Is this one of those backstory chapters that kinda bored me even though backstory? I feel like it is.
Also, I woke up with a pulled muscle in my neck yesterday from sleeping weird, and it still hurts… which means I’m enjoying this less.
Also, yeah, it’s been a while, but I still haven’t gotten caught up on the Prydain books in a while, so I still forget who Ordo Maas reminds me of.
OK, so Ordo Maas is the dude who built the Dragonships. Also, the fact that the homes on the building were made from one of his older ships is totally not suspicious at all.
Oh, right, in addition to whatshisface from Prydain, I’m also getting Beorn vibes from Ordo Maas with how the Caretakers are chilling at his house and getting backstory stuff.
Oh… Oh… So Ordo Maas did make a First Dragon reference here in saying that he was there during the sinking of Atlantis. (Also there’s a reference to him being Noah?) Hooray for “foreshadowing I totally missed earlier.”
*Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas getting Fire from his dad.*
*Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas getting a huge “kettle” with Perseus’ shield as a lid.*
*Squints suspiciously at Ordo Maas’ wife getting kicked out of the Archipelago for opening the kettle.*
*Squints suspiciously in general.*
So, after the Great Flood, Ordo Maas built (rebuilt?) the Red Dragon.
And here’s the reveal that King Arthur was in charge of both England and the Archipelago because dragons.
So, the Dragonships’ eyes are what let the ships do their dragon thing. Because the eyes are the windows to the soul or something?
OK, so, the Black Dragon isn’t one that Ordo Maas built. So that totally doesn’t sound suspicious at all.
Ordo Maas retired to become a Cat-Herder, which involves knowing the cats’ true names. Is this the first instance of the whole inclusion of the “knowing a name is power” thing?
Yes. Yes it is.
Also, the fact that nobody knows the Winter King’s true name (yet) is probably going to come up again.
Random side note: I know I already talked about being in pain from my pulled muscle, but can I stop sneezing already? I could’ve sworn I already got over that cold I had the other day.
So, Bug doesn’t know his own true name because the Morgaine always called him Bug.
Oh, fun. Bug’s also been to Byblos when he was Way Too Young To Remember.
Also, apparently Bug’s almost 20? For some reason, I thought he was younger.
So, Bug’s mom was the last king’s youngest daughter, who barely survived the massacre of the rest of the royal family. And she died on Byblos after giving up Bug.
Apparently Bug’s name is actually Artus. And he was adopted by the Pandora or the Morgaine because there was nobody to take care of him on Byblos.
So John gave Bug… uh, Artus, the ring from Samaranth.
And Artus could take the Silver Throne, but he’s totally screwed as long as the Winter King still wants to take over.
So King Archibald’s fuckery with apparently being the first person to attempt to use the, uh… the Totally Not The Black Cauldron to create the Shadow-Born was basically “good intentions gone wrong.”
So, yeah, it’s Pandora’s Box.
Anyway, that whole thing is why Samaranth took back the royal ring and all the related power and stuff.
Oh. Oh… So it was Archibald who killed his whole family?
OK, so, it was Magwich who got the Pandora’s Box for Archibald? Yeah, sounds about right.
OK, yeah, this was one of my favorites the one year I was able to go to college, so I’ve got good memories of it. Let’s see if it holds up. (Also, I’ve gotten the audio book in the nine years since, so I’m just throwing that out there for reference because I know I’ll be joking about it at some point. Even though I haven’t gotten very far in that version.)
So, Fawn’s been on the road for two days, and she’s apparently running away from something. And she’s just showed up at… basically what sounds like a cross between a farm and a highway rest stop.
Fawn’s trying to go to Glassforge. Where is that?
Apparently Fawn looks young (and small) for her age.
Oh, fun. Now Fawn’s gotta worry about the possibility of robbers. Because that totally doesn’t feel like foreshadowing.
Oh, wait, I can’t read. Fawn’s only been on this one road for two days. She’s actually been traveling in general for six days.
Oh, fun. Fawn hasn’t run into the robbers yet, but she has run into your generic creep who tried to assault her when she tried hitchhiking.
And after walking for like six days straight, Fawn’s super exhausted. And, um, sick…
Someone else is coming down the road now. On horses. And Fawn’s going to hide in the orchard behind the farm-rest-stop.
So, who are these Lakewalkers and why are they so scary?
This Dead Lake sounds fun.
OK, so, Lakewalkers are supposedly necromancers or something. And they’re nomadic. And they’re matriarchal.
Also, Lakewalkers fight off blight bogles, which… don’t sound good.
Oh, fun. The Lakewalker who just decided to chill under the tree Fawn’s in has a prosthetic hand, currently with the hook attachment on.
So, this one other Lakewalker who’s an older lady just decided to chill with the other dude, and now they’re basically confirming their patrol’s hunting for a blight bogle.
OK, basically:
Me when I first read this: “Mari rhymes with starry.”
Audio book: “Mari sounds like Mary.”
Me:
Fawn’s over here like “shit, go away, I need to go to the bathroom without y’all seeing me.”
No, Fawn, the Lakewalkers totally didn’t see your backpack that you left out in the open on accident.
And… apparently Dag the Lakewalker Dude did notice Fawn up in the tree because he could sense her aura or life force or whatever life-spark. And now he’s sorta daydreaming about his imagined version of her home life and how it’s relating to these mud men that I’m guessing are the same things as the blight bogles.
Oh, fun. Now he’s just randomly assuming Fawn lives at the farm-rest-stop.
Back to Fawn now, and she just wants to get back on the road now, even with the farmwife insisting she stay for the night. And Fawn’s also still thinking “Yo, I’m not a kid.” Oh, fun. She’s apparently twenty. And she’s also apparently a widow.
So, this Sunny Sawman dude doesn’t sound good. I’m getting bitter breakup vibes.
OK, so once again, we’ve got a Classic Lit Excerpt That’s Supposed To Be Foreshadowing. I’m getting “curiosity killed the cat” vibes from this section of “The Lady of Shalott.”
So, we’re starting off on Gemma’s sixteenth birthday… which is June 21st. Because that’s usually the summer solstice (at least where most of the trilogy takes place), it’s been so long since I’ve read this that I can’t remember if that’ll be important or if it’s just throwaway info pretending to be foreshadowing.
Oh, fun. Apparently Gemma’s… kinda being a brat because she’s stuck living in India instead of getting a Season in London. And she hates the weather.
No, but seriously. Gemma’s being a bitch to everyone.
OK, so, apparently Gemma and her mom both have fanfiction-green glass-green eyes. And the mom has this “good luck charm” necklace with an all-seeing eye topping a crescent moon. Because apparently these things Totally Won’t Be Important Later.
Oh, fun. Of course the teenage companion of the dude who “accidentally” ran into the mom is Totally Not The Future Love Interest.
Also, the dude telling the mom that Circe is near and the mom freaking out is totally not foreshadowing, either.
Oh, fun. The mom bribed Gemma with the weird necklace to get her to go away because of the whole weird encounter, and Gemma’s still being a brat and telling the mom that she doesn’t care if she comes home at all. Because seriously, what is foreshadowing?
OK, so we’ve got some Very Foreshadow-y Classic Lit Quotes heading each chapter. And I’m assuming Something Important Will Happen At Night.
*Sudden flashbacks to when I was a kid and I’d hide books under my pillow until I got a bed with a small bookshelf built into the headboard.*
No, but why doesn’t it rain much at night where I live anymore so I can stay up reading on a rainy night? (Bonus points for the fact that I also really need time completely to myself so I can spend time reading without being interrupted.)
No, but seriously, Meggie. Listen to Brendan Fraser Mo. Don’t light a candle to read all night. Books are flammable.
Yep. Someone just showed up at the house, and Mo doesn’t believe Meggie at first and tries to blame her overactive imagination.
OK, the whole “books everywhere” description of their house is basically my bedroom. And that’s totally not a tripping hazard.
So, Mo doesn’t want Meggie to see who the visitor actually is. And she decides to eavesdrop because of course she has to.
OK, this dude’s called Dustfinger, and he calls Mo Silvertongue. And he’s got some kind of pet or something.
Apparently Meggie did meet Dustfinger once when she was Way Too Young To Remember.
No, but, seriously. Kid logic time: Acting suspicious like this will make Meggie want to know what’s going on more than just outright letting her join in on the conversation and explain everything.
Yeah, that sign on Mo’s bookbinding workshop isn’t Suspiciously Foreshadow-y.
And… Mo and Dustfinger are trying to keep some Important Book Away From Someone Called Capricorn.
No, but seriously. Not telling Meggie anything just makes her want to know more.
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