I love these chapters so much! I sort of think they should be titled "Bren's Wild Rides"... because I'm including the Dowager's roller-coaster reactions as well as the mecheiti. :D
1. We open with Bren at nadir -- he's ill enough that his entire body hurts and he's been packed away in bed like a child; he notes that his servants don't obey him, they obey Tabini.
His mind's still working, though! Cenedi enters and he immediately starts assessing: is Banichi playing some kind of strategem? Better keep my answers neutral and polite till I see where it's going.
Actually, his mind seems to be working better than before -- he's upset at Cenedi's appearance but manages not to show it, and to be courteous. Maybe he's been out long enough to catch up on some of his missing sleep? He gets even better when he's had some more rest, managing to be funny to Djinana, sensibly do some research since he's in a never-before-seen area for humans, and then work out a possible way to reach Tabini in case his message was compromised. Go, Bren!
Then it gets even better: he re-encounters Ilisidi, keeps his footing, and even looks to be winning her over, somewhat -- she's dropped the Mad Old Bat routine and is really considering his words and his position, by the end of the ride.
2. I'm totally interested in the "doubtless prurient details" of the "shameful marriage" in the ghost-story book, too. :D Less prurient, more intellectual consideration: that Bren considers it a "curious" idea -- do Mospheirans really have no shame about any kind of pairing? No class or ethnic boundaries that you "just don't" cross over?
I loved the conversation with Djinana. (Author-ishly speaking, it was a great way to give us the step-by-step process of assessing an atevi social situation, since Bren's familiar with the general rules but not the person involved, and Djinana's familiar with the person but not the rules for a paidhi, so they trade bits of information one piece at a time and react to each one.)
4. More atevi terms are sneaking in -- we've now got not only aiji and paidhi, but nandi (to Bren), aiji-ma (to Ilisidi), nadi and nadi-ji (and a conversation proving there's a significant difference between the two).
My Fangirl!brain tends to absorb these things almost unconsciously -- every time I read a Foreigner novel, I find myself trying to address people with appropriate titles! I'll try to refrain from doing so here nadiin-ji.
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branchandroot
Impressions, thoughts, maunderings
Date: 2011-06-13 09:47 pm (UTC)1. We open with Bren at nadir -- he's ill enough that his entire body hurts and he's been packed away in bed like a child; he notes that his servants don't obey him, they obey Tabini.
His mind's still working, though! Cenedi enters and he immediately starts assessing: is Banichi playing some kind of strategem? Better keep my answers neutral and polite till I see where it's going.
Actually, his mind seems to be working better than before -- he's upset at Cenedi's appearance but manages not to show it, and to be courteous. Maybe he's been out long enough to catch up on some of his missing sleep? He gets even better when he's had some more rest, managing to be funny to Djinana, sensibly do some research since he's in a never-before-seen area for humans, and then work out a possible way to reach Tabini in case his message was compromised. Go, Bren!
Then it gets even better: he re-encounters Ilisidi, keeps his footing, and even looks to be winning her over, somewhat -- she's dropped the Mad Old Bat routine and is really considering his words and his position, by the end of the ride.
2. I'm totally interested in the "doubtless prurient details" of the "shameful marriage" in the ghost-story book, too. :D Less prurient, more intellectual consideration: that Bren considers it a "curious" idea -- do Mospheirans really have no shame about any kind of pairing? No class or ethnic boundaries that you "just don't" cross over?
3. Security fail again! Where are B&J&T&A when that alarming invitation comes!? Why are they so evasive when he does manage -- too late -- to get hold of them? Some thoughts in this direction, with spoilers for later books, over on the spoiler post.
I loved the conversation with Djinana. (Author-ishly speaking, it was a great way to give us the step-by-step process of assessing an atevi social situation, since Bren's familiar with the general rules but not the person involved, and Djinana's familiar with the person but not the rules for a paidhi, so they trade bits of information one piece at a time and react to each one.)
4. More atevi terms are sneaking in -- we've now got not only aiji and paidhi, but nandi (to Bren), aiji-ma (to Ilisidi), nadi and nadi-ji (and a conversation proving there's a significant difference between the two).
My Fangirl!brain tends to absorb these things almost unconsciously -- every time I read a Foreigner novel, I find myself trying to address people with appropriate titles! I'll try to refrain from doing so here nadiin-ji.