DoD: Chapter Twenty Four

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

Discuss Chapter 24 only. Please make liberal use of spoiler tags when discussing other books/series-wide implications.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Onos Toolan and his Imass slaughter the Senan, every man woman and child.

The K’Chain Chemalle army shows up to take its orders from Stormy and Gesler. It turns out the K’Chain nests are sky keeps and Ampelas Rooted, goes Battlestar Galactica.

The new Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil mount up on their custom made Chemalle and go to war with the Nahruk. There’s a massive sky keep battle with Icarium showing up in Kalse Rooted to weigh in against the Nahruk. The Nahruk have used dragon blood to burn a whole through the Imperial warren(?) to bring their sky keeps through.
Sinn and Grub show up and cook a few Nahruk skykeeps. And at the end there I wonder if Badelle has weighed in as well with her singing words

The Nah’ruk were falling.
Battle halted. Slaughter commenced....

Slaughter! For my brave Ve’Gath! Slaughter! For Gesler and his K’ell! Slaughter, for the Bonehunters—my friends—SLAUGHTER!

I say Badelle because she’s the only one we have seen who kills with words – in this case the word is Slaughter. Or perhaps it is the dying breath of the matron in Ampelas Rooted – or maybe it’s Badelle singing the Matron’s dying breath?

Anyway, after the Nahruk are routed we are still left with a hole in the warren which Icarium seals up using the errant’s eye as a Finnest – creating a massive big Azath House that closes the wounded warren.

His hand closed about the eye and he heard the shriek of an Elder God, as he transformed the eye into what he needed. For Root.
A seed.
A Finnest.

... ‘The Azath has sealed the wound.’
‘The Azath?’


Icarium disappears somewhere and Sulkit becomes a matron

Her master was gone. The throne was empty, barring a lone eye, embedded in the headrest. She was alone within Kalse.

So Icarium lost his memories when he destroyed an Azath House. What does it mean for him now that he has created an Azath?


We are returned to the scene that Hedge wanders on in RG when was walking through the underworld – the Dead Jaghut on the Throne surrounded by Dead Jaghut – ‘Death observing death,’ Hedge muttered. ‘How damned appropriate.

The figure on the throne had been frozen, lifeless, for a long, long time.
A fine shedding of dust from the corpse marked that something had changed. Ice then crackled. Steam rose from flesh slowly thickening with life. The hands, gripping the arms of the throne, suddenly twitched, fingers uncurling....

Hood, who had once been the Lord of Death, found arrayed before him fourteen Jaghut warriors. They stood in the midst of frozen corpses, weapons out but lowered or resting across shoulders.
One spoke. ‘What was that war again?’
The others laughed.

Hood asks forgiveness of the 14 Jaghut – I’m assuming for the war on Death.

And Kilmandaros and Sechul are still making plans to release the Otataral dragon and end the whole show

‘I am ready to free the bitch. Beloved son, is it time to end the world?’
Face hidden from her view, Sechul Lath closed his eyes. Then said, ‘Why not?’


Things are a ways from done yet.

[Lori]

I thought that was the Matron. Baseless knows nothing about Gesler, the K'Chain, etc.

It's weird that after all this time the Anaheim suddenly appear. Hasn't it been ions? Why did they come now? Aside from being a plot devise to have an exciting battle.

[Lori]

Oops iPhone wants Badelle to be baseless

[Sumant]

So Icarium lost his memories when he destroyed an Azath House. What does it mean for him now that he has created an Azath?

I think there was a line somewhere over there which said that he was powering that azath.

Also in TTH we had an elder force which was in control of gothos who was creating these azath houses whom nimander freed, if gothos is not able to make an azath then how can icarium create an azath?.

I say Badelle because she’s the only one we have seen who kills with words

I thought this was just cryptic and actually she was using some sort of warren to destroy FA.Also isn't she present in icarias how can she be back in waste lands?.

Hood, who had once been the Lord of Death

Does this actually mean the name of jaghut was Hood?.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Despite my issues with this book as a whole, I enjoyed the end. I think that's one of Mr. Erikson's strengths as a writer. He writes terrible beginnings (seemingly on purpose), but always writes great endings. The end of every book leaves me wanting to bump the rating/distracts me from previous frustrations with the book.

I don't feel so much like "how could he end it there!" as I was expecting given his author's note about splitting the final volume in 2. Sure I have questions and there are a lot of unresolved plot lines but compared to others books I've read I don't feel I need to drop everything and jump into The Crippled God. Of course given his writing style, I don't expect to get any answers until the very end if at all.

The beginning of CG will probably introduce 20 new characters and 3 new subplots..

-----
I'm curious what happened to Sinn and Grub. Are they more badass now? Or simply showing us more of what they were already capable of?

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Sumant wrote: "Does this actually mean the name of jaghut was Hood?."

The dead Jaghut on the throne was Hood, yes. I'm assuming the dead worshippers around him were the 14 funny haha Jaghuts.


Sumant wrote: "Also isn't she present in icarias how can she be back in waste lands?."

Badelle's visions have her jumping haphazardly to and from POV's of various characters in the book. I'm probably wrong.

Sumant wrote: "if gothos is not able to make an azath then how can icarium create an azath?."

Poor choice of words on my part. Maybe "planted" an Azath or an "Azath seed" is more apt - in the same way Silchas "planted" Kettle(and Scabandari) and in Gotm where Lorn "planted" Raust.

[David Sven, Mortal Sword..Meow]

Rob wrote: "I'm curious what happened to Sinn and Grub. Are they more badass now? Or simply showing us more of what they were already capable of? "

Sinn's badassery was established in Yghatan when she saved a whole heap of the Bonehunters out of middle of the fire. She's also officially one of the Adjunct's High mages - still, bringing down multiple skykeeps is a big deal even for her I think.

Grub has always been doing weird crap and prophesies - I can't remember him doing much actual magic before now.

[Lori]

I'm trying to remember what Grub has done yet he's a key player. He was sent on that small boat outside and helped the bonehunters escape the clutches of the Claw. Can't remember specifics.

Speaking of the Claw, Lostara thought Pearl had returned?

[Silvio]

I understood what Badalle did before as at least partly a matter of turning the Forkrul Assail's power of command back on them. But the "slaughter" passage didn't strike me as her poetic style, and as far as I can tell it makes sense just as Stormy's thoughts.

Now we know how Onos T'oolan reacted to being undead again. Seeing what's become of him was the saddest part of this book for me.

[Lori]

Not Badalle, stormy is good alternative to the matron.

Tool and Hetan hurt so much.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I haven't finished this chapter, but I regards to Grub, I remember reading something in this book or the last where,
Someone, maybe Blistig, said that Grub was actually the child of The Chain. That he is created from the betrayal and all the murdered wicken and soldiers crucified on Aren way. I can't remember the exact conversation, but it pertained to Keneb was meant to finds him.

@Rob, I was thing about what you said about not needing to jump straight into CG. I felt the same, in fact CG was on my shelf for a few weeks as I read the latest Esslemont book out at the time. I always knew that I'd pick it up where I left off and it made me think, that kind of ending is probably good when you are reading a series and then having to wait for the next one. Nothing like a cliff hanger hen 18 month wait for book x.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Lee wrote: "Nothing like a cliff hanger hen 18 month wait for book x. "

Oh you mean like I did between Changes and Ghost Story?

[Linette]

Rob wrote: "Lee wrote: "Nothing like a cliff hanger hen 18 month wait for book x. "

Oh you mean like I did between Changes and Ghost Story?"

THAT was a serious cliffhanger.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

Linette wrote: "THAT was a serious cliffhanger. "

It was also the first time since I started reading the series that it took longer than 12 months for the next volume to come out too. I was really annoyed at having to wait an extra 6 months. WoT, GoT, etc fans would have scoff at my annoyance I'm sure.

Prior to that the only wait I had to deal with was between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla. I forget exactly when I read W&G. It wasn't quite the full 6 years, but it was pretty close. And he nearly DIED in that time.

Of course people who had started that series earlier were already used to waiting 5-6 years between books. Waiting 6 years between The Waste Lands and Wizard and Glass would have pissed me off.

I've read comments from Stephen King saying he had dying people writing him letters in those 6 years whose last request was knowing how the cliffhanger from Waste Lands would be resolved. lol.

[Linette]

LOL - guess I could see it from their viewpoint. No pressure, big epic writing authors.

Waiting doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother other people - I have tons of other books I want to read and I don't usually have much problem picking up a story after a couple of years and carrying on, I guess.

One exception to that would be Malazan I think, it's just too complex, I might have had trouble with that - glad I don't have to find out.

[Lori]

The only reason I mind waiting is the remembering factor. And usually it's the complex epics that accrue the most waiting!

The very few TV shows I watch I don't mind waiting and remember enough from one season to others. However I do enjoy a marathon best, but there's no way if I'm up to date on a series that I'll wait for the whole season to be done before watching. I'm quivering with excitement for Orphan Black.

[Rob, Quick Ben]

In general I'm fine waiting. If there is a big cliffhanger then waiting annoys me though.

I agree the larger issue is remembering details between books.

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I have been lucky in that regard. I started Malazan three months before CG was released. Dark tower after it was finished and Dresden after Ghost Story. That one would have been tough to wait for. The length of time makes a difference for me I believe. I haven't carried on with Game of Thrones and I have lost interest in name of the wind third book. Must be my short attention span.

[Silvio]

Lee wrote: "I haven't finished this chapter, but I regards to Grub, I remember reading something in this book or the last where,
Someone, maybe Blistig, said that Grub was actually the child of The Chain. Tha..."

This sounds familiar. I was thinking it was from someone who would know better than Blistig - Sinn, maybe?

[Lee, High Priest of Shadow]

I can't be Sinn as it was a discussion had out loud. Sinn is mute to all except Grub. I thought it was Blistig telling Someone about it just after Dinn and Grub went into the Azath house,