Yeah, even if the ritual didn't make it clear, the slaves should establish it beyond doubt, since they know that the Ra'zac will be coming for the slaves! It makes them look incredibly incurious, which I really don't like as a reader; I want to know more about what's going on!
It's like Paotagonists just aren't interested in anything (unless you count randomly staring at shiny things, which is incredibly weird).
And he's at his worst with that in this book (see the scene where they meet Varaug, where we get an exhaustive description of the room before anything happens), though it does still appear in the recent books. I think that he wants to get the scene-setting out of the way first and doesn't realise that spreading it throughout the scene gives a considerably more fluent result.
It's still there in book four but it's definitely at its worst here. Every time we change location, CUE THE LIST!
If anyone's interested, here's how I handle it. If we're entering a new location and it's a calm situation, no danger, the POV character isn't upset or stressed out or anything like that - then yes, the POV character is going to take a look around so we get a description of what they notice. And note the last part; depending on who they are, what they're doing, what their frame of mind is, they're going to notice different things. Like... I don't know, random example: someone enters a room they haven't been in before and they're feeling really really tired. So what's their focus going to be? Oh great, there's a couch here! Let's go sit down and get comfy! Are they looking for something specific like that? Are they thirsty and keeping an eye out for a source of drinks? On their guard and checking the corners and exits?
But if this is an action scene or some other highly fraught situation, they're not going to have the headspace to be doing something like that. Instead their focus will be on where the most immediate threat is, where to take cover, is there a weapon they can grab?
So say a character who knows how to fight enters a room and someone is there pointing a gun at them. They aren't going to stand there admiring the etchings on the walls. No, they're going to duck behind the nearest bit of cover if there is any, so they can get out of the firing line. First priority: their own safety. Second priority: escaping or fighting back, so now they'll be looking for the safest exist or the nearest weapon they can use. Beyond that, SCREW what else might be in the room. They're in danger so they don't fucking care about anything else. This isn't a pleasant trip to the art gallery; it's a life or death situation, and they're running on instinct and adrenaline.
There, I hope that helps!
Like come on, a guy chasing after some rogue spellcasters in the middle of a battle is NOT going to be looking at the paintings. He's not even going to notice Lady Lorana all that much if she's obviously not a threat. That's not how people's mind work. I doubt even a robot would react like this.
Yeah, that would probably be it. (We do get some details from the speech, of course, but not nearly enough to understand what their "Bregnir" is, or why they "abstain" from 144... which is quite a pity.)
Which is more of him dropping in random lore which will never be mentioned again. It's the laziest worldbuilding shortcut I've ever seen.
Yep, Paolini went with "it", because he presumably wanted to make the Priest look as bad as possible, and I really hate it.
WOW that's disgusting.
Indeed... And I get that taking infection into account could disrupt what he wants with the characters, but then maybe he shouldn't have everyone get wounded so often.
Wounds need to come with consequences instead of being treated like dramatic set dressing. Nausea doesn't even suffer any lasting damage from losing all that blood and repeatedly passing out.
Yeah, if they've been in Dras-Leona for a while, they might well be part of the cult, too, and this would be a great honour.
It wouldn't be unprecedented either; in the real world people have volunteered for this sort of thing. I went to a really amazing exhibition about the ancient Incas - you know, the people who built Machu Picchu. The common misconception is that they sacrificed screaming victims en masse (as seen in that movie Apocalypto.) I believed it myself before I went to that exhibition. In fact, the sacrifice would be a member of the nobility, who would fight in single combat against another noble. The loser would become the sacrifice (which was done in private, witnessed only by other nobles, not in public in front of a screaming crowd of zealots). The "victim" died willingly, because they believed that whoever was sacrificed would go to live with the gods. So it was more like a divine ascension than anything else. And who wouldn't be happy and grateful for that?
I hadn't thought of that, but now that you say it, it really has to!
It literally popped into my head while I was typing! And why is the blade shaped like a dragon's wing? Does that mean anything? It sounds like it should have.
And I complained more than a little about just how contrived it was, too!
As well you should have, as my grandfather used to say!
That wouldn't exactly be a bad idea... but we do learn that the slaves are dead the next morning, which would mean that they had to fight the Ra'zac in the middle of the night, with all the attendant problems. It would work better than in Eragon, but I still think it would be foolish.
No less foolish than what they do instead, really. It's actually mentioned briefly that it's apparently the Lethrblaka who eat them since they find the bones in their nest. Bah, whatever.
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Date: 2025-07-05 12:00 pm (UTC)It's like Paotagonists just aren't interested in anything (unless you count randomly staring at shiny things, which is incredibly weird).
It's still there in book four but it's definitely at its worst here. Every time we change location, CUE THE LIST!
If anyone's interested, here's how I handle it. If we're entering a new location and it's a calm situation, no danger, the POV character isn't upset or stressed out or anything like that - then yes, the POV character is going to take a look around so we get a description of what they notice. And note the last part; depending on who they are, what they're doing, what their frame of mind is, they're going to notice different things. Like... I don't know, random example: someone enters a room they haven't been in before and they're feeling really really tired. So what's their focus going to be? Oh great, there's a couch here! Let's go sit down and get comfy! Are they looking for something specific like that? Are they thirsty and keeping an eye out for a source of drinks? On their guard and checking the corners and exits?
But if this is an action scene or some other highly fraught situation, they're not going to have the headspace to be doing something like that. Instead their focus will be on where the most immediate threat is, where to take cover, is there a weapon they can grab?
So say a character who knows how to fight enters a room and someone is there pointing a gun at them. They aren't going to stand there admiring the etchings on the walls. No, they're going to duck behind the nearest bit of cover if there is any, so they can get out of the firing line. First priority: their own safety. Second priority: escaping or fighting back, so now they'll be looking for the safest exist or the nearest weapon they can use. Beyond that, SCREW what else might be in the room. They're in danger so they don't fucking care about anything else. This isn't a pleasant trip to the art gallery; it's a life or death situation, and they're running on instinct and adrenaline.
There, I hope that helps!
Like come on, a guy chasing after some rogue spellcasters in the middle of a battle is NOT going to be looking at the paintings. He's not even going to notice Lady Lorana all that much if she's obviously not a threat. That's not how people's mind work. I doubt even a robot would react like this.
Which is more of him dropping in random lore which will never be mentioned again. It's the laziest worldbuilding shortcut I've ever seen.
WOW that's disgusting.
Wounds need to come with consequences instead of being treated like dramatic set dressing. Nausea doesn't even suffer any lasting damage from losing all that blood and repeatedly passing out.
It wouldn't be unprecedented either; in the real world people have volunteered for this sort of thing. I went to a really amazing exhibition about the ancient Incas - you know, the people who built Machu Picchu. The common misconception is that they sacrificed screaming victims en masse (as seen in that movie Apocalypto.) I believed it myself before I went to that exhibition.
In fact, the sacrifice would be a member of the nobility, who would fight in single combat against another noble. The loser would become the sacrifice (which was done in private, witnessed only by other nobles, not in public in front of a screaming crowd of zealots). The "victim" died willingly, because they believed that whoever was sacrificed would go to live with the gods. So it was more like a divine ascension than anything else. And who wouldn't be happy and grateful for that?
It literally popped into my head while I was typing! And why is the blade shaped like a dragon's wing? Does that mean anything? It sounds like it should have.
As well you should have, as my grandfather used to say!
No less foolish than what they do instead, really. It's actually mentioned briefly that it's apparently the Lethrblaka who eat them since they find the bones in their nest. Bah, whatever.