#mulop spirit animals

[trash-gremlin]

actually back to designate exact species for all the great beasts and say what similar animals can and cant be summoned yayyyy

Briggan the Wolf - grey wolf, nominate subspecies: eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus)

can be summoned: red wolf (Canis rufus), domestic dogs (any breed) (Canis familiaris)*, foxes (genus Vulpes)

cant be summoned: tundra wolf (Canis lupus albus), arabian wolf (Canis lupus arabs), himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) and other grey wolf subspecies under Canis lupus

*some argue dogs are actually a subspecies under Canis lupus but as seen in the books and game domestic dogs can be summoned so ive decided to include them as their own species. ive also extended this for all domesticated species as apparently a lot of experts disagree on whether they should be counted as their own species or a subspecies

Uraza the Leopard - leopard, nominate subspecies: african leopard (Panthera pardus pardus)

can be summoned: clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), jaguars (Panthera onca)

cant be summoned: amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) and other leopard subspecies under Panthera pardus

Jhi the Panda - panda, nominate species: giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca)

can be summoned: red panda (Ailurus fulgens), literally any other bear (family: Ursidae) except polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

cant be summoned: quinling panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis)

Essix the Falcon - gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)

can be summoned: anything else in the Falco genus

can't be summoned: the other three members of the hierofalco subgenus: Lanner falcon, (Falco biarmicus), Lagger falcon (Falco jugger), Saker falcon (Falco cherrug)**

**these were included because gyrfalcon has no subspecies but exists in a subgenus in the Falco genus called hierofalco, which contains only three other species. these species apparently readily interbreed and have fully fertile offspring. theyre also one of the only subgenus (the other being the hobby birds under hypotriorchris), all other falcons exist under the Falco genus

Arax the Ram - bighorn sheep, nominate species: rocky mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis)

can be summoned: mountain sheep (Ovis ammon), barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), domestic sheep (Ovis aries)

cant be summoned: sierra nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni)

Rumfuss the Boar - wild boar, nominate species: central european boar (Sus scrofa scrofa)

can be summoned: common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), domestic pig (Sus domesticus), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus)

cant be summoned: north african boar (Sus scrofa algira), Indian boar (Sus scrofa cristatus), central asian boar (Sus scrota davidi) and other boar subspecies under Sus scrofa

Dinesh the Elephant - asian elephant, nominate species: sri lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)

can be summoned: african bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), african forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

cant be summoned: indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus), sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus)

Suka the Polar Bear - polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

can be summoned: literally any other bear (family: Ursidae)

cant be summoned: there are no subspecies or extremely close relatives of the polar bear!

Mulop the Octopus - giant pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)

can be summoned: literally any other octopus ever (order: Octopada, any family, any genus)***

cant be summoned: there are no subspecies or extremely close relatives of the giant pacific octopus!

***that is, if they can actually be summoned. there are no other cases of a non mammalian marine animal being summoned and mulop is an exception as no one is supposed to be able to summon the great beast species

Carboro the Lion - lion (Panthera leo)

can be summoned: mountain lion (Puma concolor)

cant be summoned: there are no subspecies or extremely close relatives of the lion!****

****a subspecies Panthera leo melanochaita does technically exist however experts debate over its validity due to the overlap with Panthera leo leo so ive decided to not count it

Ninani the Swan - mute swan (Cygnus olor)

can be summoned: black swan (Cygnus atratus), black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) and other swans (genus: Cygnus)

cant be summoned: there are no subspecies or extremely close relatives of the mute swan!

Halawir the Eagle - golden eagle, nominate species: european golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos)

can be summoned: bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) and other "true eagles" (genus: Aquila)

cant be summoned: iberian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos homeyeri), asian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea), japanese golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos japonica) and other golden eagle subspecies under Aquila chrysaetos

Gerathon the Serpent - king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

can be summoned: ring necked spitting cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus), indian cobra (Naja naja)

cant be summoned: there are no subspecies or extremely close relatives of the king cobra!

Kovo the Ape - gorilla, nominate species: western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

can be summoned: any subspecies of eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)

cant be summoned: cross river gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

Tellun the Elk - elk, roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti)*****

can be summoned: european fallow deer  (Dama dama), red deer (Cervus elaphus), whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

cant be summoned: tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes), manitoban elk (Cervus canadensis manitobensis), rocky mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) and other elk under Cervus canadensis

******the nominate species of elk is the eastern elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis), which is unfortunately extinct

and as a final note - just because its theoretically possible doesnt mean that it has or will happen, this was just an excuse to do a bunch of research and taxonomy is dodgy at best ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

the concept that the great beast species cant be summoned as spirit animals is very interesting to me, because in the game you can summon a red wolf when briggan is wolf. now obviously we can assume that briggan is a grey wolf so summoning a red wolf is theoretically possible, even if they look quite similar in real life.

but that brought me to the question, what animals could you summon that are similar to the great beasts?

assuming uraza is an african leopard, can you summon an amur leopard? these two are very similar and only really differ through their habitat. lets look at their taxonomy. the amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) and the african leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) are actually subspecies of the same species, with the african leopard being the nominate subspecies (repeats the species name as its subspecies, essentially the "default").

is being separated by subspecies enough? lets looks at the taxonomy for a grey wolf (Canis lupus) and a red wolf (Canis rufus). As you can see they are not subspecies but rather two separate species. using this i would conclude that animals must be separated by species (not subspecies) from the closest related great beast.

therefore, because uraza is the nominate subspecies for her species, it can be concluded that all great beast whose species contain subspecies would be the nominate subspecies and thus other subspecies such as the amur leopard can not be summoned.

this is also supported in books when abeke says that people can summon cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), but not leopards. cheetahs are not even in the same genus as leopards and all other leopards in the area are subspecies. other species of "leopard" (eg. clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the jaguar (Panthera onca)) are all separated by a species if not more.

[bayofwolves]

🧠: compile a list of all your favourite shaneke lines from the books now

me: why would i do that

🧠: don't you want them to feel the pain like you do? don't you want them to appreciate the underrated beauty and tragedy of their doomed, unspoken relationship?

me: yeah okay

[dark-night-star-light]

Great Beast Pronunciation

How do you all pronounce the Great Beasts' names?

Here's how I'm doing it (I don't know if it's correct):

Briggan: BREE-gin

Uraza: ooh-RAH-zah

Jhi: JEE

Essix: ES-sicks

Mulop: MUH-lopp

Cabaro: cuh-BAH-roh

Kovo: KOH-voh

Gerathon: JAYR-uh-thahn

Arax: EH-rucks

Dinesh: dhee-NAYSH

Suka: SOO-kuh

Rumfuss: RUM-fiss

Halawir: HAHL-uh-weer

Ninani: nih-NAH-nee

Tellun: tuh-LUHN

Just wanted to compare and see how y'all say their names.

[orcaab]

Ideas

I’ve been reading through some of the older SA posts and I’ve found some stuff about the bond tokens, and I just wanna put my penny on the topic. I didn’t like the ending of the series, it felt rushed, too many things were left just like that. Too many questions! So, I just wanna make this post and talk about my personal opinion on the last books. 

The bond token idea was very interesting, I would have loved to see these tokens hinted at throughout the series, but I guess they were made later to create more conflict. The tokens which were made by the Four Fallen weren’t great. I swear, I thought that Abeke’s bow did something so cool and then I reread the book and was like ‘oh, ok I guess…’ . I think that the bond tokens should give the user a supernatural ability, along with something to represent the bond which created said token.

First of all, the tokens and then some other points over the story:

Conor’s crook was an interesting choice, it kinda shows that he is still a shepherd even after everything that has happened and I truly love it! I don’t love what it does though. Giving him more keen senses is something that his bond with Briggan does just fine. It is enhanced, but it’s too enhanced for even a wolf, I mean being able to smell that one of the guard’s teeth hurt? (I think that happened), find me a wolf that can do that and ima dedicate my life to that guy. It’s not terrible per say, but it’s not great either. 

I would have liked the talisman to connect him to nature or other wolves. Example, he could communicate with them, similar to how Briggan did in Fire and Ice. Maybe even giving him some command over them. And maybe, the talisman could give him clearer visions, I know he has them now, but to gain a slight improvement would be nice. 

Abeke’s talisman was the most disappointing to me. For some reason I don’t even know, I remembered the bow having the ability to conjure arrows out of thin air. So like, you do the motion of putting an arrow on the string and boom! an arrow! But no, it just gives extra jump height. Very disappointing. This ability is the same one that Arax’s talisman had, why would her bond with Uraza produce something so similar? I think that giving her the unlimited arrow bow would have made a lot more sense, considering Uraza is a hunter, and if my memory isn’t tricking me again, Abeke accepted that her spirit animal is one. The bow could also give her better agility, or maybe the instincts of a leopard, much like the amber leopard did.

Meilin’s talisman is a somewhat failed great idea. Giving her the ability to heal was a great choice, in my opinion, but I also think that the hair pin is something that you could easily loose. Say you fell off a ship and in the churning water, you gonna find the pin? No, of course not. But it’s fine, the pin her father gave her, alright. The amount of healing that the pin gives isn’t enough to save a life (if I’m not mistaken), and the calming aura that it gives was turned away by Song as if it didn’t even exist. 

I think giving her actually strong healing could improve the token, along with the ability to somewhat cloud the minds of others, if you wanna call it that. Similar to what Mulop was doing to help the Redcloaks in The Burning Tide. But not only that, the clouding could have other emotions mixed in, so that the user could inflict a certain emotion upon someone for a short period of time. Using it would be very energy draining though. 

Rolan’s talisman is actually really good. It really represents him and his bond with Essix, and gives a supernatural power. I can say it would be cool to give him enhanced sight too, just like a bird’s, but it’s honestly great both ways.

Now some other points:

Because the tokens are so strong, I’m considering it would be cool if there being a small conflict where some people said “Ok, we saw what happened with the talismans of the Great Beasts, why should we let a group of children have all this power?” Ultimately the tokens stay with the Four Fallen and their partners, cause it’s a part of them, and they risked their lives to create them. 

If the tokens have a piece of the soul, I can imagine that the Great Beasts would carry their tokens around after their parters died, maybe even talking to their spirits. That would be so wholesome. 

Also, if the tokens can’t be broken (as far as I know), then the Wildcat’s claw and the other bond token that was lost could be found again, which could lead to another conflict, and that would be cool, I think. Where a group, or groups of people are trying to collect all 8 of the current tokens and meet the Four Fallen and the other legends. 

[seeker-of-stories19]

Rollan and Conor reunite after the fallout of collecting Mulop's talisman, needing each other more than ever in the face of what they've lost.

[ammonitetheseaserpent]

*Spoilers for Tales Of The Great Beasts*

Sooo… Mulop couldn’t physically attend the Grand Council in TotGB, but was there telepathically…

Jeebus, guys, I can’t believe Mulop invented Zoom/phone calls. /j

[patriotismforstetriol]

Gotta thank you for teaching me the Complete Collection edition of the Book of Shane comes with a bonus intro chapter that I’ve never read before, lowly individual-ebook owner that I am!

That introduction contrasts them with each other quite explicitly, which is super cool.

Mulop breaks the fourth wall??

I really like the subtle dichotomy between Kovo and Mulop. They’re two of the most clever and intelligent of the Great Beasts - fitting with the kind of animal they each are - and yet they express that in such different ways. Mulop is passive, peaceful and philosophical, while Kovo is cold, ambitious and manipulative.

That is a great observation I’ve never made about the animal species. And they are intelligence counterparts, aren’t they? That last-minute planning/coordination scene in The Burning Tide, with Niri/Mulop on one end and Takoda/Kovo on the other, was the only time we saw them ‘interact’, and we saw them interact as the two matched ends of a magic communication channel.

Always liked how Mulop’s speech comes across like it’s completely clear to him  but so vague and near-nonsensical to other characters/us readers on first read-through. Like he’s thinking on a level a bit apart from what we’re used to, in the same way that he’s set apart from every other Great Beast on account of not being terrestrial, a fact that gets brought up a couple of times!

[purple-raptor-blog]

Oh my goodness Mulop is so fun to draw :0 Art (c) me Character (c) Spirit Animals

[bayofwolves]

It annoys me to no end that the Great Beast summoners, save for a precious few, were completely forgotten about past The Burning Tide.

Takoda and Dawson have supporting roles in the third arc, which is cool. But what about the others? Why did they vanish?

What happened to Tasha, who was a major player in the second arc -- to the point of having her own POV chapters? Not only was she the summoner of Ninani, she was the first Greencloak out of Stetriol. So many signs that positive change was coming to Erdas, all wrapped up in one person. Rollan and Abeke loved her dearly, I know. But after all they shared, she just drops off the face of the planet and is never heard from again? Make it make sense.

What about Anda, whose spirit animal is the greatest of the Great Beasts to the Greencloaks? I think worse than him not showing up in the series again is the fact he was present in The Burning Tide, after a two-book absence, and didn't interact with Abeke and Rollan in any way. Rollan notices he's there, remarks on it for two seconds, and then forgets about it. What a horrific bit of lost potential. Imagine if he was resentful towards them for taking him from his home, letting Tellun be infected and practically abandoning him when he needed them most. Imagine if they tried to reconnect with him, but he shunned them. Imagine if Abeke and Rollan realized where they went wrong and apologized to him, comforted him, sat and talked with him. Imagine if he and Abeke saw their pain reflected in each other's eyes. He was introduced to Tasha and Kirat, and Rollan trained him along with the others, and when the battle finally came to them, Rollan shielded him with his own body to save his life. And throughout all of this, Anda came to forgive them. They had tried their best. They didn't want to leave. They cared about him, and proved it was for more than Tellun. God. If only.

Niri? Her powers are incredible. She could have lent invaluable help to our protagonists once more, if the authors remembered she existed. Can you imagine if she and Mulop linked minds with Conor and Briggan, two other powerful visionaries? That would change the world, I bet.

And how about Raisha, who remains one of the most interesting and tragic characters to me? She was obviously in bad shape when we last saw her. Did she live or die? Did Gerathon return to her? Where are they now? We'll never know.

I must even protest the exclusion of Kirat, the bane of my existence. He and Cabaro are a nightmare, but with how much the authors hyped him up for being Tarik's kin, it's baffling that he didn't make another appearance. He's the nephew of our protagonists' old mentor, is he not? He couldn't have joined the Four on one adventure?

And all the others -- they all have interesting stories. So many of them have potential that was never fully realized. It's such a shame they were forgotten.

You would think the children who bonded to Erdas's reborn gods would be rather important to the story. And so it will bug me to the end of time that they just weren't.

[bayofwolves]

Rereading Rise and Fall

We're back unusually early to recap the penultimate, and my personal favourite, Spirit Animals book. If you don't know by now, these posts are essentially my notes from rereading the Spirit Animals books -- interesting details, stuff I missed and how I would change certain things. This is all part of my divine plan to revise and expand upon the series. Let's get into it!

This cover is one of my all-time favourites, apart from the short-haired Conor jumpscare (he has long hair in my universe). It's interesting how he is never shown with the axe he wields, only the shepherd's staff. I suppose they're striving for the most accurate portrayal of their characters on the covers, and Conor will always be a shepherd before he is a warrior.

Abeke's opinion of Shane seems to have deteriorated somewhat. In her first chapter, she doesn't think of him as a friend, only as an ally, and her attitude towards him is quite cold. This is most likely due to the fact that he is her jailer at this point. However, it got me thinking... it would have been kind of neat if Abeke's friendship with Shane slowly deteriorated over the course of these first six books. Perhaps because of what she sees him tolerate from his fellow soldiers, perhaps what she sees him do with his own hands. Perhaps both. She sees him do good, yes, but she sees the bad, too, and it makes her start to doubt him. When he saves her from the Conquerors and expresses his wish to switch sides, her faith in him soars -- of course he would do the right thing, she always believed he could -- only to come crashing down when he betrays her days later. I just think it would be more realistic if Abeke had some doubts about her Conqueror boyfriend as the war dragged on (she's not completely stupid, after all). If she chose to put them aside and trust in him, it would make his betrayal of that trust hurt all the more.

"Abeke struggled to keep her composure, but when she thought of that day at Mulop's grotto, frightening images passed through her mind..." "Then Abeke saw Meilin, and her eyes widened in fear." "Without meaning to, she lifted a hand protectively to her throat." Abeke having a lasting fear of Meilin could have been such a rich concept to explore. Of course, we're made to believe that everything is fine and dandy between the Four after the war is over, but what if it wasn't that simple? Like, Abeke loves her friend and knows none of it was her fault, but she can't help but flinch away when she comes near, remembering those cruel fingers around her throat. It takes some time and therapy for her to feel entirely safe in her presence... and for her to truly let go of those memories of how she treated her before. Abeke and Meilin's relationship had the potential to be so complex after the first arc, but they took it nowhere, and I'll always be disappointed in that.

In the Spirit Animals game, Iskos is much, much larger than he is described in the text. I wish they made him gigantic in the books, too. My headcanon is that Stetriol, as the fantasy version of Australia, has a whole array of giant insects and arachnids. Iskos would be one of these.

"Not much to look at, are they? But then, I knew from the moment I met Abeke that we had nothing to fear from her." Oh, it's gonna be so good when Abeke kills Zerif and the Wyrm in one fell swoop in The Burning Tide: Revised. The fact that Zerif has always underestimated her, only to be brought down by her in the end... for her to prove to him that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Rollan says Concorba was hot, which prompted me to flip back to the map and realize that his city is almost level with Okaihee. This is surprising to me; I always imagined Concorba as being farther north in Amaya and having a continental climate, with mild summers and harsh winters.

It's stated that Rollan has only recently learned to see through Essix's eyes, but he actually first experienced this all the way back in Blood Ties.

Enter one of my favourite characters ever: Irtike! Oh Irtike, I love you so much. The authors realized you were too powerful and shelved you, but I never forgot you.

I can't believe I almost forgot to mention such an important detail, but in my universe, Chinwe is Abeke's aunt, and Irtike is her cousin. Chinwe and Ikenne, Abeke's mother, were sisters. Abeke always had a good relationship with her aunt, and was devastated to learn of her death. However, this means that when Abeke cuts off her father and sister in The Evertree, she still has one family member in Irtike. I've had this headcanon for so many years that I think of it as canon.

I love Rollan's perspective on Soama, and the implication that she only appears more beautiful than Abeke because unlike her, Soama is treated with love and care. It breaks my heart.

Pojalo straight up disowns Abeke. This is actually unforgivable. Him refusing to say that he loves her, declaring that she is dead to him... the fact that they made up after this is absurd. What were they thinking?

A nice little bit of foreshadowing is when Meilin fights the Devourer in a dream and can't see his face because he is covered head to toe in armour -- she can only stare into the "gaping black eyeholes" of his mask. Come to think of it, it would have been cool if Conor had cryptic dreams about the Devourer during his group's time in Nilo. He could have been plagued by them all the way through the book, disturbing visions of the Devourer night after night that he cannot decipher. When they discover Gar dead, Conor thinks this is what the dreams were warning him of. But then they realize the truth.

I always wondered how Shane didn't notice Abeke was injured when he came to get her and Meilin, but it's possible Jhi was able to heal her bruises and scratches that quickly.

"Meilin could sense Abeke's softness... Even if Shane was the kindest of their captors, Abeke needed to be using him, not falling for him." This line always gets me. Abeke's feelings for Shane being on full display, but she herself remaining oblivious to them is something I can't get enough of.

I'm assuming it would be impossible for Cabaro to sire cubs with his lionesses, but all the same, are they his mates? Would a Great Beast even look at a common animal that way? It's an interesting thought.

If Halawir hadn't convinced him to remain neutral, Cabaro might have fought alongside the Four Fallen in their last battle all those years ago. I wonder, was Halawir was going around changing the minds of any others he felt would be sympathetic to their cause?

Cabaro mentions that Briggan was the only one the Great Beasts all trusted. So despite being formed by the same disaster and walking side by side for eons, the Great Beasts still had reservations about their fellows? Interesting...

Cabaro makes a good point about the Greencloaks and their spirit animals, and mankind overall. I wish we could have known what Briggan and Essix were thinking during his speech; for a series called Spirit Animals, we barely ever get inside their heads! Especially when it matters, like now! I want to know how the Four Fallen feel about being spirit animals. Is there any resentment there? Any feelings of being trapped in their new, lesser bodies? Any wishes to return to the greatness and independence they knew for millennia and leave their human partners behind? A conflict revolving around the Four Fallen themselves and the complexity of being tied to humans would be intriguing as hell.

"...Drina, as beautiful as her brother, Shane, was handsome..." To me, this is proof that Abeke is bisexual. She totally has a crush on both of them.

Gerathon is canonically Abeke's biggest fear. Can't fault her for that.

I hold the belief that neither Drina nor Shane knew she was truly going to die that day. The way I see it, the Conqueror leaders originally planned to stage a fake death, in order to give Abeke and Meilin a reason to trust Shane. Both siblings were aware of this... but Drina's death unexpectedly turned out to be real, making her terror and his anguish all genuine. Gerathon and the Conqueror leaders could have decided to kill her because she was putting up too much resistance to Gerathon, and they feared defiance from someone in such a powerful position would cause dissent among the rest of the Conquerors. (In ARHoE, I took this idea and expanded on it a little more. Drina believes she should be leader and queen instead of her brother, and attempts to stage a coup. Her reckless campaign divides the Conquerors -- some are loyal to Shane, some to her. Naturally, Gerathon rewards her treachery with death.) That's just my opinion though, because to my knowledge this whole conspiracy is never fully explained. I love Drina, and wish we got more clarity on what happened here.

I don't think Abeke was meant to hear the whispered exchange between Gerathon and Shane. I think that was her reminding him, in the face of his shock and anger over his sister really being dead, to go ahead with the plan and not flake out now -- lest he meet a similar end.

Meilin wielding a sword in each hand is metal as fuck.

Conor literally stuck an axe in a Great Beast's back. Holy hell. I want to see him telling this story to a group of excited children.

Meilin being unwilling to fight that Conqueror boy because he could be in the same situation as she is was such a good layer to her internal conflict.

Gerathon bites Cabaro on the leg, but her venom doesn't seem to have any effect on him.

I like how they gave Shane's family similar features. Gar and Drina are both described as having large eyes.

"As they approached the spot of scuffed earth and open air that led down to the oasis, a nameless dread overtook Conor." Conor's bond with Briggan giving him not just cryptic visions of the far future, but little premonitions of the near future, is something I would have liked to see.

We don't get to see Cabaro's reaction to his oasis being levelled, which is a shame. Also, wow, even with half the team the Greencloaks bring destruction wherever they go, this time to the animal kingdom.

Why did Gar summon a wolverine, anyway? From what we've seen, people only call up animals that are native to their homeland. In the real world, upon which Erdas is painstakingly based, there are no wolverines anywhere close to Australia. They live in the northern forests of Canada and Eurasia (Amaya, Eura and Zhong on Erdas). So... what's the explanation for this? Are there wolverines in Stetriol, despite the arid climate being nothing like what they are used to? Or did Gar somehow manage to summon a spirit animal from another land?

Sundown has to be my favourite chapter of the book -- possibly even of the entire series. It's the calm before the storm, and a beautiful look into a friendship that will never be the same again. The romantic implications for Shane and Abeke are as clear as day here: The way she keeps noticing how he looks (the sun lighting his face, the lids of his eyes, his arm when she lays her hand atop it), him huskily calling her amazing and her blushing and looking away. I love how it's not fully spelled out, either, and it's up to the reader to deduce that there is love there from the observations she makes, from the words they say, from the way she thinks about him. Their romance is so slow and gentle and bittersweet. This is the last tender moment they'll have. It's sad to look back on it.

My theory is that Shane was letting Grahv out of passive state while they were on the ship, to swim around in the water out of Abeke's sight. This would explain Shane's ease around water, which isn't, to my knowledge, a natural trait of his -- his crocodile is lending him his abilities. Shane is also mentioned to have been diving into the sea without a shirt on, and Abeke would surely have seen the tattoo if Grahv was in passive form during this. Shane could have explained Renneg's absence by saying he was below decks, since the sight of the water made him queasy, and told Abeke not to disturb him because he was resting. This theory is technically invalid because Abeke says Shane hasn't summoned Renneg the whole voyage, but I truthfully don't know how else he could walk around shirtless.

I don't like that Irtike goes right back to Okaihee at the end of the book. What happened to the Irtike who told our protagonists "my heart lives outside of Okaihee now"? She deserved to go with Conor and Rollan to Greenhaven, be present at Tarik's funeral, become a Greencloak in-text and live at Greenhaven thereafter. After all, the Greencloaks probably have more need of her powers than Okaihee at the moment, since the village's failed crops mean it is no longer a target of the Conquerors. At the very least, she should have been one of the returning characters from previous books who travel with the team to Stetriol in The Evertree. (To tell you the truth, I just wanted a whole lot more of Irtike. What do you mean they created a character who is no doubt one of the most powerful people on the planet and then never used her again?)

"Shane turned to face Abeke, his expression unreadable." I just know Shane is gonna have nightmares about Abeke's shocked, disbelieving, betrayed face in this moment for the rest of his life.

"Essix shrieked, and Halawir cocked his head toward her, listening." I love how the Great Beasts seem to be able to understand the Four Fallen, even in their diminished forms. Like they are the only ones who can still hear their voices.

Poor Abeke. She has only just been able to prove that she was not secretly a traitor all along, only just been able to hope for her friends' full trust, and now she has unsuspectingly paved the way for the Conquerors' ultimate victory. She must be fearing that she is farther from acceptance than ever before. My poor, poor girl.

I like Conor's character development into a strong leader and think it was needed, but it happened much too fast. Instead of laying the necessary groundwork for this change early on and building from there, these authors seem to prefer having their characters do a 180 in the span of a single book or even a few chapters. That and the way they handled Irtike are my only major complaints about this book, though.

Did Rise and Fall stand the test of time and remain my favourite? Well, yes! I enjoyed this book from start to finish. There were so many things I loved about it: The introduction of badass one-timers Irtike and Drina, Abeke and Meilin among the Conquerors, all the sweet Shane and Abeke moments, and the fact that we got three new Great Beasts in one book! Most of all, I loved all its ups and downs. I remember being absolutely blown away reading Shane's betrayal when I was ten; that whole plot point was executed very well. Meilin and Jhi surrendering themselves to the Conquerors, Meilin in manacles, Jhi embracing her, made me inconsolable. And of course, Tarik's death was a gut punch. Even with all these losses, though, the book ends on a hopeful note -- the team still has two talismans. They still have a chance against their enemies, however slim. They've hit rock bottom, but they're still looking up. It's a powerful ending, and one that's always stuck with me.

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[dark-night-star-light]

Spirit Animals: The Book of Shane (Reread pt. 18)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES EXCEPT THE LAST FOUR BOOKS OF THE SECOND SERIES (THIRD ARC). 

Masterpost

Who is Shane?

“It isn’t very often that a gorilla and an octopus have a polite conversation” (1). God, I forgot how much I love this book.

“‘Hello, hello,’ said a deep voice . . . ” (1). I adore Mulop. He’s probably the best Great Beast.

“‘A villain through and through. The perfect choice to destroy the world and hand it over to me’” (2). This . . . is not how villains think. They genuinely believe they’re doing the right thing. Especially Kovo. He’s not just a mustache twirling villain. He has complex motivations. Why’s he pretending otherwise???

“‘I see a boy who will regret his mistakes . . . and who will miss his only true friend’” (2). The Shane and Abeke crumbs are going to destroy me. “His only true friend” I’m going to start sobbing.

“‘Is there a soul in there with any hope of redemption?’” (3). Shane’s redemption arc is truly one of the best I’ve ever seen. Also, this book clearly hints at the Wyrm, so I wonder why the writers didn’t make Kovo seem even the least bit sympathetic.

“‘I am quite certain,’ said Mulop. ‘that he would disagree.’ ‘I am quite certain,’ said Kovo. ‘that I don’t care’” (4). Obsessed with this interaction.

I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I actually really like the fourth wall break at the end of the introduction.

Venom

I forgot about the quotes . . . 

The parallels to the main story are so good. Both stories start with the summoning of a spirit animal but the contrast between terror and happiness is so jarring.

 “It was only then that the true horror of the situation finally dawned on Shane” (11). I think it’s so interesting that Shane himself never summoned one. That’s such a good choice on the writers’ part.

Shane’s jerking awake and obsessive checking is so sad. It almost feels like a form of PTSD. I love how they characterized him and his bare room.

“It was only after he was satisfied that he had not summoned a spirit animal in his sleep that he remembered to breathe” (11). How would you not know, though? You’d feel it.

“The tapestries showed legendary scenes of Stetriol’s ancient past. On one, torrents of water flowed from the mouth of a frog, creating all the lakes and rivers. Another showed two lizards painting patterns on each other, one with a fine brush and an eye for detail, the other without care” (12). I feel like that means something. Also, that must be Stetriol’s legendary water frog.

“But the Great Beasts had cursed Stetriol. They were better forgotten” (12). I wonder if Shane believes in the Great Beasts’ existence. Also, it’s so interesting how the “God” interpretation works here for the Great Beasts too, seeing as how Shane blames them for Stetriol’s curse. It’s strange he never learned about the First Devourer War.

“Shane imagined that if she attempted to lower herself any more than that, she might never manage to get up again” (13). Shane is hilarious, actually. Just not in a conventional way.

“He wasn’t sure exactly how old she was, but during her history lessons it was easy to imagine that she spoke from personal experience. The oddest thing about her, though, was that she sometimes spoke of the future as if it were history, too” (13). Wait. Did Yumaris bond to the earthworm before the events of the series??? I thought she got it when she drank the Bile??? Also, wow, lots of potential for plot holes there . . . 

“‘You will be glad to have this blade,’ she said . . . ” (13). OMG WAIT. DID SHE SEE THE WAR COMING? IS THAT WHY SHE GAVE HIM THE BLADE??? I think I got it, guys . . .

“Yumaris answered, a faraway look in her eyes. ‘For words and learning do little to impress a jackal.’ Shane tightened his belt and gave his tutor a questioning look. ‘There are no jackals in Stetriol’” (13). Wait. Yumaris saw Zerif coming??? That’s how I’m going to interpret it . . . 

It’s funny how Shane sees Gar as this wicked man, then does nothing about it.

“ . . . rumor had it that King Feliandor himself had added them during his reign, sometime after he had taken to calling himself the Reptile King” (15). So, the people of Stetriol know something at least . . .

“That was only made worse after the great war and the Greencloak invasion, when the island nation’s shores were overrun” (15). Wait, so. Then that means they know the full story, right??? Also I don’t know if I’ve talked about it before but the parallels between the Devourer Wars and the World Wars. The first ones were both referred to as “the great war” and the second was directly caused by the attacking nation being sidelined after being defeated during the first. I almost wonder if the inspiration for the First and Second Devourer Wars came from World War I and II.

Okay, so Zerif’s sunburn makes sense given that he climbed to Muttering Rock, but how was he not fried alive???

So Magda appears to be a servant, but earlier it’s stated that they didn’t have money to pay servants???

I kind of wish they’d shown more scenes of Shane and Drina before the bonding sickness incident.

“‘A worm? A slug? Something small and worthless’” (19). Interesting that Drina says this, because Yumaris’s spirit animal is a worm. Almost feels like Drina has a strained relationship with Yumaris. Foreshadowing the fact that Yumaris is the one that held Drina down when she got killed by Gerathon?

[cut because block limit]

“‘It’s not fair,’ she said . . . ‘I’d be great. I’d be so great’” (19). That’s actually so heartbreaking. 

“But in that moment, he felt no pity for her, and no love - only hate. Then he saw the handkerchief she held against her mouth. It was wet and heavy with blood” (19). This hits so hard. Just straight observations with no emotions attached. It feels so hopeless.

This snake anecdote is interesting. Might talk about it more in my Shane analysis. 

“But then their mother was there” (20). Doesn’t she have the bonding sickness??? Maybe this was a good day.

“‘This is the prince of Stetriol,’ she said. ‘He’ll never bow to a mere snake’” (21). This could either be irony, considering what happened with Gerathon, or it could be symbolism, with snakes representing evil and his mother saying that Shane would never become evil.

“In her absence . . . ” (21). Is Shane’s mom dead?

“ . . . when the Reptile King’s soldiers had bonded with any animal they could get their hands on” (21). So he knows about the Bile, too???

“‘I am in charge!’ Shane shouted” (23). Yeah, gettem. Also it’s hilarious how this must look to Zerif, to have this child shout at him like that.

Why doesn’t Shane just show Zerif to his father? Like, yeah, he’s sick or whatever, but he can just have him thrown in jail afterward again.

Shane casually calling himself leader in front of Gar!!!

“‘We’re the most peaceful nation in Erdas. The rest of the world pretends we don’t exist’” (25). He literally knows the entire story except the part about the existence of Nectar??? Also, why is Gar so insistent on starting a war? Like all he cares about is building his fleet. But why?

“‘It is my honor as regent to stand before you today to christen this ship . . . ’” (27). Erdas had Christianity???

The Stetriol-post-WWI-Germany parallels are. Not subtle.

Isn’t this the scene where Shane realizes that Gar wants to send him away to war to secure his own power??? Why is that not mentioned?

The idea of a small eight-year-old child who’s determined to kill all snakes is simply adorable.

“He was armed for war” (29). *insert picture of small child in scraps of armor*

“‘He wants to hurt the snakes,’ Drina said . . . ‘Because they hurt him’” (30). It’s interesting how Shane’s mom teaches him about harming innocents with revenge as young as eight, but this scene never actually says he processed or learned that.

“‘Most snakes are harmless, Shane. And the one that bit you was only surprised. You don’t want to hurt snakes for being snakes, do you?’” (30). Parallels between the war on the snakes and the war on the Greencloaks? The Greencloaks hurt Shane first, so he tries to hurt all of them, even the innocent ones. 

Small Shane yelling about how he’s not scared is so cute.

“‘Sometimes hate and fear are the same thing’” (30). Is this coded toward his relationship with Drina or the Greencloaks?

“ . . . Shane widened his eyes as if he cared” (31). Shouldn’t . . . he? Isn’t he kinda poor? Stolen food could be expensive . . . Also why are there servants now???

It’s so interesting how we don’t see Drina’s response to Shane asking her to leave with him . . .

“The planks that made up the fort had been painted pink and green - Drina’s and Shane’s respective favorite colors” (32). I’m going to assume that Shane’s favorite color is green based on the order the names and colors are listed in . . . his favorite color used to be the color of his future enemies . . . 

“He trailed his hand along a pink plank, curled his fingers into the gap, and with sudden violence ripped the board free” (32). He’s ripping away his childhood . . . ?

Oh, this is the scene where he realizes Gar’s plans to send him away to danger.

“If Shane refused to sail with the fleet, he would look like a coward” (32). He says . . . right before the exposition about his plan to leave Stetriol. Does he think that won’t make him look like a coward???

“Perhaps they’d even have a cure for Drina” (33). He’s right . . . in a sense. Even though it’s never explicitly stated, it's definitely implied that Nectar can’t cure bonding sickness, it can only prevent it.

Nobody: Literally nobody: Shane: *screams*

“‘Sugar water. Salt water. One maniac tried to convince my father to drink snake venom’” (34). But like. Why??? Was he unhappy or something?

“‘And during the day, it’s as hot as a cauldron.’ ‘I do not burn easily,’ Zerif said . . . ” (35). Only during the day??? Well, then, a lot of people should’ve been able to get to the top, right??? Just do it during the night . . . why is Zerif the only one who’s done this???

“‘One can learn all sorts of secrets,’ . . . ‘if one takes time to listen at the base of that great pillar’” (35). So Kovo didn’t hire Zerif, Zerif just overheard him talking???

“But Shane wasn’t allowed in the water. He knew he’d never be free” (36). Free, as in freely bonded to a spirit animal??? 

I forgot Shane’s mom died. 

“ . . . the Great Beasts were all but ignored in Stetriol . . . ” (37). Because Stetriolans believe the Great Beasts cursed them? 

It’s interesting how Shane thinks of the Four Fallen as “aid[ing] the Greencloak invasion” (37).

It really means something that Shane chose Mulop and Mulop is the only Great Beast that canonically saw the best in him. Shane and Mulop both have soft spots for each other.

Feliandor-Shane parallels!

“He looked over the portrait for a moment more, and decided he didn’t see much of a resemblance” (38). Shane! Fel! Parallels! Feliandor looking at the portrait of his parents and seeing no resemblance, but seeing that as a negative thing, and Shane seeing the portrait of Fel and seeing no resemblance, but seeing that as a positive thing.

“‘So smug,’ Shane said, feeling a little smug himself” (39). Heh.

[cut because block limit]

“‘Feliandor’s soldiers all used the Bile, and none of them suffered the bonding sickness’” (39). Okay, Shane came to the right conclusion, but did nobody tell him that the bonding sickness didn't even exist before the war?

How does Shane know what a talisman even is? Isn’t that some sort of secret?

The idea of the true king having the Jade Serpent is such a cool concept, and having the talisman be in the throne as a very literal interpretation of that is kind of interesting, because it kind of symbolizes how frivolous and material Kovo saw being king of Stetriol as. By “true king” he literally meant “guy who sits on the throne”, instead of something like “had the qualities of a king”.

“Would that mean Gar was the true king of Stetriol?” (41). See, this is what I mean. The narrative implies that having the talisman equals being the true king, even though that’s just what Zerif says.

Shane tries to save the kangaroo! That’s such a cool symbolism moment, representing how he truly just had good intentions.

“But there were no jackals in Stetriol” (43). Throwback moment.

“He refused, too, to admit that his wife had been sick” (44). Why did the king marry a woman with bonding sickness, anyway?

“But when his daughter . . . was similarly stricken, something in the king has snapped” (44) and “‘But the real trouble happened when he decided he could cure himself . . . He killed his own spirit animal’” (45) imply that the king killed his spirit animal around the time Drina got the sickness. It’s interesting how the combination of the death of a spirit animal and the bonding sickness compound on one another instead of canceling each other out. 

“‘ . . . I’d have to admit that the king is . . . unfit. That Stetriol is without a true leader’” (44). Not really anything wrong with that, though? He could just claim his position as leader.

Zerif refers to Shane as “Prince Shane”!!!

So Shane knew the entire story of what happened except the part about the Greencloaks having the Nectar. And that’s the turning point. That’s the moment he goes from being innocent to . . . not so much. 

Kovo’s message being so literal is perfect symbolism for how Shane saw being king as a surface-level thing. Just have a powerful spirit animal and no sickness and you’ll be a great ruler! Never mind any other qualities a king may need!

“The sense of triumph he experienced in that moment . . . ” (46). This reminds me of how he’s described to have “cold triumph” in his eyes during the showdown on Muttering Rock.

“ . . . bracing himself for her verbal abuse” (46). It’s so sad how he got used to that, though, even though he knew it wasn’t her fault.

“The curse had been broken” (47). Ironic.

“Shane stood on the beach that night and watched his sad little handmade boat go up in flames” (47). Symbolism for destruction of innocence, me thinks. The boat was made out of his childhood playhouse.

It’s so interesting how Shane didn’t get a real spirit animal, unlike Fel. Just thinking about how in another nation, he’d have been the only one in his family to not live up to expectations.

“He felt neither. But while their eyes were averted, he allowed himself a furtive smile” (48). Sort of makes me think that Shane’s morals immediately going out the window is about the destruction of his innocence more than him finally realizing it was an option to kill his father.

“What kind of person would want a spirit animal? A ruler, thought Shane. A king.” (48). This is what I meant when I said that Shane saw very shallow things as qualities of a good ruler rather than actual good qualities.

“Shane dreamed he’d bonded with a crocodile” (48). Ohohohohooho. 

“The creature had drowned one man and maimed two others before it had been subdued” (48). Kind of reminds me of that scene in Blood Ties where Shane sacrifices his own soldier to save Abeke. He doesn’t care who’s loyal to him.

“He woke slowly from an untroubled sleep” (49). Unlike the past two years . . . 

Also this story proves that Zerif’s jackal was a natural spirit animal . . . but we know he took the Bile. We also know after the war, it runs away, but wouldn’t their bond have been natural by that point? How did it leave him?

Vendetta

“The war was over, and he’d won it” (55). Gotta love the stark contrast between this section and the next one (Vengeance).

“But who needed to tell them apart anymore? What was the point of borders, anyway? It all belonged to him now” (55). Shane being up high symbolism for his ego?

“They’d both been lying for a very long time, hiding their true natures, like a crocodile hides beneath the surface of the water, waiting to strike” (56). The crocodile-Shane symbolism is just such a cool thread. It represents his corruption and redemption beautifully.

“The days he’d spent on the boat with Abeke had been … Well, they had been a pleasant respite from months of war” (56). I love how subtle this book is with Shane’s feelings for Abeke. You just get these little gems throughout that show how much he does truly care for her and how much it did hurt to betray her.

I like how it’s shown very clearly how hard the Greencloaks tried to fight to get the talismans back. Like they didn’t just give up hope at the end of Rise and Fall like the narrative suggests. No, they still tried to get them back. And they very nearly did.

“‘Have a care!’ Shane shouted. ‘Lose me and you lose the talismans’” (58). The ego that drips off of Shane in this section is just. Wow, this guy really talked back to a Great Beast. It’s honestly so well done.

“If there was one thing Shane couldn’t stand, it was feeling powerless. He’d had enough of that back in Stetriol. But he hadn’t truly been powerless in a long time. Not since he’d drunk the Bile and joined Zerif in his campaign against the Greencloaks” (58). I kind of want to know what Zerif’s motive in all this is? Why does he hate the Greencloaks? This is a great way of tying Shane pre-corruption and Shane post-corruption, though.

“‘Why not? Let them come in force,’ Shane scoffed. ‘I took them on single-handedly. What chance would they have against my army?’” (59). Shane is such an egoistic little bitch in this section, it's hilarious.

“‘You would not wish to displease Gerathon.’ ‘I know that,’ Shane spat. His face grew warm despite the blustery wind. ‘I know that well’”  (59). Ohhhhhhhh.

Shane’s fear of spiders parallels Meilin’s fear of spiders. They both started hating spiders during the same incident (Drina getting murdered by her own spirit animal). And Shane’s ego in this section perfectly matches Meilin’s near the beginning of the series, as well. 

“ . . . the most beautiful to Shane’s eye was the leopard of amber. It seemed to glow with its own inner light” (62). Well, warning that I’m about to read into this way more than the author probably meant for me to. The talisman is almost definitely symbolism for Abeke. It says “to Shane’s eye” meaning that objectively, the talisman probably doesn’t look that much better than the other talismans. Just like how, objectively, Abeke looks pretty average, but to Shane she’s more than that. It also says there’s an “inner light” which implies something that shines from within, not necessarily anything physical to see. Just like how Abeke has an inner charm. Also, the obvious leopard-Abeke symbolism.

Why does Shane have a vial of Bile??? Why would he need that???

“Kovo’s Obsidian Ape likewise enhanced his vision, but in a subtly different way than the falcon did” (65). I wonder how the Greencloaks got their hands on Kovo’s talisman and why they never used it before.

“[The Amber Leopard] made him feel at ease in this Niloan jungle Uraza had once called home. It was simply the most practical choice, he told himself” (66). Mhm.

“They had trusted their neighbors. That had apparently been a mistake” (67). Love the detached, almost unreliable way this is narrated. Out of context, you would think that Shane was not the one responsible for all the destruction.

“‘You killed me, whether you meant to or not. And that,’ he said, ‘is your nature’” (69). Probably more about Drina, honestly, not Gar.

“ . . . Shane jolted awake . . . ” (69). Hmmmm. So that didn’t go away then.

“Conor and Rollan had almost bragged about it when they’d told him” (70). Wow, Shane is an unreliable narrator.

“He was completely cut off from his sword, the talismans were a hopeless tangle on the floor . . . ” (71). This is why he should’ve kept the talismans on his person.

“ . . . feigning innocence before he remembered that he was in fact innocent” (73). Wow. Shane corruption arc go brrrrrr.

“The village, he decided, must have been protecting Greencloaks. It was the only explanation for the savagery with which the Conquerors had descended” (73). Wow, Shane really is such a manipulative ass in this section, and I love it. 

[cut because block limit]

“ . . . he couldn’t bring himself to pose as a Greencloak” (74). Shane’s ego is really getting in his own way, like my guy. Come on.

“ . . . Shane couldn’t leave him alone in the jungle. Could he?” (75). Reading on a bit further, you can tell that Shane kind of really doesn’t care about Achi and only takes him because he’s useful as a guide.

“But he knew what question Achi was waiting to hear, and he asked it” (78). Shane is manipulative and charming as hell.

“‘Abeke?’ Shane called, louder this time. ‘Abeke, if you’re out there, I can explain everything’” (80). God, I want to know what he would’ve said. Like think about the possibilities. 

“Shane made an involuntary gurgling sound” (81). THAT’S SO FUNNY.

Shane giving the Amber Leopard to Achi cements the Achi-Abeke parallels, in my head.

“He climbed even more nimbly now that he wore Abeke’s talisman - Uraza’s talisman, Shane corrected himself” (82). Ohhhh, so he does think of it as Abeke’s. 

“‘Did you ever hear the story about how the goanna and the perentie got their coloring?’” (83). Kinda wanna hear that one.

“Kovo escaped, but he lost the tail to the cats” (85). I wanna say, it’s pretty unlikely that this story actually happened in canon, because as seen in Tales of the Great Beasts, Uraza did actually like Kovo before they were enemies, saying that it unsettled her that he would work with murderers and calling him her neighbor. But a cute story nonetheless.

Also the story is kind of foreshadowing in its own sense, since in it Kovo is manipulative, but is still defeated in the end. 

“But that was the beauty of the Bile, wasn’t it? No one could resist it in the end. Not even stubborn, foolhardy Drina” (86). Foolhardy??? It’s still unclear whether Drina was in on the plan to get herself killed. In fact, it’s unclear whether Shane knew that the plan was to get Drina killed. 

“He didn’t need to bribe Achi, and he didn’t need to bully him either” (87). Well, at least Shane still has a shred of decency in this section.

“‘She was no Greencloak. She wasn’t even Marked’” (88). Wow, the Conquerors are straight-up stupid. How dumb do you have to be to realize that a non-Marked person means you got the wrong person??? And how dumb is Achi’s dad to gamble that they’d be that dumb?

“In [the jackal’s] jaws was a bloody crown, forged in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail’” (88). Wow, foreshadowing for Zerif’s betrayal for sure.

“‘He got the cats to stop fighting. He saved the day!’” (89). It’s ironic because Shane is clearly paralleling himself, but also he’s the one that started a fight in real life. 

“He was Uraza, and he was home” (91). Kinda cute, if you ignore the context.

“Not that it would have been a very strategic choice with a man-eating cat bearing down on him” (92). Right, but he’s used to sifting through talismans while running. He’s done it several times before in this section. Yes, he’s carrying Achi, but he’s also got Uraza’s talisman to take care of him while he searches. 

“‘And I lost the man I - a good man, Tarik’” (93). Well, that’s about as close to canon as we’ll get.

“‘I haven’t killed anyone,’ Shane growled” (93). Someone needs to teach this guy that killing can be indirect. And also, I don’t think that’s true. There are several battles that he’s been in, so I feel like it’s unrealistic to say he’s never killed anyone.

“‘So high and mighty. Not against sending an assassin after me, though, are they?’” (93). Yeah??? This is a war??? They’re gonna send someone after you, duh. Bro, what kind of logic is that???

“He acted quickly, and replaced the Amber Leopard with Kovo’s Obsidian Ape” (94). Kind of showing him throwing his morals out the window, since he was so repelled by the Obsidian Ape earlier.

“Black and white. Precisely how the Greencloaks saw the world” (95). As if you don’t??? My guy???

“‘Achi, it’s okay,’ Shane said quickly. ‘Grahv won’t hurt you’” (95). Wonder how true that would be if Lishay had called his bluff . . . 

“Shane had given him Jhi’s talisman and carried him all the way here despite the ache in his limbs” (96). Why did Shane carry him? Achi should’ve been healed? And why did Achi let Shane carry him?

“ . . . Shane turned to Achi and winked . . . ” (97). Bitch, he really tried that??? Like unironically??? I’m laughing. Man, I’m laughing so fucking hard.

“He tried to grasp at a fleeting sensation of victory, but it slipped through his fingers and was gone” (97). Kind of like how his victory over the Greencloaks in this section is short-lived and he lost anyway.

Vengeance

The quote. I’m sobbing.

“‘You won. We lost. Do you have to rub it in?’” (103). My guy. Do you know how war works???

“There was real hatred there. Real hunger for revenge” (103). Shane trying desperately to convince himself he’s not as much in the wrong as he is is simply splendid.

“‘Don’t play innocent with me,’ Shane countered. ‘I wrote the book on that particular trick . . . ’” (105). Paralleling the previous section?

“But he could always get more money” (106). How???

“‘Deadly?’ Shane echoed. ‘A frog?’” (107). Does he seriously not know about the whole bright-colors-warn-predators thing??? Huh . . . 

Why does he have a vial of Bile on him??? That is so weird.

“‘They came close, though,’ Shane said, fighting to keep his voice steady” (108). Not him still trying desperately to stroke his own ego.

“ . . . hoarded so jealously over the years” (108). One thing I notice across several books in this series is that whenever they talk about the Greencloak-Nectar situation, they always say “hoarded jealously”. Like, variety in word choice is not a thing apparently.

“‘ . . . What sort of snake?’” (109). This section is so appealing because of the mystery aspect. 

“But what if it didn’t stay that way? What if it could somehow do more harm? The Bile was Shane’s mess. And he was looking to clean up his messes” (110). Right, but he effectively does nothing. The Bile does lose all its power??? That’s so weird. But okay, I guess.

“ . . . stopped to trade for a bag of roasted nuts . . . ” (110). Where did he get the money??? He just gave it all away?

“‘You sound just like a snake I used to know’” (111). Yumaris???

Where is Shane getting the money to hire Anya??? Like huh???

Also Anya is described in an incredibly similar fashion to Anka. Like. I can see how you might get the two mixed up.

“As Shane’s parents and sister grew sicker, he was left entirely to her whims” (113). The relationship between Shane and Yumaris is so interesting and kind of contradictory in some places. 

The whole conversation about tools is probably a reference to Venom, when Yumaris insists that Shane needs many tools . . .

“If this year of war had taught him anyway, it was how much he’d taken for granted as a prince” (115). This is directly contradictory to his statement in Vendetta about how he’s not pampered despite being a prince. Character development or something, I guess. 

“‘“Bushmaster” is a code. And it leads to that jungle temple’” (117). How does he know that??? Is it something Yumaris taught him???

Feel like the venom-poison-snake-frog thing is symbolism for Shane and Yumaris. Shane is a snake, who’ll hurt you by himself, but for Yumaris to hurt you, you have to interact with her first.

“‘The bright colors are a warning to predators: I am dangerous and I taste bad. Stay away.’ ‘Sort of like a Greencloak,’ Shane said under his breath” (119). LOL.

“‘We don’t have bears here.’ ‘Tell that to the bear!’” (120). I love them, Your Honor. 

[cut because block limit]

“Outside of Stetriol, they were supposed to pretend he was no more than their commander’s nephew” (121). Even the Conquerors that aren’t Stetriolan know that???

“‘I’m thinking we throw Soyland to the bear and she lets us go’” (123). I’m with Anya there, not gonna lie.

“‘The bear was a victim in all this. Poisoning her isn't right’” (124). Redemption arc Shane go brrrrr. 

“‘“Bushmaster” was what we called this operation. We- We named them all after snakes’” (124). Oh, so that’s how he knew.

Also, what was the operation specifically?

I get that they have a common enemy, but Anya doesn’t react with much ferocity toward Shane’s reveal. Like. They haven’t even known each other that long.

“But there was no point in turning down the man’s gratitude, and he accepted it with a curt nod” (127). Yes. Yes, there is??? Yes, there is.

“Shane wondered briefly how many young men and women of Stetriol had marched into battle across Erdas” (127). Oh, so they are from Stetriol. Interesting. 

“Each and every drop was a drop made by their hands” (129). Wow, the paranoia starts already.

“And then there was Yumaris, who made an unusual choice” (130). Okay, so if Yumaris hadn’t already been bonded to her worm before, then how did she know the future before taking Bile? It said she spoke of the future like the past, so was she just making that up???

“Alone among the kings and queens of Stetriol. Food for worms, all of them” (131). I guess you can never really escape your fate, even if you become great.

“‘Sir,’ said Lovvorn. ‘Sire!’ said Alix. ‘Idiot,’ said Anya” (136). Cackling.

“‘Did she tell you I have a weak spot for girl archers? Did she think I’d be more likely to trust you if you reminded me of someone I care about?’” (137). Ooooooooh. Kicking my feet at the subtle references to Abeke.

Shane blaming Yumaris for Drina’s death as if he isn’t the one that came up with the plan in the first place is so damn blame-shifty. (He came up with it right? Feel like that hasn’t been confirmed, only heavily implied.)

“‘Gerathon was going to kill one of you that day. By stepping in when I did, I ensured it wasn’t you’” (140). Why was Gerathon going to kill one of them??? I thought it was Drina, so the plan could go . . . well, according to plan. But it really seems like Shane and Yumaris had no idea Drina was going to be killed??? So what was the original plan exactly???

“‘I wish I could see for myself how you’ve grown’” (140). Awwww.

“‘The world above will need a protector who can walk the line between good and evil’” (141). Why do they need to be evil???

What happens to Anya after this? Does she just go back? Do they ever talk again? Does she know Shane eventually dies?

Venture

“‘I’m not here to cause trouble Maddox’” (148). Why are they immediately antagonistic??? I literally don’t remember shit about this. 

“ . . . Abhay wasn’t from Stetriol - and he didn’t have an obvious grudge” (149). Wait. Are the men mad because Shane lost the war? Or something different?

“‘I am Maddox’s king’” (149). He just said it didn’t bother him to not be called a king like a page ago.

“‘People said that, at the end, you fought alongside the Greencloaks’” (149). How do people even know that? It happened at the Evertree, and nobody else was there.

“‘For us, the war never ended’” (151). Huh.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a wolf . . . he knew he’d never be alone again” (151). This is kind of heartbreaking, in a way. Like he’s been alone his whole life and only because of war is he making friends. And never ones that he really keeps.

“Others called him a traitor” (153). For fighting with Greencloaks in the end?

“She had a special knack for pointing out Shane’s shortcomings, and pride ranked high on the list” (154). She’s not wrong. Even in The Burning Tide, when Shane is trying to redeem himself, he wants to impress Abeke more than anything else.

“But, oh, how he wanted to trash this guy” (154). Yeah, me too, honestly. He doesn’t appear to be the most open-minded.

“Shane could swear the figure was wearing a crown” (155). Why is he watching her during a fight, anyway??? Like, dude???

“Shane dreamed he summoned a panda. The animal wrapped him in its arms” (155). Awwww.

“‘The dirt is no place for pride, my king’” (156). If Shane wanted to help himself, shouldn't he have gotten up and not laid pathetically in the dirt?

“‘A natural bond. We grew up together’” (157). I wonder what Viktor thinks of Bile bonds in general. He grew up in Stetriol, so he’d probably be pretty torn.

Okay, so he thanks Shane for the Bile, but also wouldn’t he find it somewhat repulsive, seeing as he has a good bond with his own spirit animal?

“ . . . held no medicinal properties as far as Shane or Yumaris could discover” (159). I wish they’d shown more of Shane and Yumaris working together.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a falcon . . . He was untouchable” (160). Paralleling his ego?

“Here, at last, were the true warriors” (161). How were they picked? 

“‘See now, Karmo? I said you’d get the hang of this’” (162). Is Karmo being forced? Maybe because of his merging with his animal? But that’s a secret, right?

“He did, however, wear a tight bandage around his left forearm” (162). Oop, Shane got him.

[cut because block limit]

The woman with the nickname “Greenslayer” needs a backstory of her own.

Why did Yeffa not want Karmo to help Viktor??? There’s a reason, right?

“It was clear who they held responsible for the outcome of the war” (164). Yep, that’s it.

“Shane wasn’t wholly surprised when Karmo made a break for it later that night” (165). Why didn’t Karmo do that earlier, though?

“‘Shane as in Shane the Reptile King? Devourer Shane?’ ‘It’s just Shane these days’” (167). Shane’s humor’s at its finest when it’s unintended.

“‘King Shane is a no-good snake’” (168). The snake symbolism thread is just *chef’s kiss*

“Who would want to keep so many smelly, scaly reptiles on display?” (169). It’s ironic how Shane is the self-proclaimed Reptile King, yet hates reptiles in reality. Almost like he hates himself from the start.

“‘Zerif chose some real lowlifes. Devin was a bully. Ana was a thief. And Tahlia, the girl from Stetriol? She was downright vicious. We were all afraid of her’” (171). Kind of wonder where Ana’s from. Like, what’s her story? Maybe she was a thief because of circumstance, like Rollan.

“Faced with such devastation, Shane had decided that day that he would activate their secret asset in the next battle. Let the Greencloaks hurt one another for a change” (171). It’s almost funny how jealous he sounds. 

“‘My tribe has never had a Rain Dancer. That means we get less respect in Nilo than the insects and grubs’” (172). But Abeke’s tribe was the same before she was declared Rain Dancer, right? It doesn’t really seem like respect was Abeke’s tribe’s main problem.

“‘Finally getting called a hero, and it’s for all the wrong reasons’” (172). I think even if Karmo had succeeded in the Rumfuss mission, he’d probably have come around anyway in the end. Like he has now.

“‘The Reptile Queen?’ ‘That’s what she calls herself.’ Shane felt a weight in the pit of his stomach . . . It was the feeling he got whenever something bad was happening - and that it was his fault” (173). Oh, he figured it out immediately.

“Shane dreamed he summoned a leopard . . . And he knew he had been forgiven for all he’d done wrong” (174). Oh my God, I’m actually gonna start crying. This like. Perfectly encapsulates the tragedy of Abeke and Shane. Like Abeke forgives him but at the cost of his own life.

“‘The snake is you, if it wasn’t clear’” (176). God, this guy is stupid.

“Shane had once worn that crown . . . ” (178). How did she get her hands on Stetriol’s crown?

Okay, but how did Tahlia survive??? How did she get off the docks?

Shane didn’t know what the execution method was going to be, and didn’t have a plan for dealing with it. Which means that if they had just been planning on running him through with a sword or something, he’d have been screwed. Like, wow, that was straight-up stupid of him.

“One of the tattooed islanders lay unconscious at their feet, while the second one stood at the edge of the tree line, pleading with a huge emu . . . ” (182). Yeah, gettem. This means that the brothers are Piri and Timone. Which means they didn’t change and are still both corrupted as fuck. Nice to see that Timone has regressed with his spirit animal bond.

“She wouldn’t let go of her knives any more than she would let go of her hate” (184). It’s giving Conor and Cordelia in that final battle.

“‘The war is over!’ he cried” (186). Aww.

“‘But this time, we’ll be fighting on the right side’” (186). Shane’s redemption arc is so perfectly started in this book. I will never not be angry that he and Abeke never sat down after they met up again and had a genuine conversation about their feelings.

Final thoughts and rating (doing the negatives first this time):

Zerif and Yumaris’s bonds are weirdly inconsistent. Zerif’s bond is natural, seeing as he was bonded even before finding the Bile, so how come his jackal ran away? It can’t do that, can it? And Yumaris had a Bile bond, but had her powers even before she was bonded? So that’s sort of a plot hole. I also felt the last two stories were slightly more off-putting than the first two. They felt strange in terms of tone, which I get that they were supposed to be, but the resolutions to those sections felt so weirdly rushed. While I did enjoy getting to see what happened to Tahlia, she’s just such a weird villain. I can’t imagine her having enough finesse to put together an entire army, the way she screams at Shane and the way she doesn’t take his hand at the end. With Shane, you can see that he’s smart and careful and manipulative, but with Tahlia, I just have such a hard time believing she could stop acting like a child long enough to put together a two-hundred-person army. Anya was a strange character. I liked her while reading, but her ending was so out-of-place. 

Most of the negatives of the book are nit-picks, because there’s almost nothing wrong with this book, in my opinion. First of all, the parallels. They’re so good. I feel like Nick Eliopulos has such a different writing style, one that favors symbolism and parallels and other analyzation things over the story itself. It was really fun trying to find them all and made my reread almost as fun as the original. Also the Easter eggs??? Like the Piri and Timone thing, or the several hints about Abeke. It was fantastic. The story really rewards you for paying attention to the main series and this book. First two stories were at their best, with the backstory and the Shane-snake-crocodile symbolism. The complicated relationships in Shane’s life were also written so well, such as Drina and Yumaris. It’s clear that Shane both hated and loved both of them. It also shows why he cared for Abeke so much, seeing as that was one relationship that didn’t feel as complicated to him, at least in the beginning. Exploration of the Bile was done well, too. We can see that Timone, for example, is still bonded, because his bond was originally natural, but Piri’s killer whale apparently left him. Getting Karmo’s backstory was also a highlight. And it paves the way for Devin’s story in Tales of the Fallen Beasts. And Shane the unreliable narrator. Excellently done. His pride being his “fatal flaw”, so to speak? And that being a thread that carried the entire book? It was astonishingly well done. I could see it even when it wasn’t explicitly said. Shane as a character carries this book on his back. He is such an excellent protagonist (anti-hero?) to follow, and it makes me wish we’d gotten more page time of him in the main series, as well as more chapters from his perspective. He’s so smart, and the places where he’s figuring things out or using his wits just make him even better. This book is the one that made Shane my favorite character because he’s just written with so much depth and this book does a spectacular job of humanizing him. 

Rating: 10/10