Consider me "spoiler-stick bruised." I'm especially embarassed because I actually went back through that post before I hit the submit button, to try to avoid giving spoilers, but I was thinking along the lines of "did I reveal anything that was in the book," and didn't think of the possibility that saying what wasn't there could be considered a spoiler as well. Sometimes we are blinded by our own definitions; sorry.
I, too, am very strongly inclined to think Slado's behavior has to be explained by information we don't yet have, because that's kind of the meta-theme of the whole series: having to hypothesize from insufficient information, both Rowan and we as readers. Every time we think we have a theory that might account for what's going on, along comes some new fact that blows it out of the water, but provides a new base upon which to build the next one ( how's that for a mixed metaphor? ). There has to be some way that having the Guidestar crash benefits him, that we haven't yet seen evidence of.
About whether or not Berry and her husband might be bribable: it seems to me that while they might be open to it, I'm not sure it would occur to the wizards to make the offer. Their control of the populace seems much more weighted to the "threat" side of the scale, especially Slado himself. I can't see him even concieving of the idea of a bribe, much less following through on it, because he would have to see them as actual people who had motives to be manipulated, rather than merely objects to be used to achieve his aims. Plus, in order to bribe someone to give you information, you have to at least suspect that they have information you want, and I think at this early stage the "conspiracy" is still operating below the wizards' radar.
Yes, I think "The Fourth Branch" does give the most information about the mysterious little men ( I got it from MobiPocket, more or less the same as FictionWise ); I also liked it because focuses on Lewis, who doesn't otherwise get much "onstage" time in the series, just little bits here and there. "The Queen in the Hill" also talks about the interaction between the Company and the LGMs, but it's very oblique and you really have to read between the lines. Now that I think about it some more, I seem to remember being somewhat annoyed when they were first introduced, too; kind of an "Oh, no, she's not going to go there" feeling. I guess I was just enjoying the other parts enough that I kind of forgot about it until you reminded me.
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baggyeyes
Re: The Lost Steersman & The Language of Power
Date: 2005-04-12 06:49 pm (UTC)I, too, am very strongly inclined to think Slado's behavior has to be explained by information we don't yet have, because that's kind of the meta-theme of the whole series: having to hypothesize from insufficient information, both Rowan and we as readers. Every time we think we have a theory that might account for what's going on, along comes some new fact that blows it out of the water, but provides a new base upon which to build the next one ( how's that for a mixed metaphor? ). There has to be some way that having the Guidestar crash benefits him, that we haven't yet seen evidence of.
About whether or not Berry and her husband might be bribable: it seems to me that while they might be open to it, I'm not sure it would occur to the wizards to make the offer. Their control of the populace seems much more weighted to the "threat" side of the scale, especially Slado himself. I can't see him even concieving of the idea of a bribe, much less following through on it, because he would have to see them as actual people who had motives to be manipulated, rather than merely objects to be used to achieve his aims. Plus, in order to bribe someone to give you information, you have to at least suspect that they have information you want, and I think at this early stage the "conspiracy" is still operating below the wizards' radar.
Yes, I think "The Fourth Branch" does give the most information about the mysterious little men ( I got it from MobiPocket, more or less the same as FictionWise ); I also liked it because focuses on Lewis, who doesn't otherwise get much "onstage" time in the series, just little bits here and there. "The Queen in the Hill" also talks about the interaction between the Company and the LGMs, but it's very oblique and you really have to read between the lines. Now that I think about it some more, I seem to remember being somewhat annoyed when they were first introduced, too; kind of an "Oh, no, she's not going to go there" feeling. I guess I was just enjoying the other parts enough that I kind of forgot about it until you reminded me.