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Steles of the Sky
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SotS: Part 2: Chapters 8-14
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Robyn
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Apr 27, 2015 02:55PM
And here, a place to discuss chapters 8-14. Goodness, I hope these chapter divides make some sort of sense when we're actually reading the thing.....
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In this section we see Samarkar, Temur, Hsiung and Hrahima go from the Shattered Pillars to Song using a magical gateway, and just missing Edene and the ghulim who turn up at the Shattered Pillars soon after. So close. Edene is clearly more and more affected by the Green Ring.The Tsarapheth and Qersnyk refugees with Tsering and the Tsareg clan spend much of this section heading to Song as well and towards the end of the section meet up with Temur's group at Dragon Lake (part of Song but claimed by the Qersynk).
You get a bit more with Ümmühan in the harem of the new Caliph who makes an alliance with the djinn that the al-Sepher has enslaved as well as checking in with the deposed Caliph and Temur's grandfather. I'm not sure where this set of plots is going; they seem to be on the wrong side of the continent.
And finally you get Hsiung leaving the party and running (!) across much of Song to attend his old monastery as a supplicant with news of the events of the last two books.
I want to read Lonely Planet: Eternal Sky. Tsarpheth and the Wizard's citadel, Reason in the Shattered Pillars and Hsiung's monastery are all places I want to see.
Great summary, Lindsay. I just finished this section today. I very much enjoyed the visit to Kyiv - intrigued by the world there, and what the djinn is up to. (Isn't he leading the peasants burned by the Erem sky after Edene's conquest? How does that fit with Al-Sepeher's goals? So many questions!)
It wasn't until after I read this book that I really understood that Tserapeth is only the summer home of the emperor and his family but that they don't overwinter there. I guess I did not really clue in to how much of an elevated place it was (I mean, I knew in one sense it was, but did not appreciate it I guess), so of course it would make sense that only the wizards and the villagers would stay there, but the palace would shut down for the season. I suppose if I had had that copy of Lonely Planet I would have known that sooner! :)
Ummuhan is another example of Bear's great use of complex characters - you can't really slot them in as "good" or "bad" or even really figure out where their alignments are right away. I love that about her storytelling.
Are any of you pronunciation experts?I think the accents in Ümmühan's name indicate that it's pronounced oo-moo-han, but the various accent characters confuse the hell out of me, and that doesn't sound like any arabic-type name I've ever heard of.
I can also see it being yew-mm-yew-han, but that doesn't sound right either.
I'm not a pronunciation expert...I went with yew-mew-han in my head. :)
