Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - luminos

Pages: [1] 2
1
I agree with respect to fitness to rule, but disagree about the reasons.  Elayne's availability to Andor during the various events of the book are somewhat trifling compared to her real disqualifications.  Those being that she has not demonstrated any great skill in administration, social grace, or other things a queen would be expected to do.  There is absolutely no reason to favor her as a leader except because of her bloodline and her connection to the dragon reborn.  Who isn't particularly fit to rule either.

Of course, part of the story could be seen as "these people aren't fit to lead, but they have to do it anyways, so what happens?"  Their struggles are fun to read about in that light.

2
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Allow of Law Excerpt 1
« on: June 18, 2011, 11:16:03 AM »
Sooo... are they actually taking this all the way to Chapter 6? That's a lot of story.
It is, but where else would you stop? Not after the prologue, or it looks like a Western.

It's a shame it's not a Western, because if the Prologue is any indication, Mr. Sanderson could write a killer of a Western.

3
Writing Group / Re: Writing Prompts!
« on: December 18, 2010, 04:52:40 PM »
Prompt: The Dialogue exercise

“Othar can’t be allowed to control the ceremony”

“Why not?  He knows the procedure well enough.  I doubt he’d make any errors.”

“Yes, but he lacks responsibility.  We have an opportunity to guide the foretelling to our benefit.  Othar is the sort that would squander it.”

“You would play politics with our greatest duty?  I had thought better of you.”

“Our greatest duty is to make certain the traditions are followed.  I have always been, and always will be, the best advocate we have for maintaining them.”

“If we abandon our role as neutral observers, then we abandon tradition.  Choosing a hero based on what we find convenient throws that out the window.”

“It is not necessarily a matter of convenience.  The hero has always been the one capable of handling the threats our city faced.  Alinar lifted the endless siege.  Oreth destroyed the pirate leagues.  What threat do we face now for the hero to triumph over?”

“There have been rumors that the Jungle Tribes are banding together.”

“The Jungle Tribes are on the other side of the world.  Just humor me, please.  List all of the potential threats we face from local enemies.”

“Harush is under control.  Minea is… no, they can’t do anything right now.  Hmmm.  Our borders are well protected from military problems for now.  There is always the possibility of a rebellion.”

“Unlikely.  The people are happy and wealthy.  There is little that would make them want to destabilize their position.  The cults are all comfortable with holding an official status.  The guilds thrive in peace.  And we control the military.  Insurrection is less likely than Harush gaining an unexpected army and attacking.”

“Well, suppose you are correct.  No threats face the city.  At least for now.  What purpose would we have for the hero?”

“Ah, but there you are wrong.  Threats do face the city.  The threat of the guilds, wanting to gain a greater role in public administration.  The threat of the cults, leading people away from tradition.  The threat of complacency, that will lead to people trying to change the way things should be.”

“Very clever.  You appeal to the warnings that I have been giving for years.  Do you have a new solution in mind?

“The new solution is the same as the old one.  Our order directs all public policy, and we make the decisions that will keep the people safe.”

“Ah, I think I understand what you have been getting at.  With a hero that supports us, that tells the city what it needs to hear, we can acquire the position that is necessary for us to lead.”

“Precisely.  Othar would never understand this point.  Without our foretelling, the city would never have a hero in the first place.  Our loss of prominence is the threat the hero must protect the city from.

“Manipulating this foretelling would be highly unorthodox.  I’m still not fully comfortable with the notion.”

“It’s not really so unprecedented.  When there is a drought, do you ever look for signs that indicate the drought will continue?”

“You know that that is not the case.  When we need rain, I find the signs that say it will rain.”

“And when the ports need calm water, I find the signs that say there will be no wind.”

“Yes, but…”

“We decide these things!  It rains because we want it to.  The fog clears because we want it to.  We simply use the signs as justification for our predictions.”

“The hero’s prophecy is different.”

“In practice, but not in theory.  There has never been a better time to see if the theory holds true in this regard.  If we are wrong, there is little we have to worry about.  Our external threats are distant, so failing to find a hero is trivial.  If we are right, then we gain a powerful tool to correct wrongs and grow the prestige of our city.”

“I see.  Yes, perhaps this would be the best way to handle the foretelling.  Care must be taken so that the hero seems to have a purpose beyond helping our order.  But this will only be for the good of all.”

“Then I can count on you to support me?  Your vote has influence in our order.  If you want me to lead the ceremony, others will join you.”

“Your words make me wish to support this plan, but your ambition makes me hesitate.  You speak far too often of influence and power.  You entered our order faster than almost anyone else.  And now you plot for control over our most important function?

“But you agreed that my plan was a good one!  What are your doubts about my ambition next to the good we could do for the city?”

“You are too clever.  Far more clever than me.  What assurances do I have that you will not be using the foretelling to gain personal control?”

“If you cannot trust me, then why not lead the ceremony yourself?  So long as you agree on what should be done, I will support you.  It wouldn’t be too difficult for you to get others to do the same.”

“This would be a great burden for me.  But for the good of the city, I will accept your support.  Shall we agree to this arrangement?”

“I see two birds, flying in from the sea.  By this sign, we must keep to our agreement in order for either of us to succeed.”

“I see a dead field mouse.  By this sign, we must not reveal this agreement to others, or great peril will befall the one who does.”

“I see the banners on the walls lying flat, for there is no wind.  By this sign, the agreement is not to be altered.”

“I see what you see.  We are in accord.”

“I see what you see.  We are in accord.”

4
Heh, I wonder if PANFO will catch on as terminology.

Did he say there were way more than 16 shards?  Did I hear that right?

5
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Who has read The Way of Kings (minor spoilers)
« on: October 08, 2010, 06:13:02 AM »

No that passage was in relation to the script found when Gavilar died, written by Szeth, just as Fireborn said.

Although this does reveal something interesting about the Shin.  Either they have a fairly egalitarian society, or Szeth was high-ranking before becoming truthless.  Based on the interlude chapter, egalitarian seems most likely, meaning most from that country would be able to learn reading and writing.

6
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Brandon's Secret Project
« on: October 07, 2010, 10:08:01 AM »
Well, according to Brandon's twitter, it involves a necromancer protagonist.

Surely the protagonist won't be an evil undead overlord.

7
Dan Wells / Best line from Mr. Monster [spoilers]
« on: October 07, 2010, 07:14:00 AM »
Just read your book, Dan.  That was really amazing work you did.  Now I feel like going back and rereading the first one.

Anyways, there were a lot of really good lines in the book, so I figured I'd give other fans a chance to talk about which was their favorite.

My absolute favorite is this:
Quote
"I beat you," I said. "You've lost."
"And for the..." he coughed, raspy and painful, his voice charred and black. "For the first time in... ten thousand year..." he coughed again. "I feel like I've won."

It took me a second to realize what the demon was talking about here.  At first I wondered if the demon had managed to accomplish some hidden goal.   When it finally hit me, I couldn't stop laughing for about ten minutes.  I can't imagine how bitter it must have to for him to place himself above humanity, to consider himself superior, and yet the more power he gained, the weaker and more pathetic he'd feel, because that's how the people he used his power on would feel around him.  Absolutely freaking beautiful.

8
Brandon Sanderson / Re: WOK: Horses
« on: October 06, 2010, 07:57:11 PM »
If you start tumbling down the rabbit hole too far, you'll start asking yourself "do the humans of Roshar have exoskeletons like a crustacean? 

Parshendi

9
Or the events of Elantris occured before Rayse/Odium visited Sel.

10
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Brandon's Secret Project
« on: September 23, 2010, 10:53:51 PM »
Its a fifth Alcatraz book.

(*crosses fingers and wishes really hard*)
I doubt that, given how dissatisfied he's been with Scholastic.

Which is exactly why he'd have to keep it a secret!

11
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Brandon's Secret Project
« on: September 23, 2010, 10:28:20 PM »
Its a fifth Alcatraz book.

(*crosses fingers and wishes really hard*)

12
Brandon Sanderson / "Unite them" [Way of Kings spoilers]
« on: September 23, 2010, 08:56:51 PM »
1.  So, Dalinar's visions keep telling him to "unite them" which Dalinar interprets to mean uniting the Alethi.  We already know that Dalinar misinterpreted the part of the visions about trusting Sadeas, and that the visions likely weren't specifically for him, because the almighty was already dead when he was getting them. 

2.  We know that when Odium/Rayse killed shards in the past (Aona and Skai) he broke up their shards to prevent anyone from holding them to gain power.

Theory:  The "unite them" phrase refers to the pieces of the shard the almighty held, which were likely splintered by Odium when he killed him.  The visions are instructing whoever receives them to unite the fragments of the shard, so that someone can stand full strength against Odium

13
But what would he have been soulcasting at that moment? I prefer the other theory that Dalinar is a windrunner and drew from the gemstones when he stopped the chasmfiend. Also others noted that his shardblade gleamed in this scene, like with the Knights Radiant.

I really really doubt windrunners can drain the gemstones from shardplate while someone else is wearing it.  If they could, Szeth could have killed Galivar a lot easier.

14
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Brandons next Alcatraz book
« on: September 17, 2010, 02:00:58 PM »
Also, does Brandon go on a book tour for the Alcatraz books also?

Given the way that scholastic has (not) marketed these books, thats a rather unlikely possibility.

15
Sanderson is an awesome guy, but I cringed when I read this essay.  Of course, its not really his fault that he got stuff wrong, because post-modernism has become a trendy phrase that 90% of the people using it have no real clue what it actually means.  Sanderson seems to be using the TVtropes version of the phrase, which is not what the literary version of the phrase is about.  The big problem may just be that he confuses post-modern methods for post-modernism itself. 

Sure, the post-modernist is known for using various methods involving playing with audience expectations, doing experimental stuff, lots of weird humor, etc. but what this misses is that they aren't post-modern because of the techniques, but because of the motive for the way the techniques are used.  The post-modernist is a person who through whatever bizarre process actually believes the self-contridictory phrase "This statement has no meaning", and take it at face value.  Thus, the methods of playing up self-contradiction for irony, of messing with expectations, of any the other tricks they are fond of are a coping mechanism, to help hide the sheer stupidity of that belief that is at the core of their understanding.

Even if one were to simply refer to the techniques when talking about post-modernism, and to just say that this is what they mean by post-modernism, that person would still be making an error.  Much of the "post-modern" techniques have been around for over a thousand years, so it is a bit misleading to say that one is post-modern just because one uses these techniques.

Brandon's writings are not post-modern.  I would not enjoy reading them if they were.

Pages: [1] 2