Oh...yeah. But there are stages to the steps that Lysander takes in advancing. The first is Cassius "dying" in IG. He cries once and decress the boy inside him has died. The second is falling the iron rain and seeing war firsthand, as opposed to having studied it his entire life. The person that falls in that rain has transformed dramatically in the weeks leading up to the end of the book. He nearly dies multiple times and survives on luck(the most glaring issue with Pierce's writing of a number of characters, if we're being honest). In the Hydra burrow, where he's lucky it's just finished a meal. To Darrow's attack, where Darrow is focused on an end target beyond Lysander's group, and doesn't know who he is/isn't concerned with finishing kills. The last is surviving the desert.
Through Ch 39. Really loving it. Side note - I think my ability to tell you what moons belong to which planets is almost 100% because of Red Rising and The Expanse series. Spoiler - The Battle for Phobos was so intense. PB can really suck you with all those fast paced and short chapters. I read so much longer than I was going to because id get the next chapter and think - cant stop here and this chapter is only 3 pages ect... - I have a feeling Matteo didnt take the figment out of Lyria. - Quicksilver is such a twat. Everything he does is for himself. A true capitalist. - The Ascomani attacking the rim is so suspicious. In Dark Age they talked about how Atlas ran into them out in Pluto. How Volsung Fa is one his former Obsidian Slaves. I think Atlas is way more of a free agent. Always lingering around the periphery. I cant figure out why, it but Im calling my shot - Atlas is pulling the strings w Fa. Pulling Lysander off Mars helps Atlantia, but it also prolongs the war in the core which also hurts. Not exactly what the angle is there.
Through Ch 50. This book keeps getting better and better Spoiler I hope Sevro gets over it and let’s Darrow in. This broody shit is annoying. But goddam… what sharp tongue for Cassius. Im giving myself the Win on the Fa/Atlas stuff. Still a lot wrong but got enough right lol. It’s hilarious to me that Lysander keeps getting played like a fiddle by everyone. Every time he thinks he’s maneuvered himself into having leverage, he realizes he doesn’t have shit. Fa being all an act is a little disappointing. Going from this pure monstrous ID driven psycho to a civilized tool completely at Atals’s control is a let down. A lot less scary now. Basically just an Obsidian Uncle Tom
Taking my time. 25% of the way through. Just commentary on his writing beyond just this book: Considering he, himself, is not a parent, the voice he has for Darrow and even more impressively, Virginia, as parents, might be some of the best writing in the series. It's legitimately amazing.
Chapter 26 here, so damn good. Agreed with Fusiontegra regarding his voice for them as parents, really impressive. Dude can write battle scenes like almost none i've ever read before, especially with the super high-tech stuff he's built in this universe, goes 900 mph but never gets confusing.
Just finished, really enjoyed it. Breakneck pace for the entirety of the book. May be some recency bias but it is up there as one of the best of the series. Spoiler I had a bad feeling about Cassius when the book really started hammering home how at peace he was now and how he had made amends with essentially everyone he needed to. Lysander is such a POS.
I felt the same way about the ranking. Immediately shot to the top of my list. Still is there after a few days. I think Id rank them 1. Light Bringer 2. Golden Son 3. Morning Star 4. Dark Age 5. Red Rising 6. Iron Gold. WRT your spoiler comments - Spoiler Before I read the book I watched in interview w Pierce. Said he teared up a few times when writing a character's death. I wish I didnt watch that because it was in the back of my mind the entire book. As soon as Cassius took off after Lysander - I knew it was him. My head was spinning during that whole stretch. When they were in Lysander's room having that heart to heart I thought Lysander was gonna shiv him when they were touching heads. I was like "you cannot kill off Cassius without a fight like you did Alexander!!" Then it actually seemed like Lysander was going to go along with the Triumvirate plan. Then I was super pissed because he ended up killing Cassius just like Alexander, but and worst of all - it looked like Cassius was never going to get credit for defeating Atlas. The tiniest of silver linings is Cassius will be known for taking out the Fear Knight. Just wild shit. PB is such a good writer. I cannot wait for Lysander to get what's coming
Spoiler Yeah I thought briefly that Lysander would ally with them against Attalantia which I guess I would have been ok with but this is definitely the better narrative arc. Lysander is now exposed as nakedly craven and power hungry. Peace is not the overarching goal, specifically it is only a peace that he is Sovereign over that is acceptable to him.
Spoiler I feel like ever since Iron Gold, Lysander has been on a path towards total power. I think Cassius did the best he could , but the more Lysander got away from him, the more he talked himself into great man theory centering himself. I wonder how AbominAdrius comes into play here. Does the Society Remnant even know about him? Also I think there's a chance Cicero flips on Lysander. He seemed pretty appalled at Lysander nuking the Garder Belt I feel like I might have missed some stuff. There doesnt seem to be nearly as many threads to pull on as in the last two books. Maybe that's just a function of him closing out the story and tying up or cutting loose ends than creating new ones. Idk.
Spoiler Yeah I thought it was odd the abomination was virtually unmentioned. He and Lilath are still in control of Luna aren’t they? As I recall it never says who Virginia’s secret source is that Kavax asks about but it is set up as a huge reveal, she says she worried the identity would break Kavax’s heart; I wondered if Adrius may be involved.
This happens to me all the time, sometimes it's work and sometimes it's trumping up charges to put my kids to bed earlier than normal so I can have some quiet
Cant believe I forgot to post this - Pierce had book signing in Naperville on Tuesday. Drove out to see him. First time Ive gone to see an author speak. Was pretty cool. He is very cool. The line to get the book signed was like 90 minutes, so I didnt stay for that, but everyone raved about how nice and genuine he is.
He's a little bro-ish but otherwise, comes off as super down-to-earth and nice. His interviews are always super entertaining.
Finished part 2 last night so I'm just short of 45%. Part 2 definitely burns as fast as any section of the first 3 I can remember. The story goes that he had nearly half of this book written and scrapped it all, which is what took so long to get it out. Whatever made him do it, if this is in fact the better version, bravo. Really great so far. Spoiler Some plot thoughts: -Virginia just urged Darrow and gang to not come back to Mars. In a recent interview, Pierce said he's very recently writing a scene he's been looking forward to for quite some time. I'm curious if it's Darrow's final reunion with his family(if they're all still alive at the end of the book ( ) - I don't think he makes it home in this one. -The biggest no reveal yet is Virginia's secret link within the Society - my guess is it's lady Bellona. -Gods, Victra is a fucking queen. I did not expect Ajax to get got like that. -Lysander is quickly starting to stack up casualties and learning just a little bit of what this war has cost Darrow. Like Virginia makes choices now, and Octavia before her, he's learning the cost of spending people close to you for the greater good. We saw an attachment to Glirastes and Ajax before they were taken but he has no immediate family so his fight starts to feel a little more hollow with each step. He teeters on good and bad with his vision of the future and it's really great writing. -Thought Holiday was defintiely done for while trying to escape Appolonius. He's such a fucking beast and I can't wait for Darrow's newest form to be revealed. We've also yet to see Diomedes really get involved with the blade. -I think Matteo was testing Lyria and she's going to end up keep the Fragment anyway for some reason.
Spoiler I imagine that would have been really difficult to read, given Sevro's current mental state. Like emo Darrow, post-captivity, but turned up 140%. Good decision imo
Not reading the thread but just finished book 1 in my reread. Storming Olympus was great again, fell in love with Mustang all over again. Really great reread. Knocking out the book club book then into Golden Son.
Just finished Part 2 as well, did not want to put it down... Spoiler * The entire battle of Phobos was incredible, never stopped and just completely brutal, dude can write action sequences and battles like no one ever * I was surprised at Ajax too, didn't see Victra's attack being a trap * Loved how they freed the Obsidians and used them, they are just so fucking brutal, and the description of how they attack and terrify their enemy was amazing. Hope they don't end up regretting letting them go. * Didn't see Fa attacking the Rim coming, wonder what the story behind that is going to be. * Atalantia screwed up trying to kill Lysander, if they truly have a confession that's going to backfire on her majorly * I hope we do get to see Darrow get home this book. The Virginia/Pax scene was incredible, want to see them all together * I have great fear of Sevro finding out about the baby, that is going to be awful * Agreed about Lyria, never thought about it but the Fragment is way too cool for it to be gone from the story Has Pierce said how many books he intends to write in the series?
nice, I hadn't heard that... for some reason I never thought to look for interviews with Pierce, working my way through the one on Mike's Book Reviews YT channel now..
I would hold off on interviews until you finish. PB said something in one that wasnt really as spoiler, but kind of was if you read into it correctly and it was in my head the entire time I read the book. Didnt ruin it or anything, but wished I hadnt watched that interview.
FYI - i cant remember which one of the interviews it was in, it may have been the one with Mike, but I dont think it was.
Truman unrelated but this is the least active thread I know you’re a regular in What’s your name based on? Partner and I are talking to her 17yo about college and they’re originally from KS/MO and Truman College came up. Also, this could have been a PM
Mizzou’s Mascot. Truman the Tiger. Named after Harry. Also who Truman State is named after. I think it use to be NW Missouri St, but they changed the name within the past decade or so.
Finished last night after powering through the last ~30% yesterday. Definitely the best one in this trilogy but hard to put it over Morning Star. Everything I could have asked for in a penultimate installation. Spoiler - I think the "ending" of the figment is weird. I'm really curious if he put that in as a red herring for Lyria, then toyed with the idea of giving her the powers, but ultimately decided her "power" was in her smallness and her connection with people. I can't tell if it feels like a loose end or I just wanted to see her with its powers. Regarding Lyria, however, she's become a good character, which I'd say was a tough sell early on. - Cassius was a good death. He'd been an outsider for so long and to have finally found peace, plus having killed Fear, it felt like it belonged. You could really feel Pierce heading that way throughout the book - so much of it was dedicated to him. Along these same lines, the only bit of spoiler I saw was a tweet saying something along the lines of, "I'm to a point near the end of the book where I know something is about to happen but I can't bring myself to keep reading", followed by a retweet of "Goddamn you, Lysander". - Sevro's journey in this one was great. Nice to have him back and I was really scared he was going to be the one to die at some point - As expected, Darrow's new fighting style is the cat's meow. Plus, no one has seen it yet so when he ultimately squares off with Apple, it's going to be great. Also, I think it equals the playing field with Mind's Eye. Watching him have an entire out-of-body experience during the Fa fight was great. - The pacing of this entire book was perfect. I loved that Pierce committed basically the full second half to Darrow/Jupiter. - The reason Atalantia was willing to take her time became clear once we saw Fear's plan come into place. I'll be very interested to see what Abominadrius has been up to - I'm certain they're not just sitting still waiting for Atalantia to rain fire down. - Virginia's source remains unrevealed. Interested to see if she's still getting info from them or if they've been taken off the field. Bellona is the only one that really makes sense(she's had Pallas among Lysander's crew regularly). Regardless, I have a feeling the recording of Cassius's treatment in death from Lysander makes it into her hands in the finale - Darrow just methodically dismantling the legend of Fa was pure, prime, Darrow nostalgia. - The acknowledgments of this one, Pierce says this was Darrow "saying goodbye to worry". I think that's a fantastic line. I'm glad he's writing 6 and 7 so close together(I think they were supposed to be one book) because I love this idea of new Darrow showing up to the Core war, tonally. - I knew the Howlers were inside the leviathan when they pulled it up. It threw me momentarily when he said it was still thrashing about but once he started writing the scene and we're jumping back and forth between the heart removals and Shitty AMC Show of the beast, I knew what was coming. Still pretty fucking metal. - I think the last book revolves a lot around Lysander and Atalantia, before Darrow even enters the fray. I have no idea how they come to terms but I feel like the threat of his new bio weapon makes even Atalantia take pause. That's a weapon we'd only have expected someone like Adrius to threaten with. Really excited for the conclusion of this. I'll be sad to see Darrow go but Light Bringer squashed any concern I had about Pierce not handling it properly
Spoiler It really seems like PB just decided to ditch the Figment story line. I can see why he thought it was a good idea to set it up. You cant have red running around w the golds without them being at risk of dying in every battle. Pretty sure he invented Drachenjagers just so Rhonna could participate. Needed something for Lyria. But then was just like fuck it lol. I still think Sevro got off too easy from being in Adrius' control. I think there may be a dormant mind spike that is going to activate at the very worst time
Not really a spoiler because it's from Dark Age but... Spoiler I just read DA...and I legit can't remember Rhonna's end, yet she's not around in LB, that I remember. She made it back from Gliraste's house after Lysander kills Alex, I thought...but then my mind is just blank on what happens to her...? As for Sevro, to be fair, he wasn't in Adrius's control long, since he was sold off on auction(so far as we know) - but I wouldn't be surprised if we get something like you mentioned at some point. There doesn't seem to be a way to remove those, that we've seen, so that might be heartbreaking
Spoiler She got knocked out during Lysander's attack on Alexander. He pistol whipped the shit out of her. I think last we saw she was in the medbay of Harnassus' ship. Presume she's on Mars but out of action during Light Bringer
It’s sci-fi if that makes you feel any better. And while I’m a super fan, the series has gotten pretty much universal praise on TMB. There’s the pitch. Now go read it. Oh and the first book, while good is a little tropey. It really takes off in the 2nd book.
Not an authority on the matter as I'm not audio book guy. I've only listed to 3 ever. I got the Audio of Dark Age to listen in the car to go along with my re-read. I feel like it's pretty bad. Can't understand Darrow half the time.
Through Chap 7 of Lightbringer Spoiler Finished Dark Age the same day I started Lightbringer. NGL kinda tired of Darrow getting pantsed. How long after leaving Mercury is this? Said Atlas almost found them 5 mo ago and Cassius was gone 6 weeks?
My local library started with one Kindle copy and it quickly bought four more so my wait went from like 20 weeks to 3. Awfully nice of them
Just finished, really incredible. I am going to dive into a reread from the beginning in a month or two, it's been so long since I read the others that I can't rank them right now but I have to imagine this will be top 3 easily. Spoiler * Fuck you Lysander, you bitch... all the talk about unity and he's just as craven and power hungry as his cunt of a grandmother * Cassius had the end he would have wanted if he had to go down, but man, i would have loved seeing him finish it alive at Darrow's side. I should have seen what Pierce was setting up with him and Darrow making their peace and really getting back together, and having it out with Sevro, but I missed it. * His death hit me the hardest when Darrow and Lyria were together at the meeting with Volga, man that was brutal * I also thought Lyria would keep the figment but that was never her purpose, the whole line with her and Volga was great, nice payoff * The Darrow/Fa fight was so great, I don't think it showed Fa was a fraud like someone else said. Dude was a grandpa, he was a bitch with letting others in to try to take Darrow out but at his age he held up well. PB's description of Darrow's fighting style was awesome * I can't fucking wait to see Darrow take all his rage out on Lysander and Atalantia. About halfway through I thought Lysander might end up allying with Darrow to take down Atalantia, Lilith and Abominadrius but not now, there's no coming back from killing Cassius. I really think Red God is going to be Darrow's victory lap, he's taken so many hits and been double crossed so many times, I really want him to just mow everyone down at the end... to quote a purple nutsack-chinned villain, I want Darrow to “...finally rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe”
If you haven't done a reread of Iron Gold-Dark Age, having this much of the story now makes those so much better.
Spoiler I think that was Truman that said he was disappointed the direction they went with Fa. DA painted him as this feral, raging monster...learning that he was Atlas's pet did neuter him a little but the scene with Darrow was still amazing.
Spoiler Yeah that was me. He was way scarier as a brutal feral monster. I think I made those comments before the fight. Him being a wannabe pixie who just wanted to chill on his estates that he was promised payed off with the fight w Darrow. Him running away, pissing down his leg was awesome. Wouldnt have made sense if he was this blood thirsty wildman. He would have just gone down in blaze of fury instead of running. Clang clang clang motherfuckers...
Chapter 17 Spoiler Lysander, while a twat, is quite the schemer. Nice piece of work focusing everyone on Mars