Excellent video, Nemesis! About the naming convention among the Farseers: I sometimes do wonder if the name we are given at birth influences the person we become. For example, if, instead of A.P., your parents had named you “Bubba” or “Butch,” would that have altered your draconic calling?
What a surprisingly decent breakdown of the first 4 paragraphs in an amazing series. I was in awe of Hobb and her prose from those 4 paragraphs. What a journey they open you up to. Thanks for the video AP, as always. I hope for more Hobb breakdowns in the future. Glad to see your migraines have subsided!
This was fun to watch this dialed in focus - thank you! I loved how you refuted the original poster's points clearly and logically, I probably would have just started screaming in all caps haha
This video is a layered delight! Thank you for making a Robin Hobb video. Being a fan of both her and you makes this content top notch for me. You did not disappoint. Beyond the detailed discussion, I also enjoy the forays into your long fought campaign to distinguish between personal enjoyment of a text and a critical assessment of a text. (Do people honestly think that only things they like are 'good,' and that everything they like is 'good?' Smh.) And lastly, I must admit that watching your brain short circuit on reading a critique of literature written by someone who does not understand the literary terms they are using, well, it fills my impish heart with glee. (I choose glee because I would otherwise despair at our collective illiteracy. ) Thank you for sharing your musings with us.
Ohhh comments like this make me think that you might be in league with the Nemesis. 😂😂 I have certainly been remiss in not talking about Hobb's work before now. She is a great writer.
This was a surprisingly decent video 🤣All kidding aside, another great analysis of a very deep and enriching story. I've only just begun my journey with Assassin's Apprentice, but I'm looking forward to so much more.
My suspicions on where they were coming from with their comments: 1. Type of action assassin story - from the assassin story told in YA and spilling into newer adult now. None of which really interests me, probably because I read Farseer in the 90s. 2. A lot of newer readers came in through the modern YA and read the newer books where the prose is much more simplified (eg Sanderson). And with that I’ve often seen the belief/opinion that older books have poor prose. Emphasised when they struggle to read it. I’m betting that’s the origin of “surprisingly decent”. 3. A lot of newer readers think plot = action (and, often, action = battles) I’ve moved away from certain SFF online book forums/groups because this newer view is depressing. And tiring trying to argue against
Great Analysis AP! It was enlightening and inspiring! The second section of the video ties very well with one of the past ones where you discuss about levels of diction, current ways of telling a story (pacing) vs past ones. Will you ever make a video about Michael Moorcock, Stormbringer or Corum? I would give you a list of things that I would be very interested to hear your opinions, but I will keep my cool.
By all means let me know what you would like to hear about. I can't promise I will do it, but there may be a chance that I will be interested in it and do a video on it. I intend to get around to Moorcock at some point, as well as a lot of other authors. Too little time, too big a genre 😂
@@ACriticalDragon Alright! I will write two of them here, more on the next videos. I hope they serve as an inspiration for you. The first is regarding M. Moorcock. The recurrent theme in his works is the ending of things, the only permanent thing is the city in the middle of everything. The writing sometimes feels like a mix of sword and sorcery and monster of the week, and yet it maintains some sort of consistency. How does he achieve that? The second is regarding something you already talked about, presentism. I think that is the correct term you used which you explained that we apply a current perspective to past events. It is something that you can fin in academic books such as "Barbarians, Christians and Muslims" by Umberto Eco. How can we avoid that trap when writing? Is it a trap? I ask because everytime I am reading medieval fantasy and something like that appears it shatters for a moment my suspense of disbelief. I apologize for my bad english and grammar. Thank you AP for considering this issues!
Haha, I think Fitz is 35 when writing this, no? If that is old, I don't know how to feel at 41. 😂 ❤ Great analysis. ❤ And just you reading the words out louds, speaks to my heart, because I love Fitz so much.
I didn't want to spoil revelations from the book and series, but at the very least, Fitz 'feels' old and infirm here. But you are absolutely right, he is a lot younger than the first chapter suggests. 🤣🤣🤣 (Or maybe I am a lot older than I think)
If the poster is in the US and has the Paul Rudd cosplaying Frodo cover that might also have been a hint it wasn't going to be a Kalam-like origin story.
Oh, A.P., I'm so glad I saved this as a treat for myself. If you *EVER* want to discuss ❤Hobb ❤I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on anything that tickles your fancy! Having read Realm of the Elderlings a truly ridiculous number of times, mine is an unusual perspective to the writing. The opening paragraphs contain a depth that the first time reader can't see, and unless they re-read, never will. In the focus on naming we see Fitz' musing on how his identity is completely subsumed by his relationship to his sire, never a separate entity of his own, how his Uncles and Grandfather embody their names, and as a re-reader, there's the nod to Chade there too. When Fitz turns from writing to inner reflection, the use of aged, dead, or dying imagery is wholly appropriate to his situation. He's dead. He was buried. By the time we're with him in the opening paragraphs, he's been isolated for well over a decade. While he's only 35, the events of Farseer battered his body into permanent damage - he *feels* decrepit. Something I love about this opening is the inclusion of Fedwren and Patience, fine paper, and that writing a history at all is something that needs doing. When you add these things to the language, we're being given more clues about the 'time' of the culture, that literacy is rare, 'fine' paper is noteworthy, and separately, that there are people who value learning and literacy Fitz wants to honour. Having lived with the story since before I had a stroke, I've never deliberately tried any slower reading techniques I've learned from you with the series - but in my 2023 re-read, the knowledge I've gained gave me even greater love of this series. Thank you.
Derri, your analytical breakdown is brilliant and perceptive. You know these works better than I ever could, and I am always impressed and learn something every time you talk about them. Thank you for the wonderful comment. The level of detail that Hobb includes is great, not just in what is said but how it is said. I had to be very careful not to spoil certain aspects that a first time reader uncovers as they read because, as you know, our perspective and understanding of Fitz changes over the course of the books. We will have to find a time to chat, even if it isn't for a recording. I hope that you are having a great week.
@@ACriticalDragon Thank you for such flattery, having never gone on in my education there are often things I 'sense' being done in well written books, but don't have the knowledge to unpack, so instead I take my role as 'reader' to heart and allow the words to take me where the author meant me to go. In some ways I think it gives me a naive experience, not grasping *how* an author put me into a frame of mind or encouraged a particular emotional state, simply allowing the story to immerse me. After this re-read I'm wondering how I could have been so blind to the genuine artistry of words on display! Something I meant to add earlier was the oft repeated claim about ❤Hobb's ❤writing that "nothing happens" 🤷♀ it bothers the HECK out of me. I agree that it's a matter of expectation not meeting reality, as the titles of the books do them a disservice. So many (particularly younger) readers expect an action packed thrill ride from Assassin's Apprentice. When they get a slowly paced coming of age story where the major events are happening around the main character but not focused on by the pov, the frustration is understandable, but "nothing"?! The hyperbole is real.
@@derrisreaditbefore It wasn't flattery. You are a perceptive and astute reader, and you work at getting better. That is a skill that you have developed with patience, practice, and hard work. Recognition of that isn't flattery, merely a statement of recognition. You know just as well as I do, that formal education is only ever one path to being a better reader. It might present some short cuts on the journey, but unless the reader is going to put in the time and effort to improve, formal education can only take you so far. Experience, perspective, taking the time to think and consider, and to pay attention to what is actually being communicated and not just what we think is being communicated, are all aspects that combine to improve our reading. You have worked at all of these things, and it shows when you talk about what you can see in the text. So please don't think this is flattery, this is genuine admiration and recognition for what you have achieved.
Great takes. Interesting examination of a creative way to open a bigger series. I think the journalism saying, "If it bleeds it leads", applies to whoever you are referencing. Do they really feel that way or are they merely using the art of pissing us off to gain traction and clicks haha?
@@ACriticalDragon Haha Damn. Well if anything, they put out how they felt, and realized how alone they were in their take . And seemingly just objectively wrong!
The complaint is about lack of plot. Plot means sequence of events. The perceived problem is then that the sequence of events are personal and not larger than life? Shrug, I say, and so what? I for one love Fitz's story to death.
Excellent video as always. Your comment about how ridiculous it is to complain about aspects of a book that is part of a series as if it was a standalone novel made me think of another pet peeve of mine. It's when people complain about the so called "middle book syndrome". It's like taking the middle section of a standalone novel and saying "oh this part in the middle here didn't have a very satisfying conclusion". It annoys me to no end. P.S. As a completely unrelated sidenote, I've been reading Crack'd Pot Trail for the first time since you started your channel, and reading Apto Canavalian in your voice makes all the difference in the world.
I love Robin Hobb. I have a whole shelf that is dedicated entirely to her works. I found this video soon after participating in a series of frustrating conversations with people. And the frustrating part was exactly that: people jumping to harsh judgements about texts without trying to understand the thing them in the first place. I saw it happening with aforementioned Robin Hobb (a lot), but also with Tad Williams, Ursula le Guin, Steven Erikson (also a lot). I'm also not going to mention how many times I heard how horribly overrated Tolkien is. Because apparently he is nothing special. And the worst thing is that, as you said, there's nothing wrong with disliking texts or deciding that they're not your cup of tea - that's completely fair. The issue is with jumping to value judgements. Because, as you've shown, even in those four first paragraphs you can clearly see that Hobb. Can. Write. That there's deliberateness in her word choice, and sentence structure. It's depressing to me how some people can just ignore the amount of skill that went into crafting those novels and decide that they're a waste of time just because they thought that Fitz was whiney. Or that there aren't enough Marvel-style combat scenes. There's even this shift in our language that we no longer "interact" with texts, we "consume" them. Consumption is, after all, only about granting us instant satisfaction. Anyways, that you for that video - it was almost therapeutic. Also, one other thing that I liked about those opening paragraphs is that Fitz switches from discussing the earliest history of the Farseers to pondering about his own distant history (his youth). Also, both of those frames of time are shrouded in mystery: Farseers' because there are no reliable historical records of that time and Fitz's youth because it had to be kept in secret. Nice touch, in my opinion.
Thank you very much, I am glad that you enjoyed the discussion. The parallels between Fitz's history and the history of the Farseers is a brilliant point. I think I could probably do a few hours of discussion on just the opening of Assassin's Apprentice. There are so many wonderful aspects to Hobb's writing, and how she so deftly moves between various forms of expression, tense, structure, and so on to create a wonderful and cohesive text.
I was thinking ninja type assassin by the title when I started it. I don't love Fitz and Nighteyes as much as many do. I like Fool, Malta, and Bee the best.
We all have expectations and make assumptions, but not engaging with what is in the book and holding fast to those expectations despite evidence to the contrary can lead to the sort of disappointment that reader experienced.
Hi DK, that you include Bee in that list proves that even if it didn't meet your expectations, the series is written decently enough for you to finish the entire thing! 😆
It met my expectations for enjoyment of a series, but I was expecting a slightly different type of story. Two things I would like to have been a little different are 1. Fitz a little brighter, and 2. Rain Wilds journey group to have been a little older. @@derrisreaditbefore
If the internet were a pond, only certain things rise to the top. I'm sad for the earnestness with which this person you quoted feels, and wonder if they actually read the whole book in search of what they were looking for.
If the person had been earnest I wouldn't have used the example. It was the whining, aggrieved, angry tone that they had been lied to... by themselves, that singled them out for me. They did, apparently, read the whole book. Masochism knows no bounds it seems.
@@ACriticalDragon I can't say I'm surprised, but I have to give some credit grudgingly for finishing. I very rarely dnf something, even if sometimes I have to set it aside because I'm not feeling it in the moment. But, yes, there seems to be a lot of self-importance coming through that comment...
There is an expression in Belfast, "God loves a trier." They gave it the old college try, but I suspect that it became angry skim reading at a certain point.
![ARGENTINA vs. BOLIVIA [6-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3wPtKNbAOA/mqdefault.jpg)
Looks like Robin Hobb has been honored with a Critical Dragon prologue analysis, the highest praise an author can achieve in life.
Prologue-ish. I had to cheat and look at Chapter 1. 😁
I will have to do Liveship as well at some point.
Delightful analysis, as usual. When I saw "Assassin's Apprentice" in your vid title, I couldn't click on it fast enough!
Hobb is a great author, and her writing can teach us a lot, even if it is not the style we wish to emulate. I hope that you are doing well.
Excellent video, Nemesis! About the naming convention among the Farseers: I sometimes do wonder if the name we are given at birth influences the person we become. For example, if, instead of A.P., your parents had named you “Bubba” or “Butch,” would that have altered your draconic calling?
Listen up, Nemesis, them thars fightin' words.
Bubba Canavan and Philadelphia Chase.
🤣🤣
A Hobb analysis? Genuinely a long-forgotten wish come true. Thank you AP!
I have been remiss. I am a huge Hobb fan.
What a surprisingly decent breakdown of the first 4 paragraphs in an amazing series.
I was in awe of Hobb and her prose from those 4 paragraphs. What a journey they open you up to. Thanks for the video AP, as always. I hope for more Hobb breakdowns in the future. Glad to see your migraines have subsided!
That hurts. 😂😂
This was fun to watch this dialed in focus - thank you! I loved how you refuted the original poster's points clearly and logically, I probably would have just started screaming in all caps haha
Expectations are premeditated resentments.
Setting aside expectations to read the text in front of us and not a hypothetical text can be a challenge.
I've been waiting for this for two years now! Thank you! 😍
You are very welcome, sorry it took so long. Hopefully you enjoyed it.
@@ACriticalDragon
I did, indeed! Thank you for your incredible work! 💙
Sounds like they were expecting it to be the Night Angel trilogy not the Farseer trilogy.
Ah yes, Wet Boys and Deaders.
This video is a layered delight! Thank you for making a Robin Hobb video. Being a fan of both her and you makes this content top notch for me. You did not disappoint. Beyond the detailed discussion, I also enjoy the forays into your long fought campaign to distinguish between personal enjoyment of a text and a critical assessment of a text. (Do people honestly think that only things they like are 'good,' and that everything they like is 'good?' Smh.) And lastly, I must admit that watching your brain short circuit on reading a critique of literature written by someone who does not understand the literary terms they are using, well, it fills my impish heart with glee. (I choose glee because I would otherwise despair at our collective illiteracy. ) Thank you for sharing your musings with us.
Ohhh comments like this make me think that you might be in league with the Nemesis. 😂😂
I have certainly been remiss in not talking about Hobb's work before now.
She is a great writer.
Alas, @ACriticalDragon , while I know of your storied Nemesis, I can only claim admiration, not affiliation. You honor me with your observation.
This was a surprisingly decent video 🤣All kidding aside, another great analysis of a very deep and enriching story. I've only just begun my journey with Assassin's Apprentice, but I'm looking forward to so much more.
You are going to end up on the naughty step with the Nemesis if you keep this up, mister.
😂😂
My suspicions on where they were coming from with their comments:
1. Type of action assassin story - from the assassin story told in YA and spilling into newer adult now. None of which really interests me, probably because I read Farseer in the 90s.
2. A lot of newer readers came in through the modern YA and read the newer books where the prose is much more simplified (eg Sanderson). And with that I’ve often seen the belief/opinion that older books have poor prose. Emphasised when they struggle to read it. I’m betting that’s the origin of “surprisingly decent”.
3. A lot of newer readers think plot = action (and, often, action = battles)
I’ve moved away from certain SFF online book forums/groups because this newer view is depressing. And tiring trying to argue against
Great Analysis AP! It was enlightening and inspiring!
The second section of the video ties very well with one of the past ones where you discuss about levels of diction, current ways of telling a story (pacing) vs past ones.
Will you ever make a video about Michael Moorcock, Stormbringer or Corum? I would give you a list of things that I would be very interested to hear your opinions, but I will keep my cool.
By all means let me know what you would like to hear about. I can't promise I will do it, but there may be a chance that I will be interested in it and do a video on it.
I intend to get around to Moorcock at some point, as well as a lot of other authors. Too little time, too big a genre 😂
@@ACriticalDragon Alright! I will write two of them here, more on the next videos. I hope they serve as an inspiration for you.
The first is regarding M. Moorcock. The recurrent theme in his works is the ending of things, the only permanent thing is the city in the middle of everything. The writing sometimes feels like a mix of sword and sorcery and monster of the week, and yet it maintains some sort of consistency. How does he achieve that?
The second is regarding something you already talked about, presentism. I think that is the correct term you used which you explained that we apply a current perspective to past events. It is something that you can fin in academic books such as "Barbarians, Christians and Muslims" by Umberto Eco. How can we avoid that trap when writing? Is it a trap? I ask because everytime I am reading medieval fantasy and something like that appears it shatters for a moment my suspense of disbelief.
I apologize for my bad english and grammar. Thank you AP for considering this issues!
Haha, I think Fitz is 35 when writing this, no? If that is old, I don't know how to feel at 41. 😂 ❤
Great analysis. ❤ And just you reading the words out louds, speaks to my heart, because I love Fitz so much.
I didn't want to spoil revelations from the book and series, but at the very least, Fitz 'feels' old and infirm here.
But you are absolutely right, he is a lot younger than the first chapter suggests. 🤣🤣🤣 (Or maybe I am a lot older than I think)
@@ACriticalDragon Infairness to Fitz, and us all who are over 35. He has lived through ... a bit of trauma that would affect ones body.
@CorprealFale 💯 My lower back agrees with this, but my heart goes: no no, you're still young. To myself and Fitz. ☺️
If the poster is in the US and has the Paul Rudd cosplaying Frodo cover that might also have been a hint it wasn't going to be a Kalam-like origin story.
As someone else pointed out, Weeks' Nightangel Trilogy is what they wanted.
Oh, A.P., I'm so glad I saved this as a treat for myself. If you *EVER* want to discuss ❤Hobb ❤I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on anything that tickles your fancy!
Having read Realm of the Elderlings a truly ridiculous number of times, mine is an unusual perspective to the writing. The opening paragraphs contain a depth that the first time reader can't see, and unless they re-read, never will. In the focus on naming we see Fitz' musing on how his identity is completely subsumed by his relationship to his sire, never a separate entity of his own, how his Uncles and Grandfather embody their names, and as a re-reader, there's the nod to Chade there too.
When Fitz turns from writing to inner reflection, the use of aged, dead, or dying imagery is wholly appropriate to his situation. He's dead. He was buried. By the time we're with him in the opening paragraphs, he's been isolated for well over a decade. While he's only 35, the events of Farseer battered his body into permanent damage - he *feels* decrepit.
Something I love about this opening is the inclusion of Fedwren and Patience, fine paper, and that writing a history at all is something that needs doing. When you add these things to the language, we're being given more clues about the 'time' of the culture, that literacy is rare, 'fine' paper is noteworthy, and separately, that there are people who value learning and literacy Fitz wants to honour.
Having lived with the story since before I had a stroke, I've never deliberately tried any slower reading techniques I've learned from you with the series - but in my 2023 re-read, the knowledge I've gained gave me even greater love of this series. Thank you.
Derri, your analytical breakdown is brilliant and perceptive. You know these works better than I ever could, and I am always impressed and learn something every time you talk about them. Thank you for the wonderful comment.
The level of detail that Hobb includes is great, not just in what is said but how it is said. I had to be very careful not to spoil certain aspects that a first time reader uncovers as they read because, as you know, our perspective and understanding of Fitz changes over the course of the books.
We will have to find a time to chat, even if it isn't for a recording. I hope that you are having a great week.
@@ACriticalDragon Thank you for such flattery, having never gone on in my education there are often things I 'sense' being done in well written books, but don't have the knowledge to unpack, so instead I take my role as 'reader' to heart and allow the words to take me where the author meant me to go. In some ways I think it gives me a naive experience, not grasping *how* an author put me into a frame of mind or encouraged a particular emotional state, simply allowing the story to immerse me. After this re-read I'm wondering how I could have been so blind to the genuine artistry of words on display!
Something I meant to add earlier was the oft repeated claim about ❤Hobb's ❤writing that "nothing happens" 🤷♀ it bothers the HECK out of me. I agree that it's a matter of expectation not meeting reality, as the titles of the books do them a disservice. So many (particularly younger) readers expect an action packed thrill ride from Assassin's Apprentice. When they get a slowly paced coming of age story where the major events are happening around the main character but not focused on by the pov, the frustration is understandable, but "nothing"?! The hyperbole is real.
@@derrisreaditbefore It wasn't flattery. You are a perceptive and astute reader, and you work at getting better. That is a skill that you have developed with patience, practice, and hard work. Recognition of that isn't flattery, merely a statement of recognition.
You know just as well as I do, that formal education is only ever one path to being a better reader. It might present some short cuts on the journey, but unless the reader is going to put in the time and effort to improve, formal education can only take you so far.
Experience, perspective, taking the time to think and consider, and to pay attention to what is actually being communicated and not just what we think is being communicated, are all aspects that combine to improve our reading. You have worked at all of these things, and it shows when you talk about what you can see in the text.
So please don't think this is flattery, this is genuine admiration and recognition for what you have achieved.
Great takes. Interesting examination of a creative way to open a bigger series.
I think the journalism saying, "If it bleeds it leads", applies to whoever you are referencing. Do they really feel that way or are they merely using the art of pissing us off to gain traction and clicks haha?
Oh, they were very annoyed and posted to a second forum to complain that their first post got taken down.
@@ACriticalDragon Haha Damn. Well if anything, they put out how they felt, and realized how alone they were in their take . And seemingly just objectively wrong!
The complaint is about lack of plot. Plot means sequence of events. The perceived problem is then that the sequence of events are personal and not larger than life? Shrug, I say, and so what? I for one love Fitz's story to death.
Thanks for watching, I hope the discussion was fun.
Excellent video as always. Your comment about how ridiculous it is to complain about aspects of a book that is part of a series as if it was a standalone novel made me think of another pet peeve of mine. It's when people complain about the so called "middle book syndrome". It's like taking the middle section of a standalone novel and saying "oh this part in the middle here didn't have a very satisfying conclusion". It annoys me to no end.
P.S. As a completely unrelated sidenote, I've been reading Crack'd Pot Trail for the first time since you started your channel, and reading Apto Canavalian in your voice makes all the difference in the world.
The similarity between myself and Apto Canavalian is entirely coincidental. Honest. 🤣🤣🤣
I love Robin Hobb. I have a whole shelf that is dedicated entirely to her works.
I found this video soon after participating in a series of frustrating conversations with people. And the frustrating part was exactly that: people jumping to harsh judgements about texts without trying to understand the thing them in the first place. I saw it happening with aforementioned Robin Hobb (a lot), but also with Tad Williams, Ursula le Guin, Steven Erikson (also a lot). I'm also not going to mention how many times I heard how horribly overrated Tolkien is. Because apparently he is nothing special.
And the worst thing is that, as you said, there's nothing wrong with disliking texts or deciding that they're not your cup of tea - that's completely fair. The issue is with jumping to value judgements. Because, as you've shown, even in those four first paragraphs you can clearly see that Hobb. Can. Write. That there's deliberateness in her word choice, and sentence structure. It's depressing to me how some people can just ignore the amount of skill that went into crafting those novels and decide that they're a waste of time just because they thought that Fitz was whiney. Or that there aren't enough Marvel-style combat scenes.
There's even this shift in our language that we no longer "interact" with texts, we "consume" them. Consumption is, after all, only about granting us instant satisfaction.
Anyways, that you for that video - it was almost therapeutic.
Also, one other thing that I liked about those opening paragraphs is that Fitz switches from discussing the earliest history of the Farseers to pondering about his own distant history (his youth). Also, both of those frames of time are shrouded in mystery: Farseers' because there are no reliable historical records of that time and Fitz's youth because it had to be kept in secret. Nice touch, in my opinion.
Thank you very much, I am glad that you enjoyed the discussion.
The parallels between Fitz's history and the history of the Farseers is a brilliant point.
I think I could probably do a few hours of discussion on just the opening of Assassin's Apprentice. There are so many wonderful aspects to Hobb's writing, and how she so deftly moves between various forms of expression, tense, structure, and so on to create a wonderful and cohesive text.
I was thinking ninja type assassin by the title when I started it. I don't love Fitz and Nighteyes as much as many do. I like Fool, Malta, and Bee the best.
We all have expectations and make assumptions, but not engaging with what is in the book and holding fast to those expectations despite evidence to the contrary can lead to the sort of disappointment that reader experienced.
Hi DK, that you include Bee in that list proves that even if it didn't meet your expectations, the series is written decently enough for you to finish the entire thing! 😆
It met my expectations for enjoyment of a series, but I was expecting a slightly different type of story. Two things I would like to have been a little different are 1. Fitz a little brighter, and 2. Rain Wilds journey group to have been a little older. @@derrisreaditbefore
If the internet were a pond, only certain things rise to the top. I'm sad for the earnestness with which this person you quoted feels, and wonder if they actually read the whole book in search of what they were looking for.
If the person had been earnest I wouldn't have used the example. It was the whining, aggrieved, angry tone that they had been lied to... by themselves, that singled them out for me. They did, apparently, read the whole book. Masochism knows no bounds it seems.
@@ACriticalDragon I can't say I'm surprised, but I have to give some credit grudgingly for finishing. I very rarely dnf something, even if sometimes I have to set it aside because I'm not feeling it in the moment. But, yes, there seems to be a lot of self-importance coming through that comment...
There is an expression in Belfast, "God loves a trier."
They gave it the old college try, but I suspect that it became angry skim reading at a certain point.
@@ACriticalDragon Hah. And there is a certain mindset to someone reading in spite of themselves.