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5 months ago ::
Jan 21, 2013 - 5:50AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Feb 19, 2006
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There were some old faces and some new ones in the first section. I'm curious to see how the Tam/Dahl/Harpers plotline intersects with Fari/Havi and crew. And will Mehen return right when the girls are tipping back some whiskey and talking to boys? Will Dahl get any love from the Book Club this time around? Let's find out!
This forum will cover Chapters 4-6, pages 55-112.
Looking forward to your thoughts, as always.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 22, 2013 - 12:40PM
#2
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Holy ###, the crownsilvers are wealthy. Well, still not hating Dahl but neither loving him either. Looking forward to see the girls at a party.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 1:39PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Mar 17, 2010
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First of all, I must confess that I have been listening to a lot of Prince while reading this book. Something that I am not at all proud of--I mean, not even the new stuff or the historically good stuff, but like EARLY Prince, which I assume will significanly impact my discussion...An example of this, is how much I loved the line "how to get a sick bull into a cart bed"--not as much as the "Oghma's Papercut" zinger, which is my current favorite...
Besides the langauge, I liked several things in this section a whole lot...
The Three Rooms and a Stairway hotel scene it awesome--I love the party invitation with its hidden innuendo's and messages, etc. This party is going to be great!
The implication that Dahl is an Alcoholic or something ["Give his thoughts somewhere to focus and his hands something to do besides pick up another bottle" & "if ever there was a time for a drink"] is a side to his personality I had not seen coming. I love how calculating & manipulative he is at the end of the section--the fact that these characteristics may be covering up a darker side is very interesting.
Tam is really taking over this story for me...I love the Tamism's [the Way of Tam, the Tam Te Ching, something clever...]--this sections ending "I think you'll find surviving is a very good use for coin" is pitch perfect. Captures the naturalism of his spiritual path. But his commitment to doing it himself, the cockyness, the Great Generation attitude is clearly going to come back and haunt him...
Question: are we supposed to know who Tarchamus the Unyielding is? or for that matter, Attarhammiux the Unyielding? My Realms Lore is still developing...
Very fun book, still very much enjoying it...
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 3:05PM
#4
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Date Joined:
May 21, 2009
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Holy ###, the crownsilvers are wealthy.
Yee-up. 
First of all, I must confess that I have been listening to a lot of Prince while reading this book. Something that I am not at all proud of--I mean, not even the new stuff or the historically good stuff, but like EARLY Prince, which I assume will significanly impact my discussion...An example of this, is how much I loved the line "how to get a sick bull into a cart bed"--not as much as the "Oghma's Papercut" zinger, which is my current favorite...
This is one of my favorite things about writing fantasy--thinking about how the language the characters use is affected by their world and frame of reference. (I'm glad you like it so far).
The implication that Dahl is an Alcoholic or something ["Give his thoughts somewhere to focus and his hands something to do besides pick up another bottle" & "if ever there was a time for a drink"] is a side to his personality I had not seen coming. I love how calculating & manipulative he is at the end of the section--the fact that these characteristics may be covering up a darker side is very interesting.
He's definitely a self-medicator. I suspect he's not quite to alcoholism, but it's not a long drop.
Question: are we supposed to know who Tarchamus the Unyielding is? or for that matter, Attarhammiux the Unyielding? My Realms Lore is still developing...
Nope! I made him up. There's a mix of established Netheril lore and made up stuff with regards to him. But Tarchamus specifically is new.
I liked using ancient Netheril, because the lore that exists (particularly the boxed set) has a very apocryphal tone. This might be true. That might be an exaggeration. It might all be a lie that Larloch's telling Szass Tam. It gives the whole empire a very mythical feeling--and it means there's room to add or twist.
And as for "Risen Netheril"--I'll wait until after the revel scene.
Very fun book, still very much enjoying it...
Glad to hear it!
I'm excited to get to the revel scene. I think it's one of my favorites in the end.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 3:40PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 11, 2012
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YOu just mentioned the netheril boxset, and that got me curious. What sort of setting-research do you go through to add ot history like that? Or is tehre none and WOTC simply hands you a packet of things to draw from and use. Im thirsting here with curiosity.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 3:53PM
#6
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Ha! Figured out how to post! I'm so simple haha. So.... I have to ask, what drew you to using the Shadovar and Netherese in general? Speaking as a LONG time reader/lover of ancient Netheril, I had a joygasm when it returned in shadowy force! And as a personal question.... Which sister were you more like growing up? 
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 3:57PM
#7
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Date Joined:
May 21, 2009
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YOu just mentioned the netheril boxset, and that got me curious. What sort of setting-research do you go through to add ot history like that? Or is tehre none and WOTC simply hands you a packet of things to draw from and use. Im thirsting here with curiosity.
When I'm planning for a book (or when something rears up in the story), honestly, I search the internet first. Between CK, FRWikia, and other sites, I can usually get a good list of source material. If I don't have it, I ask my editor and Matt Sernett, who's the go-to guy for lore sources, for an electronic copy or a scan.
If it's something that I want that's a little vaguer (recently: What sort of flying mounts would Shadovar have that could carry a heavy load?). I go straight to Nina and Matt, and they search all available files (and dig through likely sources in WotC's sample library). In this case Netheril: Empire of Magic was the biggest resource, but I used Grand History of the Realms and Lost Empires of Faerun too.
Once I have all the available information and I make a decision about what I need to add, I'll usually type up a document with the details I want to use and send that in to WotC. They approve it or ask for tweaks (that hasn't actually happened yet). For Tarchamus, that included his time frame, his approximate skills, his contemporaries, and things you'll find out later!
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 4:09PM
#8
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Date Joined:
May 21, 2009
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Ha! Figured out how to post! I'm so simple haha.
So.... I have to ask, what drew you to using the Shadovar and Netherese in general? Speaking as a LONG time reader/lover of ancient Netheril, I had a joygasm when it returned in shadowy force!
And as a personal question.... Which sister were you more like growing up?
I don't think this is spoilery since it's in the cover copy, but it hasn't happened yet, sooo...be aware!
I started wanting a source for a library where Farideh could look for a solution to saving Lorcan--and something that would be interesting to get to and explore. I also had some geographical constraints--can't very well get them over to Aglarond or Imaskar in one book, right? And Netheril fit both requirements.
Then I found a line in the GHotR that helped me sort out a very suitable spot. And that IS a little spoilery, so it will have to wait for later (or you can hunt it down yourself...)
Once you start talking about ancient Netheril, it makes perfect sense to talk about the Shadovar and their legacy. Especially in a book where the passing of the torch is a big theme.
And which sister? I'd say it's a mix. I have always been a worrier and fairly reserved, definitely an eldest child with a sense of being my sisters' keepers. But in my teenaged days I suddenly grew a sense of humor that definitely read at times as foolish, and I think I was a little loathe to grow up, like Havi.
AND, welcome to the Book Club!
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 4:35PM
#9
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Thanks! Yeah I'm TERRIBLE at remembering what happens where exactly in a book lol. If I conjure any other questions from the Nether I'll throw them your way!
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5 months ago ::
Jan 23, 2013 - 4:46PM
#10
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Great section, and ending with chapter 6 was perfect. I groaned when I realized that I had to put the book down at that point. Things are really starting to ramp up. Everyone has made their decisions and now we just need to see how the dice fall. BUT....we have to wait until Monday.  Erin, when you are writing, do these kind of dramatic breaks happen naturally or do you have them planned out and set up? Did you know in advance that you wanted to leave your audience hanging at the end of Chapter 6? It's almost like you were writing this and saying "Go ahead. Chapter 6 is done, so put the book down and go to sleep. I dare you to try." I think I am really starting to enjoy the relationship between Tam and Dahl. It's almost like the Forgotten Realms said "We need a buddy cop story. Tam can be the jaded old veteran, who clings to the old ways and can't stand the enthusiam of youth. Dahl can be the young hotshot who has a bunch of potential, but may not be stable enough to fully achieve it." My money says Erin was watching Lethal Weapon while outlining this part of the book. In all seriousness though, was there an inspiration behind their relationship?
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