Hello once again dear audience and welcome to the final Republic of Thieves read-along post where the curtain is brought down on Sabetha and Locke’s romance, the play in Espara and the election in Karthain. This week’s questions come from Tethyan Books and they have been split them into different timelines – Espara and Karthain – much like last week. Week one was all about getting to know the characters again while week two was all about revealing Sabetha, week three was all about Espara and now we get to the real meat of the story where the Sabetha and Locke match wits in the election and the theatre production is about to go on the road, week four was all about cock-blocking and we see the results of the election this week! I think we need some epic music for the conclusion of the book so play this track while reading my answers:
Here are the questions:
In Espara…
1. The Republic of Thieves: It’s the first and final performance! What did you think of the play? Were you entertained, or eager to get on with the rest of the story? Also, how do you feel about how the play fits in the novel, in terms of the story and the characters who play the parts?
I was hooked by the events in the Espara timeline and the twists and turns they took. It helped build characters up and was entertaining to read but when I look back at it I wish there was more time spent on the election plus I did notice some interesting aspects like the priest claiming that the characters from the play were real and are unquiet ghosts!
2. The Other Performance: Of course, the GB and company had another important performance to get through—the one that ensures none of them end up hanged! What was your favourite part of this scheme? Do you agree with their plan for dealing with Moncraine’s treachery?
Last week I mentioned how the whole situation felt underwhelming, too neatly wrapped up. The henchmen were too easily fobbed off, the aristocracy too easily dodged and all thanks to Sabetha who showed some boobs. I was hoping for some more life and death stuff considering we are in the land where you lose a hand for punching a noble but then it wouldn’t have been half as funny as it turned out to be. I think all of these lessons helped the boys become better thieves. Sabetha didn’t need these lessons because she always guided the gang.
My favourite part of the scheme? The plan for dealing with Moncraine at the end! I always hated that guy and was genuinely surprised when he did what he did. Well he certainly won’t be able to go anywhere near Espara or Camorr and I suspect he may crop up in another book.
In Karthain…
3. The Election: It seems Lovaris was indeed the final trick, and the election is over. Are you satisfied with how things turned out? Do you wish that the election had focused more on the political problems of Karthain, or are you satisfied with the mudslinging and pranks that went on between Locke and Sabetha?
I think more time on the politics might have been interesting. That written it might have been boring. We’re all in this for the tricks that Sabetha and Locke play on each other. Seeing them display political acumen might have been interesting but nothing beats seeing Locke get stuck in a carriage full of angry snakes. The Lovaris scheme was a good one and one spotted by a few bloggers and it was nice to see a draw between Sabetha and Locke and Jean. Of course we’re leaving the city and it seems as if it will get knocked over by a rival state so seeing how the government reacts to the absence of the Bondsmagi would have been interesting.
4. The War: Do you have any speculation on what specific issues might have escalated the two Bondsmagi factions rivalry into this kind of violence? What do you think the surviving Bondsmagi will do next, with all their gathered money and knowledge?
It’s all about the Eldren. The rivalry is based on forbidden knowledge that the exceptionalists desire and Patience wants to supress. The Bondsmagi will disappear like the Templar and crop up from time to time, orchestrating conspiracies or hiding away researching Eldren stuff, and I bet Locke will encounter quite a few.
Props to Coldmarrow for taking the exceptionalists with him!
5. Patience: Given the final revelation that Patience does hate Locke for what he did to the Falconer, what do you make of her behaviour towards Locke throughout the book? Do you think her plan of vengeance is well suited to Locke? What do you make of the Black Amaranth story now, as well as the prophecy she threw on top?
Her behaviour calculated to hurt Locke. She needs to keep Locke on a leash, keep her faction happy in her treatment of their tools, and to make Locke think she is willing to work with him. She behaved in a sanguine manner enough for her to sneak past Locke’s incredulity and hostility to strike very deeply and hurt him. It totally floors Locke and it floored the readers of the book.
Her prophecies hint that Locke will develop connections – riches, people, power – and lose them all. Very tantalising stuff much like the things she told him about his past.
6. The Epilogue: Speaking of vengeance, do you think the Falconer’s vengeance against his mother was merited or excessively cruel, given the circumstances? On that note, how do you feel about the Falconer’s transformation and possible status as a continuing villain?
We all knew the Falconer was a nutter but this took the cake because it was so extreme. Fitting but extreme. I think we have to see this in the context of the fact that his mother has always exercised some control over him, she knows his name and she has thwarted his ambitions since he was a child. Furthermore his mother had basically booby-trapped his mind so he would lose his powers. You can see why he might be mad. The fate Patience suffered was awful but totally in line with the Falconer’s evil acts especially when we see him as taking out his frustrations on her.
HOLY SMOKES! When I read the whole I immediately thought of the T-1000 from The Terminator. This guy seems way too unstoppable now and I don’t know how they can fight him unless Locke gets powers or hooks up with some strong Bondsmage.
7. Wrapping up: Thus ends the third book in the Gentleman Bastard sequence. How do you think it compares with the first two? In the end, do you prefer the Espara storyline or the Karthain storyline, or did you like them both equally?
I started out interested in the book and Sabetha, I wanted to know more about Karthain and Espara, I liked the Karthain sections a lot because they contained interesting stuff about the Eldren. Overall I enjoyed reading the book and tore through it.
Here are the rest of the Lynch Mob:
