Ahira's Hangar

This thread will contain extreme spoilers! You are warned!

My copy came in the mail yesterday while I was at work. And believe it or not, I only read the first two chapters. I chose to spend time with my husband instead. And - I guess this makes me a pretty rotten fangirl, but of those two chapters, I had previously only read the first one at Donaldson's website. I just do not care for reading long manuscripts online.

So, the first chapter was known...the second one was new. And I have been busy doing housework today and have not gotten any farther, and when I do have time to read on my breaks tonight at work, I plan on rereading chapter two ratehr than heading into new territory.

Why, you ask? Because in the one review that I have read that I trust (that would be berg's review at Amazon) , the reviewer said very explicitly that you had better be very slow and careful with the first few chapters, or you might not understand what is going on in the end. So, with that in mind, I am planning on advancing at a snail's pace in those first few chapters, and perhaps rereading them a few times before I get any further.

And besides, this is a new and very special treat, and I will not get any new Donaldson treats for two long years! o I am going to do my best to stretch it out and enjoy it.

Anyway, here are my impression of the first couple of chapters, before I get back to the darned laundry.

SPOILERS for the first chapter follow:

[spoilers]
There is no way in any world that the two riders could be Thomas Covenant and Jeremiah. Or - if by some wild chance that they are - there is something extremely hinky and bad going on with them.

Linden cannot touch them? When other people like the haruchai who shared their horses touched them? No Staff of Law? When they already have enough power within themselves to hide from the eyes of the haruchai and the ramen?

Sounds to me like these two beings are trying to keep Linden from seeing who or what they actually are. And Linden, blinded with love, is believing and going along with this load of horse hockey pucks...

And my guess is that they have got to be evil - but not ravers because people would pick up on that fairly quickly. Perhaps in the service of the fiery being who possesses Anele when he is standing on bare dirt? The way the demondim act and the timing of their arrival at Revelstone would certainly suggest that.

But what would the fiery possessor hope to gain by sending servants to Linden? What the heck do these ominous beings want? [/spoilers]

Just got done rereading the first two chapters again, and these are the things that really stick out in my mind with this reading:

[spoilers]

These are spoilers for the first two chapters, folks!!! You are warned!!!!!

















[spoiler]

The first chapter really seems to be about two things: the falseness of Thomas Covenant and Jeremiah, and Linden's love making her blind - or wanting to be blind to that.

quote:
At that moment, however, neither Liand nor Stave impinged on Linden's awareness. They were not real to her.

quote:
With Linden, they had crossed hundreds of leagues - and many hundreds of years - to come to this place at this time. In her name, they has defied the repusation of the Masters who ruled over the Land.

But none of her companions existed for her.

quote:
They were her friends, but she hardly noticed them.

And yet - something - perhaps the telltale possession muscle twitches in Jeremiah - or in the constant mention of flames in Covenant's eyes - she knows something is very very wrong.

quote:
Between one heartbeat and the next, she seemed to find herself in the presence, not of her loved ones, but of her nightmares.

I think that might be the quote for the whole first section of the book. These are not going to be her loved ones as such - and they are going to turn out to be nightmares!

And with all of the mentions of flames in his eyes - and not argent flames, either - the Covenant being is going to turn out to be the serveant of the fiery possessor.

I feel very sure of this - and yes, you guys can all laugh at me if I find out that I am wrong later in the book.

The second chapter centers around the wonderful Glimmermere, one of my favorite places in all of hte Land.

The key action seems to center around Esmer - who, for once, seems to be in his good boy "son of Cail" stage. he brings a bunch of ur-viles and waynhim hepicked up somewhere in the past to help Linden and from the sound of it, Revelstone against the demondim.

Linden wants answers, but nothing he says seems to be of any use. He lectures her about the viles and their corruption. the demondim and their corruption. the histories of the ur-viles and waynhim. The birth and early activities of the ravers. A bit about the Land in the ages of Berik and Damelon. he tells her that the fiery possessor is Kastnessen (so the Covenant figure must be in the service of Kastennessin then! (if my theory is at all true ) And he tells her that she must be the first to drink the Earth Blood.

Nothing that seems helpful on the surface...but with the time travel, a lot of this could be of crucial importance should Linden ever end up back in the time of Berek or Damelon. And Damelon was the one to set up Damelon's Door, and seemed to know all about the Earth Blood and set up the approach to it. So who knows - maybe she will end up in Damelon's time and end up goig nto Melenkurrion Skyweir...

So while Linden is frustrated with Esmer (and who could blame her at all??????????) - the things he told her might be the very thinsg she might need to know - even if she doesn;t know that yet.

As annoying as he is, he is clearly the Son of Cail rather than the scion of the Sea Wives in this chapter...

[/spoiler]

I am looking at a really busy weekend, but hope to get at least a couple of chapters read (and probably reread, on berg's advice).

edited: sorry the spoilers are not all whited out - the quotes seem to screw up the color of the print

edited again: I keep playing with this to try to make the spoilers go away...

[spoilers]


Esmer's telling of the history of the Viles was compelling stuff. I'm starved for any information about that distant age of the Land. Also, he says that now the ur-viles have made manacles? What the heck is that all about...??

Esmer's assertion that Linden must be the first to drink the Blood of the Earth was pretty chilling. I instantly thought of Elena. Was SRD setting up some kind of symmetry between Linden and Covenant's doomed daughter? On the other hand, it seems clear that Esmer was trying to help Linden rather than portending her doom.

As for this weird version of Thomas Covenant we're seeing...yes, he gives me the creeps, too. His condescending attitude and the mention of red flames in his eyes would seem consistent with Ravers, yet surely he can't be a Raver because we all know that Linden's percipience would have instantly zeroed in on a Raver's aura.

However, like Linden I'm filled with enough self-doubt that I can't automatically dismiss him as an impostor. His explanation that he's "folded time" (whatever that means) in order to be in two places at once seems plausible enough. Maybe he's been split into a "mean" Covenant and a "nice" Covenant, and we just haven't met the nice one yet. Yes, I got that from Star Trek - the episode where a transporter malfunction splits Kirk into "good" and "evil" versions of himself. Yes, I know it's lame, but I'm just throwing it out there.

Jeremiah is a total mystery...but yeah, what is up with those eye tics?


[/spoilers]

I finally have a copy of the book. Emotional Leper mailed me his copy on loan.

I have nothing to add; in fact the things y'all are saying helps a lot in my own perception of what all is being said in each of these chapters. I've never done a dissection/group read before, besides the ones I am currently taking part in, and definitely not while first reading a book. So please, keep it up.

Do you mind questions about things y'all have posted if I don't understand what you are saying at first?

And if I should see something in a chapter that I think may be important that isn't mentioned by the time I get there, I will be sure to join in.

This is not a formal dissection like you see at the Watch - it is just a simple group read for people to bounce ideas and impressions off of each other as they read.

So yes - questions are wonderful, valid, and perfect.

Hi, Menolly, hope you're enjoying FR!

I think this informal group read is wonderful. "It suffices," as the Haruchai might say. But certainly it could be used as preparation for the more formal dissection at the Watch, which starts soon after the Chrismas holidays, I think. (Danlo should know.) Actually, when you peruse the KW dissections for the 1st Chronicles, you'll see that it all started out as a very informal thing as well. It just evolved into something more formal. (Which was either a good thing or a bad thing...)