TBE: Part 8: Chapter 94 – End (Full Spoilers)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

A lot of this is probably random thoughts that best belong in other sections, but I was too busy/distracted this week to note what chapters stuff was in.

I've finally come around on Kip. He still falls back into some of the tendencies that made me despise him in the last two books, buts he's mostly grown out of them.

I really hope that he and Teia remain best friends. I'm OK with their being some awkward do I like you more than friends stuff (though I'd rather not have that tired subplot), but I don't want them to be romantically involved. I like the idea of a male and female just being really good friends with a romantic/love triangle story being necessary.

I can already see the jealously subplot with that 19 year old whose seducing Kip. I'm hoping that doesn't develop the way it looks to be.

I go back and forth on how I feel about Andross. He's a smart and capable antongonist, and he's not a cartoon character like most of the others (I'm looking at you Grindwoody, Zymon, Murder Sharpe, and former Blackguard/now Lightguard Lt guy [forget his name, dude whose leg Cruxor broke]). My real issue is I don't understand his (Andross) motivations. Is it just to secure power? To ensure the Guile's power after he dies? That just seems boring to me. Also, for as smart as he is, I don't see how expects to control Zymun.

And I don't get his firing Ironfist. I know he's loyal to the formal White, and they opposed one another, but it seems dumb to throw away such a valuable asset. I'd have liked him to do something more intelligent to get him out of the way while take advantage of his skills. Maybe he will later.

Which brings me to the stuff at the end. I'm not surprised by Zymon setting the guards on Kip earlier than promised, and in fact it's a bit groaningly predictable. It makes for some pretty good action sequence to finish out the book (and I'm not done with it yet), but it also frustrates me. I have trouble just sitting back and enjoying this series.

It's still probably going to get a 4 star rating from me, despite a slow start, but I feel like this series could be even better with better characters, especially the villains.

I really really liked the White, and I'm sad she's dead now. I'm looking forward to seeing just how well she prepared for her own death. I'm not really sure how the replacement for the White is chosen, but I'm sure she'd do whatever she could to put Karris in as her successor. I have a few hours left of the book for after work, so maybe I'll get to see some more of her stuff.

As it stands right now I don't know what instructions she gave to Ironfist on the event of her murder. I hope we find out before the book ends. I know TerpKristin said it ends on a really bad cliffhanger.

Interesting stuff about the Blinding Dagger in this book. Andross tells Zymon they need it to make him the prism, but it sounded like they never had it after Gavin (the real one) was made Prism. If so, how is it that Dazen was able to be the prism (ie not break his halos?) for so long? If there is some magic with that dagger critical to making/keeping a Prism every 7 years, and he hasn't had it, I don't get how it works.

It might tie into Bill's theory about how it was used to relieve the Wights from going crazy rather than killing them. Either way I'm more confused about that thing, and will be curious to see how that gets explained. I hope it's well thought out though.

[Richard]

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the others. Shame it has taken so long to get an affinity with some of the characters.

I am now understanding the Gavin arc. In the first book he was the mighty living god - now he is a hush of a man, in a situation that looks totally helpless. How the mighty fall. Nothing is forever. He falls when he has what he has always wanted - Karris.

Kip is starting to get some self confidence. And with that he has lost a little of his lip. I like his relationship with Teia - and it was good to read about the kiss - but i also liked how that scene ended.

I am with you Rob about Andross. There are times when i think he is a power crazy ruler, others when i think he is just putting on a show. No idea where it will progress to - which is what will make me continue with the story when the next book comes out.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

So I finished the book and I'm a bit devastated about IronFist. I never saw that coming. Also after all the complaining I've done about the cartoonish bad guys it's a nice change of pace. I like the idea of a character who is an antagonist not simply for personal gain/power, but due to being torn between conflicting interests.

Karris is the new white. Pretty predictable there.

I also like that there is a bit more depth to Grinwoody, though he still feels like a cartoon character. I guess we'll see if that changes in the next book now that he's revealed to be even more cunning than Andross.

It was said that Andross and he have mutual respect for each other..I wonder if Andross knows the truth. My guess is that he doesn't.

I'm annoyed he went the romance angle with Teia and Kip. Though since Kip is now married, hopefully Teia decides she's not really interested and they stay good friends.

I thought this book started much slower than the last one. I probably liked it slightly less, but it finished strong and I'm looking forward to the next one now.

[Sky]

Wow...Gavin stuck in his own prison. That was pretty awesome

Not sure how I feel about the Teia/Tissa/Kip triangle. On one hand, Teia and Kip seem more suited for each other but it makes for such a boring romance. Tissa and Kip are quite opposite, I could see it being a lot of fun to read.

Ironfist working for the Broken Eye...Grinwoody the head of TBE...Didn't see that coming. Ironfist has fulfilled his oath, lets hope he now chooses to protect Kip.

Looking forward to discuss any crazy theories people have. Can't wait for book 4!

[Bill]

I was so glad Kip wasn't planning on going to Ruthgar. When he married Tissus I thought he was going to end up taking Gavin's place in jail. So sick of love triangles. Hope Kip ends up with both of them.

The Ironfist/Grinwoody TBE connections surprised me. Their organization is starting to look pretty formidable. Really disapointed that Tremblefist died was really hoping to get more of him.

I'm glad that Cruxer and Crew ended up going with Kip it would have been a shame to have him get left all alone again. It will be interesting to see what Kip can do with their support. I really enjoyed Winsen even though he was rather minor.

[Suzanne]

I was surprised by that last too - I didn't see the Ironfist/Grinwoody thing coming AT ALL.

The two escape sequences - Kips, and earlier Gavins, were so much fun - I enjoyed them both.

Andross has a lot more dimension than he did in previous books. I believe Kip at one point stated that Andross' motivation was to 'win the game' and he didn't really even care if everyone knew the one, because those he really beat would know.

Zymon seems to be a one-dimensional bad-guy yet and annoys me. I don't see why the others don't recognize he is a loose cannon and snuff him.

[Sky]

Alex wrote: "What I love even more is that it is something that was set up 3 books ago. Maybe it wasn't a conscious thought, but having Gavin in his own prison that he designed for his brother is so ironic that it fits the story perfectly."

Not only is Gavin stuck in a prison of his own design (for his brother), the _real_ Dazen is now locked up in the prison we believed was designed to hold Dazen before we knew Gavin was Dazen! :)

Alex wrote: "I had read it that the dagger was used to unmake a Prism. In the same way that it took power away from wights. And their 7-year terms weren't given by Orholam...they were set by the Chromeria. Much like the Freeing, it was a "ceremony" that was just a way to maintain power."

Agreed, that is how I read it as well

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Except, Dazen never went through the ceremony, so why wasn't he burning out like normal drafters?

There is a major plothole yet to be explained about prisms and drafting at this point in my opinion.

[Sky]

Rob wrote: "Except, Dazen never went through the ceremony, so why wasn't he burning out like normal drafters?

There is a major plothole yet to be explained about prisms and drafting at this point in my opinion."

Also, as far as I understood prisms were made by the blinding knife, not just unmade. So Dazen has some natural gift, and I look forward to it being explored/explained in more detail in the next book.

[Suzanne]

Oh good catch Alex - you are right!

[Sky]

haha...I totally forgot about that!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

As long as he has a good explanation that doesn't feel tacked on, I don't care what the reason is really.

[Suzanne]

I kept suspecting that something would happen to help restore Gavin when he resisted channeling black even when he knew it would save him. Some kind of divine intervention maybe :) However for the story I'm glad that didn't happen.

I am glad you mentioned the White knowing about Gavin (Dazen) all along. I think she said something along the lines of it would have been disasterous to do something about the knowledge at first because the country was so torn apart, and then later, it worked out well anyway (and wasn't that one of the times she saw the green wink)?

[Sree]

has anyone here read hero of ages by brandon sanderson. The way Kip is set up here feels very much like how Vin was set up in HoA, as in he's vital but might not be "The Lightbringer".

also as many others have mentioned about the love triangle, I hope Tesis becomes significant to Kip and isnt simply murdered/ betrays him to settle the triangle. As so often we've seen in this series the name Guile has an innate power to it, strength that changes the character who wields it. Kip who becomes more confident and stronger, Karris who accepts and moves on and I hope Tesis will too wields that strength. After all she is now Tesis Guile, knowing how much a pussy Kip is I feel that Tesis will have to push him to accept her and what she represents.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Sree wrote: "has anyone here read hero of ages by brandon sanderson. The way Kip is set up here feels very much like how Vin was set up in HoA, as in he's vital but might not be "The Lightbringer"."

I have. I hadn't made that connection though.

[Slick]

Just reread it again and realised I still don't like Karris....
for some reason I just can't grow to like her ....