. "To keep the World safe from its contents."
Logen frowned down. "What's in it?"
"Nothing," muttered Bayaz. "Yet."
So he's definitely planning to fill it, and I was right that he planned to go the tower all along.
I speed-read this part of the book so I can't even remember what happened. All I wanted this whole book was more Glotka.I'm not adding much to the conversation but oh well.
Dara wrote: "All I wanted this whole book was more Glotka."Yes, more Glokta - "take my other tooth please Glokta! And you can have my other fingers as well!"
How can you not like a man whose name sounds like a handgun.
Mod
Glokta has definitely grown on me. Looks like he's got his work cut out for him.
Don't make Bayaz angry. Damn. I'm even more convinced that he cheated in the contest to get Jezal, but I still can't figure out why yet.
I guess they are off to find "The Seed", which I presume is what the box is for.
Now we know what they wanted Ferro for. She apparently heals quickly. And never tires it seems from being chased by the Inquisitors.
It's going to be hard to wait a month to read the next one.
Glokta has a new practical, too...the same woman who relentlessly tried to kill Ferro and Logen...and they are heading south on an impossible task. Interesting. Logen has a bezerker side to him, one he doesn't like much. Must have something to do with why Bayaz wants him along for the trip. Sounds like Bayaz is intending to finish the fight started when he destroyed the maker, by destroying the maker's minions. Only now there are only 3 magi left, and the other 2 don't sound very dependable.
Can't wait to hit the road with them all in the next book. Good read.
Mod
With his bezerker side and his ability with catching spirits, and Ferro's ability to heal and not feel pain, I have to think they carry the blood of some major player(s) from the old conflict against the maker - wonder if it has something to do with the original magi. I'm also wondering how Logen's little band up north is going to feature in the next book, with all the other major characters heading away on their tasks. I guess they'll keep Bethod in check while the others are away :)
Looking forward to reading more...poor Glotka.
Mod
I was kind of caught off guard by the ending. I mean where is the massive battle scene where half the characters I've come to enjoy get killed? Really enjoyed the Glokta sections and the last fight scene with the bloodynine finally making an appearance.
Mod
Really enjoyed the Glokta sections and the last fig..."
This book seems to be more setup than anything. That's why it only gets 4 stars for me.
Bill wrote: "I was kind of caught off guard by the ending. I mean where is the massive battle scene where half the characters I've come to enjoy get killed? i think abercrombie fooled us all :)
Mod
Personally I didn't find him to be a dimwit. He certainly was unaccustomed to city ways. He found all the people suffocating and many of their customs strange.
Why do you consider him to be a bit dimwitted?
Mod
That's a good point. I would expect it to be the death, but maybe their is a protocol for the victor to offer the loser the ability to surrender/concede the duel.
It might make all of them indebted to Logen For sparing their lives.
I don't know if they feel indebted. I think they've figured out the Logen is the Baddest MF in the North and they'd rather be with him than against him. And there is a lot of respect. Dogman is constantly remarking on things he's learned from Logen.Finished my reread of The Blade Itself. Think I enjoyed it more this time.
Mod
Mod
So, now I finished it aswell.First thing. My spirit theory didn't really add up in the end. If Forley can be beheaded, he might not have been a ghost after all.
But still I'm into the theory that Logen's Bloody Nine berzerker rage is somehow related to the 10 duels he fought for Bethod.
We learn that Forley surrendered to him directly, so this would make for 9 more or less bloody duels and 1 forgiven match.
I'm interested in finding out, if there is more to the berzerker thing. Maybe he can channel all of his former advesaries or something like it.
Regarding Glokta and Jezal in the tower my theory would be that he wanted to have them along for a change of perspective.
Glokta was a non-believer before the tower and I guess Bayaz wanted him to see that everything is possible. To have an open mind. Maybe Glokta needs this open mind for his future.
Glokta seems to be important. He had the vision about a woman and if I'm not mistaken the woman in the vision talked about the Seed to Glokta. So Glokta might be related to the Seed somehow. My working theory is that the vision woman could be the Maker's daughter.
A relation between her, the Seed and Glokta might explain Bayaz' interest in Glokta.
For Jezal I'm a bit more at a loss. For him the tower experience seemed to be about being above the world. He interprets it as being worthier than others, but I guess the intention might have been to give him perspective, take a step back and see the whole picture.
Bayaz seems to need him. We know it was important for him to win the contest, but I'm not sure that he is really needed for his fencing skills. I guess it was just important for him to win to become champion, so Bayaz can ask for the champion as a companion.
Mod
We learn that Forley surrendered to him directly, so this would make for 9 more or less bloody duels and 1 forgiven match.
I'm interested in finding out, if there is more to the berzerker thing. Maybe he can channel all of his former advesaries or something like it."
A friend has a copy of my book, so I can't look this up, but I recall when Logen was telling someone he was the bloody nine (I think it was the Northman among Superior Goyle's practicals), he held up his hand.
I'm at work and can't confirm but I think he introduced himself to Bayaz at his library that way
Yes, he does. He held his left hand up, spattered with red blood, three fingers spread out wide, grinning through the gap where the middle one used to be, along time ago. "They call me the Bloody-Nine."
"Dah!" The Stone-Splitter ripped of his mask and threw it on the floor. "Liar! There's plenty o' men in the north have lost a finger. They ain't all Ninefingers!"
I guess I know too few about northern naming. In the scene, where Stone-Splitter is introduced, Goyle calls him Practical Byre, with Stone-Splitter being his northern name.
I assumed that everyone in the north had a normal name. And the named men had something else added.
So the one version could be that Logen is the normal name and that both Ninefingers and Bloody-Nine are versions of his "named" name.
The second version could be, that he is called Logen Ninefingers by normal name, due to having 9 fingers and Bloody-Nine being his "named" name referring to something else.
I know that this might be far fetched aswell as my spirit theory and sometimes a ninefingered duck is just a duck missing a finger, but I was in the House of the Maker with Bayaz and now I'm open to all possibilities.^^
Mod
Lol.
Mpauli wrote: "I know that this might be far fetched aswell as my spirit theory and sometimes a ninefingered duck is just a duck missing a finger, but I was in the House of the Maker with Bayaz and now I'm open to all possibilities.^^ "Hmmm, with all these theories you sound like a Malazan reader. You are obviously missing Erikson and need to reread with us
I'm really tempted to do that. I heard that rereading it is so rewarding.On the other hand, these books are really long and I think it took me 1 1/2 years for my first read. I think I started around, when "Dust of Dreams" came out and I think "The Crippled God" was one of my first Kindle books.
You're already at book 5, which is a bit intimidating. On the third hand...there's Hood to be met again...and Pust...and Cottillion...argh.
And we are only doing 4 chapters a week and we keep an eye on the older threads. This is my first reread and it is a totally different experience. The dark side(or darker side) beckons.
Just typed "Gardens of the Moon" into the search field of my Kindle.At that moment I heard a coin spinning...somewhere
Mpauli wrote: "Just typed "Gardens of the Moon" into the search field of my Kindle.At that moment I heard a coin spinning...somewhere"
Made me laugh! :)
I'm really looking forward to pick book #2 up and continue this series. Like others said it felt much like a setup, but I don't mind the lack of a bloody ending. It made me want more, which is enough for me.Luckily, I have book #2 on the way!
I wonder what is so important about Jezal. There must be more to him that neither he or we have discovered yet, as it was essential to Bayaz to get him along.
Someone wrote higher up in the thread commented on Logen being dimwitted, and I disagree. He may have been at a loss within the city, but to me he came across as more of a silent thinker.
And I admit I have warmed to Glokta. I don't like him much, yet, but he's not that bad.
And yes - Bayaz certainly has surrounded himself with powerful people, with very different sets of skills. I look forward to following them.
Mod
Let me just say that he's no Kvothe, Locke Lamora, Gavin Guile, or Mat Cauthon."
I'm quite glad that he's not to be honest. But there is a vast difference between being clever and being a dimwit.
Please keep all discussion to the events and speculation from the chapter: The House of the Maker to the chapter: The Tools We Have.
No spoiler tags required.
Please do not discuss events from later chapters/books. Referring back to events from a previous section is fine.