Part 2: Chapter 10 to Chapter 20

[JMack]

This is the thread for part 2. We'll begin officially in June, but you can join in whenever you wish.

[JMack]

Just finished Chapter 20 and this has shaped up to be a really strong book. Zhou and Huang have become much more interesting; their joint experiences - viewed from their own perspectives - harrowing.

Even after 20 chapters, I have truly no idea where this is going, but am happy to be on the journey.
Love that.

[SJBudd]

Just got to chapter 13, getting really good!

[JRTroughton]

Just got to chapter 13, getting really good!

Same.

Didn't predict the events but clocked them very quickly when Zhou was up and wandering around, hungover and unsure what had happened. Very good couple of chapters.

[m3mnoch]

Just got to chapter 13, getting really good!

Same.

Didn't predict the events but clocked them very quickly when Zhou was up and wandering around, hungover and unsure what had happened. Very good couple of chapters.

i'm only on chapter 4!  so not doing a good job avoiding this thread.

[JRTroughton]

Almost at chapter 20 now.

17 (?) was a brilliant chapter. Absolutely the sort of imagery I adore. May have the chapter number wrong, but it is...

Spoiler for Hiden:

The attack on the city with all the magical defences going off. Golems in particular made me <3

Much preferring Zhou's chapters now, after a slower start.

[G_R_Matthews]

Almost at chapter 20 now.

17 (?) was a brilliant chapter. Absolutely the sort of imagery I adore. May have the chapter number wrong, but it is...

Spoiler for Hiden:

The attack on the city with all the magical defences going off. Golems in particular made me <3

Much preferring Zhou's chapters now, after a slower start.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I've never understood why, in Fantasy sieges, more magic wasn't used. I mean, if you had access to lots of magic; magic that could stored in words and symbols until needed, wouldn't you make sure your city (home) was safe? And surely it would change the whole nature of a siege, of a battle? So I went for it.

[Justan Henner]

Yeah, I'm liking Zhou a lot more at this point. I think I'm at about 19? The first few chapters were very jumpy for me, but I'm liking these a lot more. I feel like the start just had a lot to get across in a short time. Now, there's just a lot more characterization to root myself to.

Spoiler for Hiden:

When Huang killed the woman whose children had been hanged, I was shocked. The moral dilemmas for him are getting good.

[SJBudd]

Just got to chapter 13, getting really good!

Same.

Didn't predict the events but clocked them very quickly when Zhou was up and wandering around, hungover and unsure what had happened. Very good couple of chapters.

i'm only on chapter 4!  so not doing a good job avoiding this thread.

Get out of this thread dude  !

SO I just got to chapter 20 and oh my days! Didn't see all that happening so quickly! Poor Zhou waking up with a terrible hangover only to realise it would be the least of his problems that day.

Felt so sorry for him with the you-know-what- bit didn't expect the city to fall so quickly! I think it was @Jmack who said the cows were possibly a trojan horse, good guess!

Glad to see Hsin has finally got his comeuppance.

Sounds weird but I quite like both characters Haung and Zhou even though they're on opposing sides. I thought the scene which @JustinHenner mentioned of Haung mercy killing the mother was oddly touching? May-be just me 

I like how Zhou has suddenly gone bad ass, before he seemed like a bit of a wet drip but now he's stepped up a gear.

I literally have no idea what is going to happen next, it's mental!

Am really enjoying it so far, was quite hard to stop at chapter twenty but didn't want to get too far ahead.

[eclipse]

Kindle loc 1246

bits a little time to get used to it bids I would have gone for

Loc 1511

Zhou wakes up with hangover creeping in silently and going about his business  without waking Zhou so Zhou woken up and keeps quiet so not to wake himself? Should it be someone else?

[Lady Ty]

Kindle loc 1246

bits a little time to get used to it bids I would have gone for

Loc 1511

Zhou wakes up with hangover creeping in silently and going about his business  without waking Zhou so Zhou woken up and keeps quiet so not to wake himself? Should it be someone else?

Forgive intrusion, top of my recent posts. Think ' bides' is what you need. Bides a little time, ie waits a little time?

[eclipse]

Yeah bits seemed wrong to me

As for story I'm enjoying it but your pacing is going too fast for me I would love to have more time with the secondary characters like the corporal who showed kindness to Zhou over the horse or Wang. I would have liked to seen more background on Jiao and Haung romance beforehand. We don't get to know this characters personalities before we move onto the next stage of the story.

Which is weird as I hate slow paced stories looks at GGK  I need something in-between

[G_R_Matthews]

Yeah bits seemed wrong to me

I aim for perfection, but trip over the roller-skate of idiocy too often.

As for story I'm enjoying it but your pacing is going too fast for me I would love to have more time with the secondary characters like the corporal who showed kindness to Zhou over the horse or Wang. I would have liked to seen more background on Jiao and Haung romance beforehand. We don't get to know this characters personalities before we move onto the next stage of the story.

Yeah, I can understand that completely. Luckily the next book is a little slower with more focus on the characters. Some of it, the pace, was having to keep both timelines erm... in line with other, part me wanting to tell the story, and part still learning the craft. Jiao and Haung's romance annoyed one reader because it was too overt, the same with Zhou and his wife - everything should have been more subtle, and the word 'love' never used - it shouldn't be in Chinese culture, she said (she was Chinese-American or American-Chinese... whichever way is correct). 

Which is weird as I hate slow paced stories looks at GGK  I need something in-between

I hate slow paced stories too... though I am reading The Grace of Kings atm and enjoying it despite the fact that when it introduces a new character,  the next three chapters are his/her backstory.

[G_R_Matthews]

Kindle loc 1246

bits a little time to get used to it bids I would have gone for

Context for that:
“Don’t sit down, Sir,” one of the soldiers near the fire said, “Best bet is to keep moving, get the blood flowing again to parts that haven’t seen it in a while.”
Zhou winced again, “You sure?”
“Oh, aye, Sir. If you ain’t been on a horse for a while it can take your body and... um... bits a little time to get used to it. If you sit down, everything will just lock up and when you go to move its gonna hurt a hell of a lot more than seven lashes. Well, either that or you won’t be able to move at all.”

'bits' refers to testicles in this instance... or at least that's what I was aiming for. A soldier talking to his 'boss' without appearing crude or giving offence.

Loc 1511

Zhou wakes up with hangover creeping in silently and going about his business  without waking Zhou so Zhou woken up and keeps quiet so not to wake himself? Should it be someone else?

Can't find this bit at 1511... I'll keep looking!

[Justan Henner]

Can't find this bit at 1511... I'll keep looking!

Hopefully not referring to testicle, singular.