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dusted off in read-only
dusted off in read-only
My most favourite scene of all the books has to be the battle in Joktha where Cnaiur and his men turn the city into a dark labyrinth and lure the imperial army in. The best part is when he (Cnaiur) single handedly fights off wave after wave of soldiers, until they're afraid to come near him and he is screaming about how he is a demon... superb piece of writing there.
Also, I'd have to say I love the two part sequence where Achamian fights the Imperial Saik and then the demon Zioz. 
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Not too sure about your question, but Bakker uses all the magical fantasy terms at some point. Look: Sorcerer- Person who can work sorcery and has a school Witch- Female who can work sorcery Wizard- Someone who can work sorcery and doesn't have a school Shaman- Prophet who can work sorcery (not exactly sure where it says this one, but I think it's in WP and Achamian is pondering what Kellhus will be with magic) Witch-King- When Kellhus asks Achamian about singing the gnosis in triplicate, he tells him it's impossible, but remembers tales about the "Witch-King of the Ancient North who had the ability to speak sorcery with three voices (two unspoken). Kellhus later uses the triple singing method and turns the cant of calling into a cant of transposing, making him a Witch-King as well (Or at least having the same abilities). view post
From the same sequence as the first quote (although not a direct quote, just the writing): "[i:1qmlj0sk]Hands clutched for his arms and he shattered wrists, punctured faces. Forms tackled his torso and he snapped necks, crushed spines. He tossed lifeblood skyward, nailed beating hearts still. All the world had become rotted leather, and he was the only iron. The only[/i:1qmlj0sk] iron. [i:1qmlj0sk]He was of the People.[/i:1qmlj0sk] view post
The only difference between a Prophet and a Madman is the audience. But on a different point, Kellhus tries to own his circumstances in the Warrior Prophet by entering the probability trance in Caraskand. Unfortunately, he can't find any way of tristing events in his favour. So he takes a leap of faith and admits to not being a Prince/Prophet (which is what gets him strung on the circumfix). This is when he first discovers human emotions like sadness. He survives, convinced that something divine has happened. I think this is where he first starts believing that he is a prophet. Something interesting that just came to mind, what if Kellhus succeeded in fooling more than just the people of the Holy War? Because if the God holds any sway in Earwa, then maybe he DID prevent Kellhus' death, convinced that he was the prophet he says he is? view post
One of the best fantasy books I've ever read (and still do read, as I've read all my books at least 3 times), is called "The Curse of Chalion"by Lois McMaster Bujold. The characters are very believable, and the writing has a certain style to it that just tends to draw me in every time. If you're looking for something to do while you wait for The Aspect Emperor series, pick it up and give it a spin. Capiche? view post
Which turns the few into the "More than a Few", considering that it will double the size and power of the schools. Or maybe Kellhus will start his own school and invite women into it. Maybe 
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Yep Enshoiya. And I think it's extra-long, something to do with balance. view post
Tee hee i LOVE Cnauir's inhuman rage 
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Alright thanks Harrol. But Achamian does refer to him as Witch King, I'm sure of it... somewhere in the Warrior Prophet near the beginning of Kellhus' tutoring of the Gnosis. I'll hunt it down sometime and post the quote. 
EDIT: I just decided that it's in TTT, not the WP.
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Yay I found it! Page 175 of my paperback Thousandfold Thought.
Kellhus nodded. "Has anyone experimented with further inutteral strings?"
Achamian swallowed. "What do you mean?"
...
"Has anyone devised cants consisting of [i:3hthz3lq]two[/i:3hthz3lq] inutteral strings?"
The "Third Phrase" was a thing of myth in Gnostic sorcery, a story handed down to men during the Nonman Tutelage: the legend of Su'juroit, the great Cunuroi Witch-King. But for some reason, Achamian found himself unable to relate the tale.
"No," he lied. "It's impossible."
Okay so we were both right Harrol. Definitely a Nonman, and a Witch King.
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I'd actually have to say that I found the First book the slowest. Maybe it's just me but I think it had something to do with the PoV of Conphas and Xerius. I just found the politics not as engaging as the pilosophy or, of course, the fast paced action parts. Anyone else agree on the Xerius/ House Ikurei parts not being they're favourites? view post
The Strokes- Reptilia
Not one of my favourite bands, but definitely one of my favourite songs
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Hah. Thats awesome. To think, all the Chihaurim had to do to win was walk around with curtains and tables hiding them from view!
Hiding from the Scarlet Spires
As for the Hounds, I agree that there would be better ways to root out the Cishaurim, but it's just a precaution I think.
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Think of a global loss of freewill. Although, since everyone is a slave to their circumstances, what does it matter? I'm thinking that Kellhus will use religion to unite the Three Seas, and then launch campaigns to reclaim the North from the Sranc Hordes.... Because if he doesn't, no-one will. view post
Couple of books on the go, actually:
Re-Reading the whole PoN series for the fifth time (halfway through first book).
Reading a book by Lois McMaster Bujold called "Paladin of Souls". It's a very well written book, set in the same world as Curse of Chalion, and it explores deeper into the mysticism and religion of her world.
Also a book by Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park, one of my favourites ) called "Next". It's not a bad book, it's about geneticists and genes and other scientific things. Not bad, but not as good as Jurassic Park (very little is).
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Maybe, but you're right, strange that Witch should be associated with a ... nonMale? character, but I have to say that the Witch-King (Tolkien's Witch-King) is probably my favourite antagonist of all time. Especially in the movie versions.
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Aha, true that. I forgot that Cishaurim sorcery didn't bear the mark
Maybe I should brush up on my Three-Seas knowledge, eh?
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Xerius. I shudder to think that he resembles many of our world leaders today. view post
Sounds great, best of luck
What's the name of your first Novel?
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Hey all, havent been on these forums for a very long time, but I've had a philisophical sort of idea lately.
So,
What if I told you, that right now, everything around you might very well not exist?
What do I mean by that? Well, look at it this way. Everything around you, you percieve with your senses. And your senses are then interpreted by your brain. Now, if human perception is all we have to go on, then we have a very narrow veiw of reality. In fact, everything we see, hear, touch, feel, and taste exists to us, but in reality only exists in our minds. This is a step that our brains skip when they process the information about "Reality", but if you slow doen and think about it, theres a good chance that everything that exists, has existed, and will exist in future had many different perceptions, of which we only have [i:be8ev91q]one[/i:be8ev91q], that of Human. That covers the physical aspects, but what about the mental?
Which brings me to my next point. This is easier to see around us, and I'm sure many people have thought about this before. It involves mental, or abstract perception. Such things as: Good, Evil, Love, Hate, Courage, Trust, Rightousness, Power, and even [i:be8ev91q]reality itself[/i:be8ev91q], in essence are all abstract concepts. There is no concrete form of any of these things (Some might argue that reality has a concrete form, but if you refer to the first point, even that is kind of questionable).
So, every abstract concept mentioned above, every idea, has it's base not in reality, but in our minds. It could be said that, if you choose not to perceive any of the above mentioned, then for you, they cease to exist. *
Just something to think about.
* I could apply the same concept to Religion (which I do, I'm an atheist) but that's not what this topic is about.
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This is a nihlist way to put it I suppose, but don't hate me for what I am. Why is it so important for life to have meaning? To some people, it might be the most important thing in life, to find meaning. But why is that? What is so important about the question? Life is a natural cycle. It involves birth, death, and often reproduction. But animals, who go through the same cycle of life, never have any questions or thoughts about "Why they exist", or "What their purpose is". It's a sad truth, but the quest for answers to questions like these all to often causes strife, conflict, war, deciet, and lies. So what we should ask ourselves (and this is where it gets depressing and nihlistic) is not "What makes a life meaningful?", but instead, "Why does it matter?". view post
Yeah I've been meaning to pick up a copy, I read the first chapter once and thought it was great. Plus, Bakker's one of my favourite authors. Actually, I got the idea for the "Nothing is Real" from George Orwell's [i:35hx5kun]1984[/i:35hx5kun]. If you haven't read it, you should. It's a great novel, and a literary classic. view post
[quote:36s63y26]The idea is the most solid form of what is real, it is even more real than matter itself. This is the Ontology according to Idealism[/quote:36s63y26] Thats very interesting as well. I did partly mean that, but I didnt phrase it so well. But if the idea is more important than matter itself, and the idea only exists in our mind because we [i:36s63y26]choose[/i:36s63y26] to think it, the we can just as easily abolish the idea. And if there is no idea in the first place, how can the matter mean anything at all? view post
The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is the first book I read that instantly became my favourite. I don't have a copy anymore but I'm sure I will again someday. view post