originally posted by motley
Did anyone else have this experience?
The first time I read SF, I took time to savour it, read it in bits, digested it, read some more, tried to stave off consuming it, and managed to stretch it out to three weeks.
But it still felt like the whole book passed in a blur of 'oooh… wow… wheeee… NO! Yes!Yes! What? No way. Uhmm… Cooooool. Waaah! Yay! Waaah! Whoo hooo! (repeat x 10)— What…?' (the latter as in, '…the *&#$ing glossary?!') And if you'd asked me exactly what went on I would have answered:
"Ummmm…"
The SECOND time I read it, suddenly the details came into focus. I could track the progress, it didn't blur, but flowed in beautiful little cameos and nuances. I followed the plot details, and I still had all the emotional rushes, but this time with facts to shape it into clear story.
This time I read it in a 24 hour period.
I was attracted the first time I met SF, but it was a blurred encounter. The second time blew my socks off and now I'm deeply in love, in fact, SF now OVERTAKES PG as my favourite. The birds sing sweeter and the trees are green as emeralds… I think I'll even consider taking SF to bed tonight… 
originally posted by Tygrr
I am currently rereading this book too!!! It is easier to follow a second time. But there is still one thing I do not understand, and I was hoping fellow readers might be able to help me understand.
Why did Sidir feel it was necessary to allow himself to be caught by headhunters? I know he distrusted Elaira, but that seemed extreme to me.
originally posted by motley
Did you notice the lesson he learned directly after they reunited? Sidir refused to acknowledge her worth prior to this, and the lesson he needed to learn was that Arithon's love (his potential future queen) WAS worthy, had to be harsh. He'll wear the scars, and remember how foolish he was to carry his prejudice, and remember not judge other more fairly as a result. The capitulation was when he offered her his sword for a mercy stroke, should she feel she cannot handle her Koriani Oath, and later, he bows to acknowledge her practically AS a queen of Rathain.
The first time around, I didn't get it. This was what I got the second time. The Halwythwood Clansmen can be a bit … oak-like in changing opinions. 
Hope it helps.
originally posted by motley
er… "remember not judge other more fairly" should read, "remember to judge others more fairly"
fingers can get a bit word-tied…
originally posted by motley
Blue: Stop sniggering! It can happen to anyone! *swot*
originally posted by Clansman
Motley waxes eloquent today…your insights are quite staggering, especially your description of the first read (which I shared) and the second read.
I'm heading back to GC, as I left off at the end of FP when SF arrived.
However, how the heck does one read SF in 24 hours?!?!?!?!? I couldn't do it. I'd need at least four days to finish one of Janny's monster-sized epics, assuming that I had a cabin in the woods which would allow me such a stretch of blissfully uninterrupted reading (sighs).
I just can't read that fast.
originally posted by motley
er… curl up on wingback chair, having laid out enough food for cats, and set to it… because of having stitches from cleverly slashing hand on broken crockery so you can't DO anything else and you're doped up on painkillers… so the heavy machinery's out. Perfect excuse really.
originally posted by Blue
Motley, DON'T feel bad. I had a doozy of a typo a few weeks back.
I was writing on one of the groups I belong to, and the subject was the odd health habit of one member's husband. Instead of typing "hubby" my fingers were discombobulated and I wrote "huggy" instead.
I have been getting no END of flak about it, though I guess this lady's husband does not mind being referred to as her "huggy."
originally posted by motley
Too cute blue.
originally posted by Sarah Jump
Hi all I wanted to resurrect this topic because during my second reading of SF I noticed a small detail during the healing of Sidir after the attack on Jeynsa. Arithon and Elaira are partnered in the venture and Dakar is watching through mage-sight and he describes Elairas' aura and how her oath to the koriathain is a dark inflexible ribbon running through her aura. Arithon notices it too and with his music he wraps the dark ribbon in light till it shines. (This is all para phrasing)
Did something happen there? Something subtle but important maybe?
originally posted by Annette
The taint was not in Elaira's aura, but originted from the Koriani cypher she was using to heal Sidir. Arithon used his music to transform the cypher to match Elaira's intent to serve wholeness.
The power the Koriani use, is not drawn from the collective whole by free consent, but by force, which changes it, darkens it.
If you go back to Arithon's failed attempt to consummate his love for Elaira in Halwythwood, Elaira's aura is not tainted, unless Selidie Prime slips something in there on the sly. But Elaira as yet can do nothing about the practices of her order, even though she now asks permission, her Koriani powers used for healing draw from a collective that is not free.
Perhaps you could think of the Koriani power as originating in a flowing stream full of life, the Korinai come along and freeze a bit of water and remove it for their use. It is no longer moving, or part of a whole, but imprisoned. The life in the stream can no longer reach it.
Elaira becomes Prime, she would change that. Only the Prime can change how the order uses their collective talent, and that knowledge they have.
Now if you were to address the question to Janny instead of 'all', she would give a much better explanation that might enlighten us more.