Kevin's Watch

In case you couldn't figure it out from the title, I thought Against All Things Ending was brilliant. Frankly, that any one can find flaws with it shocks me. However, in order to avoid to become like an arrogant Elohim with a name based on a Latin word for 'unhappy', I'm willing to answer to such accusations by explaining why I don't have a problem with it. So bring it!

Disclaimer: I'm going to try to approach this with an attitude of just my perspective. I don't want to attack anyone for their opinions, but it might happen anyway Just be sure point that out if that happens here... however elsewhere on the forum, I'm going to be loaded for bear!

I liked AATE. Best book in the Last Chrons so far, IMO. But then, I didn't like RotE or FR.

I guess somebody else will have to start the disagreeing.

I am in my re-read right now. I can certainly see why Donaldson thought this series would be the hardest. I do have a bit of a problem with pacing, but overall I thought it was well done and touched me in ways the previous two did not necessarily. I give it two thumbs up.

What rdhopeca said. Two thumbs up. Best of the Last Chrons so far.

it started off real slow...but the delving into the Viles history was fascinating, I've always wanted to know more about them. And the BEST scene of the Last Chrons so far, in my opinion, is Stave vs. Infelice. "I am Haruchai. I do what I must" and raised a fist against her power....AWESOME. Stave went from Cail-wannabe to Cool Dude In His Own Right with that.

Seven Words wrote:it started off real slow...but the delving into the Viles history was fascinating, I've always wanted to know more about them. And the BEST scene of the Last Chrons so far, in my opinion, is Stave vs. Infelice. "I am Haruchai. I do what I must" and raised a fist against her power....AWESOME. Stave went from Cail-wannabe to Cool Dude In His Own Right with that.

I wouldn't necessarily day that was the best scene, but it was pretty awesome.

One of my favorite parts was when Esmer got punched in the face.

it started off real slow...but the delving into the Viles history was fascinating, I've always wanted to know more about them. And the BEST scene of the Last Chrons so far, in my opinion, is Stave vs. Infelice. "I am Haruchai. I do what I must" and raised a fist against her power....AWESOME. Stave went from Cail-wannabe to Cool Dude In His Own Right with that.

It might have been cooler if it hadn't instantly reminded me of when Bannor and Foamfollower were trapped by Elena using the power of the Staff of Law (or the Illearth Stone; it's not exactly clear, since I think they're wrapped in an emerald corona), and the two manage to move even despite the stasis imposed on them. On that same note, Liand's death paralleled that of Hollian, in that Pahni opposes Liand's extension of himself right before his death the same way that Sunder did of Hollian right before hers. Nearly every significant moment in AATE was an echo of something that has gone before.

And while I'm on the subject of minor gripes, sometimes I feel that Covenant's fissured memory is just a convenient vehicle for reliving all of the "greatest hits" from the prior two chronicles.

Seven Words wrote:it started off real slow...but the delving into the Viles history was fascinating, I've always wanted to know more about them. And the BEST scene of the Last Chrons so far, in my opinion, is Stave vs. Infelice. "I am Haruchai. I do what I must" and raised a fist against her power....AWESOME. Stave went from Cail-wannabe to Cool Dude In His Own Right with that.

I have to agree. To be honest, I think Stave is the best character in the Last Chron's, and in the fastest heat for best char. in all the chron's.

I'm around page 375. At certain points of the story thus far, I literally felt exhausted...

No one is beyond criticism, but SRD sure knows how to write to my taste.

Wow.

Auleliel wrote:I liked AATE. Best book in the Last Chrons so far, IMO. But then, I didn't like RotE or FR.

I guess somebody else will have to start the disagreeing.

Not me, glad you liked it.

Revan wrote:

Auleliel wrote:I liked AATE. Best book in the Last Chrons so far, IMO. But then, I didn't like RotE or FR.

I guess somebody else will have to start the disagreeing.

Not me, glad you liked it.

Me too. When I finished FR, I swore to myself that if I didn't like AATE I wasn't going to bother with TLD, but now I can't wait to read it (three whole years--how am I ever going to manage to wait that long!).

radnomad wrote:I'm around page 375. At certain points of the story thus far, I literally felt exhausted...

No one is beyond criticism, but SRD sure knows how to write to my taste.

Wow.

This pretty much sums up my feelings about this book.

Vraith wrote:

Seven Words wrote:it started off real slow...but the delving into the Viles history was fascinating, I've always wanted to know more about them. And the BEST scene of the Last Chrons so far, in my opinion, is Stave vs. Infelice. "I am Haruchai. I do what I must" and raised a fist against her power....AWESOME. Stave went from Cail-wannabe to Cool Dude In His Own Right with that.

I have to agree. To be honest, I think Stave is the best character in the Last Chron's, and in the fastest heat for best char. in all the chron's.

Stave will have to be TRULY epic in Last Dark for him to surpass Mhoram for best character overall to me. But he definitely could, I do see the potential there.

Stave has become the most important Haruchai ever, even more than Bannor IMO.

Agreed. Stave rocks.

rdhopeca wrote: I do have a bit of a problem with pacing.

Yeah, me too, but I stlll looooooved it. The fact that they spent what felt like 150 pages (I read it on a Kindle, so don't know exact page #s) in Andelain going over their options at the start was a bit much.

They did a heckuva lot of sitting around like, well, sitting ducks in the Lower Land post-Mt Thunder too, but I get they were a) exhausted and b) not sure what to do now.

CT wrote:

rdhopeca wrote: I do have a bit of a problem with pacing.

Yeah, me too, but I stlll looooooved it. The fact that they spent what felt like 150 pages (I read it on a Kindle, so don't know exact page #s) in Andelain going over their options at the start was a bit much.

They did a heckuva lot of sitting around like, well, sitting ducks in the Lower Land post-Mt Thunder too, but I get they were a) exhausted and b) not sure what to do now.

Here, we need to remind ourselves that page number does not equal length of time. I imagine they only spent maybe a half-hour in Andelain, however ot capture the importance and subtleties of that half-hour required a hundred and fifty-ish pages...

Kinda like how Joyce's Ulysses takes place only during a day, but takes an infinite amount of pages to speak about it.... only I can't really make that comparison because I've never read Joyce

Personally, I think Stave has been a bad ass since he figured out how to close his mind off from the rest of the Haruchai.

And AATE has been my favorite of the Last Chronicles as well. I won't yet say my favorite of the entire series, but...I felt more beauty from certain scenes and moments in this one book than I can recall from any one of the others.

This book was just packed.

I'm just sort of going 'ugh' here. Pacing problems (and how many times do you have to discuss your options over and over and over again...) Also suffered from a split climax (and that was all you can do with the Joan resolution? Come on.)

Some good stuff, but mostly my reaction was "enh, I waited how long for this?"