Commodore > Recent Status Updates

Chase is being really pissy about Fitz accidentally revealing information about him that he wanted kept classified for someone who literally revealed Fitz’s true identity to someone who should not have known that by being too free with his mouth around them.

So glad these are all out because I’d be fucking feral to learn what happens next if I was reading these contemporarily. Hobb’s wrapping up of most book problems but still leaving a strong cliffhanger is *unparalleled*.

I’ve turned a corner on Malta in that I think it’s honest (and good characterization!) to show that people who grow up to be strong-willed and do extraordinary things… are sometimes kinda shitty, rude children.

Having read the Rain Wilds quadrilogy before these is crazy because I know what Malta grows up to be. If I’d read these books first I’d only hope her fate was to be drowned by Vivacia or something, she’s soooooo annoying. As it is can’t wait for her character arc lol

Everyone: “so you guys are gay, right?”
Fitz: “for the last time, I don’t know what that is. Leave me and Beloved alone and let us do our thing.”
I do love how things are so… circular. Fitz goes from apprentice to master, and confronts his previous actions with new foresight (and cringes at his past self, as we all occasionally do)

*reading the first trilogy* “I mean I guess the Fool and Fitz have a connection, but I think people just have their shipping goggles on too tight the way they pair them…”
*reading this trilogy* “oh, no, they were right, these two are en-TWINED.”

I know second and third books tend to start on a low spot (as all the consequences of the previous book play out) but I don’t know if I’m having any fun with “you reluctantly crawled out of your literal grave and your and your mentors are verbally tearing each other to shreds using your weakest points and are now abandoning each other for the ‘greater good’”. Dark times continue, man.

Middle book syndrome so baaaaaaad. This boy cannot have a single good thing without something terrible happening to him *immediately*
Also shot myself in the foot slightly by picking up a trilogy set much later so I have a vague idea of how some things are gonna work out

Something I’ve learned to love and appreciate is when book characters face actual consequences and challenges that aren’t easily undone or fixed. Is it fair that Fitz may be permanently disabled and the guy who did it kinda gets away with it? No, but that’s life sometimes!

*Dying* at Hest attempting to flirt with/flatter Davie by calling himself an old man and immediately being outraged that Davie doesn’t contradict him. Get his old ass (completely unwittingly, best of all) Davie!

Alise, do not let these malicious homosexuals ruin your life!!

She betrayed him and he didn’t forgive her or absolve her but he saw it as equal repayment for his treatment of her and thus accepted it. I want them to kiss more than ever :(

Miryam I reluctantly support you trying to kill the fae king who bullied you into marriage and has been nothing but a jerk at best to you. I am a little sad because I thought you guys might kiss tho.

What do you store the destroyer of bonds in, asks the young woman who saw an appropriate sheath for a knife that could cut through anything, once.

Pan made a huge decision that was impulsive but not necessarily incorrect. He doesn’t want to be like these people at the station though; he doesn’t want to be an afterthought to Lyra, picked up “as if he were nothing but a handkerchief”. He left for good reasons but fundamentally DOES want to reunite. I’m gonna bite clean through the cover of this book jfc.

Pullman taking the jokey insult of “these people are not ensouled” and really thinking about what that would mean for dæmons in Lyra’s world… this is the complexity and subtleties the show *thought* it was conveying with Mrs. Coulter and her dæmon.

“He was beginning to feel that it had been cruel to leave her in the way that he did, and she might not find it easy to forgive him.” THIS IS THE JETTY ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE ROLES REVERSED

“Swords? Good God, [Marcel], are you dreaming?” What a callback with a twist!!

“I was a child. I couldn’t argue with a being like her.” Lyra. Be so serious right now.

Oh, an understandable but *devastating* off-page character death.

I understand *thematically* what it would mean for Lyra to lose or give up the alethiometer, but if she doesn’t get that thing back by the end of the book I’m going to tear my copy in half like a strongman with a telephone book

“Mrs. Lonsdale to you.” Damn right MY GIRL

Iorekova!!! 😭

Of course the PR flak has a chameleon dæmon lol

Aw, Chandra is revealed to be incredibly based—and then immediately killed. Lame. (Also uh… as a midwife slave wouldn’t her incredibly low success rate render her worthless pretty quickly?)

She thinks Kadra is her would-be murderer on flimsy evidence and is going to spy on him (which is a dumb idea even if it were righteous!) but thus far Kadra has defied expectations in a positive way and Cesuré and her Tetrarch have in a negative manner. Feels like this is only happening for Romantic Tension and Stakes.

I can’t tell if it’s my lack of patience for writers who use misogyny as so much set dressing, but I find myself skipping long paragraphs of Aliena’s chapters to get to whether she triumphs or it’s another setback. Pretty sure this book could’ve been trimmed by at least a third.

Mother Abagail telling a man that butt stuff with his wife wasn’t a sin because it was “done with love” sounds shocking but is actually so in line with how Stephen King originally wrote her. One of my favorites so far.

Ah, the Anthology Problem, where some of these stories are intriguing, grown up explorations of themes commonly found in fairy tales… and some decide the best way to adult up the Little Match Girl is graphic gang rape and page after page of misogyny.

The next time I read the Inda series I’m getting a big map of Iasca Leror and writing everyone’s name (and nickname!) over their holdings so I can keep everyone straight. It’s a testament to how *good* this series is that I can get past this. “Wait, is Algo-Vayir Tvei Cherry-Stripe or a different guy? What’s his real name again? Which one is his brother? And what’s his specific nickname?”