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Shadows For Silence - Reactions


Windrunner

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  • 6 months later...

Finally got my hands on a copy :D

Ok so firstly. Wow. That was kind of dark for Brandon, but I love it to pieces anyway. Actually gasped out loud and went back to reread the lines when Silence discovers the iron bolt and that was a seriously neat bit of foreshadowing there!

I kind of expected the story to end when they killed the people in the woods, was really happy that it kept going but OMG I did not expect t to get so far as insane shades and permanent injury. I mean, I should, because storytelling makes stuff horrible for characters before it gets better but I certainly didn't expect it to that extent!

I love the concept of the innkeeper bounty hunter :).

On the one hand id love to learn more about the world, on the other hand I got a strong impression that it's a dying world and a further stories would be increasingly depressing, or id expect it to go Mistborn and

completely change and be reborn from the ashes.

which is a story element already uses so....

If I have any complaint, it's that everything seemed so neat. There was practically nothing and no one that wasn't directly involved in the plot. I guess that speaks to the short story form, and maybe the size of the world. Ie adopted kids family just happened to be killed by the particular bounty hunter who walks in. And Red (if I'm getting the name right?) was hired by the tax collector and not like someone who want to kill Silence for some other reason.

-with the exception of the characters framing the story. Gosh that's fantastic and I'm not even sure why.

And the silver pantry/grandmothers shade business was a little confusing. But really this is nitpicking.

Fantastic, solid, all round great short story. :)

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I checked the anthology out from the library a couple of weeks ago, but just finally got around to reading Shadows for Silence.  I enjoyed the story, though it didn't suck me in like his longer works do (though that could just be a function of the length).  Does Daggon remind anyone else of Galladon?  His speech patterns, and particularly his use of the word "friend" feel familiar...  

 

Also, when I read Silence's lullaby, my brain immediately provided a tune, so I recorded myself singing it.  The gallery section for "audio art" doesn't actually let us upload audio files, so I can't put it here directly, but you can find it on tumblr here if you want to hear it :-)

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  • 2 weeks later...

So I have finaly read Shadows for Silence, Dangerous Women was on sale at the local SF/Fantasy bookstore.

Here's what I thought:

The format, however neat it might be for this kind of story, just didn't work for me. There was hardly any time to get invested in the characters, and I felt like everyone else was painted up as darkly as possible just to get us to root for Silence, whom I honestly can say I didn't care much for.

The names didn't feel like they belonged in the same world. If we get anything more from the same world that explains it that's ok, but as is I don't feel very content with it.

It didn't really feel Cosmere to me, and unless we get more stories taking place here or worldhoppers from/in SoSitFoH I'm going to remain quite confused as to why Brandon felt the need to place it in there.

In short, this wasn't exactly my favourite story by Brandon. But I guess he has spoiled us :)

Edit: correcting spelling.

Edited by Eilemelie
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I thought this was an entertaining quick read. As someone mentioned earlier I like the idea of an Inn Keeper being a secret bounty hunter. Also as mentioned this was very dark compared to anything else I've read from Brandon.

I'll be interested to see if we ever learn anything else about this seemingly minor world. From what I gathered the story takes place in a very small part of this world so there is bound to be more. I just kinda had the feeling that this was tied in to the cosmere simple for marketing reasons as much as I hate to say that. Hopefully we learn more because I kind of liked that there was not the typical "good guy" in this story. I really wouldn't call Silence a "good guy" she is killing bad people but it's purely for monetary reasons unlike the typical moral reasons we usually see. This world (at least the small slice we see) seems pretty dammed.

One small thing I wonder if anyone else thought. This is a stretch but I couldn't help notice the similarities between what happens when the shade touches you and what happens when you are cut by a shard blade. Silence mentions that William's flesh will turn gray eventually. Hmm..

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I thought this was an entertaining quick read. As someone mentioned earlier I like the idea of an Inn Keeper being a secret bounty hunter. Also as mentioned this was very dark compared to anything else I've read from Brandon.

I'll be interested to see if we ever learn anything else about this seemingly minor world. From what I gathered the story takes place in a very small part of this world so there is bound to be more. I just kinda had the feeling that this was tied in to the cosmere simple for marketing reasons as much as I hate to say that. Hopefully we learn more because I kind of liked that there was not the typical "good guy" in this story. I really wouldn't call Silence a "good guy" she is killing bad people but it's purely for monetary reasons unlike the typical moral reasons we usually see. This world (at least the small slice we see) seems pretty dammed.

One small thing I wonder if anyone else thought. This is a stretch but I couldn't help notice the similarities between what happens when the shade touches you and what happens when you are cut by a shard blade. Silence mentions that William's flesh will turn gray eventually. Hmm..

 

I thought something very similar to that, StormingTexan.  I was initially wondering if Threnody might actually be the Tranquiline Halls, but alas, it's not in the Greater Roshar system.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I thought it was great! Especially the cover art. It was disappointing that Brandon didn't include Hoid in the book but ah well..

It made me wonder though that how Silence's grandmother remained sentinent enough to not hurt her? Also she has retained her former looks as well such as the hair and the clothes. It made me think that with enough willpower, you can retain a bit of your self even if you become a shade.

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  • 2 months later...

Maybe Threnody has Splinters of Dominion? Breaking the Simple Rules bring shade "law enforcement"? Kind of "Obey my rules or else"? I know Threnody has no Shard, but perhaps a Dominion-Splinter landed here, long ago. Not enough for a magic system to develop, but just enough for the shades to exist, and for the formation of the Simple Rules?

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I try to stay away from looking at any aspect of a system of Investiture and trying to deduce what the Shard might be.

 

Mistborn spoilers.

 

If you hadn't known already, could anyone look at Allomancy and think, "Boy, that sure sounds like Preservation!"? The apparent justification is, since the power is coming from Preservation, it "preserves" the allomancer since they're not spending any effort of their own. Not something you'd think of just by looking at this magic power used primarily to kill people.

 

Looked at another way, since Coinshots give clips to people at violent speeds, you could just as easily claim it's probably the magic of Endowment.

 

I believe there's WoB support for this, which I will seek to find when I have time, that the process is this: Shard arrives at planet. Shard Invests in planet. System of arcana arises naturally as a result of this interaction. Shard has a good deal of control over this new arcana, but did not design it and does not have total control.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Note 1: The world seems to be closely related to Scadrial. Blood and metal are very important.

 

Note 2: They specifically call the old world "the Homeland". Remind you of any certain kandra?

 

Note 3: An "Evil" attacked the homeland, very similiar to how the Deepness ravaged the kingdoms of Scadrial.

 

Note 4: Gunpowder had attention brought to it. Before the defeat of the deepness, gunpowder was just being developed.

 

Note 5: Threnody has the same Skybelt as Scadrial does

 

Grand Assumption: "Threnody" is a southern continent on Scadrial.

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Note 1: The world seems to be closely related to Scadrial. Blood and metal are very important.

Note 2: They specifically call the old world "the Homeland". Remind you of any certain kandra?

Note 3: An "Evil" attacked the homeland, very similiar to how the Deepness ravaged the kingdoms of Scadrial.

Note 4: Gunpowder had attention brought to it. Before the defeat of the deepness, gunpowder was just being developed.

Note 5: Threnody has the same Skybelt as Scadrial does

Grand Assumption: "Threnody" is a southern continent on Scadrial.

Number 5 actually proves that it CAN'T BE the southern continent of Scadrial, as the people on the southern continent would have a very different starfield from the northern continent.

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Number 5 actually proves that it CAN'T BE the southern continent of Scadrial, as the people on the southern continent would have a very different starfield from the northern continent.

 

As a point of order here, that's likely not true. Unless you're standing on strictly opposite sides of the planet, there will always be some shared stars in the sky. For temperate regions on each side of the equator, that number is actually fairly large.

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As a point of order here, that's likely not true. Unless you're standing on strictly opposite sides of the planet, there will always be some shared stars in the sky. For temperate regions on each side of the equator, that number is actually fairly large.

Luthadel is far enough north that significant snowfall was not unusual during TLR's reign, and Vin comments that a snowless winter is rare and depressing. This would likely put it above a latitude of north 45 degrees, possibly as high as 60 (though at 60 I suspect the short-long days would have been commented on). The southern pole is (roughly) opposite the northern pole, so 40-50 south latitude. So their horizons share some starfield but anyone "looking up" sees nothing shared.

Additionally, the fact that Silence views the Starbelt as an "always there" type of feature is significant. For that to be the case it has to be a feature that isn't in line with the equator, and the more polar the feature is the more constantly it is visable (like the "North Star" here on Earth)

So unless the "Northern" and "Southern" continents are very close to the equator, both civilizations can't see the Starfield

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I have three questions, if you wouldn't mind. I'm trying to avoid the obvious RAFO's xD

 

1. Threnody and Scadrial are both noted as having unusally bright patches of stars in their skies. Are these two planets near to one another?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions, Brandon. I know you've always got family stuff, and writing, and all the other host of things that fill up a life to do, so it means a lot that you take the time to interact with us fans. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.

 

Brandon Sanderson (Reddit)

1. They are both seeing the same thing, yes.

 

kabili207 (Reddit)

Regarding #1, does this mean that Threnody and Scadrial are part of the same system, or are these bright patches visible from other worlds as well?

Brandon Sanderson (Reddit)

Visible from other worlds as well. The cosmere is a relatively small place (on a galactic scale, that is.) We'll publish the star map when that becomes relevant in a decade or so.

 

 

Emphasis mine (and edited to remove the other questions for irrelevancy) Also note that Brandon didn't flat out say that Threnody and Scadrial aren't in the same system (I know it isn't a good reason, but it is interesting.)

 

It is possible this patch could be related to

Minor Stormlight Archive spoilers  

Taln's Scar as often seen from Roshar (in fact it may have been confirmed although i'm not sure. Can anyone vouch a WoB for this?

 

Edited by ParadoxSpren
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I don't think the "Skybelt" is really a constellation, but rather the disk of the Cosmere Galaxy. You can see the same thing on earth.

 

As long as you are able to see the stars, you will see the disk make its way across the sky during every 24-hour rotations. As the sun sets, the disk rises and as the disk sets, the sun rises. Unless your orbit isn't flat, that is.

Edited by martyrboy
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  • 1 month later...

I liked it quite a bit, too.  Silence is gruffer and somehow more genuine than cookie-cutter femme fatale #27b (Who incidentally made at least 5 appearances in various guises over the course of the Dangerous Women anthology), for all her lies and murders.  The shades sell a visceral sense of the danger that Silence deals with on a nightly basis and I can honestly say that I dismissed the foreshadowing of the twist until it was sprung on us.  It was rather refreshing.  

 

Those rumors in the beginning, though, led me to believe "No, Silence is too smart to trap a shade inside her otherwise inviolate sanctuary."  :lol:

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I liked it quite a bit, too.  Silence is gruffer and somehow more genuine than cookie-cutter femme fatale #27b (Who incidentally made at least 5 appearances in various guises over the course of the Dangerous Women anthology), for all her lies and murders.  The shades sell a visceral sense of the danger that Silence deals with on a nightly basis and I can honestly say that I dismissed the foreshadowing of the twist until it was sprung on us.  It was rather refreshing.  

 

Those rumors in the beginning, though, led me to believe "No, Silence is too smart to trap a shade inside her otherwise inviolate sanctuary."  :lol:

Well, she did that because she knows of the "strangeness of that thing"

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  • 9 months later...
On 05/04/2015 at 1:22 PM, Blue blood said:

I thought it was great! Especially the cover art. It was disappointing that Brandon didn't include Hoid in the book but ah well..

It made me wonder though that how Silence's grandmother remained sentinent enough to not hurt her? Also she has retained her former looks as well such as the hair and the clothes. It made me think that with enough willpower, you can retain a bit of your self even if you become a shade.

OR it has something to do with the fact that the shade was imprisioned on a shrine to the mysterious "God Beyond". The name God Beyond struck a note with Mistborn: Secret History where Beyond is where the souls go when they die and.... uh... go away? There´s got to be a connection.

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10 minutes ago, red032 said:

OR it has something to do with the fact that the shade was imprisioned on a shrine to the mysterious "God Beyond". The name God Beyond struck a note with Mistborn: Secret History where Beyond is where the souls go when they die and.... uh... go away? There´s got to be a connection.

Hoid may be mentioned in the book, but we can't be sure if he is the source of White Fox's legends

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On 25/07/2015 at 3:17 PM, martyrboy said:

Note 1: The world seems to be closely related to Scadrial. Blood and metal are very important.

 

Note 2: They specifically call the old world "the Homeland". Remind you of any certain kandra?

 

Note 3: An "Evil" attacked the homeland, very similiar to how the Deepness ravaged the kingdoms of Scadrial.

 

Note 4: Gunpowder had attention brought to it. Before the defeat of the deepness, gunpowder was just being developed.

 

Note 5: Threnody has the same Skybelt as Scadrial does

 

Grand Assumption: "Threnody" is a southern continent on Scadrial.

1-4 Ok! Makes a lot o sense Threnody havinga  connection to Scadrial. 
But.... the grand assumption, does not make sense, as we read on The Bands of Mourning, the inhabitants of the southern continent of Scadrial uses medalions and cover their faces with masks. 

 

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For old school RPG players, the setting reminded me a lot of Ravenloft. A little bit more mists and we would have a domain in the demiplane of dread!
We could have Brandon an a cape screaming I am the land! I am Cosmere! for the sake of references. 

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