Sanderson - Starsight [Nov 26, 2019]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Finished part 3/Ch 29..."

Wa-a-a-ait for it...

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Narilka wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I also love the gerbils (this seems vague enough to skip a spoiler tag)..."

Agreed. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Also love his tendency towards poetry!

[Narilka]

Interlude before Ch 30. Absolutely loved this. (view spoiler)[Jorgen taking lessens from Gran Gran is pure awesome. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Narilka wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I also love the gerbils (this seems vague enough to skip a spoiler tag)..."

Agreed. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Also love ..."

They just make me thing of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJLeB...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Interlude before Ch 30. Absolutely loved this. [spoilers removed]"

Everything about this book is awesome... it makes the ending more bearable :)

[Narilka]

I finished. Scudscudscudscudscud. (view spoiler)[That is quite a cliffhanger and now we have to wait 2 years :( Stupid Stormlight Archives 4!!

Man that was great. I couldn't put the book down :) It also left me so wound up that it took a while to fall asleep after lol

So how are they going to use the slugs without torturing them? I imagine they're screaming because either they're scared to death or it hurts to be forced to hyperjump.

I was sad that Hesho died. I'm also sad that Mbot has lost his ship body, though I imagine that will work out OK since he can copy himself now.

Nice twist on the delvers. They're just another alien species. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

@Narilka: (view spoiler)[I don’t think teleporting hurts slugs... it’s teleporting paired with the Superiorty’s Cytonic Field Blocker Tech that was weakening Doomslug the whole book... Doomslug was fine on Detritus, but if the slugs can teleport willy-nilly on Starsight, the secret of teleportation wouldn’t be very secret for long, and caging them would be useless (hide spoiler)]

I didn’t even think about SA4 meaning 2 year wait for Skyward 3... DOH...

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "@Narilka: [spoilers removed]

I didn’t even think about SA4 meaning 2 year wait for Skyward 3... DOH..."

The note on Skyward 3's book page is tentative spring 2021 release. I guess we'll see if there's any change in this years State of the Sanderson in a couple weeks.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

There’s like 10 different Sanderson books I’m waiting for... Skyward 3, SA 4, Smedry 6, Rithmatist 2, Warbreaker 2, Mistborn 7, Elantris 2, etc...

[Narilka]

No kidding! Thank god he is a consistent and prolific writer :) My big ones are Skyward 3 & 4 and Mistborn 7. I can't wait to binge all of Era 2 in one shot. I've held off on starting SA since I know it's going to be 2 arcs of 5 books each. As much as I'd like sequels of the others (Warbreaker, etc.), at least the current books are reasonably self contained.

Re your spoiler in post 57 (view spoiler)[I hope you're right. I also wonder if Spensa will be able to "talk" with Doomslug at some point, at least get a sense of emotions, since they're both cytonic. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

There's a Skyward 4?...

Sanderson says he structures each Stormlight Archive book like he outlines a trilogy, and the Interludes are like short stories connected to the trilogy... all that said, I almost felt like the 3rd Stormlight Archive could have been the end of a trilogy itself, with a slightly modified ending...

I'm glad I waited to read some of these books/series, since many have been on hold for a decade now (Elantris/Warbreaker/Rithmatist/Smedry), mostly because of Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive... so many were started due to writer's block or something while writitng other things... so he wrote something as a change of pace to get out of a funk... (Warbreaker was a prequel to the first draft of Stormlight Archives)

[Virginie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "There's a Skyward 4?...

Sanderson says he structures each Stormlight Archive book like he outlines a trilogy, and the Interludes are like short stories connected to the trilogy... all that said, I..."

Yup, Skyward was always supposed to be 4 books, I think... Since Sanderson heavily outlines his stories, he planned on 4 books to tell this one.

And yeah , according to his updates on his website/newsletters, he needs a whole variety of projects to keep the 'creative juices' flowing... I can only imagine how draining writing SA must be; no wonder he wants to write some fun YA SF books in between.

There's also the fact that his Cosmere books and his non-Cosmere ones are from different publishing houses. So there's contracts and such he has to uphold...

[Twila]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I finished the book... the structure is very similar to the first book, which isn't a bad thing... I really liked this book, and was on the edge of my seat towards the end... I liked all the develo..."

Oh no! You swapped the chapters? (view spoiler)[That fake epilogue! How fantastic was that? Brandon's sneakiness has gone meta now. Just when I thought the book was going to end, he pulled the rug right from under me. So good. (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

I stopped getting notification for this thread for some reason. So annoying! But I finished a while ago. LOVED it.

Hesho, who is definitely not a king, was my favourite of the newer characters. (view spoiler)[ So bummed about what happened to him. And it happened off page! Urgh. RIP. (hide spoiler)]

Loved the setup for book 3. Looks like we'll get to explore even more in the future. I'm just sad about the long wait we'll have to endure.
And forget Stormlight 4, I'm dying for Brandon to write the last Alcatraz book. I've been waiting for YEARS, lol.

[Twila]

Do you guys have any predictions for book 3? I hear Brandon was thinking of naming it Nowhere. Would be a great name imo.
A have one! Tell me what you guys think:
(view spoiler)[I think Brade and M-Bot are going to swap near the end of the third book. M-Bot, though it PAINS me to think this, will become the main bad guy in the rest of the series. We're already left on a really foreboding note with him and I think it might get worse. Remember, he was found broken in a cave, and we still don't know why!
Brade didn't make the right choice in this book, but I don't think she'll remain evil for the rest of the series. I think she'll help out the humans at some point.

This might not happen. I hope I'm wrong! I love M-Bot dearly, and hope everything works out. These are just my thoughts after reading tons of Sanderson books. (hide spoiler)]

I also really hope we get to see (view spoiler)[some of those other prisons holding humans. And mindblades! I can't wait to see Spensa develop those! I think she'll be free to use cytonics now that the delvers might leave humans alone. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Twila (callsign: Wiley) wrote: "Do you guys have any predictions for book 3? I hear Brandon was thinking of naming it Nowhere. Would be a great name imo.
A have one! Tell me what you guys think:
I think Brade and M-Bot are going..."

That would be a fantastic title. (view spoiler)[I'd be heartbroken if Mbot ended up as the villain :( So I hope you're off on that part. I could definitely see him working in a redemption arc for Brade. I would also love to see another human prison planet. Or how about if she stumbles across old Earth, that it ended up in the Nowhere after one of the wars? I also think that the references to the missing Kitsen cytonics is going to play into the next book. (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

Narilka wrote: "Twila (callsign: Wiley) wrote: "Do you guys have any predictions for book 3? I hear Brandon was thinking of naming it Nowhere. Would be a great name imo.
A have one! Tell me what you guys think:
I..."

Oh my gosh, I had somehow forgotten about (view spoiler)[Earth at all! We're only told that it vanished, right? I can't remember anything beyond that. Brandon said at one of his signings that the Phone Company from Defending Elysium is still currently around. I was keeping an eye out for them all book long, but there was nothing. Maybe they're all on Earth and somehow managed to make Earth invisible to rest of the Superiority??? I dunno.

And I cannot even imagine what the nowhere looks like. Hopefully you're right and we get to see more humans. I loved all the new alien characters, but hey, humans are great too!

I just hope it doesn't take too long for Spensa to meet up with everyone from Detritus. We spent most of this book with everyone separated. I just want them to be together again! (hide spoiler)]

There are literally so many possibilities!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Twila (callsign: Wiley) wrote: "I stopped getting notification for this thread for some reason. So annoying! But I finished a while ago. LOVED it.

Hesho, who is definitely not a king, was my favourite of the newer characters. [..."

I only read the Alcatraz books last year, but definitely awaiting Smedry 6

[Rob]

I'm still going through this after deciding to reread Skyward again which was totally worth it. I'm about 2/3 there - finding it a slightly less compelling read, but given how Julia is beating me on the head to finish so we can talk and the rest of the excitement in this group, I better put the pedal to the metal and finish up.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie - I finished the first couple of chapters today. I’m glad I’m back into this so soon because I still remember all the details. I just got through the part where (view spoiler)[they were watching that old video and she saw herself in the background! A time-traveling element would be kind of a neat addition to the story perhaps. I love the cute little southern bell character and how she’s blossoming in this book (flipping off the guy lol) (hide spoiler)]. Anyway looking forward to more. :)

[Virginie]

I've started it as well!

Copy-paste of my comment from my first BR tentative lol:

Finished chapter 3! Not much to say, I'm just happy to be back with the characters I love :) (view spoiler)[
I find it amusing to no end that the only one M-bot doesn't scare/drive crazy is Spensa... 'cause she's crazier than him/it :p

The dynamic between Jerkface & Spin is great. It's refreshing that, instead of "girl is attracted to bad boy", we have the opposite here; poor Jorgen is torn between being fascinated by her wildness, exasperated by her devil-may-care attitude and scared (for her) by her reckless and somewhat violent side.

And we got more Doomslug! I spent the better part of book 1 persuaded that Doomslug was the cytonic hyperdrive, just to have my theory shattered in million pieces at the end... But the fact she/it (?) seems to teleport keeps being mentioned, so I still think there's more to that... We learn now that she likes to be near Mbot as well.
I'm half expecting it to be revealed that Spensa is the only one that can actually hear words from her (like, the others would only get flutting sounds) because of her special lineage, but no one commented on Spensa talking to a slug 'cause she's a weirdo :p

(hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I just got through the part where [spoilers]. Anyway looking forward to more."

Yeah, that was an interesting scene! (view spoiler)[

I didn't even think of the time-travel possibility. I interpreted it more as a "cytonic-brain hijacking-hallucinations-thingy", like what the Krells did to Spensa's dad. I got the impression that any cytonic would see themselves (and not see Spensa)...

What's interesting is that, while Spensa had the 'clearest' vision, other people seem to see something, including Jorgen. Maybe some humans have the capacity to glimpse into that other dimension (the "Nowhere", I think Spin calls it), and "cytonics" are just those strong enough to step in and out (therefore allowing faster-than-light travel). And somehow, Doomslug's species naturally has that capacity (kinda like the Yoda species and the Force :p) (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Up to chapter 11 (22%): (view spoiler)[
Weeeell, things moved FAST!
Spensa is playing spy in the Superiority, nothing could go wrong there... LOL.

What kind of intergalactic organization names itself "Superiority" anyway? It's like screaming out you're composed of arrogant know-it-all jerks xD

And did that pet human mention cytonics can do "mindblades"? MINDBLADES?!? That sounds amazing, teach Spin how to do it, she'll totally behave :p

The capacity of the Delvas (did I spell that right? I'm on audio) to listen/hijack wireless coms reminds me a of [Mistborn spoilers] (view spoiler)[ Ruin's alterations of writings... The warnings to never use wireless communication modes is a bit like the "For anything not etched in metal cannot be trusted". (hide spoiler)]

Falsification of history/lost knowledge of the past is a theme in Sanderson's works... The (view spoiler)[Hero of Ages prophecies + Ruin's shenanigans (hide spoiler)] in Mistborn, the (view spoiler)[ discovery that the voidbringers were actually the human invaders (hide spoiler)] in SA, etc.

(hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Virginie wrote: "Up to chapter 11 (22%)..."

Great catch on the similarities. Even though the Skyward series isn't set in Cosmere, Sanderson definitely has his themes.

You both are in for such a treat :) I think I'm going to want to reread this one when book 3 comes out next year.

[Twila]

Virginie, it's actually delvers. You must be listening to the British narration? 😄

[Virginie]

Twila wrote: "Virginie, it's actually delvers. You must be listening to the British narration? 😄"

Oh wow. Yup, I am xD
Makes a lot more sense now... I was wondering where that weird name came from 😄

[Mel]

Niki and Virginie - I finally got a library copy and started reading it as well. Finished Part One, and glad to see you guys are still reading as well. :)

I also thought it interesting in Chapter 5 that (view spoiler)[Jorgen could see the stars/eyes and a faint outline, while another could see nothing at all, It certainly implies that cytonic capability has a range of sensitivities. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

On Chapter 27

Doomslug! Destroyer of Worlds! Harbinger of Death! Sower of Discord, and all other manner of Ominous Appellation!

But seriously?(view spoiler)[Invasive species? Contact authorities immediately? That's what they went with? (hide spoiler)] I'm waiting so hard for the other shoe to drop on our favorite mascot. Please tell me it happens in this book.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie wrote: "I've started it as well!

Copy-paste of my comment from my first BR tentative lol:

Finished chapter 3! Not much to say, I'm just happy to be back with the characters I love :)
I find it amusing t..."

That's a really thoughtful set of comments! (view spoiler)[ I think you're on to something with doomslug. That name has to be foreshadowing. Maybe it has something to do with the eyes in the in-between place. Baby world destroyers lol. I also love your perspective on Jerkface - he's so regimented and she's so wild. It's a dynamic I'm digging.

Per your response to my comment: I didn't think about the brain-hacking side. That might be it! But I was thinking her ability to hyperdrive jump from place to place could also work from time to time... maybe she'll get to save her father... but stuff like that gets tricky, so I'm not sure I really want it to go that direction lol. (hide spoiler)]

I'm only through ch 13. (view spoiler)[ I had a bit of an issue with how conveniently things went down. They have a plan to infiltrate. They just barely discussed Mbot's abilities to project holograms. Then the alien pilot with the PERFECT alibi to execute the plan they'd already devised just shows up out of the cosmere. It felt lazy... and maybe a bit forced. But I'm rollin with it. (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Melissa wrote: "Niki and Virginie - I finally got a library copy and started reading it as well. Finished Part One, and glad to see you guys are still reading as well. :)

I also thought it interesting in Chapter ..."

I'm glad you're joining us! :D (view spoiler)[ it will be interesting to find out what specifically is giving them that sensitivity. So much to learn! (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Melissa wrote: "On Chapter 27

Doomslug! Destroyer of Worlds! Harbinger of Death! Sower of Discord, and all other manner of Ominous Appellation!

But seriously?[spoilers removed] I'm waiting so hard for the other ..."

Keep reading :D

[Virginie]

Glad to have you, Melissa! :)

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Per your response to my comment: [spoilers]"

That's true... (view spoiler)[ Once you have hyperdrive jumps, time travel is definitely on the table. A bit scared since that usually creates TONS of continuity problems and potential plot-holes, but Sanderson should be able to pull it off, if he chooses to :) (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I'm only through ch 13."

Yeah, that annoyed me a bit too. I was able to accept it (view spoiler)[ by reminding myself that, though the alien really have the perfect alibi, she didn't stumble upon Detritus by accident but rather came specifically for Spensa. She also only heard/located Spensa because she panicked after seeing that video of the Delvers attacking Detritus so many years ago, a revelation that also prompted Cob to reveal his "spy" pet-project...

So I'm willing to believe (or rather, deceive myself into thinking) that the fortuitous timing is more a domino-effect thing. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Finished! Now to open ALL the spoiler tags! Muahahaha!

That cliffhanger man... (view spoiler)[I'm a liitle bummed that we never made it back to the original Alanik, and didn't spend much time back with our old friends on Detrius, but I also see how narratively it's less distracting that way. Plenty to look forward to in the next book. I'm only sad that His Royal Normalness won't be there to add his poetic ornamentations. Alas. (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Finished Part 2 (chap. 18) (view spoiler)[

Ok, the most important thing...
Doomslug doesn't have eyes? DOOMSLUG HAS NO EYES?!?
My world is shattered..............

Love the new characters being introduced. I can tell that Sanderson had fun imagining all the different alien species; discovering weird aliens has always been one of my favorite part of SF :)

Plenty of funny moments; the one that stayed with me is the fact that the gerbils' spaceship is called "Big Enough to Kill You" bwahahaha.

The Superiority further proves its dickishness.
"Mmmh? Using live ammo during a testing exercise? Well, they signed the waivers, didn't they? It's fine then! They are mostly from lesser species anyway...."

Glad Spensa mentioned the similarities between the Superiority's tactics to control other species and the DDF's treatment of her mother and her.
During the whole of book 1, I was thinking that the way the DDF handled Spensa's dad "treason" was idiotic. If they wanted to keep Spensa from ever flying for fear of her having the 'defect', there were plenty of other ways to do that. Overtly doing petty sabotage (keeping her from the living facilities, changing her test, etc.) was possibly the WORST way of handling her.
Humans are famously irrational. Try to put them down, push them too much and they'll start pushing back, sometimes even contrary to their sense of self-preservation, just for the sake of resisting. And while an individual might cave in, a group will not.
Which is why I'm thinking the Superiority's treatment of other species will blow right in its faces. The moment they loose the monopoly of safe FTL travel (either because the technology is stolen or it looses the 'safe' part, since there would be no reason to spurn cytonics if the Delvers are coming back anyway), they are soooo done. Other species might be less aggressive than humans, but they'll probably turn on the Superiority in a heartbeat if they see an opportunity. (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Per your response to my comment: [spoilers]"

That's true... [spoilers removed]"

I 100% agree!! I've only read a couple of books with that plot element where I didn't see some holes haha. I'm hoping it doesn't go that way to begin with...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I'm only through ch 13."

Yeah, ..."

(view spoiler)[Okay... okay... your logic is sound. It makes me feel a lot better thinking dominoes haha. Thanks for giving me some zen. :P (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Melissa wrote: "Finished! Now to open ALL the spoiler tags! Muahahaha!

That cliffhanger man... [spoilers removed]"

Can't wait to catch up and see all the things lol. :D

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Virginie wrote: "Finished Part 2 (chap. 18)

Ok, the most important thing...
Doomslug doesn't have eyes? DOOMSLUG HAS NO EYES?!?
My world is shattered..............

Love the new characters being introduced. I can..."

I'm just past that point as well. (view spoiler)[You have such great insight! You inspire me to slow down and appreciate the nuances of the story more. The name of the ship tickled me too haha.

Xenobiology is my favorite aspect of scifi, followed closely by world building. I love it. I think the aliens here are cool - i especially love the gender mechanics and "test driving" newborns haha. Perhaps it's because I'm doing it on audio, or maybe because Sanderson was going for something lighthearted, but I'm finding the aliens... cute? I like cute! Don't get me wrong. But I was hoping for species a little less fun and a little more intimidating (and more "alien" if that makes sense... the mannerisms all seem familiar to this point).

I love your comments on overcoming oppression, and I agree, it's going to bite them in the ass full force. I also thought it was weird/ineffective how they handled her dad and her desire to enter flight school. It made more sense the more we learned about how much the leaders knew about what happened, but still.

Nitpicky stuff apart, it's still a fun read. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Virginie wrote: "Finished Part 2 (chap. 18)

Ok, the most important thing...
Doomslug doesn't have eyes? DOOMSLUG HAS NO EYES?!?
My world is shattered..............

Love the new characters being introduced. I can..."

Haha, I also loved their ship's name. The samurai fox-gerbils kitsen are kinda great all around. I get a kick out of (view spoiler)[ their political structure. Hesho calling the monarchy of 3 weeks ago ancient history and the Dark Ages. (Hm. I wonder how long their lifespans are? Perhaps 3 weeks is comparatively long if they only live a couple years.) Aw man, but still, having his food cut and fed to him, and being fanned, and being so adorably oblivious about democracy. You just gotta love 'm. (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Finished! Now to open ALL the spoiler tags! Muahahaha!

That cliffhanger man... [spoilers removed]"

Can't wait to catch up and see all the things lol. :D"

My internal thoughts when scrolling down this thread: "Must not open spoilers. Must not open spoilers. MUST NOT OPEN SPOILERS." lol

[Virginie]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "I'm just past that point as well. (view spoiler)"

About slowing down: Yup, I'm am going through this book much, much slowly than I usually do. I always want to take the time to savor a book by Sanderson, and always end up binging them like there's no tomorrow lol.

I think it's because I'm doing a BR with audio... It's much easier to continue reading thinking I'll only have to skim my copy to remember what I wanted to say (I never do); can't do that with an audiobook... I have a little notepad and my trusty pen, and hastily jot down keywords and quotes the old-fashioned way :p
Also have limited listening time while I'll frequently eschew sleep in favor of reading (and then pay for it the next day :p).

Something I've finally realized while writing my comments here is that I don't do well in BRs with a lot of participants. Despite reading & listening in English for years now, I'm still struggling to express my views and thoughts on a book. I've only worked/studied sciences in English; literature & rhetoric, I have always done in French.
So whenever I can't find the right words and get frustrated, I start thinking that surely, with the number of participants, someone will make the particular point I wanted to make in a much more eloquent way than I ever could. But it won't happen in a BR with 2-3 readers, so I have to keep at it and try harder :p

[Virginie]

Re:Xenobiology: (view spoiler)[Oh yeah, I really like the different gender mechanics and unique reproduction systems.
It's the main reason I liked Ender's Saga by Orson Scott Card so much (from book 2 onwards... Book 1, while very good, is quite different in content and tone from the rest of the series). He did a really good job at painting the alien species as... well, like you said, "alien" and unsettling. [spoilers of the early parts of book 2] (view spoiler)[Well, the unease towards the 'piggies' might have come from the fact they 'honored' the scientist studying them by skewering him and planting a tree on his corpse... LOL (hide spoiler)]

I agree that Sanderson is making the different species cute and fun. Perhaps it's done on purpose, so that we readers instinctively side with them against the unseen and mysterious menace, the Delvers. The Superiority, while being gloriously racist, still feels safer than the creatures coming from a different plane of existence :p

(hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Virginie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "I'm just past that point as well. (view spoiler)"

About slowing down: Yup, I'm am going through this book much, much slowly than I usually do. I always want to take the time to..."

Despite being a language teacher, I still manage to forget who all are using their 2nd or 3rd language here in the group. I understand how that can be exhausting. Sometimes even just reading, when I see a dense wall of text, I may just give up.

I'm also entertained by the image of you taking notes with a pad of paper. I've done that as well, sometimes for quotes, but mostly for unfamiliar words to look up/remember.

[Mel]

Xenobiology: I also couldn't help myself comparing Sanderson's aliens to ones from Chambers Wayfarer series. She also has charismatic races overall. Different family structures, biology, and cultural norms, but the overall thesis is inclusive rather than exclusive. Seeing past differences rather than "othering."

I feel like there should be a sliding scale of alien relatability, with "basically human but with blue skin" on one end, and... oh gosh, I don't even know what goes on the other. Now there's an interesting question. What the most "alien" alien race you've encountered?

[Virginie]

Melissa wrote: "What the most "alien" alien race you've encountered?"

Mmmmh.... Good question. I'm not very well-read in SF so I haven't encountered many alien species. So I'll choose the one I already talked about: the Pequininos (also called 'piggies') from Ender's Saga (book 2 onward) by Orson Scott Card.
[heavy spoilers for the series - the biology of the Pequeninos is one the mystery] (view spoiler)[
From what I remember, they have 3 'phases' (or lifes, as they call it) which differs a bit depending on their genre.

- First life: larva-like infants living inside the trunk of a Mothertree (Third life - female). Males and sterile females that grow up and are strong enough to get out of the Mothertree starts their 'second life'. Fertile female, called 'little mothers', are taken to be fertilized by the pheromones of a Fathertree (Third life - male), then put back inside carrying a litter (which will eventually devour her as they grow, both to get out and have more nutrients).

- Second life: furry little creature with a porcine nose, the size of a human child I think. Two legs, two arms, use tools, pretty much like humans. Females (all sterile, called 'Wives') protect the Mothertree and govern the clan, males (called 'Brothers') take care of everyday life. A particularly wise Brother (or one that accomplishes a great deed) goes through the 'planting' ritual to go on to his third life, meaning he gets eviscerated and a tree grows out of him.

- Third life: Trees! Only one Mothertree per clan, but multiple Fathertrees. Fathertrees can communicate telepathically with each other, can move and shape their branches. Since Fathertrees are the ones that reproduce and pass on their genes, becoming one is a HUGE honor.

Add to that the different langages they speak (Brothertongue, Fathertongue, Wivestongue), the cultural differences (cutting down a tree is murder!) and the fact that their peculiar biology is the result of living in symbiose with a virus that rewrote their DNA, fusing the tree species with their own, and you've got the weirdest alien I've ever read about. (hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Part 3 - Interlude: (view spoiler)[

Woohoo, Jorgen POV! I love his character as I share some of his organization-freak traits (in case you didn't notice with the spreadsheet....).

So... His cytonic potential is confirmed. Would be cool if Alanic woke up and taught him to control his powers. Keyword here: control; he's apparently not as strong and intuitive about it as Spensa, but if there's one field he could excel, it's control.
LOL at the 'electric kiss' with Spensa actually being a sign of his abilities, not a cheesy 'true love' thing x)

(hide spoiler)]

[Virginie]

Chapters 19 to 23: (view spoiler)[

Aaaah, plenty of things happened. Tons of little details that could be foreshadowing, the side of me that loves speculating and theorizing is going crazy xD

- Weaponized Delvers: yup, no surprise here, not from the fact humains would try that nor from the fact that it came to bite them in the ass big time. Still, it might be a case of 'history is told by the victor' with a disparity between what the Superiority tells of the humains and what really happened. We've been oscillating between 'humains are prisoners - victims!' and 'yeah, well, they did try to conquer the galaxy'. Will be interesting to see if the truth ever comes out (if there even IS a truth - other than 'it was war, everyone did bad things').

- Superiority FTL tech: huuuuuuh... What the hell is that hyperdrive tech?!? Spensa heard a scream. I'm having a horrible vision of a tiny Doomslug being trapped in a metal case, and electricity-shocked into using its cytonic abilities.... (and not attracting the Delvers' attention because they're too small somehow?)

- Delvers: Ok, that little exposure and the following Delver-maze sequence threw a lot of info at us. All the snippets of info is starting to coalesce into a crackpot theory in my mind... So, the 'vision' Spensa had during the video sequence back at Detritus was brought back again, and specifically the fact that vision-her was standing in the Delver's place. We have familiar symbols inside the Delver-maze that Spensa saw in the big falling spaceship-asteroid thing back when she followed Arturo inside. We have Hisho telling about their own cytonics having vanished. We have the fact that Delvers have a 'core' which is pretty small. What if... Delvers are not really a species living in the 'Nowhere'. What if they ARE the cytonics, or some cytonic-controlled constructs. When the humains said 'the Delvers turned against us', could it be because humains created them?
Like I saif, crackpot theory. My other one is that inside that the core of each Delver is a Doomslug :p
I seriously believe that the 'artificial Delver-maze originally created by humains to train' might be the real thing; a dead Delver, or a comatose/wounded one. Would explain how some of Spensa's hallucinations were apparently not made by the Superiority's holograms.

- Fungus?!?: Ok, Mbot reaffirmed that his fungus-cataloging tendencies might have something to do with his original pilot's orders (and his mission). Now Spensa mentioned something about hallucinating fungus inside the Delver's maze. Might be a coincidence, but at this point, I'm suspicious of every mushroom we see xD

(hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Ooh, Virginie, I love hearing all your thoughts and theories. I definitely had some similar thoughts along the way, such as (view spoiler)[that the screaming coming from each jump just has to be some cytonic being tortured into using their powers. (hide spoiler)] I also really like your thoughts on the Delvers, but I don't trust myself to comment without giving anything away. (>_<) I hope you enjoy the rest, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts. :)