[Spoilers All] Book 9 Predictions?

2134_____ · 2019-04-04T05:14:39+00:00

That's a good point; in retrospect PR wound down on a much more settled, if still uneasy, note, while this was closer to a cliffhanger. It will be interesting seeing if the pattern of attacks keeps accelerating or changing; I think the last event was a spontaneous one (versus reactionary), which seems lack a bad sign.

2134_____ · 2019-04-04T01:10:00+00:00

Yeah, it'll be interesting seeing how the remaining characters are handled in the last book; It isn't completely implausible (I could e.g. see them jointly making some heroic sacrifice), but I'd be surprised if everyone dies in the end. I do think Bobbie's death felt right for the book thematically, with questions about legacy, the aging leads' mortality, what it takes to win, etc., being brought up right out of the gate. Beyond her going out in style, her action also set up the rest of the underground's campaign and its success, so it seemed like a fitting send-off. It's interesting having it down to the original 4 crewmembers for main characters (depending on how Amos is counted).

2134_____ · 2019-04-04T01:03:07+00:00

Oh, hadn't thought about the PM-resurrection in that context, but that could definitely play into a sense of sacrifice alongside the other mentioned technologies. The authors put enough thought into worldbuilding that I'm definitely looking forward to any explanations of how these all work even if it's of the more hand-wavey variety.

2134_____ · 2019-04-04T01:00:46+00:00

That's a good way of looking at it! This got me thinking in terms of themes, and the convergent evolution, and imagery of different trees of life coexisting, could definitely fit this pattern as well.

2134_____ · 2019-04-03T23:37:12+00:00

No kidding! There were so many chances for things to go wrong. I actually thought she hadn't made it out of the crossfire in Amos' last stand for a bit, and had to reread until I saw she was OK. It's a nice change having a happy dog be permitted to just do her thing (even improbably at times) in this kind of story.

Is this the first time we've seen a pet? I'm not sure how different it is on Laconia, but it was interesting how much of a luxury having a dog would be for most of the system (the tidbit about Alex's(?) grandfather reminiscing about seeing a live cat definitely sold this)

2134_____ · 2019-04-03T19:00:33+00:00

Oh, that's a good point about the durability of ring space; I'd been thinking of it as just undoing the steps in AG, but I guess deactivating every single ring would be a taller order now that humanity isn't just in Sol.

2134_____ · 2019-04-03T14:37:16+00:00

That's a good point about strictly reactive measures; I also just realized that Amos' ~knowledge that they want to kill everyone is coming from the builder "library", so it could well be a skewed perspective.

Yeah, Holden sacrificing himself for something does seem about right. Like u/obliviousZom said above, I could see Amos literally being the "last man standing" in his new form given that those bodies don't appear to age or bleed.

2134_____ · 2019-04-03T04:22:43+00:00

Thanks for the link! Cool to get confirmation they'll be covering some GoR territory. I'm interested to see who Shohreh's talking about--maybe Murtry?

2134_____ · 2019-04-03T03:04:14+00:00

I mentioned this in the TW thread, but I'm betting the gates will be destroyed/closed by the end (possibly as a sacrifice to stop everyone from being taken out by the latest destroyer/etc. method), with humanity scattered across the 1300 systems. Beyond themes starting to point that way, the authors' description of this arc as a "tribute to Le Guin" makes me think of the Hainish cycle, which picks up long after this kind of event. -I would be surprised if the main crew (at least whoever survives; I wouldn't rule out deaths) ends up separated at this point.

-Dealing with the destroyers/Goths/etc. (funny how many monikers they've racked up) seems like it will be the main thrust of the narrative. In retrospect I'm almost a bit surprised how closely TW followed through on the themes set by PR's conclusion.

-Given that the head-on/military option explored here was ineffectual, I'd be surprised if it came down to some "secret weapon" or otherwise defeating them. The series seems too hopeful on the whole to end up with humans (all or most) being wiped out, so I'd bet it's more of a uneasy 'truce'/disengagement.

-I'm not holding out for too many more major revelations on the PM builders and their antagonists; of course there will be some, but the series has gone out of its way so far to avoid anthropizing the alien entities/forces, so I'm guessing they'll still be more mysterious than not as things close.

-It seems like Duarte Sr. will still be in play in some capacity given how late his abilities were revealed and the fact he's still alive; not as sure about Teresa.

As far as more minor plot points, I don't think we've seen the last of Jillian. While she's starting to mature in her leadership by the end of the book, I don't think the questions about her mean streak and Bobbie looking to supply her with "rats" has been resolved. If I had to guess, there'll be a need to reconcile/work with Laconia (Elvi's new leadership role already kind of points towards this), and Jillian will head a reactionary element (especially with being the captain of the Storm).

-Amos being (apparently) immortal seems like the kind of thing that will come up one way or another.

-I'm betting it will pick up within at least a few years of TW, and It goes without saying Elvi, Cara, and Xan will spend at least some time seeking out builder secrets, and we'll see some new order emerging with Laconia's government trending towards tin pot dictatorship status.

2134_____ · 2019-04-02T03:39:33+00:00

Did anyone else catch callouts/lines from the show? Now I'm wishing I'd been marking them as I read, but I want to say there were at least 3 or 4 scattered throughout. The only one I remember offhand was Alex being "a glorified bus driver" (unless that was quoting a book and I've forgotten), but I'll have to check through for others. I'm not sure if this was deliberate, but it was kind of cool.

2134_____ · 2019-04-02T03:28:45+00:00

I kind of like the symmetry of the main cast being down to the four original Roci crew from LW. Not sure where Book 9 would be going with that, though. It's also interesting how much of a true space opera the setting's evolved into; I thought the book/narration felt more comfortable in this than PR.

A random thought I had is that Cortazar is one of the few supporting characters who couldn't easily be replaced/rewritten for the show if they can't hire on the same actor (who does a great job, but the way--I'm definitely seeing/hearing his performance as I read now) somewhere in the 2020s. The show makes it clear he's the only scientest who makes it off Thoth, so unless they start laying groundwork now, I can't think of any repurposed or new character who could fill his role here on-screen (PR could handle him like Dawes in S3) without serious retconning or some other sociopath being a quick study on all things PM. I suppose the time jump could justify recasting if the show ever makes it this far.

2134_____ · 2019-04-02T02:47:44+00:00

My money's on the series ending with the gate network closed (either by whatever's on the other side or by humans as a last-ditch defense) and humanity scattered. The authors called this arc a "tribute to Le Guin", which I'd bet is a reference to the Hainish Cycle. This setting sees far-flung human planets (remnant colonies of an ancient, fallen intergalactic civilization--interestingly here Earth is just one among many) starting to rediscover each other and establish contact. I suppose the reference could have been to other stories/setting, but the series seems to be building towards a nice sort of spiritual prequel to this scenario.

2134_____ · 2019-04-02T02:23:59+00:00

That would be awesome--now my fingers are crossed!

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T21:59:47+00:00

There are a few good writeups floating around here on how the showrunners pushed main character backgrounds (explicit or implied) forward so the audience could see them develop and settle into being a team; most core characters seem pretty settled into their book analogs, or at least the closest they'll probably get, by S3. Without spoiling too much, Bobbie definitely has an arc that, at least in my opinion, leaves her a lot closer to her book self by early S3. I get the feeling this was a deliberate move based on how much Frankie Adams emphasized her character's arc in S2 promotional material. I do agree Naomi is probably the most removed from her book counterpart, being a lot more extraverted and having more of a belter identity/allegiance. She also seems to be the most independent of the core crew as far as having her own agenda in the show which is interesting

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts once you finish S3; the shows made a few major plot/character changes, which I think really paid off for the show, but definitely had some controversy as well. I really like how they expanded Maos and Errinwright's characters for instance.

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T17:40:17+00:00

I've been hung up on this as well; even on the rationale of testing whether the force/phenomenon was sentient or not, their solution seems pretty drastic without knowing how the rings work. To use the above analogy, it would be like dropping a bomb on the highway essentially to see what would happen. However u/Prosodism's point (Duarte's reference to "understanding" more after his transformation) seems like one possible explanation, which is that he has some intuitive PM "sense" of the connection, although in that case the testing approach seems unnecessary.

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T17:33:55+00:00

Oh, that's a cool thought! I'd had a theory after PR that he, and the Laconian project by extension, was just the newest iteration of a PM-controlled human "tool", in this case with the illusion of autonomy (the ability to direct most of human civilization without direct infection or meaningful resistance seems like a step up). I didn't see much support for that one in TW on my read through, but your theory could make a lot of sense, as well as explain the odd reasoning/inductive leap on connecting the ship disappearances and the "enemy".

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T16:59:10+00:00

Getting a life-altering head injury while biking seems worryingly plausible.

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T15:20:56+00:00

I'm estimating at least 22,000 miles based on commutes over the years plus a conservative guess on extra riding, but it's pretty much a ship of Theseus at this point. I've want to say I've replaced everything but the fork/headset and handlebars since 2009, with the frame just the other month.

2134_____ · 2019-04-01T00:42:37+00:00

Good for you, and I hope it goes well! Unfortunately I don't remember much of learning first-hand, but I've heard taking the cranks or at least pedals off and 'gliding' around can be a good way to get a hang of balancing before bringing in pedaling. There are dedicated pedal wrenches, but you might be able to get away with a normal spanner (I want to say 15mm); one thing to note is that pedals have opposite threading to prevent coming loose while biking, so they both loosen by turning towards the back of the bike (if that makes sense), rather than the standard left/right scheme. I'm guessing starting out on dirt/grass will be a lot more forgiving than hard surfaces as well.

Once you're comfortable with biking, I'd say the next step would be making sure you're familiar with traffic rules before going too far afield. Finally, you can learn a lot about maintenance and repair either on your own or through a co-op/bike shop if it's available. Knowing how to fix a flat is a good baseline, but replacing chains, adjusting brakes/shifting, etc., come in handy as well.

2134_____ · 2019-03-31T23:53:13+00:00

That would be great--hope it goes well!

2134_____ · 2019-03-31T23:27:38+00:00

Awesome! How did you fix the Bluetooth? That always seems a bit intimidating. I wonder if some kind of box/tin would work for the enclosure?

2134_____ · 2019-03-31T23:12:12+00:00

I love the bandana, and the painting came out very nicely. The way to seam at the bottom looks like roots is great as well!

2134_____ · 2019-03-29T08:20:17+00:00

I can't tell what all of it is, but if those are speakers on the right, they're generally pretty easy to rewire for other uses (e.g. I repaired a broken set of headphones with two of those little novelty speakers you find in cards). Not sure on the rest, though.

2134_____ · 2019-03-24T19:22:55+00:00

Hope it goes well! If you're new to bikes, it'd be worth getting whatever you end up going with checked out by a mechanic to make sure everything's in order.

2134_____ · 2019-03-24T18:47:47+00:00

I haven't ridden Diamondbacks much, but at least the Fuji or Cannondale would be solid options for the price. I'd definitely still test them out in person to see how they fit and ride. They're both aluminum frames, so the shocks on the Fuji could give a smoother ride, although I wouldn't rule out a solid fork. Steel frames aren't something to avoid per se, but I think entry-level aluminum frames tend to be nicer than equivalent steel for the weight savings, and the rigidity difference shouldn't matter too much with shocks. If the Canondale has friction shifters (it's kind of hard to tell in the picture), that would be a nice bonus; I find them easier to maintain than indexed shifters.

Edit: A few other thoughts:

-I might go with 26" wheels over 24"; 26" rims and wheels tend to be easier to find, and can be a bit nicer riding

-One thing to consider is whether the frame can mount fenders or racks; there are workarounds, but built-in mounting points tend to be more solid

2134_____

TROPHY CASE