Enchanter Sporking: Part Twelve
Mar. 18th, 2024 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pangolin20 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
as_sporkive
theepistler wrote in antishurtugal, 2018-05-11 15:24:00
LOCATION: European Union, Bulgaria
MOOD:
coldEnchanter Sporking: Part Twelve
It's cold, it's miserable, and I'm suffering from that particular kind of weary depressive feeling you get when it's too bloody cold to do anything and you can't get to sleep. So I guess I might as well post more sporking to kill some time before dinner.
And now it’s back to Axis for more infodumping! Orr tells him about the Star Gods. There are nine of them, but only seven of them have names. For your edification they are:
Adamon and Xanon (isn’t that a brand of anti-depressant?), the Senior Gods of the Firmament, Silton, god of Fire, Pors, God of Air, Zest, Goddess of Earth, Flulia, Goddess of Water, and Narcis, God of the Sun. The other two gods are gods of Moon and Song, but have yet to reveal themselves.
And yes, this book has a goddess called Zest in it. And a god whose name sounds like a type of cheese. I know I’ve said it before, but damn this author sucks at names.
Axis says when he used to pray to Artor he could feel the god’s presence, but when he prays to the Star Gods he feels nothing. Orr says this is because the Star Gods are “trapped” somehow and have some battle or other going on with Artor, but there’s nothing Axis or anyone else can do about that.
Then Orr tells a story about how the magic lakes were supposedly created, which isn’t worth recapping except to say it seems to imply that there was some kind of apocalypse and that the survivors hid underground. So maybe it was them who built the freeway thingy. Who knows? If memory serves the author goes into it more later on, but it only gets more insane and ridiculous.
Now Axis uses a magic song to guide the boat to the Star GateAtlantis, and along the way he sees ruined cities and petrified forests and such.
Hmm. Could this have some connection to the random underground highway? Possibly, but that might be interesting so we won’t be learning anything more about it now, or possibly ever.
They enter the Star Gate chamber thingy, which Axis thinks is – what else? – “beautiful”. Axis looks into the Star Gate itself, and it’s awe-inspiring and such. Then he starts touching the Icarii statues despite being repeatedly asked to stop because it's extremely rude, because that’s Axis for you. I repeat – this is the guy who wants to be King of the Icarii. The guy who treats one of their most sacred places like a playground and doesn’t care about any of their customs. He’s as bad as those tourists who climb on old monuments to snap selfies and then act surprised and indignant when someone points out the “DO NOT TOUCH” signs.
But the real reason why the author wrote Axis as an insensitive jerk in this scene was so we could have a plot point, because when he touches one of the statues it disappears. (What, she couldn’t have had him just bump into it by accident? She had to write him as a rude prick just so we could have a plot point? What the hell?).
Orr freaks and says that this means the guy depicted in the statue has come back through the Star Gate – none other than WolfStar. (How does he know that? Why is this even a thing? Do people regularly resurrect themselves in this world?).
Axis asks when that happened, and Orr says there’s no way to know, but if he had the power to come back from death, then he’s “powerful beyond imagination”. Uh-oh.
Now it would seem WolfStar – who, yes, almost certainly trained Axis and Gorgrael – is manipulating the pair of them for some nefarious purpose and may also be manipulating the stupid prophecy.
Will this actually change anything in the long run? Ahahahah, no. This whole WolfStar subplot is completely pointless.
Naturally Axis says he has to tell StarDrifter about this, but first he’s going to bring FreeFall back from the dead. Because that’s possible, apparently. (And no, nobody else who dies will be brought back to life in the same way, and nor will it even be suggested. Again, why the fuck is FreeFall so screamingly important?).
The next chapter is called – I shit you not – “Gorgrael Makes a New Friend”. Did nobody realise that sounds like the title of a children’s picture book? I can practically see the cover. (And it’s adorable!).
Either way Gorgrael is looking at the remains of the SkraeBold Belial killed in the last book and is planning to do something with the heap of “frozen grey sludge”. Apparently Gorgrael has the power to make new creatures out of… uh, sludge, and he wants to make something winged which can take down the Icarii. He considers dragons, which apparently used to exist, but decides they’re too big and gaudy. Oh snap! Take that, Saphira.
Then the Dark Man shows up and asks him what he has in mind. The two of them play a cute little guessing game (seriously, this guy is treating the big villain like a child), in which the Dark Man describes aspects of a certain creature. “Demon-winged”, “ogre-bellied”, “grave-jawed”, “dragon-clawed” and “blight-eyed”.
Somehow or other Gorgrael guesses that he means gryphons. Since when did gryphons look anything like that? Well, okay, to be fair there’s about 50 different variations flying around. Pun intended. But it’s still stupid.
Gorgrael and the Dark Man work together using the – sigh – “Dark Music” to sing an evil version of the Song of Recreation. The sludge starts expanding, grows a pair of eeevil red eyes and eventually bursts open into a gryphon. For the record, author went with the “body of a lion, head and wings of an eagle” model. The Dark Man announces that thanks to a little twist from him the Pointlessly Capitalised Gryphon is a pregnant female who will soon give birth to nine “pups” who will also be pregnant females. An asexually reproducing all-female species of gryphon. Well, points for originality I guess.
Also, the griffin “grunts”. If it has a bird’s head and throat, shouldn’t it be making bird noises? Last time I looked birds didn’t “grunt”. They chirp. Well, at least it doesn’t pointlessly “hum” and “bugle” all the time. Thank goodness for small mercies.
Then Gorgrael and the Dark Man sit down together, and the Dark Man tells Gorgrael that Faraday is Queen now. Gorgrael obsesses over her some more, end chapter. Is it just me, or is the main villain becoming more and more irrelevant as the trilogy goes on?
In the next chapter the Icarii finally leave Talon Spike and fly to Sigholt, though of course it takes two pages of tedious description for the author to get that across. Cut to three weeks later, and the Strike Force has now integrated with the AW with no problems or racial tensions whatsoever. Of course. Also one of the generals is named SpreadWing RavenCry. Did the author put these Icarii names together with fridge poetry magnets or what?
Blah blah, descriptions of training. EvenSong is determined to be a good fighter now and is sparring with some guy named Edowes. Again, why are we wasting time giving names to one-scene extras? She eventually wins by hitting him in the nuts, and isn’t that just hilarious? Everyone pats EvenSong on the back for being awesome, and then she and Azhure go for a walk and we learn that Azhure now has more than two hundred men under her command.
She and EvenSong chat, and Azhure frets that while her pregnancy is quite advanced, the baby doesn’t move and she’s afraid it might be dead. EvenSong says lolno, Icarii babies “sleep” until their fathers sing to wake them up. Why? Because somebody thought dat wud be so cool.
Oh, and we also learn that none of the locals had any problems with the Icarii showing up and in fact were instantly convinced that they’d done the right thing because the Icarii are amazing and special and wonderful. Of course. And now they’re forgetting all about their religion as well, because the author doesn’t have the faintest idea how people’s minds actually work.
Then StarDrifter and MorningStar show up, and the Azhure and EvenSong hurry off to meet them. Great, more StarDrifter bullshit ahoy.
Cut to Margarita, who’s with Rivkah and thinking about how great she is. Yup, love is definitely in the air. Nobody is allowed to be single! Nobody, I tell you!
StarDrifter and co. arrive, and there’s some tension because of the whole divorce thing. The Icarii are impressed by Margarita’s “courtly greeting”, which we didn’t get to see, and then Azhure and EvenSong arrive. StarDrifter immediately stares at Azhure’s baby bump, and Rivkah makes a brittle comment about how they’re going to be grandparents.
MorningStar remarks that it’s a Beltide baby, and Azhure freaks, thinking she’s implying that she should get an abortion. At which point one of her giant doggies comes rushing over and bites MorningStar on the wrist. Azhure spits that nobody’s going to hurt her precious Sue spawn, and MorningStar hastily backpedals.
Yeah, apparently Azhure sics her giant murder dogs on people if they annoy her now. Our heroine, ladies and gentlemen.
And just like a good little woman she’s completely obsessed with the sweet sweet baby despite never having expressed any interest in motherhood before, because of course, All Women Want Bebbes. That’s how you know they’re women and not some sort of weird space alien with breasts.
Cut to Azhure tending to MorningStar’s injury while StarDrifter creepily watches. He asks about the giant doggies, and both he and MorningStar are uncomfortable to find out the answer. MorningStar thinks about the “attraction” between Azhure, Axis and StarDrifter and goes “hmmm”. Apparently it hasn’t occurred to anyone that StarDrifter and Axis are a pair of vile sexual predators who are both prepared to fuck anything without a Y chromosome.
And oh my gods, woman, it’s not that freaking hard! Azhure has special Icarii possessions/abilities and big scars on her back, and SunSoar men are uncontrollably attracted to her! What do you think it means? But no, author apparently still thinks this is a big mystery.
The next chapter cuts to Axis and Wendy Orr arguing. Orr says it’s impossible to bring someone back from the dead, but Axis isn’t having it. Why does he care so fucking much about FreeFall? I don’t know. He just does. He repeats the story of how FreeFall died and it was all his fault and blah blah blah, I still don’t care. Orr says he’ll take Axis to the “Gate” but he’s never ever allowed to tell anyone else about it.
So they travel along the “River of Death”, home of the band Styx, where the shades of dead people float. It’s like that scene in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels nobody liked. They finally arrive at an island thingy and Axis has to go on alone. He finds a “rectangle of light” where a dark figure sits staring at two glowing bowls. It’s like something out of Greek/Norse mythology all of a sudden. The figure turns out to be a creepy looking woman, and she keeps dropping metal balls from one bowl into the other by way of some sort of meaningless tally.
After some exposition about certain entities who don’t go through the gate which I’m just going to ignore because it’s boring and irrelevant, Axis says he wants to bring FreeFall back from the dead and is told lolno. For some reason Axis is really, really set on this promise he made to the guy while he was dying, and yells about how he can’t break said promise, etcetera (but breaking multiple promises to Faraday is just fine. It had better not be because promises made to a woman aren’t really that important, but I’ll bet my butt it is).
He mentions Borneheld, and the GateKeeper is all “I don’t like the Dukes of Ichtar!” (no really. She actually says this) and says okay, Axis can bring FreeFall back as long as he does something horrible to Borneheld which isn’t specified. Axis is horrified and doesn’t want to do it, but too bad – he gotta do it now. So he agrees to do it. Apparently he has “a year and a day”. Or else. When did this turn into a fairytale?
Axis leaves, and the GateKeeper thinks about how she hates the Dukes of Ichtar, like, a lot. Why? Because Zara is her daughter.
This is played like some sort of big revelation, but I don’t know why. It’s completely irrelevant to the story, and we don’t even know Zara, or anything about her. So, like, who cares? This is like me writing a story in which the main character goes to the supermarket in the very first scene, where we learn that – GASP! – the cashier is her long-lost twin sister’s cousin’s brother's former roommate! OMG! Also, why do we keep getting big “shocking” revelations about who the Sentinels are related to?
Why is this even important? (Oh wait, I just answered my own question – it’s not).
Anyway, so now it looks like FreeFall, the irrelevant character we also don’t care about, is going to come back to life because Borneheld is eeevil. This is so incredibly stupid I don’t even have words for it.
End chapter.
The next one returns to Azhure, who’s now six months pregnant. She goes up onto the roof, and bam – Axis teleports in.
Azhure has a moment where she thinks about how she had expected to meet him while wearing her new army uniform and they’d have a mature discussion about the baby like, y’know, adults. Instead of which she immediately goes to pieces thanks to her blood doing the date rape thing again. And now all she wants to do is fall into his arms, sob sob, melodrama.
See, this is why Azhure isn’t a “strong female character” in spite of all the idiotic power-ups and constant praise. Maybe she’s supposed to be a badass military commander, etc, now, but she’s still a stupid, weak little woman who can’t say no to a man if he’s her Designated Love Interest, becomes totally obsessed with motherhood the instant an unplanned pregnancy comes along, and is so ruled by her hormones (and magic singing date rape blood) that rather than discuss their
relationship like an adult she just melts into a lovelorn puddle.
Axis is pretty surprised to see the baby bump, and – moron that he is – can’t understand why Azhure is so uncomfortable with the whole situation. But of course he’s instantly smitten with the idea of becoming a daddy. Despite never having so much as considered it at any point previously. Because good heroes and heroines always love the idea of parenthood and swoon over the sweet sweet baby even if it’s a horrible time to start a family, or they’ve previously been characterised as a serial womaniser, or they’re, y’know, supposed to be promised to somebody else. Axis should be horrified and guilty right now. But nope. Axis doesn’t do “guilt”. Very occasionally he'll feel vaguely bad about doing something, then keep on doing it anyway while making excuses. (Sound familiar?).
Azhure shows him to his quarters, which are of course super comfy and luxurious, and Axis asks her to stay with him as his lover. Azhure demurs, “humbly” pointing out that she’s “a simple peasant girl”.
Ahahahahah, fuck you, no. You don’t get to pull that shit when you have two hundred soldiers at your command and the respect of hardened generals, plus a magic bow and giant magic dogs, all of which you accept as your due despite having earned precisely none of it. You just don’t. Nice display of completely false modesty there, Azhure Sue.
Axis gets pushy, telling her to “Stay with me. Dance with me”. In fact he says it twice. Azhure at least has the decency to point out that he’s supposed to be marrying Faraday and that Faraday loves him, and Axis is like “so what, she’s a long way away” and also, she’ll totally be okay with him cheating on her... somehow.
He then uses emotional blackmail, and turns the baby into a weapon against her by saying he needs his daddy around. Oh, and he does this while fondling her breasts and undressing her. Whereupon Azhure caves faster than an old shack built over a sinkhole, because of course she does.
As you will have noticed, shittily written female characters like her are only “strong” and self-willed when it suits the author. The rest of the time they’re shrinking violets who don’t know what they want and need a Man to set them straight. While feeling them up, naturally. Would you believe this author called her female characters “femme fatales” and was known and praised for having such awesome, feminist heroines? Because of course she was. Even though all of them eventually end up tied to some jerk and pumping out babies, frequently after being raped by him as a prelude to True Love. This series can take its fake “progressive” message and shove it.
Cut to them post-sex (thankyou author, for not forcing me to read your idea of a sex scene). Axis asks what she wants to call the kid, which he can sense is a boy, and she says she wants to call him Caelum, though not until after some more wangst about how miserable and lonely her childhood was. We’ve heard it all before, author. Drop it. Also, Having a Tragic Past and constantly wangsting about it is yet another classic Sue trait, calculated to make us feel sorry for Mary Sue despite all the author favour and special gifts and fawning praise and whatnot.
Then Axis sings to the kid, who wakes up and starts moving, and Azhure thinks about how great it is to be in a relationship with Axis. You know, the guy who cheats and assaults people and has a ridiculously short temper and a skin about as thin as tissue paper. What a catch. I think I’d rather be in a relationship with Donald Trump. Wait, scratch that - I think I'd much rather go with option three: Suicide.
23 comments
Anonymous
May 11 2018, 17:30:52
Stuck indoors because of the cold? It's so blindingly hot here that I can't go out. I have to wait for mid June for the weather to mellow. Stay safe!
-TTT
theepistler
May 11 2018, 17:54:43
Basically, extreme temperatures just plain suck. At least it doesn't snow here. Well, not often.
Anonymous
May 13 2018, 12:23:54
Mr Wednesday must be making his move. Winter didn’t seem to leave my part of the world until today. That’s messed up.
cmdrnemo
May 11 2018, 17:50:53
And in the backstory hides the tale of an ancient advanced magical nation that fell into chaos and darkness. It feels like every inch of this world the PCs aren't in is interesting and full of fun stories you wouldn't need to spork.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 19:01:42
It's so incredibly obnoxious when a bad book keeps hinting at way more interesting stuff which you don't get to see. Paolini kept doing it too, and so did Janine Cross.
"Oh yeah, something cool and interesting is going on, but never mind all that. Please watch while my protagonist whines and does nothing."
ghostwyvern
May 11 2018, 18:11:04
I'm with you on griffins... what they described in their "guessing game" sounds a lot more like medieval style dragons or, more likely, cathedral gargoyles.
Also, Artor having a presence and the Star Gods not having a presence would tend to suggest that the Star Gods might actually not be real, even if the star magic is... Axis should put more consideration into that possibility.
Is it just me or does it seem like Axis is incredibly entitled to go forth and demand that the caretakers of deceased souls just hand him over a dude because he said so? And of course, making deals like that never went wrong in any story I've ever read or heard... (Sarcasm...)
Also, just as annoying as the author having to pair her Sues up, and make sure no one she likes remains single? The way that the writer is clearly forcing this relationship to happen, even though Azhure clearly doesn't want it. "But Azhure your blood sings with his!" "But Azhure you're pregnant and your baby won't live unless his dad sings to him!" "But Azhure even though Axis is betrothed you can be his lover!" No excuse to keep them apart is good enough for the writer, not even Azhure's own moral distaste for cheating, or her unhappiness at being forced to pick between Axis and StarDrifter at Beltide.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 20:02:22
Is it just me or does it seem like Axis is incredibly entitled to go forth and demand that the caretakers of deceased souls just hand him over a dude because he said so?
It's not just you. Axis is just entitled, period. And when he doesn't get what he wants, NOW, for free, he throws a snit fit. I still don't know why he's going to this much trouble and possibly risking his own life just for the sake of some guy he didn't even know.
The way that the writer is clearly forcing this relationship to happen, even though Azhure clearly doesn't want it.
You're right about that. There's a million and one good reasons for them not to get together, including Azhure's clear reluctance, but every single one gets handwaved. Including the, y'know, date rape. This is one of those instances where "magic" is just a code word for "convenient plot device which forces something to happen because the author demands it".
snarkbotanya
May 11 2018, 21:07:03
Zest, Goddess of
...citrus!
The other two gods are gods of Moon and Song, but have yet to reveal themselves.
I'm calling it now: Axis is Song and Azhure is Moon.
What, she couldn’t have had him just bump into it by accident?
Of course not, that would make him clumsy! Only girl Sues are allowed to be clumsy!
The next chapter is called – I shit you not – “Gorgrael Makes a New Friend”. Did nobody realise that sounds like the title of a children’s picture book? I can practically see the cover. (And it’s adorable!).
The Dark Man announces that thanks to a little twist from him the Pointlessly Capitalised Gryphon is a pregnant female who will soon give birth to nine “pups” who will also be pregnant females. An asexually reproducing all-female species of gryphon. Well, points for originality I guess.
Welp, there's that prophecy rearing its ugly head again... "the remade dead fat with child shall birth abomination" or whatever. But... seriously, the pups will be pregnant too? What the fuck, Douglass! At least let them reach sexual maturity first!
He then uses emotional blackmail, and turns the baby into a weapon against her by saying he needs his daddy around. Oh, and he does this while fondling her breasts and undressing her.
*beats Axis to death with a saguaro cactus*
I think I’d rather be in a relationship with Donald Trump.
Technically, enmity counts as a relationship. Just, you know, not a relationship in the sense of romantic relationships.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 21:20:19
...see? I knew the cover would be adorable. I wonder what would happen if we introduced Renesmee to Caelum? True Love At First Sight, probably. At least that might be marginally preferable to the adult Caelum banging his own sister, which is what actually happens. (No I'm not kidding. Incest is, like, sooo daring and edgy, you guys).
Welp, there's that prophecy rearing its ugly head again... "the remade dead fat with child shall birth abomination" or whatever.
Yup, Gorgrael just resurrected an extinct species. Which as you'll find out, the Icarii deliberately drove to extinction in the first place, including killing the babies. It really bugs me how the gryphons are referred to as "monsters" and "abominations" and inherently evil in general. They're animals. Predatory animals. Animals don't have any truck with this human morality bullshit. Because they're animals. They kill things to survive, not just because they feel like it. Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are? It's so childish.
*beats Axis to death with a saguaro cactus*
*grabs a thorny branch and joins in*
Honestly, this guy is worse than Eragon. For all his many, many faults, at least Eragon eventually backed off when Arya turned him down and isn't a, y'know, rapist.
snarkbotanya
May 11 2018, 21:57:39
I wonder what would happen if we introduced Renesmee to Caelum? True Love At First Sight, probably.
At which point Jacob would become enraged and eat Caelum alive for daring to look at his imprint.
Honestly, this guy is worse than Eragon.
I concur.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 22:07:40
At which point Jacob would become enraged and eat Caelum alive for daring to look at his imprint.
So basically it's win-win.
I mostly just find Eragon obnoxiously self-righteous and tooth-grindingly stupid. Axis actively disgusts me.
Anonymous
May 13 2018, 08:31:35
Yup, Gorgrael just resurrected an extinct species. Which as you'll find out, the Icarii deliberately drove to extinction in the first place, including killing the babies. It really bugs me how the gryphons are referred to as "monsters" and "abominations" and inherently evil in general. They're animals. Predatory animals. Animals don't have any truck with this human morality bullshit. Because they're animals. They kill things to survive, not just because they feel like it. Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are? It's so childish.
Let's see:
The gryphons are large carnivores at the top of the foodchain who also appear to reproduce rapidly.
Definitely an "evil" species, right up there with the "evil" wolves.
Every sheep farmer in Tenecor would agree with that and want them eliminated. They kill far more sheep than they eat after all.
Do the Icarii farm sheep?
Regarding "Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are?"
In the Inheritance Cycle the Razac are a sentient species who, according to Paolini, have evolved to eat humans, another sentient species. And they are shown to attack, abduct, maim, and kill humans for reasons other needing food. Hence, they could be considered evil.
The elephant in the room is, of course, Saphira who considers herself entitled to eat livestock and humans with impunity simply because she is a Dragon, another large carnivorous and sentient species in the books.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 13 2018, 10:43:47
Here's the kicker: The gryphons apparently didn't prey on sheep. Humans have never even heard of them. Instead they used to attack and kill Icarii because, and I quote, "They hated".
Not because they were rivaling them for the same territory or anything like that. Nope, they're just eeeevil. Just as Borneheld has no reasonable grounds to hate Axis. He's just eeevil and therefore automatically wrong about everything. Hence why I'm calling this childish.
Anonymous
May 14 2018, 11;10:51
Instead they used to attack and kill Icarii because, and I quote, "They hated".
That would mean that the gryphons are sentient beings after all.
And so, going by the internal logic of the books:
Azhure, Axis, Icarii, and anybody who worships them == Good
everybody else == Evil
the gryphons are Evil because they hate the Icarii.
Essentially these books highlight a weakness of the entire Good vs. Evil epic fantasy genre: The moral dichotomy between Good and Evil is often presented as a tribal conflict between the Good Tribe (the protagonists or "Us") and the Evil Tribe (the antagonists or "Them") culminating in an "epic" last battle which is won by the Good Tribe. Members of the Good Tribe are automatically Good, and those of the Evil Tribe are automatically Evil, regardless of their actions. This presentation adds boredom to the story -- I already know the ending before I even start reading: Good Tribe wins -- and it can lead to protagonist-centred morality. Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle" and these books by Sara Douglass are good examples of that. In the case of Sara Douglass, her utterly bizarre definitions of Good and Evil lead to her text condoning the despicable actions by Axis and StarDrifter. She completely missed the point on what the Good vs. Evil conflict is actually about.
If I were a creative writing teacher, I would give her a big fat F - for this story, and if I were an editor or a reviewer of this series, I would write a letter to both author and publisher stating serious ethical concerns with this work along with a recommendation of "Do not publish".
Unfortunately, this tribal Us vs. Them thinking is endemic in all human societies, probably a remnant from our hunter-gatherer past. It is most commonly found among fans of sports teams and activists for causes and in religious organisations and politics. Especially religious leaders and politicians have used Us == Good
and Them == Evil rhetoric to promote questionable causes, silence opposition, and sanctify vile actions. Many people easily go along this mode of thinking: This is how propaganda works after all.
It is, thus, not surprising that authors use this simplistic tribal thinking for a Good vs. Evil conflict in epic fantasy, and that many readers will go along with it and ignore or shrug off vile actions commited by the protagonists: they are members of the Good Tribe after all. On the Wheel of Time forums some fans even posted rants on how much they hate Egwene, the main female protagonist, because she crticised some of the actions of Rand, the main male protagonist and prophesized saviour; his actions became increasingly questionable to downright evil over the course of the books, and she was only one of many Good characters opposing his actions. However, to these particular readers anything less than 100% support of all of Rand's actions amounted to treason to the cause of Good. It's another example of Us vs. Them tribal thinking and does not mean that they actually morally approve of his actions.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 14 2018, 17:14:40
*applause*
Well said, and you are absolutely correct. This is why I don't like "Good vs Evil" stories either; because it smacks of tribalism, and in many cases racism and bigotry as well. An entire sentient race = evil with zero exceptions is not a world view any author ought to be promoting. It's downright irresponsible, frankly.
Anonymous
May 15 2018, 17:52:45
Thanks.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 15 2018, 17:54:37
You're welcome - that was very erudite!
zorbulon
May 12 2018, 06:06:25
An asexually reproducing all-female species
So, basically, they are aphids. Then again, an asexually reproducing all-male species would be a bit bigger challenge...
theepistler
May 12 2018, 09:33:55
I think I've read that fanfic...
Anonymous
May 12 2018, 11:51:43
Sounds like da Orks to me!
ghostwyvern
May 12 2018, 11:56:21
Actually asexually reproducing all-female species aren't even that uncommon in nature, and some insects are born pregnant... Aphids are by no means the only ones.
Several species of lizards are all-female and don't need to mate. I'm pretty sure fish can do that too. No birds or mammals known to science can do this, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
Long-term though, any species that is monosexed has a harder time adapting, since all the offspring are clones of their mothers. You might get minor mutations over time, but those are more likely to be harmful. Since everyone's a clone, disease tends to be a major threat to the species' existence, and they all have the same inherited behaviors. Which means, basically, any adaptation they have to new predators or new behavior from existing predators has to be learned rather than inherited as instinct.
vorpal_tongue
May 13 2018, 19:45:39
Between the talking bridges, shapeshifting pigs, underground highways and the sleeping Icarii babies, I think the gryphons are probably the most normal thing so far, despite their jaws in this being made of graves.
theepistler
May 13 2018, 20:06:43 Edited: May 13 2018, 20:07:23
Yeah, the gryphons are pretty much the most sane thing to show up in this completely insane book so far, and that's even with the glowing red eyes. (Newsflash, author: Eyes cannot "glow". Some animals look as if their eyes are glowing if you shine a torch on them at night, but that's just a reflection. No biologically possible creature has freaking lightbulbs in its eye sockets).
And now it’s back to Axis for more infodumping! Orr tells him about the Star Gods. There are nine of them, but only seven of them have names. For your edification they are:
Adamon and Xanon (isn’t that a brand of anti-depressant?), the Senior Gods of the Firmament, Silton, god of Fire, Pors, God of Air, Zest, Goddess of Earth, Flulia, Goddess of Water, and Narcis, God of the Sun. The other two gods are gods of Moon and Song, but have yet to reveal themselves.
And yes, this book has a goddess called Zest in it. And a god whose name sounds like a type of cheese. I know I’ve said it before, but damn this author sucks at names.
Axis says when he used to pray to Artor he could feel the god’s presence, but when he prays to the Star Gods he feels nothing. Orr says this is because the Star Gods are “trapped” somehow and have some battle or other going on with Artor, but there’s nothing Axis or anyone else can do about that.
Then Orr tells a story about how the magic lakes were supposedly created, which isn’t worth recapping except to say it seems to imply that there was some kind of apocalypse and that the survivors hid underground. So maybe it was them who built the freeway thingy. Who knows? If memory serves the author goes into it more later on, but it only gets more insane and ridiculous.
Now Axis uses a magic song to guide the boat to the Star Gate
Hmm. Could this have some connection to the random underground highway? Possibly, but that might be interesting so we won’t be learning anything more about it now, or possibly ever.
They enter the Star Gate chamber thingy, which Axis thinks is – what else? – “beautiful”. Axis looks into the Star Gate itself, and it’s awe-inspiring and such. Then he starts touching the Icarii statues despite being repeatedly asked to stop because it's extremely rude, because that’s Axis for you. I repeat – this is the guy who wants to be King of the Icarii. The guy who treats one of their most sacred places like a playground and doesn’t care about any of their customs. He’s as bad as those tourists who climb on old monuments to snap selfies and then act surprised and indignant when someone points out the “DO NOT TOUCH” signs.
But the real reason why the author wrote Axis as an insensitive jerk in this scene was so we could have a plot point, because when he touches one of the statues it disappears. (What, she couldn’t have had him just bump into it by accident? She had to write him as a rude prick just so we could have a plot point? What the hell?).
Orr freaks and says that this means the guy depicted in the statue has come back through the Star Gate – none other than WolfStar. (How does he know that? Why is this even a thing? Do people regularly resurrect themselves in this world?).
Axis asks when that happened, and Orr says there’s no way to know, but if he had the power to come back from death, then he’s “powerful beyond imagination”. Uh-oh.
Now it would seem WolfStar – who, yes, almost certainly trained Axis and Gorgrael – is manipulating the pair of them for some nefarious purpose and may also be manipulating the stupid prophecy.
Will this actually change anything in the long run? Ahahahah, no. This whole WolfStar subplot is completely pointless.
Naturally Axis says he has to tell StarDrifter about this, but first he’s going to bring FreeFall back from the dead. Because that’s possible, apparently. (And no, nobody else who dies will be brought back to life in the same way, and nor will it even be suggested. Again, why the fuck is FreeFall so screamingly important?).
The next chapter is called – I shit you not – “Gorgrael Makes a New Friend”. Did nobody realise that sounds like the title of a children’s picture book? I can practically see the cover. (And it’s adorable!).
Either way Gorgrael is looking at the remains of the SkraeBold Belial killed in the last book and is planning to do something with the heap of “frozen grey sludge”. Apparently Gorgrael has the power to make new creatures out of… uh, sludge, and he wants to make something winged which can take down the Icarii. He considers dragons, which apparently used to exist, but decides they’re too big and gaudy. Oh snap! Take that, Saphira.
Then the Dark Man shows up and asks him what he has in mind. The two of them play a cute little guessing game (seriously, this guy is treating the big villain like a child), in which the Dark Man describes aspects of a certain creature. “Demon-winged”, “ogre-bellied”, “grave-jawed”, “dragon-clawed” and “blight-eyed”.
Somehow or other Gorgrael guesses that he means gryphons. Since when did gryphons look anything like that? Well, okay, to be fair there’s about 50 different variations flying around. Pun intended. But it’s still stupid.
Gorgrael and the Dark Man work together using the – sigh – “Dark Music” to sing an evil version of the Song of Recreation. The sludge starts expanding, grows a pair of eeevil red eyes and eventually bursts open into a gryphon. For the record, author went with the “body of a lion, head and wings of an eagle” model. The Dark Man announces that thanks to a little twist from him the Pointlessly Capitalised Gryphon is a pregnant female who will soon give birth to nine “pups” who will also be pregnant females. An asexually reproducing all-female species of gryphon. Well, points for originality I guess.
Also, the griffin “grunts”. If it has a bird’s head and throat, shouldn’t it be making bird noises? Last time I looked birds didn’t “grunt”. They chirp. Well, at least it doesn’t pointlessly “hum” and “bugle” all the time. Thank goodness for small mercies.
Then Gorgrael and the Dark Man sit down together, and the Dark Man tells Gorgrael that Faraday is Queen now. Gorgrael obsesses over her some more, end chapter. Is it just me, or is the main villain becoming more and more irrelevant as the trilogy goes on?
In the next chapter the Icarii finally leave Talon Spike and fly to Sigholt, though of course it takes two pages of tedious description for the author to get that across. Cut to three weeks later, and the Strike Force has now integrated with the AW with no problems or racial tensions whatsoever. Of course. Also one of the generals is named SpreadWing RavenCry. Did the author put these Icarii names together with fridge poetry magnets or what?
Blah blah, descriptions of training. EvenSong is determined to be a good fighter now and is sparring with some guy named Edowes. Again, why are we wasting time giving names to one-scene extras? She eventually wins by hitting him in the nuts, and isn’t that just hilarious? Everyone pats EvenSong on the back for being awesome, and then she and Azhure go for a walk and we learn that Azhure now has more than two hundred men under her command.
She and EvenSong chat, and Azhure frets that while her pregnancy is quite advanced, the baby doesn’t move and she’s afraid it might be dead. EvenSong says lolno, Icarii babies “sleep” until their fathers sing to wake them up. Why? Because somebody thought dat wud be so cool.
Oh, and we also learn that none of the locals had any problems with the Icarii showing up and in fact were instantly convinced that they’d done the right thing because the Icarii are amazing and special and wonderful. Of course. And now they’re forgetting all about their religion as well, because the author doesn’t have the faintest idea how people’s minds actually work.
Then StarDrifter and MorningStar show up, and the Azhure and EvenSong hurry off to meet them. Great, more StarDrifter bullshit ahoy.
Cut to Margarita, who’s with Rivkah and thinking about how great she is. Yup, love is definitely in the air. Nobody is allowed to be single! Nobody, I tell you!
StarDrifter and co. arrive, and there’s some tension because of the whole divorce thing. The Icarii are impressed by Margarita’s “courtly greeting”, which we didn’t get to see, and then Azhure and EvenSong arrive. StarDrifter immediately stares at Azhure’s baby bump, and Rivkah makes a brittle comment about how they’re going to be grandparents.
MorningStar remarks that it’s a Beltide baby, and Azhure freaks, thinking she’s implying that she should get an abortion. At which point one of her giant doggies comes rushing over and bites MorningStar on the wrist. Azhure spits that nobody’s going to hurt her precious Sue spawn, and MorningStar hastily backpedals.
Yeah, apparently Azhure sics her giant murder dogs on people if they annoy her now. Our heroine, ladies and gentlemen.
And just like a good little woman she’s completely obsessed with the sweet sweet baby despite never having expressed any interest in motherhood before, because of course, All Women Want Bebbes. That’s how you know they’re women and not some sort of weird space alien with breasts.
Cut to Azhure tending to MorningStar’s injury while StarDrifter creepily watches. He asks about the giant doggies, and both he and MorningStar are uncomfortable to find out the answer. MorningStar thinks about the “attraction” between Azhure, Axis and StarDrifter and goes “hmmm”. Apparently it hasn’t occurred to anyone that StarDrifter and Axis are a pair of vile sexual predators who are both prepared to fuck anything without a Y chromosome.
And oh my gods, woman, it’s not that freaking hard! Azhure has special Icarii possessions/abilities and big scars on her back, and SunSoar men are uncontrollably attracted to her! What do you think it means? But no, author apparently still thinks this is a big mystery.
The next chapter cuts to Axis and Wendy Orr arguing. Orr says it’s impossible to bring someone back from the dead, but Axis isn’t having it. Why does he care so fucking much about FreeFall? I don’t know. He just does. He repeats the story of how FreeFall died and it was all his fault and blah blah blah, I still don’t care. Orr says he’ll take Axis to the “Gate” but he’s never ever allowed to tell anyone else about it.
So they travel along the “River of Death”, home of the band Styx, where the shades of dead people float. It’s like that scene in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels nobody liked. They finally arrive at an island thingy and Axis has to go on alone. He finds a “rectangle of light” where a dark figure sits staring at two glowing bowls. It’s like something out of Greek/Norse mythology all of a sudden. The figure turns out to be a creepy looking woman, and she keeps dropping metal balls from one bowl into the other by way of some sort of meaningless tally.
After some exposition about certain entities who don’t go through the gate which I’m just going to ignore because it’s boring and irrelevant, Axis says he wants to bring FreeFall back from the dead and is told lolno. For some reason Axis is really, really set on this promise he made to the guy while he was dying, and yells about how he can’t break said promise, etcetera (but breaking multiple promises to Faraday is just fine. It had better not be because promises made to a woman aren’t really that important, but I’ll bet my butt it is).
He mentions Borneheld, and the GateKeeper is all “I don’t like the Dukes of Ichtar!” (no really. She actually says this) and says okay, Axis can bring FreeFall back as long as he does something horrible to Borneheld which isn’t specified. Axis is horrified and doesn’t want to do it, but too bad – he gotta do it now. So he agrees to do it. Apparently he has “a year and a day”. Or else. When did this turn into a fairytale?
Axis leaves, and the GateKeeper thinks about how she hates the Dukes of Ichtar, like, a lot. Why? Because Zara is her daughter.
This is played like some sort of big revelation, but I don’t know why. It’s completely irrelevant to the story, and we don’t even know Zara, or anything about her. So, like, who cares? This is like me writing a story in which the main character goes to the supermarket in the very first scene, where we learn that – GASP! – the cashier is her long-lost twin sister’s cousin’s brother's former roommate! OMG! Also, why do we keep getting big “shocking” revelations about who the Sentinels are related to?
Why is this even important? (Oh wait, I just answered my own question – it’s not).
Anyway, so now it looks like FreeFall, the irrelevant character we also don’t care about, is going to come back to life because Borneheld is eeevil. This is so incredibly stupid I don’t even have words for it.
End chapter.
The next one returns to Azhure, who’s now six months pregnant. She goes up onto the roof, and bam – Axis teleports in.
Azhure has a moment where she thinks about how she had expected to meet him while wearing her new army uniform and they’d have a mature discussion about the baby like, y’know, adults. Instead of which she immediately goes to pieces thanks to her blood doing the date rape thing again. And now all she wants to do is fall into his arms, sob sob, melodrama.
See, this is why Azhure isn’t a “strong female character” in spite of all the idiotic power-ups and constant praise. Maybe she’s supposed to be a badass military commander, etc, now, but she’s still a stupid, weak little woman who can’t say no to a man if he’s her Designated Love Interest, becomes totally obsessed with motherhood the instant an unplanned pregnancy comes along, and is so ruled by her hormones (and magic singing date rape blood) that rather than discuss their
relationship like an adult she just melts into a lovelorn puddle.
Axis is pretty surprised to see the baby bump, and – moron that he is – can’t understand why Azhure is so uncomfortable with the whole situation. But of course he’s instantly smitten with the idea of becoming a daddy. Despite never having so much as considered it at any point previously. Because good heroes and heroines always love the idea of parenthood and swoon over the sweet sweet baby even if it’s a horrible time to start a family, or they’ve previously been characterised as a serial womaniser, or they’re, y’know, supposed to be promised to somebody else. Axis should be horrified and guilty right now. But nope. Axis doesn’t do “guilt”. Very occasionally he'll feel vaguely bad about doing something, then keep on doing it anyway while making excuses. (Sound familiar?).
Azhure shows him to his quarters, which are of course super comfy and luxurious, and Axis asks her to stay with him as his lover. Azhure demurs, “humbly” pointing out that she’s “a simple peasant girl”.
Ahahahahah, fuck you, no. You don’t get to pull that shit when you have two hundred soldiers at your command and the respect of hardened generals, plus a magic bow and giant magic dogs, all of which you accept as your due despite having earned precisely none of it. You just don’t. Nice display of completely false modesty there, Azhure Sue.
Axis gets pushy, telling her to “Stay with me. Dance with me”. In fact he says it twice. Azhure at least has the decency to point out that he’s supposed to be marrying Faraday and that Faraday loves him, and Axis is like “so what, she’s a long way away” and also, she’ll totally be okay with him cheating on her... somehow.
He then uses emotional blackmail, and turns the baby into a weapon against her by saying he needs his daddy around. Oh, and he does this while fondling her breasts and undressing her. Whereupon Azhure caves faster than an old shack built over a sinkhole, because of course she does.
As you will have noticed, shittily written female characters like her are only “strong” and self-willed when it suits the author. The rest of the time they’re shrinking violets who don’t know what they want and need a Man to set them straight. While feeling them up, naturally. Would you believe this author called her female characters “femme fatales” and was known and praised for having such awesome, feminist heroines? Because of course she was. Even though all of them eventually end up tied to some jerk and pumping out babies, frequently after being raped by him as a prelude to True Love. This series can take its fake “progressive” message and shove it.
Cut to them post-sex (thankyou author, for not forcing me to read your idea of a sex scene). Axis asks what she wants to call the kid, which he can sense is a boy, and she says she wants to call him Caelum, though not until after some more wangst about how miserable and lonely her childhood was. We’ve heard it all before, author. Drop it. Also, Having a Tragic Past and constantly wangsting about it is yet another classic Sue trait, calculated to make us feel sorry for Mary Sue despite all the author favour and special gifts and fawning praise and whatnot.
Then Axis sings to the kid, who wakes up and starts moving, and Azhure thinks about how great it is to be in a relationship with Axis. You know, the guy who cheats and assaults people and has a ridiculously short temper and a skin about as thin as tissue paper. What a catch. I think I’d rather be in a relationship with Donald Trump. Wait, scratch that - I think I'd much rather go with option three: Suicide.
23 comments
Anonymous
May 11 2018, 17:30:52
Stuck indoors because of the cold? It's so blindingly hot here that I can't go out. I have to wait for mid June for the weather to mellow. Stay safe!
-TTT
theepistler
May 11 2018, 17:54:43
Basically, extreme temperatures just plain suck. At least it doesn't snow here. Well, not often.
Anonymous
May 13 2018, 12:23:54
Mr Wednesday must be making his move. Winter didn’t seem to leave my part of the world until today. That’s messed up.
cmdrnemo
May 11 2018, 17:50:53
And in the backstory hides the tale of an ancient advanced magical nation that fell into chaos and darkness. It feels like every inch of this world the PCs aren't in is interesting and full of fun stories you wouldn't need to spork.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 19:01:42
It's so incredibly obnoxious when a bad book keeps hinting at way more interesting stuff which you don't get to see. Paolini kept doing it too, and so did Janine Cross.
"Oh yeah, something cool and interesting is going on, but never mind all that. Please watch while my protagonist whines and does nothing."
ghostwyvern
May 11 2018, 18:11:04
I'm with you on griffins... what they described in their "guessing game" sounds a lot more like medieval style dragons or, more likely, cathedral gargoyles.
Also, Artor having a presence and the Star Gods not having a presence would tend to suggest that the Star Gods might actually not be real, even if the star magic is... Axis should put more consideration into that possibility.
Is it just me or does it seem like Axis is incredibly entitled to go forth and demand that the caretakers of deceased souls just hand him over a dude because he said so? And of course, making deals like that never went wrong in any story I've ever read or heard... (Sarcasm...)
Also, just as annoying as the author having to pair her Sues up, and make sure no one she likes remains single? The way that the writer is clearly forcing this relationship to happen, even though Azhure clearly doesn't want it. "But Azhure your blood sings with his!" "But Azhure you're pregnant and your baby won't live unless his dad sings to him!" "But Azhure even though Axis is betrothed you can be his lover!" No excuse to keep them apart is good enough for the writer, not even Azhure's own moral distaste for cheating, or her unhappiness at being forced to pick between Axis and StarDrifter at Beltide.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 20:02:22
Is it just me or does it seem like Axis is incredibly entitled to go forth and demand that the caretakers of deceased souls just hand him over a dude because he said so?
It's not just you. Axis is just entitled, period. And when he doesn't get what he wants, NOW, for free, he throws a snit fit. I still don't know why he's going to this much trouble and possibly risking his own life just for the sake of some guy he didn't even know.
The way that the writer is clearly forcing this relationship to happen, even though Azhure clearly doesn't want it.
You're right about that. There's a million and one good reasons for them not to get together, including Azhure's clear reluctance, but every single one gets handwaved. Including the, y'know, date rape. This is one of those instances where "magic" is just a code word for "convenient plot device which forces something to happen because the author demands it".
snarkbotanya
May 11 2018, 21:07:03
Zest, Goddess of
...citrus!
The other two gods are gods of Moon and Song, but have yet to reveal themselves.
I'm calling it now: Axis is Song and Azhure is Moon.
What, she couldn’t have had him just bump into it by accident?
Of course not, that would make him clumsy! Only girl Sues are allowed to be clumsy!
The next chapter is called – I shit you not – “Gorgrael Makes a New Friend”. Did nobody realise that sounds like the title of a children’s picture book? I can practically see the cover. (And it’s adorable!).
The Dark Man announces that thanks to a little twist from him the Pointlessly Capitalised Gryphon is a pregnant female who will soon give birth to nine “pups” who will also be pregnant females. An asexually reproducing all-female species of gryphon. Well, points for originality I guess.
Welp, there's that prophecy rearing its ugly head again... "the remade dead fat with child shall birth abomination" or whatever. But... seriously, the pups will be pregnant too? What the fuck, Douglass! At least let them reach sexual maturity first!
He then uses emotional blackmail, and turns the baby into a weapon against her by saying he needs his daddy around. Oh, and he does this while fondling her breasts and undressing her.
*beats Axis to death with a saguaro cactus*
I think I’d rather be in a relationship with Donald Trump.
Technically, enmity counts as a relationship. Just, you know, not a relationship in the sense of romantic relationships.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 21:20:19
...see? I knew the cover would be adorable. I wonder what would happen if we introduced Renesmee to Caelum? True Love At First Sight, probably. At least that might be marginally preferable to the adult Caelum banging his own sister, which is what actually happens. (No I'm not kidding. Incest is, like, sooo daring and edgy, you guys).
Welp, there's that prophecy rearing its ugly head again... "the remade dead fat with child shall birth abomination" or whatever.
Yup, Gorgrael just resurrected an extinct species. Which as you'll find out, the Icarii deliberately drove to extinction in the first place, including killing the babies. It really bugs me how the gryphons are referred to as "monsters" and "abominations" and inherently evil in general. They're animals. Predatory animals. Animals don't have any truck with this human morality bullshit. Because they're animals. They kill things to survive, not just because they feel like it. Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are? It's so childish.
*beats Axis to death with a saguaro cactus*
*grabs a thorny branch and joins in*
Honestly, this guy is worse than Eragon. For all his many, many faults, at least Eragon eventually backed off when Arya turned him down and isn't a, y'know, rapist.
snarkbotanya
May 11 2018, 21:57:39
I wonder what would happen if we introduced Renesmee to Caelum? True Love At First Sight, probably.
At which point Jacob would become enraged and eat Caelum alive for daring to look at his imprint.
Honestly, this guy is worse than Eragon.
I concur.
theepistler
May 11 2018, 22:07:40
At which point Jacob would become enraged and eat Caelum alive for daring to look at his imprint.
So basically it's win-win.
I mostly just find Eragon obnoxiously self-righteous and tooth-grindingly stupid. Axis actively disgusts me.
Anonymous
May 13 2018, 08:31:35
Yup, Gorgrael just resurrected an extinct species. Which as you'll find out, the Icarii deliberately drove to extinction in the first place, including killing the babies. It really bugs me how the gryphons are referred to as "monsters" and "abominations" and inherently evil in general. They're animals. Predatory animals. Animals don't have any truck with this human morality bullshit. Because they're animals. They kill things to survive, not just because they feel like it. Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are? It's so childish.
Let's see:
The gryphons are large carnivores at the top of the foodchain who also appear to reproduce rapidly.
Definitely an "evil" species, right up there with the "evil" wolves.
Every sheep farmer in Tenecor would agree with that and want them eliminated. They kill far more sheep than they eat after all.
Do the Icarii farm sheep?
Regarding "Human beings and other sentient creatures can murder. A non-sentient animal can't (and the gryphons are clearly non-sentient). So why the hell are we getting all this judgemental bs about how eeevil they are?"
In the Inheritance Cycle the Razac are a sentient species who, according to Paolini, have evolved to eat humans, another sentient species. And they are shown to attack, abduct, maim, and kill humans for reasons other needing food. Hence, they could be considered evil.
The elephant in the room is, of course, Saphira who considers herself entitled to eat livestock and humans with impunity simply because she is a Dragon, another large carnivorous and sentient species in the books.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 13 2018, 10:43:47
Here's the kicker: The gryphons apparently didn't prey on sheep. Humans have never even heard of them. Instead they used to attack and kill Icarii because, and I quote, "They hated".
Not because they were rivaling them for the same territory or anything like that. Nope, they're just eeeevil. Just as Borneheld has no reasonable grounds to hate Axis. He's just eeevil and therefore automatically wrong about everything. Hence why I'm calling this childish.
Anonymous
May 14 2018, 11;10:51
Instead they used to attack and kill Icarii because, and I quote, "They hated".
That would mean that the gryphons are sentient beings after all.
And so, going by the internal logic of the books:
Azhure, Axis, Icarii, and anybody who worships them == Good
everybody else == Evil
the gryphons are Evil because they hate the Icarii.
Essentially these books highlight a weakness of the entire Good vs. Evil epic fantasy genre: The moral dichotomy between Good and Evil is often presented as a tribal conflict between the Good Tribe (the protagonists or "Us") and the Evil Tribe (the antagonists or "Them") culminating in an "epic" last battle which is won by the Good Tribe. Members of the Good Tribe are automatically Good, and those of the Evil Tribe are automatically Evil, regardless of their actions. This presentation adds boredom to the story -- I already know the ending before I even start reading: Good Tribe wins -- and it can lead to protagonist-centred morality. Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle" and these books by Sara Douglass are good examples of that. In the case of Sara Douglass, her utterly bizarre definitions of Good and Evil lead to her text condoning the despicable actions by Axis and StarDrifter. She completely missed the point on what the Good vs. Evil conflict is actually about.
If I were a creative writing teacher, I would give her a big fat F - for this story, and if I were an editor or a reviewer of this series, I would write a letter to both author and publisher stating serious ethical concerns with this work along with a recommendation of "Do not publish".
Unfortunately, this tribal Us vs. Them thinking is endemic in all human societies, probably a remnant from our hunter-gatherer past. It is most commonly found among fans of sports teams and activists for causes and in religious organisations and politics. Especially religious leaders and politicians have used Us == Good
and Them == Evil rhetoric to promote questionable causes, silence opposition, and sanctify vile actions. Many people easily go along this mode of thinking: This is how propaganda works after all.
It is, thus, not surprising that authors use this simplistic tribal thinking for a Good vs. Evil conflict in epic fantasy, and that many readers will go along with it and ignore or shrug off vile actions commited by the protagonists: they are members of the Good Tribe after all. On the Wheel of Time forums some fans even posted rants on how much they hate Egwene, the main female protagonist, because she crticised some of the actions of Rand, the main male protagonist and prophesized saviour; his actions became increasingly questionable to downright evil over the course of the books, and she was only one of many Good characters opposing his actions. However, to these particular readers anything less than 100% support of all of Rand's actions amounted to treason to the cause of Good. It's another example of Us vs. Them tribal thinking and does not mean that they actually morally approve of his actions.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 14 2018, 17:14:40
*applause*
Well said, and you are absolutely correct. This is why I don't like "Good vs Evil" stories either; because it smacks of tribalism, and in many cases racism and bigotry as well. An entire sentient race = evil with zero exceptions is not a world view any author ought to be promoting. It's downright irresponsible, frankly.
Anonymous
May 15 2018, 17:52:45
Thanks.
Anon - 4.
.
theepistler
May 15 2018, 17:54:37
You're welcome - that was very erudite!
zorbulon
May 12 2018, 06:06:25
An asexually reproducing all-female species
So, basically, they are aphids. Then again, an asexually reproducing all-male species would be a bit bigger challenge...
theepistler
May 12 2018, 09:33:55
I think I've read that fanfic...
Anonymous
May 12 2018, 11:51:43
Sounds like da Orks to me!
ghostwyvern
May 12 2018, 11:56:21
Actually asexually reproducing all-female species aren't even that uncommon in nature, and some insects are born pregnant... Aphids are by no means the only ones.
Several species of lizards are all-female and don't need to mate. I'm pretty sure fish can do that too. No birds or mammals known to science can do this, but it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
Long-term though, any species that is monosexed has a harder time adapting, since all the offspring are clones of their mothers. You might get minor mutations over time, but those are more likely to be harmful. Since everyone's a clone, disease tends to be a major threat to the species' existence, and they all have the same inherited behaviors. Which means, basically, any adaptation they have to new predators or new behavior from existing predators has to be learned rather than inherited as instinct.
vorpal_tongue
May 13 2018, 19:45:39
Between the talking bridges, shapeshifting pigs, underground highways and the sleeping Icarii babies, I think the gryphons are probably the most normal thing so far, despite their jaws in this being made of graves.
theepistler
May 13 2018, 20:06:43 Edited: May 13 2018, 20:07:23
Yeah, the gryphons are pretty much the most sane thing to show up in this completely insane book so far, and that's even with the glowing red eyes. (Newsflash, author: Eyes cannot "glow". Some animals look as if their eyes are glowing if you shine a torch on them at night, but that's just a reflection. No biologically possible creature has freaking lightbulbs in its eye sockets).