In preparation for Jaeth Eye being r/fantasy’s RRAWR Book Club pick of the month, I thought I’d help give a quick intro and introduce some ideas that’ll help along with the reading. (No spoilers, but feel free to disregard this if you’re the kind of person who likes mysteries. Also, maybe I ramble too much).
I think of The Agartes Epilogues as one book, the same way Lord of the Rings is one book. It’s not something I ever really consciously decided–I think the majority of fantasy books I’ve read up before I first started Jaeth’s Eye followed that format and I just naturally followed along. And back then, I was someone who finished serieses, often buying them all at once before I even finished the first book and never picking up anything that was unfinished (A Song of Ice and Fire changed that). Lately, I’ve come across more and more books where the first book sort of functions as a standalone. I’m not sure if this is the trend now–especially with certain popular serieses taking forever to become completed (if at all). It took a while for me to catch up to “modern fantasy,” as I was still consuming a lot of the pre-2000s books up until 2012 or so.
I can’t reiterate to people enough that Jaeth’s Eye, while having its own arc (PLOT SUMMARY: the mage Kastor rog-Bannal reveals Gorrhen yn Garr’s plans to revive Naijwa’s beast and shit goes sideways), is merely the beginning. The question of “What was the prologue for?” has been brought up more than once, for instance, and the only reasonable answer I can give is to keep on reading. Patterns emerge, and the story eventually funnels down to Sapphire’s Flight, which is about 40% of the entire trilogy. I’ve even originally titled Act One of Aina’s Breath as Act Three, for example, and so on all the way to Act Eight by the end of Sapphire’s Flight, before deciding it might be better to stick to convention (especially since I have those pesky Prologues getting in the way).
Jaeth’s Eye is a hub. Everything you need to know about the central plot is there–I may have dropped a red herring or two, but I think all the important bits have been told so that very little new information is revealed in the sequels. We know about the myths, the common beliefs, and the workings of the characters’ minds, their relationships, and their inner conflicts. It is a bit like having all the pieces of a puzzle laid out in front of you, and by the end of the novel you’ve got the edges, but the rest have yet to be filled in.
People have repeatedly warned others that this is a series that doesn’t hold your hand. I don’t quite think of it the same way–I refer to this series as character-driven for a reason, and that is to drive home the point that it’s the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and development that are going to take precedence over the plot. Some things that may be helpful to pay attention to if you are struggling trying to make sense of Jaeth’s Eye:
- The myths. Two ones, in particular, are spoken of in great detail.
- Camden’s quest (this both serves as a plot device and to reiterate the theme).
- The going-ons with the Boarshind hierarchy and the various projects of Yn Garr Industries, which are being used as a front for a more important purpose. Hertra Ylir yn Ferral (who is also referred to as Ylir yn Garr by the mercenaries) is an “important” client of the Boarshind, particularly because his master, Gorrhen yn Garr, partly owns the Boarshind mercenary group. He uses the Boarshind when he has to, although he isn’t particularly happy with having to deal with “lowlifes.”
- All of these are going on in the background because the characters in focus are “minor characters.” If you feel like you’re only reading because of the characters…then everything is as it should be. Everything else, including their connection to the main plot, will be revealed in time. (If you don’t like the characters, this series isn’t for you…)
- You don’t have to figure out the plot. It will all be explained when the time is right. Like literally, by the time you finish Sapphire’s Flight, you won’t have missed it.
Extras. I’ve posted these in my blog before, but I thought I’d drop a handy link to these. They’re totally not necessary for reading, but they were fun to make and gives you added insight into the world. Bring out the tissues.
