Anomander Rake = A no man drake Very cool video, and I enjoyed your thoughts, as always. Your idea about Rake’s demeanor here being a result of him being closer to his draconian transformation is compelling. Thanks, A.P.!
No man is a dragon unto himself - as John Donne didn't say. Thanks for the support, Philip. It is always nice to know that I am not completely out there when discussing these things.
I really appreciate this series of videos. It allows a deeper exploration of the prologue (to state the obvious 😏). I particularly liked your exploration of extermination (cleansing, genocide). While the theme of compassion is often discussed in the context of Erikson’s writing, there is also a very strong commentary on racial and cultural genocide. Erikson holds up a mirror for us to explore the consequences of racism, marginalization, and in the extreme, progroms.
Hi Francois, it is always nice to hear from you. One of the things that I enjoy about the Prologues is that they often give glimpses into some f of the bigger themes, and quite often connect thematically to specific events in either the books themselves or in the history of the world. So they are a lot of fun to take a closer look at.
Appreaciate very much how you develop this idea of Anomander's hybrid status (and by extension all soultaken) and that if this state has been aquired the option of being just one or the other is not available any more. Equally fascinating your thought on some of Anomander's behaviour, especially in relation to power, as almost forms of attonement. Both seem to be themes that the series gives us multiple views on. Great video! Thank you A.P.!
It is interesting and you make solid arguments. Additionally I think we see even more of Rake's talent as a strategist. He has kept himself out of the trouble between Silchas and Scabandari, he seems to have not been involved in the fractioning of Shadow, and he picks an ally who shares his distaste for the struggles in Shadow. Speculating, Shadow is a Realm created by his mother/goddess, and Shadow borders Darkness. Either or both could be reasons for him to act now.
HI Rob, but was Shadow created by Mother Dark? There is a lot of discussion we could have about the nature of warrens and the metaphysical planes, but that would potentially be premature, because we are still waiting on Walk in Shadow.
Oh no we're already ¾ through the prologue analysis for reaper's gale, that went fast ! Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to get onto Toll the hound's 🤞🏻😁
Rake is also alot closer to MD's turning away and might be a little more 'pouty' at this time. But I can see how he might still be coming to grips with what being a soletaken is both for him and how others react to him. Could make a couple more comments but might be spoilery. But the bat exercise seems interesting. And why SE gave up on attempting to have Rake's POV. But it does remind me if the dance between exegesis and eisegesis during literary analysis. For random comments - does Kilmandaros like anybody and is there anybody who doesn't think Osserc is an idiot?
Hi Eric, that is a great point about exegesis and eisegesis. If you recall I did a video on 'Reader Response theory' as a way of explaining text centric and reader centric approaches to analysis, and that is exactly what you highlight here, the tension between exegesis and eisegesis. I am really looking forward to Walk in Shadow because I think more of this draconic element will be explored in that.
Hi Richard. Thanks for watching. It is great seeing names I recognise from when I started doing these videos. It has been quite a journey this past while.
I don't even know how to express how much I love your videos. This analysis is so crisp and soothing, it it extremely pleasant to listen to you. I think the balance of thorough analysis and emotion in your videos is perfect. I've missed Malaztube! I have a lot of videos to catch up with, and this one was the perfect start for it. Thank you, A.P., again and again! P.S.1 - where did the GotM Sub Press edition go? :) P.S.2 - I've noticed your hand is injured - get well soon!
Thanks Rox, great to see you back in the comments section. I hope that all is well. The Sub Press will no doubt make a return at some point, but I had to give the other books a chance in the limelight.
@@ACriticalDragon Thanks, A.P., it's good to be back! :) All is well here, thank you, and I hope it's the same with you! As for the Sub Press - ok, I understand, other books deserve their moments of glory too :)
What. What what what. AP does a video about Mandy Pu. This character development can not only be seen with Rake. If we compare Silchas from Kharkanas with him in the MT prologue, and then RG, there is quite a difference, too. He himself admits that he never mastered his draconic nature. On the one hand, this is due to his different personality compared to Rake, but maybe also because there is less distance between him in the Mbotf and him turning into a dragon. By distance I mean the lack of experiences Rake was able to make, while Silchas was in the Azath, with no interactions, and also, as has been hinted, relying on his draconic nature to stay still for a looooong time and not go crazy. So the draconic coldness is stil fully there in RG, whereas in Tcg we see that the old Silchas from FoD is still there as well. To me it's always been apparent what a drastical change in personality the dragon rituals must have meant. Rake in FoD does not appear like somebody who would commit a massacre, he even outright struggles with the responsibility of making the decision over many people's lives. But then it's been hinted that he and Silchas already killed many people in Kharkanas, possibly also playing a role in Mother Dark's turning away (which is of course countered by his deeds in TtH). It seems like Rake was able to reconcile with his old nature while still keeping that potential for cold destruction, as is evident with the wizards of Pale, and him possibly having obliterated Tayschrenn if they had not fled. I always loved how the Soletaken don't just turn into dragons, they actually *become* dragons. It's an interesting thought that Rake would want to do something good to counterbalance the bad things he did in his youth and it makes total sense to me. I firmly believe he only became a soletaken in the hope of making peace and helping his people. FoD Anomander would probably be horrified at what he does later. I believe he might see the burden of Dragnipur as his just punishment, consciously feeling the weight of each soul every single second of his existence. Grizzin Farl was right to call him a flagellant, ut in the end that's what enables him to fulfill the destiny of Dragnipur. Whoopsy. Wasn't planning to write a textwall. Can't contain myself where Rake is concerned 😂
Counsellor, always great to hear from you. I think that Walk in Shadow is going to give us even more about the nature of the Draconic elements, and I am really looking forward to it. Never fear about the text walls, great comments and discussion are what I enjoy the most, so thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out.
Im reading Reaper’s Gale now, enjoying it very much. This book even has Batman-type character, which is pretty cool. Normally I wouldn’t be as interested in new characters / places so deep into a series, but for whatever reason I find all the goings on in Lether and it’s surroundings very interesting. wanted to wait until I was in the middle of the book to listen to your breakdown of the prologue, helps keep the prologue fresh in my mind as I progress as they always seem to bear heavily on the plot by the end of the book As usual, excellent video
@@ACriticalDragon finished Reaper’s Gale today. I thought it was amazing, felt like the close of a ‘chapter’ in the overall story, or at least closed out most of the Lether storylines.
Anomander Rake = A no man drake
Very cool video, and I enjoyed your thoughts, as always. Your idea about Rake’s demeanor here being a result of him being closer to his draconian transformation is compelling. Thanks, A.P.!
No man is a dragon unto himself - as John Donne didn't say.
Thanks for the support, Philip. It is always nice to know that I am not completely out there when discussing these things.
Calling Kilmandaros 'a little bit violent' is a bit of an understatement. :D
Well compared to... nope.. you are right... understatement.
I really appreciate this series of videos. It allows a deeper exploration of the prologue (to state the obvious 😏). I particularly liked your exploration of extermination (cleansing, genocide). While the theme of compassion is often discussed in the context of Erikson’s writing, there is also a very strong commentary on racial and cultural genocide. Erikson holds up a mirror for us to explore the consequences of racism, marginalization, and in the extreme, progroms.
Hi Francois, it is always nice to hear from you. One of the things that I enjoy about the Prologues is that they often give glimpses into some f of the bigger themes, and quite often connect thematically to specific events in either the books themselves or in the history of the world. So they are a lot of fun to take a closer look at.
Sometimes it's as if Anomander is almost human, so we need this kind of scenes to show us that he really isn't.
Enjoyed this video, thanks!
Thanks FP, I really enjoy doing these, so I am always glad to hear that people enjoy watching them.
Great video as always
Thanks Hans Peter, I appreciate the support. I am very glad that you enjoyed the video.
Appreaciate very much how you develop this idea of Anomander's hybrid status (and by extension all soultaken) and that if this state has been aquired the option of being just one or the other is not available any more. Equally fascinating your thought on some of Anomander's behaviour, especially in relation to power, as almost forms of attonement. Both seem to be themes that the series gives us multiple views on.
Great video! Thank you A.P.!
Always a pleasure. I am glad that you enjoyed the discussion.
It is interesting and you make solid arguments.
Additionally I think we see even more of Rake's talent as a strategist. He has kept himself out of the trouble between Silchas and Scabandari, he seems to have not been involved in the fractioning of Shadow, and he picks an ally who shares his distaste for the struggles in Shadow.
Speculating, Shadow is a Realm created by his mother/goddess, and Shadow borders Darkness. Either or both could be reasons for him to act now.
HI Rob, but was Shadow created by Mother Dark? There is a lot of discussion we could have about the nature of warrens and the metaphysical planes, but that would potentially be premature, because we are still waiting on Walk in Shadow.
@@ACriticalDragon
Created is probably too strong a word - but at the very least adopted by her marriage to Father Light?
Saw you on Johanna's video and was impressed. Wanted to stop by, sub and start watching!
Thanks Brandon. Great to have you here. I hope that you enjoy the videos.
Oh no we're already ¾ through the prologue analysis for reaper's gale, that went fast !
Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to get onto Toll the hound's 🤞🏻😁
Hi Dean, Toll the Hounds will be coming soon enough, I promise.
Rake is also alot closer to MD's turning away and might be a little more 'pouty' at this time. But I can see how he might still be coming to grips with what being a soletaken is both for him and how others react to him. Could make a couple more comments but might be spoilery.
But the bat exercise seems interesting. And why SE gave up on attempting to have Rake's POV. But it does remind me if the dance between exegesis and eisegesis during literary analysis.
For random comments - does Kilmandaros like anybody and is there anybody who doesn't think Osserc is an idiot?
Hi Eric, that is a great point about exegesis and eisegesis. If you recall I did a video on 'Reader Response theory' as a way of explaining text centric and reader centric approaches to analysis, and that is exactly what you highlight here, the tension between exegesis and eisegesis.
I am really looking forward to Walk in Shadow because I think more of this draconic element will be explored in that.
Good breakdown as always.
Hi Richard. Thanks for watching. It is great seeing names I recognise from when I started doing these videos. It has been quite a journey this past while.
I don't even know how to express how much I love your videos. This analysis is so crisp and soothing, it it extremely pleasant to listen to you. I think the balance of thorough analysis and emotion in your videos is perfect. I've missed Malaztube! I have a lot of videos to catch up with, and this one was the perfect start for it.
Thank you, A.P., again and again!
P.S.1 - where did the GotM Sub Press edition go? :)
P.S.2 - I've noticed your hand is injured - get well soon!
Thanks Rox, great to see you back in the comments section. I hope that all is well.
The Sub Press will no doubt make a return at some point, but I had to give the other books a chance in the limelight.
@@ACriticalDragon Thanks, A.P., it's good to be back! :) All is well here, thank you, and I hope it's the same with you!
As for the Sub Press - ok, I understand, other books deserve their moments of glory too :)
What. What what what. AP does a video about Mandy Pu.
This character development can not only be seen with Rake. If we compare Silchas from Kharkanas with him in the MT prologue, and then RG, there is quite a difference, too. He himself admits that he never mastered his draconic nature. On the one hand, this is due to his different personality compared to Rake, but maybe also because there is less distance between him in the Mbotf and him turning into a dragon. By distance I mean the lack of experiences Rake was able to make, while Silchas was in the Azath, with no interactions, and also, as has been hinted, relying on his draconic nature to stay still for a looooong time and not go crazy. So the draconic coldness is stil fully there in RG, whereas in Tcg we see that the old Silchas from FoD is still there as well. To me it's always been apparent what a drastical change in personality the dragon rituals must have meant. Rake in FoD does not appear like somebody who would commit a massacre, he even outright struggles with the responsibility of making the decision over many people's lives. But then it's been hinted that he and Silchas already killed many people in Kharkanas, possibly also playing a role in Mother Dark's turning away (which is of course countered by his deeds in TtH). It seems like Rake was able to reconcile with his old nature while still keeping that potential for cold destruction, as is evident with the wizards of Pale, and him possibly having obliterated Tayschrenn if they had not fled. I always loved how the Soletaken don't just turn into dragons, they actually *become* dragons. It's an interesting thought that Rake would want to do something good to counterbalance the bad things he did in his youth and it makes total sense to me. I firmly believe he only became a soletaken in the hope of making peace and helping his people. FoD Anomander would probably be horrified at what he does later. I believe he might see the burden of Dragnipur as his just punishment, consciously feeling the weight of each soul every single second of his existence. Grizzin Farl was right to call him a flagellant, ut in the end that's what enables him to fulfill the destiny of Dragnipur.
Whoopsy. Wasn't planning to write a textwall. Can't contain myself where Rake is concerned 😂
The current episode of Doom Patrol has the Sisterhood of Dada triggering a worldwide Eternal Flagellation event. Rake would fit right in.
Counsellor, always great to hear from you. I think that Walk in Shadow is going to give us even more about the nature of the Draconic elements, and I am really looking forward to it.
Never fear about the text walls, great comments and discussion are what I enjoy the most, so thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out.
Im reading Reaper’s Gale now, enjoying it very much. This book even has Batman-type character, which is pretty cool. Normally I wouldn’t be as interested in new characters / places so deep into a series, but for whatever reason I find all the goings on in Lether and it’s surroundings very interesting.
wanted to wait until I was in the middle of the book to listen to your breakdown of the prologue, helps keep the prologue fresh in my mind as I progress as they always seem to bear heavily on the plot by the end of the book
As usual, excellent video
Thank you very much. I hope that you let me know what you thought of the book once you finish.
@@ACriticalDragon finished Reaper’s Gale today. I thought it was amazing, felt like the close of a ‘chapter’ in the overall story, or at least closed out most of the Lether storylines.
@paulharvey5505 It certainly fixes the last of the foundations in place.
Great to hear that you enjoyed it.