The Fifth Season - The Obelisk Gate Discussion (August 2016)

[Whitney]

This is for discussion of the sequel, The Obelisk gate. So post whatever you'd like here; questions, observations, giddy fan gushing, it's all welcome. This will be the only folder for The Obelisk Gate, so spoilers are allowed for the entire book, read at your peril.

How did people think the sequel compared to the original? Did you prefer the structure of one over the other? What do you think about Schaffa's character arc? Did your opinion of him change in this book? What do you think of Nassun as a main character? Is her assessment of her parents fair?

[LindaJ^]

Whitney wrote: "This is for discussion of the sequel, The Obelisk gate. ...[1] How did people think the sequel compared to the original? [2]Did you prefer the structure of one over the other? [3]What do you think about Schaffa's character arc? [4]Did your opinion of him change in this book? [5]What do you think of Nassun as a main character? [6]Is her assessment of her parents fair?"

Whitney, great questions! I added numbers so I could just refer to the number and not repeat each question. I finished the book this morning.

As to Question 1: I really enjoyed it the book, but it was structured differently from the first, although there were similarities. One similarity Similar were the different eyes through which we heard the story but this time those eyes were different characters rather than the different eyes of the different ages of the main character Essem.
As to Question 2: I cannot say I had a preference for structure. Both were uniquely and well done.
As to Questions 3&4: Tough questions. I am not sure whether Schaffa has changed for the worse or the better. At first, I thought worse, and then I thought better, and now I don't know because I don't trust that he will not become a full-fledged guardian again. I guess we will see in Book 3.
As to Question 5: Nassun is a good main character. She's a lot like her mother, I think. Both feel tremendous guilt for what they have done with their gifts. Nassun came to that point much earlier than her mother and it is a burden that is too big for a young girl to carry.
As to Question 6: I think Nassun's assessment of her parents is fair based on the knowledge that she has and what she has seen and her age. I sense that as she learns more about Schaffa she understands her mother better, but it is understandably hard for her to forgive her mother even if she understands. And I do not see how she could assess her father any differently.

I'm eager now for book 3, both to see how the story ends and to see how she structures it. This is a seriously good sci fi/fantasy series. The writing is good and the world building is amazing. I've not written my review yet - tough book to capture

[Caroline]

I read both books in August so I'm having a hard time remembering what happened in each book. I think I preferred the first but highly enjoyed the second. The first had more action going on while the characters spent more time in one place, letting us get to know the characters better while tension builds in the surroundings.

I'm with Linda, I'm not really sure whether I like Schaffa or not. He's an interesting character, particularly in his newer state - it's hard to know what to expect.

I'm having a hard time remembering everything about Nassun's story line - it was interesting to see her mother from her point of view but I can't remember what she thinks of her father.

I agree that this is a really good series and I'm also eager for the next one to come out. I've been trying to convince my husband to read it for months but no luck yet! I'll keep trying though.

[LindaJ^]

I just finished the third and last of the series - The Stone Sky - and it as good as the first two and once again written in a quite different manner. What a marvelously well-done trilogy. My review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Whitney]

Great! I will open a discussion topic for The Stone Sky.