Crappy deaths in book 2

[Edge]

Personally, I don't think we'll ever be seeing 'grisly retribution' in any writing of SRD's. For example, much of the events in TCOTC are a direct result of Covenant's determination to find some way of defeating his enemies other than outright slaughter. TC even refused to kill Foul when he had the chance.

I think it's a reflection of the author's personal convictions, and I also think it's part of what gives his writing more depth and complexity than that of many other authors.

I do understand what you're saying, and I identify with it - but to use another Shakespearian example: if Shylock received the retribution at the end of 'The Merchant Of Venice', that he so richly deserved: it would be immensely satisfying on a visceral level, but I don't think the play itself would be as great a work of literature.

[Dirty Whirl]

This is totally irrelevant, but I didn't think Shylock deserved what he got, let alone a painful death. He lent money and they broke the agreement, and yet they were rewarded for it simply because they were citizens (christian) and he was jewish.

Anyways! I was unsatisfied with gilburs death, just because it was sort of random. But even that was ok, Donaldson had alot of people to kill in those chapters. All the rest of the deaths were pretty good I thought.

In my opinion what was way worse than any of those things was that Nyle became the Alend contender. Totally random and not really deserved or 'realistic' at all.

[stormrider]

I didn't have any particular desire to see Eremis get slaughtered, but it bothered me a little that the last thing he felt was "astonishment" before his mind was trapped in eternal translation. Granted, that might have been the first time he had ever been shocked like that, but I would have liked to see a little genuine fear or at least an explicit recognition that he'd been beaten.

In my opinion what was way worse than any of those things was that Nyle became the Alend contender. Totally random and not really deserved or 'realistic' at all.

Yeah, that was odd, but maybe that happened because people felt bad for him -- just about everyone else ended up pretty happy, and he would have been left out in the cold. And Geraden had been really mad at Joyse for paying no attention to Nyle when they were kids. Maybe Joyse felt guilty. Also, I can't help feeling sorry for Nyle. The idea of him having to be Gilbur's "man-meat" (as SRD put it) was pretty gross.

[Avatar]

(Sorry, off-topic I know but love your avatar StormRider.)

--A

[stormrider]

Thanks. One of my favorite movies. So many great moments. "Cows are gonna kill me... bisexuals are gonna kill me. Let's get out of here. Where's the elevator?"

[Avatar]

Yeah, I love it as well. The "X-Ray" shot of his bag as he walks into the police convention...

--A

[Cameraman Jenn]

Personally I think it was very fitting that Eremis got trapped in eternal translation locked in a rigid position. It was a form of poetic justice. His conceit and confidence in his manly prowess and psychological powers were his undoing. Take that Eremis! You arrogant prick!

The story is not so much about the punishments however, as it is about the journeys of the heros and the complexity of the plot.

[matrixman]

Considering all the awful things Eremis had done, all the blood on his hands, I also couldn't help but feel a bit cheated by his non-violent demise. I won't argue that it was poetic justice, but it still feels somewhat hollow. I wanted him to die in some hideous chemical explosion or something, screaming in agony all the while. Or have those ravenous pac-man creatures eat him alive. C'mon, let's use our imagination.

[IrrationalSanity]

It always seemed to me to be a possible "out" for another book. I know that seeing yourself in a flat glass has always been thought to be the end. But consider - with all of the new understanding of mirrors and translation that is sure to come as a result of Terisa's and Gereden's talents, who's to say that Eremis couldn't have been brought back? (Except SRD, of course...)