Author Topic: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*  (Read 1370 times)

happyman

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Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« on: November 12, 2008, 06:53:41 PM »
Just this morning rereading FE, I came upon this little tidbit.  Vin is listening to Kelsier and Dox talk about the plan and came up with this little thought(page 85, paperback)

Quote
So, are they serious about the plan?  Or is this still a show for my sake?  The two men seemed so competent.  Yet, overthrowing the Final Empire?  They'd sooner stop the mists from flowing or the sun from rising. (Emphasis mine.)

and again on page 112,

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And yet, the group regarded their list of "problems" with determination.  There was a grim mirth about them---as if they understood that they had a better chance of making the sun rise at night than they did of overthrowing the Final Empire.  Yet, they were still going to to try.

Anyway, if this was deliberate, then well done.  On the first read-through, these ideas sound like absolutely impossibilities.  No less than 5 years later, book time, Vin has done all of them and as a reader I didn't feel even a little bit cheated...
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dawncawley

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2008, 07:30:06 PM »
Without knowing the answer for sure, remember this is my opinion not anything that I have full knowledge of. It looks deliberate. Subtle, to be sure, but deliberate.

Dount Cooku

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2008, 08:52:26 PM »
It's very possible, as Brandon was finishing up the third book before the first one went to print.

Chaos

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2008, 09:08:38 PM »
I think it's pretty safe to say that these are instances of foreshadowing. There are many, many subtle foreshadowing things in Final Empire, so I don't see why these wouldn't be.
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2008, 09:11:30 PM »
Isn't Brandon cool?

There's a ton of stuff in there that makes a second readthrough a treat.
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happyman

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2008, 05:49:03 PM »
Yeah, I'm thinking it was deliberate.  It's just...wow.  Step by little step, the impossible became possible, and the meaning of the first book changed.

Brandon, I am seriously impressed.  That was really subtle foreshadowing, and it came off completely naturally the first time around.  I almost didn't notice it the second time around, in fact.  Now I'm going to have to see if your other books did things this smoothly.
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little wilson

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Re: Was this deliberate foreshadowing? *spoilers*
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2008, 06:18:05 PM »
Wow. I wish I had my copy of FE with me. Shame I left it when I was home last weekend....This makes me want to read it again, which I wasn't sure I wanted to do so soon--I'm afraid anytime it mentions Elend, all I'll be able to see is his headless corpse, and that's an image I'd really like to get out of my head.

Regardless, this foreshadowing is pure genius. I wonder what other subtle bits he's got in there, and how many I'll be able to find when I get my copy back...
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