Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Traitor's Knot by Janny Wurts starting on April 15, 2024.


Happy Reading!

With the harrowing scope of events in the previous book behind us, this one opens to events continuing to race ahead and its pace is breakneck, but still exciting to follow. Other factions reveal themselves and the ramifications of Arithon's experiences in Peril's Gate continue to unfold, with how they will ultimately impact the world a question still to play out.

Thanks Yanique! :p

chibipoe wrote: "With the harrowing scope of events in the previous book behind us, this one opens to events continuing to race ahead and its pace is breakneck, but still exciting to follow. Other factions reveal t..."

Unputdownable. That's how it felt for me.

Grabbing my spot!

I'll probably be a bit behind here--aiming for next weekend--but really looking forward to it!

Definitely be about a week late for May's entry though... May 15th is right before finals and insanity... but after the 22nd I'm free for a while!

Nirkatze wrote: "I'll probably be a bit behind here--aiming for next weekend--but really looking forward to it!

Definitely be about a week late for May's entry though... May 15th is right before finals and insanit..."

Looking forward to it! :D

Ugh, sorry it's taken me so long to pick this up, and that I haven't been back to finish comments for Peril's Gate. The end of the school year is sucking all of my brain energy dry, and I've been putting this off because the writing style takes a lot of focus and I need o-brain popcorn right now.

That said, I started, read Chapter 1, and am glad to be back in the world--(view spoiler)[Sulfin Evend swearing the Caithdeinen oath actually gives me the first glimmer of home that Lysaer might not end the series as a complete asshole.

Though I'm still kind of pissed at SE for giving Lysaer credit for his life's oath. It was Asandir, you idiot, who saved you from the Grimward! Lysaer did jack shit! You owe the Brotherhood! Though they would not see it that way.

I liked the contrast between Dakar's drunken brawl scene her and the one mentioned long ago with Arithon--how far Dakar has come since then! I was pretty sure it wasn't just another one of his antics from the start, and so was pleasantly justified when it turned out he started the whole thing to mess up Koriani tracking. Fionn is turning out to be just as stubborn as Dakar was though. Frustrating. Hoping he'll have as satisfying a turn-around. But he's going to end up dead either way so I'll be happy with either.

The little bit of Havish--seems like it's about time that they get drawn into this whole mess...

And the ending, with Luhaine sweeping in to save the old Seeress's soul... what were those wraiths? Not mistwraiths. Other creatures native to the land, like the dragonlike things that burned Lysaer's son? Things that the Brotherhood normally would be confining if not for Koriani interference? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 2--(view spoiler)[Hm. The ceremony to give Lysaer his own will back--I wonder if it could have side-effects similar to Arithon's trial in the labyrinth, and set him on the path of beginning to control--or at least bloody damn well recognize the Mistwraith's curse?

And these "reanimate shades"--same as those who attacked the Seeress? This is the first time we're getting this kind of information, right? Though the first I remember--was back in Grand Conspiracy, with ... was it SE's uncle? Raven? And the blood rite to blind the Brotherhood. Are we dealing with something new or something old here? Looks like it got Cerebald, at any rate. Schism incoming? Lysaer getting better but the church getting worse?

And now Lysaer finally knows of Talith. 'Bout time! (hide spoiler)]

Nirkatze wrote: "Ugh, sorry it's taken me so long to pick this up, and that I haven't been back to finish comments for Peril's Gate. The end of the school year is sucking all of my brain energy dry, and I've been p..."

No problems! Glad to see you back with us. :D

For your assorted thoughts:

Lysaer has a rough road ahead of him, still, but Sulfin Evend could be a moderating influence! We'll see!

Dakar and Fionn are a joy to watch, especially as Dakar has been right where Fionn is and is very much not going to take some of the boy's nonsense. It'll be great!

The beings attacking Enithen Tuer have been referenced here or there in small tidbits. The most prominent reference was in Grand Conspiracy. Suffice to say, for factions opposed to the Seven, there's more than the Koriani and Townsfolk. There's another such group, who bide in the shadows... and recent events have made them bold, with the Seven otherwise preoccupied.

Ooh, good to know!

Chapter 3, now--(view spoiler)[When the guards jumped Fionn after he confidently announced his desire to kill Arithon, I laughed out loud! Another great point for the same thing you said above--Dakar was exactly in the same place last time he was in Alestron... or first time he was in Alestron? Can't remember if Dakar's been back since then.

Pointing out all of the preparations, and talk of siege... well next book is called "Stormed Fortress" so I guess we know what fortress is getting stormed....

Jeynsa is another young hothead who won't cede to logic. She and Fionn make a fine pair. Maybe they can start a "We Hate Arithon" club. Why she doesn't blame the headhunters and Lysaer, I don't know.

I never imagined Feylind having children. But if this story lasts for generations, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of those.

And then more shadows maneuvering... (hide spoiler)]

Traitor's Knot is fantastic and hits the ground running and doesn't let up.

Yeah, the doings of those Sulfin Evend now contends with to save Lysaer... we've seen little hints of their work through the books. There was even a scene in Curse that got cut for editorial, but little references such as in Ships/Warhost, references in Fugitive Prince, and big ones in Grand Conspiracy and now they're moving boldly.

I've been reading through the week but my computer rebooted and deleted my notes on the first few chapters grrr... I have written notes to type up. Through chapter 9 and enjoying!

Awesome! Glad to see you're still going. :D

Attempt to remember what my notes for these were--4&5 were the chapters my computer deleted...

Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[Havish coming into the story... I keep waiting for the Alliance forces to get fed up and declare war. Elliane's found-truth getting out...

Hah! I love that Asandir smacked SE in the face with his false beliefs--that it was Asandir who saved his life, not some divine action of Lysaer's. And that he neither seeks nor wants his life-debt or anything from him for it. Puts him rather off balance. Scales pulled from his eyes. Interesting having him sworn to the land--so he supports the s'Illessid line, but might have to oppose Lysaer if Lysaer opposes the land...? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[The scene with Asandir and the Adept was a bit weird. Not sure what was going on there. What "sacrifice" was she offering? What was he refusing? How did it invoke Drake's Binding?

Nice learning more about the sword lore.

Dakar just can't find a break. Or rather, he takes a break, and it has the worse timing... he can't escape 500 years of bad habits and reputation. Like crying wolf. No one listens to him. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[The conversations with Davien are making me wonder again why he supported the Town revolt against Clan rule. Seems like he supports genocide where humans are concerned--they should never have come here to endanger the Paravians... By supporting the Townsfolk, was he trying to tip the balance so that the Fellowship would have no choice but to enact the final cleansing?

Really interesting getting more information on the Iyats. And the bustle of work to prepare for their coming. Fionn's continued arrogant surety--as Arithon says, in regards to Dakar--"He once acted like you." I like that a lot of the thoughts the story invokes are later outright spoken. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7--(view spoiler)[The Koriani attempt to force a child on SE is ugh. Everything we see of them shows how corrupt the order has become under Morriel. Though the bit with welcoming the new novices--seeing the rank potential... Lirenda is 8th rank, Morriel 9th... What rank is Elaira? 5th? Is Lirenda the only 8th rank?

Hah, I love how both Arithon and Dakar were aware of the eavesdropping. Mentioning Cattrick is ominous though. That's bound to get to Alliance ears... if Elliane's sanctuary isn't enough of a reason to attack Alestron, Cattrick adds fuel to fire.

More on the iyats--dragon spawn, and not "originating thought"--can be trained? Pretty cool! Shows his genius. But on the other hand--seems like everything in the world has some sort of thought--the whole "asking permission" thing the Fellowship does? Does that mean iyats are even lower than that, or can Arithon ask their permission?

When Arithon releases the forces back on the eavesdroppers, I almost feel bad for Lirenda, with her own free will stoppered... though I imagine she must have gotten some satisfaction seeing it reflected through her straight at Seldie.

I wonder how the Amethyst feels about all this. Happy not to be enslaved anymore? (hide spoiler)]

Regarding the Adept. (view spoiler)[The Adepts represent a unblemished connection to Ath's grace, akin to the Paravians. The Adept was attempting to offer her own life energies to bolster Asandir, but that would have imperiled her life, which would in turn invoke the terms of the binding the drake's placed upon the Seven, to safeguard Paravian survival at all costs. (hide spoiler)]

Everything has its own will, down to the smallest rock, though they may not manifest awareness in the same fashion as others do.

Davien's reasons are murky and complex!

re: Adept--hm, I feel like I still need more background to understand that properly, but betting we get it eventually.

So--do the iyats have their own will?

Looking forward to Davien's murky & complex reasons... the end of the last chapter (9) (view spoiler)[suggested Sethvir sent a "tenuous plea" to him too... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Lysaer: "I will not suffer the murder of innocents."
Me: rolling around the floor laughing at the irony.

When did the enslaved and captured clans get trial? The raped women and slaughtered children?

Even if he's getting a bit clearer sighted and with SE at his side, he's still a complete asshat.

Interesting getting a bit more on the Shadow Cabal. Each bit of information births multitudes of questions. The one acolyte who escaped--puppets or masters? They remind me of the Mistwraiths, and the humans (dead now) on the old world, that sucked it dry and created the Mistwraiths...

Also find it interesting how that one confrontation--everything the shadow dude said was true, but the context was all skewed, lying with truth... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9--(view spoiler)[I loved figuring out that Arithon was going to use the iyats a few pages before he actually did. What a great use! I bet the iyats had fun too.

The whole Glendraen sequence was just weird and uncomfortable. And to what end? Did Arithon gamble expecting that she wouldn't be able to follow through, and that it would cement his character with Shand's folks? Or I suppose he saw that either way was possible and would've taken the burden of either path. (hide spoiler)]

They do, more or less, but it's a very simplistic one, really.

Lysaer. (view spoiler)[ Yeah, there's some definite hypocrisy there. And your thoughts about the necromancers. Very astute! I wonder what, if any connection there might be. (hide spoiler)]

Glendien. (view spoiler)[ It's a multi-layered thing there, and highlights a particular vulnerability of Arithon's. That quality will come up again. (hide spoiler)]

Finished last night! Enjoyed! I TOOK NOTES THIS TIME! Will type up over weekend.

Awesome! Can't wait to see your thoughts! :D NOW, onward to Stormed Fortress! It's a doozy.

LOL I'm going to be pretty late to Stormed Fortress too--but looking forward to it. Only a couple days 'till the start date, and I have five eye-reads and the end of the school year between that and now... Once school is out I should speed up though!!

Okay! *cracks knuckles* here we go!

Chapter 10--(view spoiler)[Getting a name to put to the Necromancer cult-- Kralovir. I'm still very curious--of the people we have met, who are puppets, and who puppetmasters? The name Kralovir sounds like something from the old world... Kralovir, Koriathain...

I keep wondering about Davien's, as you say, murky motivations... guilt? Freedom? It's been mentioned that the Fellowship received the stewardship of Athera after being responsible for horrible things on the old world--sort of like a redemption and second chance. Calum Kincaid--a very our world name. I wonder if Davien might have known these Necromancers--even been one of them once upon a time?

Love Arithon spreading satire through music. Nothing harder to kill than a good tune! The "tarts'" revenge was great too. The priests took away their herbwomen, they take away their dignity in return... Nice connection there. And I'm glad that this "Infamy"-labeled chapter isn't another black mark on Arithon's name. No one to blame right now but themselves...

Love seeing the reunion with Ellaine & Kev... ah, her son. Up to now, she's was still a believer of the Light in her core... this seems like it was the last straw, pulling scales from her eyes about the lies Lysaer's people have been spouting.... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[More Lysaer ugh-ness... was actively rolling eyes when he said "Judgment is mine to bestow..." no it's not, you hypocritical rapist.

Someone--one of the Sorcerers? Traithe, I think? someone had a good line about how Lysaer's history with women has made him sexist, unable to accept women in his life or in positions of power... and something also about how Lysaer has inherent "flaws of character that accept that distortion" and make him inacceptable as an anointed king, regardless of the Mistwraith's curse... Was very satisfying seeing people agree with me in-book, hah!

Definitely this whole sequence made me think about Lysaer's past--how this all started with his mother abandoning him to go have an affair with someone his father declared enemy... it doesn't give me a good impression of the s'Ilessid gift of Justice though, if he couldn't See that his mother's treatment by his father was Injust... Or does the vow of marriage trump all abuses? What kind of Justice is that???

It further makes me think about where this story all started. What is Lysaer's father up to? How are Arithon's people faring? I know we got a little peek, I vaguely remember someone saying that Arithon's grandfather and the mages stepped in to help the islanders, help grow food and mediate between the two sides. But I still really want the brothers to go back some day, and confront their roots...

Anyway, this scene... K confronting his father, his wife rejecting everything he's standing for, and the Ath's brotherhood standing completely outside his authority... was very satisfying... but also worrisome... Lysaer/Curse don't seem like they'll take that kind of insult to his "dignity" lying down.

Speaking of people with rather high dignity, the whole scene with Bransian & his brothers.... what a knot there, to invoke the title. What is the gift of their line? Pride isn't a gift... Nice to see Granny again, though even she couldn't sway them... and then Arithon getting called away... (hide spoiler)]

Three more chapter notes to type up, going to take a break. ^^

A few things:

Lysaer and his inborn gift of Justice. (view spoiler)[ The one thing that is sort of implied but is very important is that the gift is spread across the bloodline. The same applies for Arithon. The difference is... Lysaer has other relatives back on Dascen Elur. Arithon, however, is the *only* s'Ffalenn, so the full brunt of the gift of Compassion is infused in him, to a intense degree. Lysaer's driven to seek and administer Justice, but various character flaws and such affect him and he's never been forced to truly face himself and finds a way to twist things so he doesn't have to. (hide spoiler)]

The s'Brydion don't have a particular line gift. Those were only among the 5 High Kings. If they were ever elevated, then the Seven would likely bind something but what would it be? Who knows!

Love the speculation on the Kralovir and such! :D

re: gifts--Ooooh, that is really interesting!! That has not been apparent so far, would not have guessed that at all.

Your mention of the s'Brydion line is making me very curious!! Very very curious...

Okay, last few chapters!

Chapter 12--I think some of my Chapter 11 notes were probably including Chapter 12, whoops. (view spoiler)[Arithon finally confronting Jeynsa... not as satisfying as I'd hoped... I was hoping for some bend or contrition from Jeynsa...

Go Eliane! "I will not return as figurehead piece to complete the charade that you call a marriage!" good line!

Looks like Lysaer is just about ready to declare war on Havish and Ath's Brotherhood as well as Alestron... And trying to blame Alestron on Elaine--really dick move there, Lysaer. Am glad Kevor stepped in and slapped that down. Very satisfying scenes overall. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13--(view spoiler)[So... instead of Arithon's compassion earning reflected understanding from Jeynsa, she's determined to do her job as Caithedien by... making suspicious assumptions and not actually talking to anyone?? I'm a little confused on what she's up to, but it seems like she overheard a snippet of a conversation and is now convinced that Arithon is a Necromancer?? And is on her way to the s'Brydions to warn them? Very confused here.

The whole sequence with Arithon and Elaira is messy. I tend to side more with Dakar--nope, sorry, not going to trust Elaira to guard hers and Arithon's daughter from the Koriani, not when she's done such a shoddy job so far in general, and hasn't even figured out that she can ask the Brotherhood to be free of her obligations to them. And Arithon's pride and embarrassment for a moment have no weight in these matters either.

On the other hand, actually having more heirs to the line would be a good thing--just need to get rid of the Koriani faster. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14 (view spoiler)[It's really interesting seeing the clan and town connections on the lower levels--nothing like the ire of the nobility. Lots of folk have genial relations or family. So Arithon's plan could have worked... if the nobility was toppled.

Oh yikes, child trafficking!! There was a mention earlier, wasn't there... can't remember... of some children going missing...? Dakar playing that role... ick. But he's grown so much...

Seriously? They're making talismans out of Lysaer's hair now? Wow. Idiots.

Ah, so Raven is entangled in the necromancers. It's stilll fuzzy though--was he snared, or did he join willingly for power? Does he want freedom? Well, he's not acting like it...

The ending was a bit confusing but it was cool how it worked out. Probably something I'd understand better on reread. The story moves fast it makes me want to read faster, but probably shouldn't've done that. Whoops.

Ah Lysaer. Somehow you find ways to blame everything on everyone but yourself... Seriously? Now blaming necromancy on the victim. *sigh* Ah well, on to the Stormed Fortress... (hide spoiler)]

Needless to day, I am not starting the next book on time, lol! Hoping for another week...

Well.

Jeynsa (view spoiler)[ Jeynsa is essentially in a similar spot as Fionn Areth, where she's young and hurt over what happened to Jieret, and lashing out over that. (hide spoiler)]

More thoughts to share later, but Stormed Fortress is gonna be huge. :D

Looking forward to seeing this whole arc wrap up! Very curious what the next step will be too.

Also would love to see J&FA meet each other and swap notes...

That, for sure you will get to see very soon!

Ooh, goody!!