TOG: Section 2: 6 - 12

[Lindsay]

Please keep all discussion and speculation to the events of this section which includes 6: you commit to the cause through 12: Nassun, falling up.

No spoiler tags required. Though it would be highly appreciated if you Uncheck Add to my Update Feed to avoid accidentally spoiling things for your goodreads friends.

Please do not discuss events from later sections/books. Referring back to events from a previous book is fine.

[Lindsay]

So much exposition here.

We learn what happened to Alabaster after Antimony took him.

We get some idea that the orogene power has several modes and Fulcrum-trained orogenes only get training in one of them.

And plot-wise Nassun falls into Schaffa's influence and like her mother she loves him like a parent. It's particularly horrible that Nassun feels more for Schaffa than she does Essun at this point. But then again, this new Schaffa is just plain weird. I'm not sure how much of a free agent he actually is at this point (or ever was for that matter).

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I wasn't bothered by the amount of exposition (not sure if you were saying that as positive/negative/neutral).

I was pretty annoyed when she ended that one chapter (and then he told me), so I was happy that the next Essun chapter provided a lot of the details of things.

I don't trust Schaffa at all. He says he's changed and looks on his past actions with horror. His reaction to learning that Essun did to Nassun what he did to her as a child was especially ridiculous. I guess we're supposed to feel like he's realized the error of his ways? I guess time will tell..

So maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but are we supposed to get the feeling that whomever is telling Essun's story back to her, is also the one telling her Schaffa and Nassun's parts of the story? It seems that way to me, especially with some of the chapters in this section. Each chapter seems to start off like our mystery narrator is telling Essun these things.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Oh yeah, and so it seems like Shaffa (and all the other guardians) was born an Orogene. At least that was how I interpreted it.

They seem to have created Guardians by inserting some metal (Iron?) into their brains. Nassun discovers he has something in his brain similar (the same) to what she (and other Orogenes) have that gives them their powers.

Maybe that's not a new development though, and just another detail I forgot/missed in the first book.

[Lindsay]

I wasn't bothered by the exposition, just pointing out that it's there.

In terms of the Guardians, yes we knew that they were orogenes that had had something inserted in their brains and that's what altered them. The new info here is that it's metal and that it causes them constant pain and that the Guardian grin is an effort to help with that.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Haha. I think I have the memory of a fish sometimes. Then again, I have some stuff jammed in my head that I'm always surprised I remember. Plot details or names have never been on the list though. Lol.

Thanks for helping me out!

[Lindsay]

You might remember from the first book when Syenite (may have still been Damaya at that point) sees it being extracted from the Guardian who went nuts.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Nope. Lol. But in his conversation with Nassun after she reveals what she knows, he did allude to her mother having discovered it. That's probably what he was referring to.

[Suzanne]

So tonight on the way home Alabaster said "This war has three sides." My IMMEDIATE thought was - "I hope Sky makes an acronym for each of them."

About the narrator - in my mind - it isn't anyone - it's just an omniscient voice telling the story. I'm sure I'm wrong.

Yes I totally don't trust Shaffa. Sure he seems to regret past doings, and yet he killed all those people when he adopted the boy.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Haha. Sadly I don't think Sky1 is reading this book..

[Teanka]

Schaffa seems to be driven by something else, or some other entity, the one that saved his life when he was drowning, He is no longer the old Schaffa, but something else, at least that's how I understand it. I'm not sure if he controls what he is doing.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

He's definitely different, but is he "better"? I'm not so sure. I like the theory that he's being controlled though. Or maybe he's fighting against a control the Guardians normally have instead?

[Teanka]

I agree, Rob, on both points, but I'm not sure how much was revealed at this stage of the book, which is why I haven't elaborated more :). (view spoiler)[ He is 'better' at least from the point of view of his pupils. He is nicer to 'his' orogenes and fights against his Guardian's instincts (which probably tell him to kill the rogga already and be done) all the time. At the same time, he's definitely 'worse' to other people. (hide spoiler)]

[Braxiatel]

Teanka wrote: "I agree, Rob, on both points, but I'm not sure how much was revealed at this stage of the book, which is why I haven't elaborated more :)."

I think nice = not necessarily better. The Guardians need to be harsh in order to dissuade their charges (who are essentially walking nukes) from destroying everything and also prevent them from developing world ruining powers such that Nassun are now displaying. Eitz probably would not have died in such an awful manner if Schaffa and had put his foot down.

There's another quote in the previous book, I believe, that details how Essun believes that children will be the end of them.

(view spoiler)[I still think that Schaffa gave up more of himself to the 'Earth' which gives the Guardians their powers as the payment for surviving and the only reason why Nassun and co are alive right now is that he justified not killing them with a nice future Nassun created genocide of orogenes and the killing of all of the other ringed orogenes is just a way of blowing off steam and convincing the Earth he's doing what it wants. (hide spoiler)]

[Geoff]

I agree that Schaffa is acting oddly right now. Not sure of his motivations yet.

I enjoyed all of the exposition. I'm interested in learning more about the city on the other side of the world with the hole to the core.