Numair trilogy?
Jun. 12th, 2016 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerI've just learned that Tamora Pierce is writing a Numair trilogy. I have... mixed to negative feelings about this.
Unlike the author of the article I never much liked Daine/Numair, so there's nothing for the new trilogy to spoil in that regard. (And I for one would be very interested to see more development of Varice Kingsford!)
But I did like Numair himself a lot, and as I feel that part of what makes him appealing as a character is his mysterious past, I do worry what ripping away all the mystery will do to my feelings about him. And the same with Emperor Mage, which is one of my favorite Tortall books: how is knowing the official version of Numair's past going to shift my understanding of that book?
I tend to read Ozorne's temper tantrum about Numair in Emperor Mage as the reaction of a spurned lover (or would-be lover whose love was unrequited; Numair's feelings about Ozorne never seem as strong as the other way around), and I don't think Pierce is going to go there.
On the other hand, I loooooooved the Carthaki university segments in Emperor Mage, and it looks like the whole first book of the trilogy is going to be devoted to laying that out in loving detail. So that will be great, or at least it could be great - Pierce is not always as good at executing her concepts as coming up with them - and really my biggest oncern about it is that the second and third books in the trilogy might have a hard time living up to it. Do we really need to read all about Numair's years as a street magician?
Also, it will delay the publication of Pierce's other planned magical university book: Tris's studies at Lightbridge. I was looking forward to that, too.
Unlike the author of the article I never much liked Daine/Numair, so there's nothing for the new trilogy to spoil in that regard. (And I for one would be very interested to see more development of Varice Kingsford!)
But I did like Numair himself a lot, and as I feel that part of what makes him appealing as a character is his mysterious past, I do worry what ripping away all the mystery will do to my feelings about him. And the same with Emperor Mage, which is one of my favorite Tortall books: how is knowing the official version of Numair's past going to shift my understanding of that book?
I tend to read Ozorne's temper tantrum about Numair in Emperor Mage as the reaction of a spurned lover (or would-be lover whose love was unrequited; Numair's feelings about Ozorne never seem as strong as the other way around), and I don't think Pierce is going to go there.
On the other hand, I loooooooved the Carthaki university segments in Emperor Mage, and it looks like the whole first book of the trilogy is going to be devoted to laying that out in loving detail. So that will be great, or at least it could be great - Pierce is not always as good at executing her concepts as coming up with them - and really my biggest oncern about it is that the second and third books in the trilogy might have a hard time living up to it. Do we really need to read all about Numair's years as a street magician?
Also, it will delay the publication of Pierce's other planned magical university book: Tris's studies at Lightbridge. I was looking forward to that, too.
