FOREIGNER: Discussion Post #2, Spoiler Edition

[krait]

If you have discussion points for Chapters 1-2 you wish to bring up but which include spoilers, please post them here. Then link your comment in the general post, so those who want to avoid being spoiled can do so!

Comments

[cheyinka]

It's been really dissonant to read after just reading the last three novels, I gotta say - he goes from baby paidhi to Lord of the Heavens and I'm pretty sure it's a nice, gradual change (having Jase around undoubtedly helped a lot) but it's still really jarring to go back to the beginning.

And, yeah, it might have been wise for him to let his Mospheiran superiors at least know that Intent was filed on his behalf, even if they did then say it was time for him to have a vacation. (Do we ever learn what Mospheira means? Is it somebody's name? Is it the atevi name of the island?)

[krait]

jarring to go back to the beginning

I know! There are these flashes of the brilliant, patient diplomat of the most recent trilogy... and then there's these sequences of a blundering n00b who can't hold a conversation with his own guard without offending her and insulting the staff.

(This is not to say that I don't love salad the n00b! I just find myself gnashing my teeth and thinking, Pull it together, Bren-ji! You can do this! before reminding myself that he actually hasn't done this before.) :D

Hahaha, Jase! Jase probably helped mostly by giving us someone to look at and say, "Wow, at least Bren isn't doing that!" Come to think, maybe it worked that way for the atevi, too! "Bren-ji must be a good paidhi -- he's never had a tantrum and refused to speak Ragi, and he somehow manages to live with Jase-ji and not file Intent once a week! He must be a very polite and reasonable human!" Wonder what they thought of Deana Hanks...

ever learn what Mospheira means?

I think it's the atevi name for the island? At least, I think I remember Manadgi thinking of it by that name? It looks like an atevi word, rather... Don't think anyone ever has a discussion about the name, though.