Monthly Archives: June 2014

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 43

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Precinct House
Crown City, Theopholis
Hour of Demons

In which the legal system of Theopholis does not show itself in the best of lights.

This is another chapter where I would probably have had more to say about it on first reading, but on re-reading my main reaction is “Yes, that’s about how I remember it”.

I’m curious about how the hours are named on Theopholis. I thought at first, with the Kings and the Knaves, the theme might be card-related, but then there was the Viscount, so I thought it might be rulers. And in this chapter, there’s a mention of the Regent’s Hour, which would fit, except that there’s also the Hour of Demons, which doesn’t. (And I wonder whether it’s significant that there are multiple Kings and Knaves and Demons, but only one each of the Viscount and the Regent.)

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 42

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Master’s Tower, Theopholis
Viscount’s Hour

In which Shan receives more bad news.

It occurs to me that events on Theopholis are echoing events on Arsdred: a confrontation involving Collier, Priscilla, and Gordy; Priscilla taken into custody; Shan called away from a pleasurable negotiation to straighten matters out… Some of the echoes are deliberate on the part of the characters (Collier deliberately picking on Priscilla and Gordy together because it was Gordy who intervened last time), others not. Bookends.

I appreciated it being mentioned that Daxflan officially has still not arrived at Theopholis. After Arsdred, it would have been spectacularly foolish for Priscilla and Gordy to be wandering around by themselves if they had known Collier was also in port.

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 41

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Crown City, Theopholis
Hour of Knaves

In which Dagmar Collier encounters the Tree and the Dragon.

This confrontation between Priscilla and Collier goes very differently from the one on Arsdred. Priscilla is a lot more self-confident now, and has access to abilities she didn’t know she had then. She’s got… call it room to maneuvre: on Arsdred, she was fighting from moment to moment to keep on top of the situation, but here she has the opportunity to consider what approach to take. I think it’s worthy of note that her first choice is to offer Collier a way out, and hold the Dragon in check as long as they can; there are people who, if they had a Dragon, would use it first chance they got. (I don’t know, mind you, whether such people would be able to achieve the study and discipline required to achieve such a Dragon as Priscilla has.) In a way, it brings Priscilla’s story back around to the incident on Sintia that got her into trouble in the first place.

Conflict of Honors – Chapters 38, 39 & 40

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Shipyear 65
Tripday 177
Second Shift
9.00 hours

Master’s Tower, Theopholis
Hour of Kings

Raggtown
Local Year 537

In which a delayed shipment goes by another carrier.

If memory serves, this is the first time in this re-read I have scheduled multiple chapters on a single day, except for a one-page interlude in Crystal Dragon. I can see why I did it, though; the three chapters are each very short, and they all relate to a single situation. In a book that didn’t divide the chapters by location, they might well have all formed part of a single chapter.

It’s instructive to compare the responses of the two Olaneks to learning that Dutiful Passage has taken Daxflan‘s cargo. Taam Olanek’s angry (and ill-directed) initial reaction suggests that there may be a family trait contributing to the way Sav Rid is, but at least after the initial outburst he is able to take himself in hand and consider the matter rationally. Sav Rid, though, continues raging, and his grudge against Korval seems to have parted company with rationality entirely. Which leads to another point of difference between them: the delm’s first thought on learning that his clan’s ship has caused a situation is to take responsibility for seeing the situation resolved; Sav Rid on the other hand seems utterly determined to place responsibility on anyone but himself.

There’s some interesting handling of bad language in this portion of the novel. In the first of the three chapters, there is Ken Rik’s uncomplimentary remark about Sav Rid, which is left untranslated, presumably to avoid bruising the sensibilities of the reader. In the third chapter, there’s Sav Rid’s uncomplimentary remark about Priscilla, which on the other hand is given a direct literal translation that doesn’t make it immediately apparent how insulting it is in the original Liaden.

And now, with the Passage and Daxflan both headed for Theopholis, and representatives of both their clans waiting to greet them, things are beginning to come to a head…

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 37

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Dayan
First Sunrise

In which Priscilla has speech with a sister.

Dayan, like Sintia, worships the Goddess; it does seem to be the same Goddess, with a common basis indicated by Priscilla’s expressions and gestures being recognised by the women she speaks to. Like Sintia, too, the priestesses of the Goddess are apparently the temporal as well as spiritual leaders, and possibly not handling it as gracefully as they might. In some ways it’s worse than Sintia; there are hints in some of the Moonhawk stories that men on Sintia are second-class citizens, but on Dayan their status doesn’t even reach that high. There are signs of hope: that Lomar Fasholt speaks with Shan as an equal says something, and that she considers it (and without any apparent doubt or hesitation) appropriate to secure her husband an education says something more. (And that echoes something in the Moonhawk story “The Wine of Memory”, come to think of it.)

Shan notes that Priscilla shows signs of her continued education in proper Liaden in her ability to produce an appropriate phrase; it also shows, I think, in the way she is able to put a name to the bow Shan offers Lomar Fasholt.

According to my notes, tomorrow’s schedule calls for doing the next three chapters in one go.

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 36

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Shipyear 65
Tripday 171
Fourth Shift
16.00 hours

In which Gordy seeks a dragon to accompany his tree.

I think this chapter heading also has an error in it. Several other chapter headings have said 16.00 hours, and they’ve all said Third Shift.

Shan’s approach to teaching piloting reminds me somewhat of his uncle’s in Scout’s Progress (or vice versa, when I’m reading in publication order).

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 35

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Shipyear 65
Tripday 171
Third Shift
14.00 hours

In which Shan receives news of a friend’s death.

I like the little details that enrich this chapter: Ken Rik is in a bad mood. BillyJo thinks Shan isn’t eating enough. The description of what else was in Shan’s mail before he hit the pinbeam from Sintia, because even though the other message isn’t significant to the plot, it is significant to Shan.

I have read the various parts of Priscilla’s story so many times by now that I don’t recall what I thought the first time I read the pinbeam from Sintia. I am pretty sure, though, that I could have been added to Shan’s litany of people who wouldn’t believe it meant Priscilla was a desperate criminal.

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 34

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Trealla Fantrol, Liad
Year Named Trolsh
Third Relumma
Cheletha Sixthday

In which Delm Plemia resolves to seek clarification from his kin.

So, Mr dea’Gauss has sent word to House Mendoza, despite Priscilla assuring him in no uncertain terms that it was not necessary. I suppose a man in his position must from time to time make his own determinations as to what necessity requires based on the information available to him, and the information available to Mr dea’Gauss at present does not include anything that might dissuade him from the assumption that Priscilla merely wished politely to save him some effort.

Mr dea’Gauss has apparently decided that this is a cause worthy enough to put up with being flung across the galaxy again. That he would accept the necessity without complaint doesn’t mean much, since I don’t suppose it would be appropriate to complain with an outsider present, but not only does he not complain, he almost smiles.

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 33

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Shipyear 65
Tripday 155
Second Shift
6.00 hours

In which Priscilla has some new concepts to grapple with.

Priscilla believes Moonhawk is dead. Well, after all, she hasn’t heard from Moonhawk since she left the Temple, and there was that public and official announcement of Moonhawk’s death — and, even after what she’d been through, the long habit of assuming that a public and official announcement from the Temple would contain dependable information must have held weight. But reading in chronological order, and getting to “Moonphase” before this, casts the situation in a different light: No one dares mention to the Inner Circle that Moonhawk still lives… There is also a moment in “Moonphase” where Moonhawk tells Priscilla that she has power of her own, not borrowed from Moonhawk, but Priscilla had quite a bit on her mind at the time and it appears now that bit of information didn’t sink in.

This chapter heading, I am pretty sure, has a typo in it. Tripday 155 was long and incident-packed, but I don’t believe it has a second Second Shift after it had already progressed to Fourth Shift. (I have the Meisha Merlin edition; I wonder if it’s been fixed in the Baen edition.)

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 32

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Trealla Fantrol, Liad
Year Named Trolsh
Third Relumma
Banim Seconday

In which the First Speaker of Korval has business with the First Speaker of Plemia.

Delm Plemia is a contrast to his kinsman. He does show signs of narrow-mindedness (such as judging Shan and Anthora because they don’t fit Liaden ideals of good looks), but he doesn’t dismiss them out of hand because they’re part-Terran, nor take it personally that part-Terran Korval thrives while old established Plemia struggles.

The moment where Nova invites Delm Plemia to precede her through the door (compare the moment a few chapters back where Shan waved Kayzin through the door before him, and their respective reactions to being thus singled out) is one of those bits of Liaden cultural worldbuilding that I wouldn’t have noticed if I were reading this at my usual speed.

I don’t think I’ve remarked before, though I remember it having been mentioned in earlier stories, that the Liaden fashion is for doorknobs in the centre of doors. That seems impractical; a position near the edge improves leverage and simplifies the locking mechanism. Perhaps it is only a fashion in houses high enough that practicality need not be the only concern of the architect.