[Dragaera] I reviewed Hawk. :-/

[Steve Rapaport via Dragaera]

On 3 November 2014 22:09, Jon Lincicum via Dragaera <
dragaera at lists.dragaera.info> wrote:

>
> > On Sunday, November 2, 2014 4:31 AM, Jon Lincicum via Dragaera <
> dragaera at lists.dragaera.info> wrote:
>
> > > On 11/1/2014 9:04 PM, Jerry Friedman via Dragaera wrote:
> >>  P
> >>  D
> >>  L
> >>  Ti
> >>  H
> >>  D
> >>  Is
> >>  Ts
> >>  V
> >>  J
> >>  Io
> >>  C
> >>  Y
> >>  O
> >>  Te
> >>  A
> >>  P
> >>
>
> But there were several subtle things in /Hawk/ that stood out to me as
> possibilites. Again, they could point to nothing at all. Or they could be
> the subtle signpost that tells you exactly where Vlad is going. But at
> present, it's all completely speculative. How could it not be, since Steve
> reserves the right to change any of it at any time if he thinks of
> something cooler?
>
> But, you asked for examples, and so, I, cheerfully and obligingly, offer
> up the following possibilities.
>
>
> 2. Lady Teldra says "I didn't mean to do that." So, while it seems that
> the /destiny/ of both Sethra and Iceflame may end up opposing Vlad/Teldra
> (Godslayer), there may well be some say in the matter by the particular
> soul that inhabits that weapon.

I would certainly hope so!  Nearly all 'destiny' prophecies so far have
been put off or ignored by their respective owners.

Really, it doesn't surprise me that LT says 'I didn't mean to do that.'.
Godslayer / Spellbreaker (assuming they are intertwined in destiny) has
already been shown to have friends and enemies. Thinking back and merging
them, we've got:

Godslayer kills a Jenoine
Godslayer is intertwined with Pathfinder and they reappear in the same
generation
Godslayer threatens Verra
Godslayer explosively reacts to Iceflame
Tukko threatens Vlad and Rocza, and he's also likely an ancient master
wizard and mystical author.
Iceflame is destiny-entangled with Dzur Mountain, Sethra, and the Empire

It all seems to be about choosing sides in an upcoming apocalyptic conflict
between the Gods, the Empire, the Cycle and perhaps others (Jenoine?
Serioli? Kieron? Vlad?) Sides will be chosen, there will be destinies to
untangle and occasional personal decisions that may require betrayals.
Knowing who the sides are originally may or may not be a hint as to what
their final dispositions are.

Knowing that, for example, Godslayer and Pathfinder are likely to be
opposed to the Gods and the Empire, may be a clue, but it may also just be
the starting positions.


By the way, 'hamstring' means disable, not 'kill'. And Sethra has overruled
both plans and destiny before. She and Vlad seem to have more free will
than most of the players.



> One finds it hard to imagine Teldra /as Teldra/ killing anyone. We know
> there will be a "test of wills" (from Dzur). Perhaps this means that the
> Teldra/Vlad soul entity will experience a corporeal reversal; Teldra's soul
> ends up in Vlad's body, and Vlad's soul ends up in Godslayer... And then
> Verra is /really/ in trouble.
>

This is just weird, Jon! :)




> 3. Is it just me, or does Aliera's attitude toward Kragar in this book
> (and his resigned attitude back to her) seem like an "older sister vs
> little brother who let her down" dynamic? Would explain an awful lot. But
> would raise all sorts of questions regarding Adron, Verra, Devera, et al.
>

I like the idea of the relationship, but there's no reason to assume an
actual familial relationship to make it work. Kragar could have been a
protege.

>
> 4. Diyann will prove to be the most cunning and deadly Jhereg Vlad has
> ever had to face. Or perhaps we never see him again. There was definitely
> some foreshadowing-like hints given in his introduction; but this again
> could prove to be utter red herrings. But certainly, at least one of the
> Jhereg compromised by Vlad's trickery in this one is likely to attempt to
> devise a way around the problem of potentially losing all his assets, and
> my guess is it would be Diyaan.
>

Yeah, legit. That's both easier and harder for Vlad, since instead of
having the entire Jhereg to avoid, he's got a subtle and effective single
enemy. But he's dealt with those before (Yendi).

Did you get my list of subtle and not-so-subtle hints I found in Hawk? I
thought you'd have some fun with those.


-- 
\Steve