Bechimo
Sync Shift
In which some things are opened that had been carefully sealed.
I don’t think I said this when it came up earlier: I like that Theo’s friends don’t all like each other just because all they like Theo. And that, on the other hand, it’s not held against them that they don’t; that’s just the way it goes, sometimes.
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Bechimo
Minot Station
In which Win Ton considers the future.
I wonder at the passing mention of “a local intrigue having to do with a weather prediction”. Again, it might be just a detail thrown in to add richness to the scene, but I find that I wouldn’t mind learning what that was about.
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Bechimo
Aubernet System
In which Bechimo arrives in a new place.
Lots of technical details in this chapter, which is impresive but not the kind of thing I personally find most entertaining to read or talk about.
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Bechimo
Conference Circle
In which secrets are discussed.
I suspect we’ll be hearing about that other ship again some time. I did wonder if it might be the Uncle’s ship — it would be nicely ironic if Theo and her father were so close to each other without knowing it — but Bechimo would have recognised it, having seen it at close quarters in the past.
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Bechimo
Pathfinders’ Temporary Base
In which there’s more than one way to get an education.
If the occasion from which Hevelin is recalling Clarence’s voice occurred in one of the previous novels, I have failed to find it in a text search. No reason it couldn’t have happened off-page, of course.
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Bechimo
Among the Sweet Growing Things
In which a situation develops in the hydroponics bay.
I like the description of Kara tending to the plants: three paragraphs on the value of talking to plants, with, as an afterthought, one sentence acknowledging a possible more hard-headed take on the subject.
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Bechimo
In which the pathfinders seek context.
I have a feeling Clarence’s tale-spinning may be intending to convey information beyond the obvious, and perhaps a warning about the inadvisability of getting on the wrong side of Theo and her crew. In which case I don’t think the warning has been heard, or perhaps it’s been heard but laid aside as insignificant in the face of necessity.
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Bechimo
Exercise Room
In which Theo exercises her body and her mind.
I’ve had something of a track record on this blog, with the novels where I’m reading for the first time instead of re-reading, of noting something in an entry and then finding the very next chapter either pushing it further than I expected or completely contradicting it. I don’t think this is actually a problem; I think it’s a sign that the authors are pacing the story properly and layering in the foreshadowing well, so that the reader starts thinking about things just as they are about to become important.
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Arak ek zenorth
En route
In which there is breakfast.
I wonder if Vepal renamed the ship when he acquired it, and if so what “arak ek zenorth” means. I suspect we’ll find out at the dramatically appropriate moment.
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Bechimo
In which the ambassador greets Grakow and his attendants.
Between Hevelin petitioning for Tree Junior to be included in crew meetings, and the seed pod it gave Theo a little while back, I’m beginning to suspect that when they do eventually hand over Spiral Dance to Korval, Tree Junior is not planning to go with. That makes sense, come to think of it; unlike its parent, who’s had centuries to get used to being in one place, this tree still has fresh memories of travelling around having adventures with Jela and Cantra, and might want to stick with Theo and have more adventures.
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