Tamzin Ashevai

“‘Power is an illusion of perception.’” - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 47 HC “‘Some kinds if power are real – power to control armies, power to Soulcast. These come into play far less often than you would think. On an individual basis, in most interactions, this thing we call power – authority – exists only as it is perceived.’” - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 47 HC ”Control is the basis of all power.” - Jasnah’s words, in Shallan’s memory, p. 147 HC “‘Iriali need no preaching, only experience. As each experience is different, it brings completeness. Eventually, all will be gathered back in - when the Seventh Land is attained - and we will once again become One.’” - Ym to a street urchin, p. 175 HC “‘As One, we knew truth … but as many, we need ignorance. We exist in variety to experience all kinds of thought. That means some of us must know and others must not - just like some must be rich, and others must be poor. … More people did know this, once.’” - Ym to a street urchin, pp. 175-176 HC “‘Justice does not expire.’” - Nalan to Ym, p. 178 HC ”Courage. Passion. Want what you need, embrace it, desire it and bring it to you.” - Rysn, in her mind in response to the charm worn by a guard, p. 187 HC “‘You have to know a predator’s tricks before you can catch him.’” - Talik to Rysn, p. 191 HC ”Progress is learning to control your world.” ... “Progress was taking nature and putting a box around it.” - Eshonai, in her mind, p. 198 HC “‘Stupidity is a function of one’s surroundings … ‘“. - Shallan to Bluth, p. 212 HC “‘You wish any honor were left for you, but know you’ve already given it away.’” - Bluth to Shallan, p. 232 HC “‘Truth is sometimes more surprising than a lie.’” - Shallan to Tyn, p. 311 HC “‘You have to stare the world in the eyes, all all its grimy brutality. You have to acknowledge its depravities. Live with them. It’s the only way to accomplish anything meaningful.’” - Sadeas to Amaram, p. 348 HC “‘… you are rarely cut by a weapon if you are the one holding its hilt.’” - Sadeas to Ialai, p. 353 HC “‘War means desperation, and desperation is our mother’s milk, kid.’” - Tyn to Shallan, p. 386 HC “‘... The lies we tell, the dreams we create, they’re not real. We can’t let them be real.’ … ‘When a good con woman dies, it’s usually because she starts believing her own lies. She finds something good and wants it to continue. She keeps it going, thinking she can juggle it. One day more, she tells herself. One day more, and then … .’” - Tyn to Shallan, p. 387 HC “Just because you learned how to lie didn’t mean you had to let the lie rule you.” - Shallan, in her mind, p. 388 HC “‘Sometimes. we must do things we don’t like, kid. Difficult things.’” - Tyn to Shallan, p. 390 HC “This was the mark of humankind: to take the wild, unorganized world and make something logical of it. You could get so much more done when everything was in its place, when you could easily find what or whom you needed. Creativity required such things. Careful planning was, indeed, the water that nourished innovation.” - Navani, in her mind, p. 412 HC “True wit was controlled wit. It shouldn’t be allowed to run free, any more than an arrow should be loosed in a random direction. - Shallan, in her mind, p. 428 ”Authority is not a real thing. … It is mere vapors - an illusion. I can create that illusion … as can you.” - Jasnah’s words, in Shallan’s memory, p.484 HC “To create art was not to capture it, but to participate in it.” - Shallan, in her mind, p. 554 HC “‘The Almighty save a man when his female relatives collude about his future, … .’” - Adolin to Shallan, p. 568 HC “‘If you want to understand a people, learn their weapons. The way men kill one another says far more about a culture than any scholar’s ethnography.’” - Mraize to Shallan (as Veil), p. 616 HC “Men who glory in the hunt seek grand captures …”. “Trophies. …”. - Shallan (as Veil) to Mraize, p. 627 HC “Better to be overly cautious than naive.” - Shallan, in her mind, p. 632 HC “‘All people are musicians, ...’ ‘The question is whether or not they share their songs. As for music being feminine, it’s interesting that the woman who wrote that treatise - the one you all practically worship in Alethkar - decided that all of the feminine tasks involve sitting around having fiun while all the masculine ones involve finding someone to stick a spear in you. Telling, eh?’” - Wit to Kaladin, p. 638 HC “‘The difference between a successful thief and a dead thief is knowing when to escape with your takings.’” - Huqin to Lift, p. 687 HC “‘That is a joke, … . … Sarcasm is similar. You replace an expected result with one grossly unexpected, and the humor is in the juxtaposition.’” - Pattern to Shallan, p. 735 HC ““‘As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.’”” - Dalinar to Navani (from TWoK), p. 795 HC “‘Unlike a sword, scorn has only the bite you give it.’” - Dalinar to Navani, with regard to Sadeas, p. 795 HC “‘The wisest of men know that to render an insult powerless, you often need only to embrace it.’ … ‘It is an era for tyrants. I doubt this place is ready for anything more, and a benevolent tyrant is preferable to the disaster of weak rule. Perhaps in another place and time, I’d have denounced you with spit and bile. Here, today, I praise you as what this world needs.'” - Wit to Dalinar, p. 797 HC “To be human was often to be forced to choose between distasteful options. Life wasn’t clean and neat like [syl] wanted it to be. It was messy, coated with crem. No man walked through life without getting covered in it, not even Dalinar.” - Kaladin, in his mind, p. 801 HC “‘Whenever your enemy changes established tactics, you need to worry. It could mean they’re getting desperate. Desperation is very, very dangerous.’” - Adolin to Shallan, p. 812 HC “‘… great art is a matter of contrast. Some lights and some darks. The happy, smiling, radiant lady and the dark, brooding, malodorous bridgeman.’ … ‘A great figure painting, ...shows the hero with inherent contrast - strong, yet hinting at vulnerability, so that the viewer can relate to him.’” - Shallan to Kaladin, p. 835 HC “‘Do not take pleasure in suffering, … . … ‘Even when it is a work of our hands.’ … ‘Particularly when it is a work of our hands.’” - Taravangian to Mrall, p. 903 HC “‘’Honor’ is a word applied to the actions of men from the past who have had their lives scrubbed clean by historians.’” - Aladar to Dalinar, p. 927 HC “‘Sometimes good men must die so that the greater goals may be accomplished.’” - Amaram to Kaladin, p. 932 HC “Contradictions. Those were what made people real.” - Shallan, in her mind, p. 946 HC Re: creationspren; “‘They don’t do[/]anything. They flit around and watch, admire. Most spren have a purpose.’” - Pattern to Shallan, p. 946 HC “‘Humans can see the world as it is not. It is why your lies can be so strong. You are able to not admit that they are lies.’” - Pattern to Shallan, p. 946-947 HC “‘Trust a coward … to know the smartest way to stay out of fighting.’” - Sebarial to Roion, p. 961 HC “‘Voidbringers have no pattern. Besides, I have read of them in your lore. They speak of spindly arms like bone, and horrific faces.’” - Pattern to Inadara, p. 982 HC “Do not take pleasure in suffering … . Even when it is a work of our hands. … Particularly when it is a work of our hands.” - Pattern to Inadara, p. 982 HC “‘Insults in particular will be of great use to my people, as they are truths and lies combined in a quite interesting manner.’” … “‘Stormspren … “. “‘They are a variety of Voidspren. It is not good.’” - Pattern to Shallan, p. 982 HC “Killing was a young man’s game, if only because the old men fell first.” - Dalinar, in his mind, p. 1003 HC “‘My father,’” … . “‘He brought the storm, rushing its pace. He’s … broken, Kaladin. He doesn’t think any of this should be happening. He wants to end it all, wash everyone away, and try to hide from the future.’” - Syl to Kaladin, p. 1031 HC “‘Art, … is fundamentally unfair.’” … “‘You see, we pretend that art is eternal, that there is some kind of persistence to it. A Truth, you might say. Art is art because it is art and not because we say that it is art.’” … “‘But if art is eternal and meaningful and independent, why does it depend so damnation much on the audience?’” … “‘Anyway, as this story is a comedy … . Various nonsense follows … .’” … “‘Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed. “‘Conversely, if you gain a reputation for being too good, too skilled … beware. The better art will be in their heads, and if you give them an ounce of less than they imagined, suddenly you have failed. Suddenly you are useless. A man will find a single coin in the mud and talk about it for days, but when his inheritance somes and is accounted one percent less than he expected, then he will declare himself cheated.’” … “‘Give me an audience who have come to be entertained, , but who expect nothing special. To them, I will be a god. That is the best truth I know.;” - Wit to “An audience of ugly lizard-crab-things and songlings … .”, pp.1077-1078 HC

Well, I'm into Insurgent now ( though still at the beginning). For now, I'll give the series the benefit of doubt. I've not read much YA fantasy/scifi beyond that of Brandon's and if I remain interested, I'm going to pursue it. Therefore, I press on!

So many books/series yet to read! (So many read!). . So, Aragorn and Arwen; Vasher and Siri; Katniss and Cinna; Tris and Four ... .

I just finished both Divergent and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by Veronica Roth and N.K. Jemisin, respectively. Typically, I have one book in play on my iPad (while I work out at the gym) and the other in play in either HC or pb (while I lay out in the sun). So, now I'm reading both Insurgent and The Broken Kingdoms.

So, The Lies of Locke Lamora remains my favorite book in The Gentlemen Bastards Series. Neither Red Seas Under Red Skies, nor The Republic of Thieves quite achieve that which author, Scott Lynch, did in the series' debut novel. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful for The Bastards and The Knives (though it's not scheduled to be released until sometime in 2017). Boo! As to Malazan, I haven't yet read it, but it's on my list of "to-read" on Goodreads. Also, ASoIaF remains long overdue for it's next installment. As such, this follows ... http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/. Even so, I'm currently pleased to be subscribed to HBO for the next three months just so I can watch the series. While I've read Philippa Gregory (and continue to do so), I also enjoy Sharon Kay Penman as well. However, I much prefer her actual historical fiction to her historical fantasy (i.e.: her novels based in historic time frames but inclusive of fantastical characters and plots).

While I know well that this film is only the first within those, "Divergent," might I please express my own opinions concerning this series?

My most memorable scene came in Kushiel's Dart when Melisande "escorted" Phedre, "sheathed" in diamonds (and collared) on The Longest Night. (Beautiful!) Despite having read this series long after the following series several times, the next scene came in Dune, when Paul Muad'Dib defeated Feyd-Rautha by stealth and cunning on the battle-floor. Obviously, I enjoy a sensually, gritty heroine and an underestimated, calculating hero. Hmm ... excellent!

Well, love her or hate her, my inspiration was Melisande Shahrizai from Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Legacy. My image was gleaned from Desktop Nexus, which is now (apparently) an app, in addition to the site. Say what you will about my inspiration; I am and am not her.

Born in Ohio, grown in New Hampshire/Vermont on/off the Dartmouth College campus, I moved to California as a young adult and have been living here since. I was a Dead Head, then a member of my own band, Pele Juju, and since (somewhat during) these years, I've been a fine art model, yet always a fan and reader of fantasy and science fiction novels (particularly epic series).

I actually enjoyed the final two novels (written by Brandon - i.e.: Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light ) way more than any other novel in the series by R.J.. Simply, I appreciated Brandon's writing style far more than I did that of R.J.. Why? Because Brandon focuses more on the magic and those who wield it than just what those individuals look like and how they do so. This said, I'm happy to debate the qualities of each author and series.

. I am an April Fool.

I haven't come close to completing the WoR quotes document as yet. Give me the weekend and the site will have it!

Can I just say, wow? As much as I appreciate everyone's assessments and theories, I never would've even remotely thought of this. This is way beyond my scope (obviously). Awesome!

Darn it! I just hit the wrong arrow! I'm positive on Allomancy, neutral on Feruchemy, and negative on Hemalurgy as described by AonarFaileas. Thanks for your great description!

My name on this forum is an alteration of my name on another forum ... and yet another forum ... and yet, still, another forum. With each read of an author's signature epic, my own online forum presence sometimes changes ... though not always. Epic reads are my interest, so I follow those authors who've produced such. Brandon conforms with these authors and, yet, also diverges from them. Why? Because he pursues his own interests for young adult readers even while he writes for the rest of us ... "adults".

Whoa! I recognized when the change occurred and I can only hope that I'll continue to advance as I post relevant content and can achieve a rank well above that which I now hold.

I am Challenge. I'd invest the abused, the downtrodden, the forgotten, the left out, the wanting ... with the senses of self-awareness, self-importance, self-esteem, and self-forgiveness. These investitures are difficult to embrace amongst many within our culture (including myself, for many years). Therefore, my Radiants would be Individuals first and foremost, confident in themselves, and attired in whatever they each chose as definitive of each their Challenge.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is a definite! There's so many other novels/series/epics I could recommend, but this isn't the thread for it. Even so ... "Bastards"! Go for it!

I'm not much of a theorist, but I do believe the Shattered Plains have been re-shattered by both the Everstorm and the unpredicted Highstorm (which I suspect Honor's remnant caused in retaliation). As to what shattered them in the first place ... this Stormform of the Listeners is dangerous. Were they responsible, initially?

Even when she was reported as dead, I knew she'd transported herself ELSEwhere. Interesting that Wit indicated that the spren weren't used to having a living creature amongst them for so long (i.e.: Shadesmar, in my estimation). That she's so trashed in appearance is a curiosity. Just what did she encounter ELSEwhere for so long?

I'll help if I can, but my strength is more in quotations rather than in interpretations. (I'm not much of a theorist.) I just submitted my list of quotes from TWoK for approval. I have far more from WoR to submit and will do so in the coming days. Again, if I can help, I'd like to do so. I'd very much like to redeem myself if I might do so.

Quotes from TWoK “Words aren’t meant to be kept inside, you see. They are free creatures, and if locked away will unsettle the stomach.” - Tozbek to Shallan, p. 63 HC “Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.” - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 87 HC “Bitterness is repaid more often than kindness.” - One of Kaladin’s father’s sayings, p. 98 HC “A scientist must be willing to change her theories if experiment disproves them.” - Shallan’s missive to Jasnah, p. 110 HC “ … the lives of men and women are more than logical puzzles; the context of their experiences is invaluable in making good decisions. My study in logic does not rise to your standards, but even I know that the rationalists have a rule: One cannot apply logic as an absolute where human beings are concerned. We are not beings of thought only.” - Shallan’s missive to Jasnah, pp. 120-121 HC “To discriminate is to maintain prejudice against. To be exclusive. Can a person afford to be exclusive with what they ingest? Whether we speak of food or of thoughts?” - Shallan to the merchant, Artmyrn, p. 136 HC “Sometimes,” Dalinar said, “the prize is not worth the costs. The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.” - Dalinar to Sadeas, p. 227 HC “I point out truths when I see them, Brightlord Sadeas. Each man has his place. Mine is to make insults. Yours is to be in-sluts.” - Wit to Sadeas, p. 229 HC “People are discord,” Syl said. “What does that mean?” “You all act differently and think differently. Nothing else is like that - animals act alike, and all spren are, in a sense, virtually the same individual. There’s harmony in that. But not in you - it seems that no two of you can agree on anything. All the world does as it is supposed to, except for humans. Maybe that’s why you so often want to kill each other.” - Syl to Kaladin, p. 262 HC “Some people take lives. Other people save lives.” - One of Kaladin’s father’s sayings, p. 267 HC “To speak of what might be is forbidden,” the voice said. “To speak of what was depends on perspective.” - “Taffa” to Dalinar, p. 307 HC “ Act with honor, and honor will aid you.” - Dalinar’s vision, p. 308 HC “There are stories,” Kaladin said, “about the times of the Heraldic Epochs, when men were bound by honor. But you’ll always find people telling stories about supposedly better days. You watch. A man joins a new team of soldiers, and the first thing he’ll do is talk about how wonderful his old team was. We remember the good times and the bad ones, forgetting that most times are neither good nor bad. They just are.” - Kaladin to Syl, p. 315 HC “ … some people are frightened of knowledge.’ - Kaladin’s mother to Kaladin, p. 362 HC “The purpose of youth is to experience variety while it is still interesting. … It isn’t until we get older that we should be forced to be boring.” - Navani to Adolin, p. 332 HC “Only after death was there stability. So the ardents taught, at least.” - Kaladin, in retrospective, p. 360 HC “A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.” - Dalinar to Sadeas, p. 377 HC “A merchant who is careless with contracts is one who finds himself with enemies instead of friends.” - Vstim to Thresh, p. 435 HC “There is no greatness in killing,” Szeth said. … “Great men create food and clothing. He who adds is to be revered. I am he who takes away. At least in the killing of men such as these I can pretend to be doing a service. - Szeth to Taravangian?, p. 450 HC “I’m not an expert on confidence, Brightness,” Shallan said … . But I’d like to think that I could recognize it if were before me. I don’t think that’s the right word for books like this one from Maderia. They feel more arrogant than confident to me.” … “To be honest, ‘arrogant’ doesn’t feel like quite the right word. It’s not specific enough.” “And what would be the right word, then?” “I don’t know. ‘Errorgant,’ perhaps.” “It means to be twice as certain as someone who is merely arrogant,” Shallan said, “while possessing only one-tenth the requisite facts.” - Shallan to Jasnah, p. 459 HC “Never apologize for being clever, Shallan. It sets a bad precedent. However, one must apply one’s wit with care. - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 460 HC “ … a woman’s mind is her most precious weapon. It must not be employed clumsily or prematurely. Much like the aforementioned knife to the back, a clever gibe is most effective when it is unanticipated.” - Jasnah to Shallan, p 461 HC “ … isn’t it remarkable that, given the chance for personal gain at the cost of others, so many people choose what is right?” “Because they fear the Almighty.” “No,” Jasnah said. “I think something innate in us understands that seeking the good of society is usually best for the individual as well. Humankind is noble, when we give it the chance to be. That nobility is something that exists independent of any go’s decree. “ … morality and human will are independent of [the Almighty] too.” - Jasnah to Taravangian (& vis-a-vis). p 466-67 HC “When men perceive the world as being right, we are content. But if we see a hole - a deficiency - we scramble to fill it.” - Lirin to Kaladin, p 481 HC . 559 HC “There are worse things to be than a disease,” … . “When you have one, it reminds you that you’re alive. Makes you fight for what you have. When the disease has run its course, normal healthy life seems wonderful by comparison. - Shallan to Kabsal, p 506 HC “History, by definition, cannot be experienced directly. As it is happening, it is the present, and that is philosophy’s realm. - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 529 HC “ … information is worthless unless we use it to make judgments.” Shallan to Jasnah, p. 529 HC “The older we grow,” Jasnah said, “the more we question. We begin to ask why. And yet, we still want the answers to be simple. We assume that the people around us - adults, leaders - will have those answers. Whatever they give often satisfies us.” Jasnah to Shallan, p. 531 HC “ … it seems to me that aging, wisdom, and wondering are synonymous.” “Kill or be killed. That was the Philosophy of Starkness. It exonerated Jasnah. Mortality is separate from the ideals of men. It exists whole somewhere, to be approached, to be approached - but never truly understood - by the mortal. The Philosophy of Ideals. It claimed that removing evil was ultimately moral, and so in destroying evil men, Jasnah was justified. Objective must be weighed against methods. If the goal is worthy, then the steps taken are worthwhile, even it some of them - on their own - are reprehesible. The Philosophy of Aspiriation. It, more than any, called Jasnah’s actions ethical. - Shallan, w/regard to Jasnah, p. 559 HC “Death is the destination. But the journey, that is life. That is what matters.” - Kaladin, in thought w/regard to Syl, p. 610 HC “ … no matter where you go, you will find some who abuse their power.” - Sigzil to Kaladin, p. 652 HC “ … in order to gr - Taravangian to ow proficient at apologizing, you must first make mistakes.” - Shallan to Jasnah, p. 680 HC “ … apology is an art of which we could use a few more masters. Do not use me as a model in this. Pride is often mistakeThe Way of Kingsn for faltlessness.” - Jasnah to Shallan, p. 680 HC “An excuse is what you make after the deed is done, while a justification is what you offer before.” ‘Money is behind every war, … . Religion is but an excuse. Or perhaps a justification.” - Au-nak (an ethnic Natan man) to the ardent, Hatham, p. 753 HC “There’s a difference?” - Hatham, p. 753 HC “Of course,” Au-nak said. “An excuse is what you make after the deed is done, while a justification is what you offer before.” - Au-nak, p. 753 “It is not the destination that matters, but how one arrives there.” - Dalinar, from The Way of Kings, p. 787 HC “A story doesn’t live until it is imagined in someone’s mind. … The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” - Hoid, p. 806 HC “ … all men have the same ultimate destination. Whether we find our end in a hallowed supulcher or a pauper’s ditch, all save the Heralds themselves must dine with the Nightwatcher.” - Dalinar, p. 818 HC “‘And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lives. In the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in yhe method. The Monarch must understand this; he must not becoe so focused on what he wishes to accomplish that he diverts his gaze from the path he must take to arrive there.’” - Dalinar, p. 818 HC “To be human is to want that which we cannot have.” - Dalinar, p. 853 HC “ … weakness can imitate strength if bound properly, just as cowardice can imitate heroism if given nowhere to flee.” - Dalinar to Navani, p. 888 HC “Sometimes,” Taravangian said, “you must tear down a structure to build a new one with stronger walls.” - Taravangian to Szeth, p. 975

Tuhian, I think you've hit the nail on he head, so to speak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle. I read this last summer. It was the gift of a gift of a friend. Thank you!

So, I'm just as swayed by most of the characters in this film as I was by those in The Hunger Games/Catching Fire, and while the Divergent franchise might well be compared to The Hunger Games franchise, I saw Divergent and loved it just as much as I did both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (and look forward to Mockingjay, Part 1 & Part 2, plus Insurgent, and Allegiant, Part 1 & Part 2). Seriously, though, I thought Shailene Woodley was awesome, Theo James was incredible, Ashley Judd was amazing, and the ending was way more than surprising. (I'll say no more.)