Beyond Reality discussion

Welcome to Athera!

And watch what occurs, because, truly nothing is as it seems. Many presumptions will be 'left in place' to be busted thoroughly later. Be prepared to move in step with the (now confused) characters as they work it out, too.

I've finished chapter IV and am looking forward to learning more about Athera! Am enjoying the character of the Mad Prophet :)

"...penned perfect script onto parchment."

I just love it.
Sorry, just had to share that.

Richard wrote: ""...penned perfect script onto parchment."
I just love it.
Sorry, just had to share that."

Do share your favorite lines! That is part of the shared fun.

"...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you wrote this?

Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you wrote this?"

Do you REALLY want to know???
;)

Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you wrote this?"

Do you REALLY want to know???
;)

Umm...yes? I mean Yes, certainly, when you use an archaic construction with an alternative (and possibly naughty) modern meaning, does it make you laugh? I mean, I notice those bundles of sticks aren't 'flaming'. And do you get a chuckle out of creating a group of mages that is 'understaffed'?

Ron wrote: "Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you ..."

Ron - grin! Understaffed mages.

This was indeed deliberate. I got SICK of the slyly facetious who continuously droned on about wizard's staffs being a symbol for - forget repeating it, evidently you know. So, no staffs.

I always thought it ridiculous that someone that powerful would be rendered useless because he dropped - a damned stick, as they say of boomerangs that don't come back....grin.

As to did I laugh - I am a maverick thinker and admittedly not trendy. I hate fads and politics and avoid 'catogorizing' people...the going moment's slang holds very little interest to me. Therefore it took me MINUTES to get what you were driving at...no kidding.

I will walk outside and hear INSTANTLY if the well pump is broken by a minute change in the pitch. Even while driving the car past, I'll hear it over the engine, due to a tiny shift in the harmonics. That sort of detail I will notice, immediately, and many another...but I've never attached much value, or spent much time figuring out trendy or derogatory meanings in language. Worse, I don't watch TV.

In good natured enjoyment - I appreciate your gift for noticing what you perceive in your own way.

One thing I can say absolutely - in this series - where I did notice such double entendre - I made every effort to AVOID the trendy modern meanings - not what this story is driving to achieve, quite simply. No creation is truly timeless, or removed from its contemporary social setting. But trendy anything is not my bag; unlikely I'd have paused to giggle; the opposite, IF I'd noted your take, I'd have altered the sentence.

Trendy books have extremely short lives. It's taken an enormous commitment of time to write this - and the humor (as you will see very quickly and clearly in Ships, where there was more room for play) runs to a different measure entirely.

Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you wrote this?"

Eeeewww. Never occurred to me, grin.

Here's an article about how a word that means a bunch of sticks got to mean male homosexual.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/r...

Sandra AKA Sleo wrote: "Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me you were giggling when you..."

Maybe it's a guy thing?

Janny wrote: "Sandra AKA Sleo wrote: "Ron wrote: ""...people associated with sorcerers very often wind up roasting in chains on a pile of oiled faggots." Ooh, rip the shirt you beast... Janny, please tell me yo..."

Maybe. :)

I am around halfway through and I am enjoying the book very much. I want the brothers to get along and the gloom/doom prophesies are getting to me. I just hope eventually it all works out and I won't have to wait a long time to see it happen, but I know I probably will :). Anyway, I really like both brothers...and the Mad Prophet character too. I do wish there were more strong female characters, but maybe that is yet to come.

Lareads said:

I want the brothers to get along and the gloom/doom prophesies are getting to me. I just hope eventually it all works out and I won't have to wait a long time to see it happen, but I know I probably will :).

That is my reaction too, so while I'm loving the book, it is also worrying me.

I am pretty sure that this is exactly why I gave up on the book the first time and tried to read it and I'm really hoping I work through that this time as it is so good.

But I'm scared. :-)

Lareads wrote: "I am around halfway through and I am enjoying the book very much. I want the brothers to get along and the gloom/doom prophesies are getting to me. I just hope eventually it all works out and I w..."

The women characters are quite there, and full-blown real, just not yet.

Kerry wrote: "Lareads said:

I want the brothers to get along and the gloom/doom prophesies are getting to me. I just hope eventually it all works out and I won't have to wait a long time to see it happen, bu..."

That's part of the power of this story - that you will know and feel for both sides. As to being scared, that is what turns pages...and things may take a turn or two, in the course of the series, that you could never have imagined.

That's part of the power of this story - that you will know and feel for both sides. As to being scared, that is what turns pages...and things may take a turn or two, in the course of the series, that you could never have imagined.

That's why I'm determined to stick at it this time. I'm a lot older now and have more maturity and patience than I once did, so I figure the odds are good.

But yes, I'm a wimp and get scared for the characters in books. That's why I remain an end-peeker despite my best intentions not to be one. But I'm not going to do that with this series. I'm not. I'm not. I'm going to earn everything I get. :)

I had to finish tonight...just had to. Now I don't have the next one so I guess I'll just have to order it and wait!

Lareads wrote: "I had to finish tonight...just had to. Now I don't have the next one so I guess I'll just have to order it and wait!"

If you didn't get scared off, then you might as well order all of them, lol. I couldn't stop once I started. And there are strong women coming. They build.

If you didn't get scared off, then you might as well order all of them, lol. I couldn't stop once I started. And there are strong women coming. They build.

That's pretty much the principle I'm working on. If I finish this one, I'm on my way through to the end.

Kerry wrote: "If you didn't get scared off, then you might as well order all of them, lol. I couldn't stop once I started. And there are strong women coming. They build.

That's pretty much the principle I'm w..."

Kerry - you're getting a lovely cheering section! grin. In order to grasp even the basic thrust of this series, it is necessary to finish the first book.

That said, the first book will not begin to scratch the surface of the depths to come. But it will set the stage and foreshadow the intensity.

Lareads wrote: "I had to finish tonight...just had to. Now I don't have the next one so I guess I'll just have to order it and wait!"

Lareads - let's see if anyone else can hold back - the only way I'd envision anyone pausing into the last two sets would be if the book didn't work for them at all. ;)

I guess I need to switch my comments to the already finished topic - thanks for making that for those of us who had to read ahead and finish!

Lareads wrote: "I guess I need to switch my comments to the already finished topic - thanks for making that for those of us who had to read ahead and finish!"

You're welcome - this topic is good for people wanting to know (in a nonspoiler way) what the fuss is all about...in case they want to plunge in.