|
Post by shyviolet on Nov 1, 2007 9:52:56 GMT -5
Ooh, I feel smart, I got that by the fifth chapter! I did mightily confuse some friends when I tried to explain it to them though.
|
|
|
Post by zemira on Nov 1, 2007 10:25:38 GMT -5
Yeah, I didn't put a whole lot of brain power into it since for most chapters, I didn't pay attention to the chapter number. I knew the numbering was different because my fiancee pointed it out to me. And I thought about it a few times, but mostly, I was too busy finding out what happened next, lol.
|
|
|
Post by shyviolet on Nov 1, 2007 11:43:36 GMT -5
I'm a little bit OCD about such things so I paid careful attention to the numbers. I knew it would bug the hell out of me if I didn't figure it out.
|
|
|
Post by Maliris on Nov 5, 2007 9:45:07 GMT -5
SPOILERS of course... D:
I must admit that I didn´t see the twist coming but somehow sensed that some things wouldn´t turn out the way Orna wanted. Also because I noticed how fast the remaining pages dwindled and I realized that there simply wouldn´t be time to reunite Orna with her son... xD And truth be told, I never allowed myself to think about all the possible plot twists and conspiracies. I wanted let myself be surprised. Though, when I read the passage where Orna infiltrates the building I had this hunch that the signed paper was a peace treaty. Turned out I was right. (My personal "DUH!"-moment, actually. Because the war would continue and people would get killed. Again and again and again.)
Oh and one more thing: I always suspected Nereith to be Silverfish. XD Close enough...
When I had finished reading the book I remembered the question whether Chris ever wanted to let the bad guys win. And also remembered his reply that it was much more realistic if the bad guys won. And hell, yes! D: In the end Orna was just a puppet. Those with political powers know how to use them and it would seem silly if one angry mother succeeded in ending a war...
Oh, and lest I forget. I guess it was a good thing the book wasn´t called Halflight. Would have put a different weight on the book. I like The Fade much much much better. I really enjoyed it. Really good work. Also taking into consideration that I sometimes find it hard to read a book written in first person. But this time it helped to convey the feeling of imminent action and made the story much more dramatic.
|
|
|
Post by shyviolet on Nov 6, 2007 3:34:13 GMT -5
Yeah, Halflight would have been too impersonal, especially with the first person narration. I usually hate anything but third person, so I was surpised by how easy it was to get along with.
|
|
|
Post by Chris Wooding on Nov 6, 2007 6:53:25 GMT -5
Halflight was the original name because the first incarnation of the book was set much more on the surface and the rhythm of the suns played a much bigger part in it. Halflight (when one or both of the suns is eclipsed by Beyl) was a much bigger deal then. Sadly I binned that novel halfway through and started again
|
|
|
Post by zemira on Nov 6, 2007 8:55:25 GMT -5
I don't mind first-person that much. It can go horribly wrong, but I have nothing against it until I actually read the book. But it was a nice surprise to see Chris using it. ^_^ I don't think this book would have worked as well in third person.
|
|
|
Post by kaiku on Nov 6, 2007 10:26:28 GMT -5
I keep forgetting to come on here and discuss the book! So here I am Brilliant, as always, and I personally really liked the layout of the chapters, with the flashbacks being in chapters 31-40 and the main story from 30-0. Great idea (though I imagine it would have been confusing to write it that way). I didn't see the ending coming, to be honest. I knew there'd be a big twist, but I couldn't predict what it would be.
|
|
|
Post by shyviolet on Nov 6, 2007 13:20:41 GMT -5
I don't know why I hate first-person narration so much, it just gets on my nerves. Probably because if I don't get along with the main character I'm stuck inside their head anyway. I feel like I'm listening to it as well more than watching it happen which sometimes bugs me.
@ Chris
I got the feeling there was more to the sun thing that got cut out, I was quite disappointed because it piqued my curiosity but then Orna had to go back underground and worry about more important things... Will you tell us more about it? It seemed like a really interesting place.
|
|
|
Post by GhostEggplant on Nov 15, 2007 21:24:35 GMT -5
My problems with this book:
- I couldn't visualize the world very well. It was just so alien that I'd need more descriptions and possibly some artwork before I could see it in my head. - I didn't like the time spent in Farakza (sp?). I don't know why, it just wasn't my cup of tea. - Nereith's 'Be careful who you trust' line. Grrrrrrrr. Not a good way to end the climax.
Good things:
- The puffballs. What an awesome name for a plant/fungi. Everything was so serious in this book whenever I saw the word 'puffballs' I just had to grin. XD I want to learn more about them. - Characters. As usual, Chris dosen't disapoint. Everyone's very realistic. - Allegory stuff (I don't know whether it was intentional or not). Anyone ever heard of a nation going to war to make money in the present day? Hhmmmm? - The climax. And Ledo was meeting with the Gurta to... sign a peace treaty. Which then got burned. I was both very sad and very amused.
|
|
|
Post by shyviolet on Nov 16, 2007 14:29:11 GMT -5
There are real fungi called puffballs, they're the kind that swell up and release a cloud of spores instead of releasing them from gills. I had a little bit of trouble visualising the world too, but that's a common side-effect of first-person narration (at least as far as my experience goes ) it's one of the reasons why I don't like it as much as third person.
|
|
valca
Full Member
Layer 18
Posts: 203
|
Post by valca on Nov 16, 2007 17:18:03 GMT -5
Incidentally, someone asked in the Annoy Your Author thread whether I ever thought of writing a book where the bad guys win. Well, this time they really do. ;D It was me, and I love the story for it. As for the labyrinth that was Casta's manipulations, I'd worked out that she was most likely the one behind it all and the idea she was Silverfish had crossed my mind. The reason I'd dismissed the latter was that I thought it was Nereith. The book starting on chapter 30 was also a very good way to throw your readers for a loop, and it was a nice touch.
|
|
|
Post by GhostEggplant on Nov 17, 2007 12:04:17 GMT -5
I had no idea that Costa was Silverfish. Even after Orna figured it out, I was still suprised and didn't really believe it. I thought Costa was a good guy! Though it all made sense in the end, after many explanations.
|
|
|
Post by zemira on Nov 17, 2007 19:42:09 GMT -5
Yeah, the ending of the book wouldn't have worked any other way. ^_^ It was the perfect twist!
|
|
|
Post by iamthelizardqueen on Dec 7, 2007 8:59:51 GMT -5
Finally finished the book today! I know, it's bad...still haven't finished Storm Thief yet, I've been busy. Anyway...
I sort of vaguely knew the twist from quite early on in the book. I suspected Orna would be a fade since we were told what it meant, and I figured it had something to do with Nereith - well, it wasn't going to be Feyn, was it? I also suspected it had something to do with Clan Caracassa. I think the only reason I realised was because of the title change - I assumed the title would be important, and I was constantly trying to figure out how significant it was. I'm actually pretty bad at realising there's going to be a twist until it happens, so I was quite proud of myself.
Never suspected Casta for a second though. I knew she would probably want Ledo dead, but I didn't think it was anything to do with manipulating Orna - I just thought she wouldn't care when she DID kill him, because she didn't want to lose Liss.
I really liked this book, and I even think I like it better than TBP, which I didn't think was possible. Like many people here, I'm not a fan of first person narration, as I usually find it grates on me pretty quickly if I don't like the character, no matter the skill of the writing, but a combination of the excellent writing, and the many layered character really impressed me with this.
I also like the fact that it was fairly open ended. Although slightly infuriating from the point of the reader, it's much better than a book where you find out what happened to every single character *cough!*HARRY POTTER *cough!*, allowing it to be open to interpretation. Also, it's more realistic, given that it's a first person account (at least, as realistic as SF/fantasy can get), as Orna really COULDN'T know everything that happened next, especially if she was on the run.
Can't help but wonder what Liss made of it all...
|
|