SPOILER!!! - Cover Explained?

Louis R wrote:Destroying a ship captured at Kaudzhu, possibly with prisoners on board.

Prizes typically sailed with your colours hoisted above the enemy's, at least until they were taken into your own service. That was the only plausible explanation I could ever find for the apparent high-tech attack on a Charisian ship, and the bits I was able to extract from Look Inside make it plausible.

How much would you like to know before you read the book?

Everything. If I want to read a book, you _can't_ spoil it for me. If I don't want to read it, what you say about it is irrelevant. One of my favourite indoor sports used to be reading the discussion of e-ARCs in Snerkers Only on the Bar, then comparing my reconstruction of the book with the real one after it was published. I've never really understood the people who fuss about it, any more than I do those who only read a good book once.

In this case, I keep forgetting to check the flag and may not have another chance for several days, whence the question.

Henry Brown wrote:

Louis R wrote:Destroying a ship captured at Kaudzhu, possibly with prisoners on board.

Prizes typically sailed with your colours hoisted above the enemy's, at least until they were taken into your own service. That was the only plausible explanation I could ever find for the apparent high-tech attack on a Charisian ship, and the bits I was able to extract from Look Inside make it plausible.

How much would you like to know before you read the book?

Louis R wrote:Everything. If I want to read a book, you _can't_ spoil it for me. If I don't want to read it, what you say about it is irrelevant. One of my favourite indoor sports used to be reading the discussion of e-ARCs in Snerkers Only on the Bar, then comparing my reconstruction of the book with the real one after it was published. I've never really understood the people who fuss about it, any more than I do those who only read a good book once.

In this case, I keep forgetting to check the flag and may not have another chance for several days, whence the question.

Very well then if you want to know, here you go.




As for everybody else, *MAJOR* HFQ spoilers follow. If you don't want to know, stop reading now.




I thought that might be the scenario you had in mind. You're not that far off. However, the prisoners from The Battle of Kaudzhu Narrows are NOT blown up at sea. They are rescued. Essentially, there are two completely separate night time mid-sea rescues in HFQ. One is the rescue of Thirsk's family by Merlin and Nimue depicted on the cover which I talked about up-thread.

The other is the rescue of the prisoners. It is a more conventional action which is carried out by a regular naval force under the command of Baron Sarmouth. Earlier in HFQ, he is admitted to the inner circle. Then he is dispatched to the Golf of Dohlar with substantial reinforcements. He arrives in the area shortly after the Battle of the Kaudzhu Narrows.

Because the Dohlaran Navy does not know of his arrival, they dispatch the prisoners in a relatively small convoy consisting of 4 war galleons (with no prisoners on board) and 2 lightly armed transports with the prisoners. Sarmouth uses the SNARCS to execute a night-time intercept of the convoy with his newly arrived squadron. Under cover of night they close to close range before being spotted and achieve surprise. The warships are blasted with close range shellfire and boarding parties storm the prisoner transports.

On one ship, the head inquisitor is actually a decent sort and urges the captain to not massacre the prisoners and to surrender once it becomes clear the situation is hopeless. On the other transport, the head inquisitor is a fanatic and wants to kill the prisoners. But the transport captain figures rightly so that the ICN will retaliate if the prisoners are massacred. So he shoots the inquisitor in the head in order to be able to surrender and save his crew.

Louis R wrote:Everything. If I want to read a book, you _can't_ spoil it for me. If I don't want to read it, what you say about it is irrelevant. One of my favourite indoor sports used to be reading the discussion of e-ARCs in Snerkers Only on the Bar, then comparing my reconstruction of the book with the real one after it was published. I've never really understood the people who fuss about it, any more than I do those who only read a good book once.

Amen. Me too. I read a book I enjoy until the print wears off the page. In fact I probably enjoy the re-reads even more than going through it the first time.

Don

n7axw wrote:Amen. Me too. I read a book I enjoy until the print wears off the page. In fact I probably enjoy the re-reads even more than going through it the first time.

Don

Ditto. I'm still awaiting my copy and amusing myself by rereading "The Sword of the South" for the sixth (at least) time...

Even with all of the 'surprise me' segments and the snippits, the real dead tree version of the book will get read at least twice in the first two days after I receive it!

Aha!

I actually reconstructed much of that from the sentence fragments the search function returns. Couldn't quite pin down who was being rescued, though, so assumed the ship on the cover was Charisian, and the gents using Merlin's Magic were collecting Thirk's family.

Thanks.

[quote="Henry Brown"]
snipped

Louis R wrote:Aha!

I actually reconstructed much of that from the sentence fragments the search function returns. Couldn't quite pin down who was being rescued, though, so assumed the ship on the cover was Charisian, and the gents using Merlin's Magic were collecting Thirk's family.

Thanks.

Henry Brown wrote:snipped

Glad I could be of service. Hope you can get your copy soon.

I'm glad that Sir Dunkyn has been admitted to the inner circle. I've thought that was overdue for a long time.

Don

So I've read all the snippets (many times); I've read the Amazon preview text; I've read the spoilers and speculation at this board...

I know so much.

I know so LITTLE.

I'll be pulling down the eBook early tomorrow and look forward to digesting it over the course of a week.

I could probably read it much, much faster (650 pages??? Humbug... That's one night!). But methinks I'll be savoring this one.

The snippets, previews, and spoilers haven't spoiled my appetite. Rather they've enhanced it!