"From the ashes of defeat, Tezzeret rises again. Beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by the psychic sorcerer Jace Beleren, Tezzeret is revived by the ancient dragon Planeswalker, Nicol Bolas, who has plans for the embattled artificier: Find Crucius the Mad Sphinx, and with him the secret of etherium."
Discuss, but keep it polite and do not just throw random unbased ideas like "Crucius is Karn" here. Thank you.
I'm thinking he might actually play a role, though I don't know how much of one, since it is just a block novel and Teeth featured the Eldrazi at...The very end. If it follows anything like that, it may just have him popping up at the end and character X going like 'Karn?'
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ask yourselves, all of you, what power would hell have if those imprisoned here could not dream of heaven?
EDH:
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Zo-Zu the Punisher Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
I'll be honest, I checked the reputed source for the Crucius bit of info (the paperback release of Purifying Fire) at the local book shop yesterday and there wasn't a thing mentioned of Crucius.
I'm not entirely dismissing the rumor, as he could have been reading the blurb from a newer release, but until this friday when the sample chapter comes out, I have my doubts as to what Tezzeret will be up to.
I'll be honest, I checked the reputed source for the Crucius bit of info (the paperback release of Purifying Fire) at the local book shop yesterday and there wasn't a thing mentioned of Crucius.
I'm not entirely dismissing the rumor, as he could have been reading the blurb from a newer release, but until this friday when the sample chapter comes out, I have my doubts as to what Tezzeret will be up to.
I bought an M11 fatpack on the prerelease which was on saturday, and there was a sample chapter for the Test of Metal. You can count Crucius rumors as confirmed. From the back of the sample chapter:
«From the ashes of defeat, Tezzeret rises again. Beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by the psychic sorcerer Jace Beleren, Tezzeret has lost control of the Infinite Consortium – an interplanar cabal he commanded with a power and influence few in Multiverse have ever achieved.
Now he must turn to former enemy for help: the dragon Nicol Bolas, perhaps the only Planeswalker in the Multiverse powerful enough to get him back on his feet. Bolas, however, has his reservations. What can Tezzeret give him that he doesn’t already have?
So begins Tezzeret’s search for the secret of etherium – a magical alloy infused with all the power of the Blind Eternities – thought to have been lost with disappearance of the great sphinx, Crucius the Mad. Tezzeret’s quest is clear, but his thirst for revenge clouds his decisions. Will he achieve his goal, or will he be bested by his own ambition».
I can post details of sample chapter later, if you'd like.
Nah, I'll be reading it tonight when fat packs go on sale come midnight.
Then I'll be doing a literary review of it and thoughts on what we can expect for Test. (As well as a comparison to Matt Stover's other works.)
Like I admitted, he probably was reading it from a newer release of the paperback.
Nah, I'll be reading it tonight when fat packs go on sale come midnight.
Then I'll be doing a literary review of it and thoughts on what we can expect for Test. (As well as a comparison to Matt Stover's other works.)
Like I admitted, he probably was reading it from a newer release of the paperback.
Looking forward to it, bro... feel free to post the review here, I will make sure to link it to the first post.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Alrighty everybody, lean back and get ready. Here comes the review and examination of Chapter 1 of Test of Metal. I'll spoiler it for everyone. And I will go ahead and warn you guys, the language from the BOOK will be harsh.
Writing POV: First Person from Tezzeret in past tense.
Content: The first lines do an incredible job of setting the mood, however... the second paragraph pretty quickly blows it apart as Tezzeret calls Jace a Gutter-monkey and tries to decide what exactly his mind is comparable and settles on a facepalmingly bad pun. He compares his brain to... headcheese. This is the first manifestation that... perhaps, this might be a tad bit more juvenile than we were anticipating. Unfortunately, this will not be an isolated incident.
All throughout the sample chapter, Matt Stover does a really good job of capturing the broad strokes of Tezzeret's character, and does a fantastic job of describing what Tezzeret is going through. In fact, I would dare say it was flawless except... well, some of the concepts Tezzeret believes/disbelieves in seem flip-flopped. It doesn't really impact the way his character acts, but it occasionally breaks the narrative with previous knowledge. Chiefly among this is his "disbelief" in injustice, describing it as inherently suspect, but he spends a fair time of whining in other places about the injustice that he doesn't have the position he deserves. The good thing is that this doesn't really harm the character, but it does cause a stumble, still Matt's done a good job of capturing what makes Tezzeret tick, and more joyfully, we actually get to hear about his childhood. Which... apparently is a mixed blessing. We get a great deal about how miserable his life was, as his Father and Mother never even NAMED him. His father we know of, but his mother is a new character to expand upon. She was a whore. No literally, She was a whore before she got too old to turn tricks and fell in the world to be a scrapper. Neither of them really cared at all about Tezzeret, as they didn't keep track of when he was born, nor as I stated, gave him a name. The other "cave-brats" named him Tezzeret (which means "small improvised weapon") after an incident, and I quote (this is equal parts hilarious and grim, I won't lie) in which Tezzeret "butt-shanked an older boy who had pushed me down into a muck puddle."
... That once again ties into that bit about juvenile language. Matt Stover also seems to feel it required to talk briefly about Tezzeret's nudity after awakening and the fact that he reeks of BO, which for completionism is great, but at the same time, those are details I could have easily lived without. It seems like I am being critical here, but let me just say that it is still an enjoyable read so far. Minor complaints in an otherwise detailed and well wrought world/mind.
Next comment, is that for all the time we missed of Esper in Alara Unbroken, we get it deliciously made up for. In fact, just Tezzeret's origin seems to run longer than all the bits of Esper COMBINED in AU. Which satisfies an itch I had convinced myself had stopped needing scratching.... right up until his dad speaks. I once again quote: "Boy. Come folla. We has to git yer mother."
And no, I didn't misspell that. Tezzeret's father is the equivalent of an Esper hillbilly. I wince once more that Matt felt it required to make this so, even if the father's attitude is done well.
Anyways, we continue on learning about how Tezzeret moved himself up in the world, and it is very well executed. He moves away from his dad so we no longer have to suffer from Dialogue lifted from Deliverance. Next we begin to learn more about Crucius and the kind of impact he had on Esper, and it indeed does seem to be mere decades since he left. However, it doesn't explore when he BEGAN his work, which leaves us a question or two, but that is not relevant. Once Tezzeret moved onto his majority age, the story immediately begins to pick up. This is when he begins his education, and that education ends with His Arm. He goes on at length and with pride about the nature of etherium and his mastery, about how his arm is unlike anything else created by the mages of Esper. We get a glimpse into what the Esper mages did with their metal and why Tezzeret is different among them, and I have to say, even I am impressed by what he proports.
Unfortunately, this history seems to be peppered with inconsistencies, or at least oddities about Tezzeret that we've come to accept as established fact. While nothing is absolutely contradicting towards it, there are minor flaws in his description of what happened that require creativity on part of the READER to sync up.
Now, we come to something that could have been very uncomfortable for a lot of us. Bolas. He has but a few lines, but his influence is felt very keenly by Tezzeret. You see, Bolas has regenerated Tezzeret's original arm. It is an incredibly subtle insult and one Tezzeret perceives perfectly. With only 2 lines, I can already say that This will be one of Bolas's good appearances.
Editing: This has been a serious concern in the past, and I will happily tell you all... There is not a single typo. (unintentional typo... Tezzeret's father still speaks like a hick.)
Writing Style and Comparison: Matt Stover is pretty good at capturing Tezzeret here, and I feel like he probably did actually read AoA instead of just winging it based on a small blurb. The similarities in Ari's character and Matt's are excellent, so we get a very consistant character, which is a wonderful treat in a shared world series. Unfortunately, one of Matt Stover's past weaknesses shows up quickly. Matt has difficulty, as observed in the past, of capturing a character without using a reference. In this case, Tezzeret is using Tezzeret as a reference and Bolas is using Ari's Bolas. Where this begins to get... well, completely obnoxious is in the fact that "Poorly educated and low class" immediately equivalates to "Hick Southerner" for Tidehollow characters, and it is PAINFUL to read. So I'm immediately weary of what Matt may bring to the table later. There's a good chance that these complaints will be isolated incidents, but I have to say that this is a little characteristic of Matt's past work. Same applies to some of the... extraneous details we get.
Overview: So, for all the flaws the writer has brought with him, minor complaints really, this story and the writing for it are shaping up incredibly well. I am easily more excited about this book than I am for Wintermute's next foray.
Thank you, Nellos, for the summary. I must say that I am quite looking forward to the book. It is good to see that Stover is trying to make the character consistent.
Funny fact considering the origin of the name...some couple of days ago, I realized how much Tezzeret sounds like tesseract (i.e. "hypercube"). Probably the primary inspiration for the name. Fitting to be given to an artificer character, to say the least.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I must say... this is the first first-person Magic novel we've ever had, yes? Of course, perhaps the entire novel is not in first person, but it's a rarity... oh, wait... Yawgmoth spoke in first person in some chapters in Apocalypse, didn't he? Ah, well, it's still a different approach!
I would say the accent may not be as terrible as you make it out to be. Cliched perhaps, but accents and dialects do exist, and it makes for an easy visual/textual distinction in a work otherwise filled with characters who are more easily discernible from that dialect.
I would venture to say the tone of Metal is darker than most (all?) of our previous novels. It sounds very promising.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Dominian Scholar of the Old Guard, specializing in pre-revisionist (Armada comics) and revisionist (Brothers' War through Apocalypse)history
Ohh, it sounds a bit like AoA, but with a more juvenile leaning in the description. It does sound like he has a very good grasp of the characterization of Tezzeret, which is something that Teeth was highly lacking in Sorin and Nissa.
Also, I'm happy to see that Bolas is much more like his AoA version then his AU counterpart- though, regenerating his arm has me wondering if he'll replace it again, as seen in the alternate art for Tinker?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ask yourselves, all of you, what power would hell have if those imprisoned here could not dream of heaven?
EDH:
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Zo-Zu the Punisher Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
The tone of all the walker novels have been darker than your average magic novel, but this one definitely has shades of black shot through it. Tezzeret's life growing up by itself makes the entire thing a darker endeavor, and we've already seen what kind of person the protagonist is.
@Zazdor: cliched it definitely is. The problem is that Matt went for the most hick of hicks to capture with Tezz's low class family, which is annoying, because just because one is low class does not mean one is a hick. (speak from the middle class perch, oh how righteous am I! Yeah, hicks just annoy me to be truthful, I have to deal with them regularly enough that I don't want their idiot speak polluting my literature.)
Anyways, his father's next line is "Even this, theyz tooken from me." and it just continues to slide down. At one point, he attempts to say "Might as well" and it comes out "myz well" and that sentence, upon review is even more embarassing. "Us downslopers myz well be buttrags."
I read the spoiler chapter that must have come with the M11 Fat pack, and I found some interesting info concerning Tezz's past
His name means a small metal homemade weapon (essentially a shank) which is awesome!
Mommmy was a whore.
Daddy was an uneducated scrapper loser.
Seems people on Esper dont all think Crucius was a Sphinx.
Some people had elevated him unto the status of a God, and since the only being to have ever actually laid EYES upon him was Sharuum, a lot of the lower classes didn't even believe he existed.
And yeah! Somebody totally didn't read the thread (my post specifically) to see if they were just repeating stuff.
@Tezzeret: I was honestly waiting for you to reply. If for nothing else, to get your opinion on how Tezzeret got named (after a butt-shank, which coincidentally is now my favorite nickname for Tezz.) And I bet you loved Tezzeret calling Jace a gutter-monkey.
But how does this passage (assuming it´s from the sample chapter) come to question whether people believed he was a Sphinx or not? It only says people are questioning whether he existed at all... Was there something else in the chapter? Steveita?
I do not own this sample chapter, it was at my card shop I frequent once a week. If not one puts the information up before Thursday I will happily borrow the sample chapter and tell you all about it.
I apologize for not taking notes, I am paraphrasing what I remember off hand. I should mention that I meant to say that SOME people on Esper dont think that, not everyone. i dont believe they mention if it was the educated, the scum or some other group who think this.
The way it was said, wasnt something Tezz seemed to care much about, just exposition for us.
@Zazdor: cliched it definitely is. The problem is that Matt went for the most hick of hicks to capture with Tezz's low class family, which is annoying, because just because one is low class does not mean one is a hick.
I don't disagree with the cliche' stereotype he went with, but I don't think it's as juvenile as you're making it out to be. It mentions in the book that the conversation over his mother dying is the longest conversation he and his father ever have - so obviously the dad isn't doing much talking in the first place. (And here's to talking from expirience, I STILL have family that talks like that - and I keep my distance.... )
Someone else mentioned "darker" - I gotta say - it starts off with him intentionally NOT looking at his arm, then once he actually looks at it, following multiple 'hints' that the arm might be severed, he backtracks into how he spent most of his young life constructing the arm and then once we come back to the present, his shock and anger is VERY believeable when he reveals that the arm hasn't been severed, but turned back into flesh.
I really enjoyed the sample chapter. After the literary diarrhea of Alara Reborn, and the incredibly boring Zendikar book, I was/am really looking forward to this book and all points indicate it's going to be a great page turner.
I meant to say that SOME people on Esper dont think that, not everyone. i dont believe they mention if it was the educated, the scum or some other group who think this.
The paragraph follows one on the godliness of Etherium - how one can almost touch the mind of god - or implying etherium itself may actually BE god. :/
Then he indicate that Crucius supposidly introduced Esper to Etherium and that the Mechanists' Guild do not believe he is a Sphinx, but an "incarnation of the will of their abstract god"
It goes on to say how no one has ever actually seen Crucius, except for Hegemon, who tells 'tales' that get progressively larger each time he tells them.
Then he talks about the Ethersworn who, with no evidence whatsoever, believe the key to the "redemption" of the entire plane is to lace every living thing up with some Etherium, refering to Crucius as the "supposed creator". He also mentions that it is bad form to inquire about what they are trying to redeem the plane from in the first place.
** I disagree that it's told in any kind of obscure way. The author is making it clear that Tezzeret is a man of facts and expirience and has seen no reason to believe in the existence of any god - let alone this "supposed creator" Crucius.
As a fan of Esper, seeing that there will be a lot of info about the plane from a "street level" perspective will be absolutely fantastic. I feel your pain, Barinellos, regarding the dad's dialog... I can understand trying to make it clear that the character has poor diction, sloppy language, etc, but that shouldn't be done by mangling the spelling to this degree. A few snips here and there is fine, but if you want to show that he slurs his speech then just go ahead and say that he's slurring. Don't actually type out a jumble of letters. Ugh.
Also very interested in the situation with Tezz's regenerated arm. What does that mean for the scene depicted on the From the Vault art of Tinker? Will he be making a new one?
Also very interested in the situation with Tezz's regenerated arm. What does that mean for the scene depicted on the From the Vault art of Tinker? Will he be making a new one?
I think that Wizards mentioned it showed Tezzeret in the future (hence the gray hair and all) so it might be assumed he gets his arm back? Maybe? Except as for the fact he looks a lot older...There's no telling when. Or maybe the stress of some event or another makes him age prematurely.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ask yourselves, all of you, what power would hell have if those imprisoned here could not dream of heaven?
EDH:
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Zo-Zu the Punisher Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
The new arm has a different shape than his old one, and you can see his Etherium modifications are much more extensive, completely replacing his legs, hips, and lower abdomen. I don't have a physical copy of the card to study, but from the card image I can observe in the card link, it looks like the setting of the scene could be Mirrodin. That might be a bit of a stretch though. It would make sense if Tezzeret is able to find Crucius and create new Etherium (maybe even improve it?) he would make himself a new arm, or even more extensive modifications, giving him a shiny new body to showcase when he's printed in Scars.
I went and took a look at the card; the setting is pretty ambiguous, but it looks like it could be Mirrodin or some random workshop he has set up somewhere, based on what looks to be an extensive number of tools around him. Though, why'd he set up shop in the middle of a desert looking place with no walls, I have no idea.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ask yourselves, all of you, what power would hell have if those imprisoned here could not dream of heaven?
EDH:
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Zo-Zu the Punisher Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
I went and took a look at the card; the setting is pretty ambiguous, but it looks like it could be Mirrodin or some random workshop he has set up somewhere, based on what looks to be an extensive number of tools around him. Though, why'd he set up shop in the middle of a desert looking place with no walls, I have no idea.
All the cool kids were doing it!
Anyways, Brady has already said that tezzeret's aging was "unnatural"
Honestly, with the aging on the card and the amount of added metal, and many planewalkers desire to be immortal, id say tezz is on his way to becoming an ather lich...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Book blurbs:
Test of Metal - planeswalker novel, October 2010
"From the ashes of defeat, Tezzeret rises again. Beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by the psychic sorcerer Jace Beleren, Tezzeret is revived by the ancient dragon Planeswalker, Nicol Bolas, who has plans for the embattled artificier: Find Crucius the Mad Sphinx, and with him the secret of etherium."
Discuss, but keep it polite and do not just throw random unbased ideas like "Crucius is Karn" here. Thank you.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
He can either be The "AntiBolas" or he can be a cameo.
EDH:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
Unless they are using it more... metaphorically as in "Karn has lost his memories" or "Karn is now evil". We must help him find his true self.
I'm not entirely dismissing the rumor, as he could have been reading the blurb from a newer release, but until this friday when the sample chapter comes out, I have my doubts as to what Tezzeret will be up to.
I bought an M11 fatpack on the prerelease which was on saturday, and there was a sample chapter for the Test of Metal. You can count Crucius rumors as confirmed. From the back of the sample chapter:
«From the ashes of defeat, Tezzeret rises again. Beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by the psychic sorcerer Jace Beleren, Tezzeret has lost control of the Infinite Consortium – an interplanar cabal he commanded with a power and influence few in Multiverse have ever achieved.
Now he must turn to former enemy for help: the dragon Nicol Bolas, perhaps the only Planeswalker in the Multiverse powerful enough to get him back on his feet. Bolas, however, has his reservations. What can Tezzeret give him that he doesn’t already have?
So begins Tezzeret’s search for the secret of etherium – a magical alloy infused with all the power of the Blind Eternities – thought to have been lost with disappearance of the great sphinx, Crucius the Mad. Tezzeret’s quest is clear, but his thirst for revenge clouds his decisions. Will he achieve his goal, or will he be bested by his own ambition».
I can post details of sample chapter later, if you'd like.
Then I'll be doing a literary review of it and thoughts on what we can expect for Test. (As well as a comparison to Matt Stover's other works.)
Like I admitted, he probably was reading it from a newer release of the paperback.
Looking forward to it, bro... feel free to post the review here, I will make sure to link it to the first post.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Writing POV: First Person from Tezzeret in past tense.
Content: The first lines do an incredible job of setting the mood, however... the second paragraph pretty quickly blows it apart as Tezzeret calls Jace a Gutter-monkey and tries to decide what exactly his mind is comparable and settles on a facepalmingly bad pun. He compares his brain to... headcheese. This is the first manifestation that... perhaps, this might be a tad bit more juvenile than we were anticipating. Unfortunately, this will not be an isolated incident.
All throughout the sample chapter, Matt Stover does a really good job of capturing the broad strokes of Tezzeret's character, and does a fantastic job of describing what Tezzeret is going through. In fact, I would dare say it was flawless except... well, some of the concepts Tezzeret believes/disbelieves in seem flip-flopped. It doesn't really impact the way his character acts, but it occasionally breaks the narrative with previous knowledge. Chiefly among this is his "disbelief" in injustice, describing it as inherently suspect, but he spends a fair time of whining in other places about the injustice that he doesn't have the position he deserves. The good thing is that this doesn't really harm the character, but it does cause a stumble, still Matt's done a good job of capturing what makes Tezzeret tick, and more joyfully, we actually get to hear about his childhood. Which... apparently is a mixed blessing. We get a great deal about how miserable his life was, as his Father and Mother never even NAMED him. His father we know of, but his mother is a new character to expand upon. She was a whore. No literally, She was a whore before she got too old to turn tricks and fell in the world to be a scrapper. Neither of them really cared at all about Tezzeret, as they didn't keep track of when he was born, nor as I stated, gave him a name. The other "cave-brats" named him Tezzeret (which means "small improvised weapon") after an incident, and I quote (this is equal parts hilarious and grim, I won't lie) in which Tezzeret "butt-shanked an older boy who had pushed me down into a muck puddle."
... That once again ties into that bit about juvenile language. Matt Stover also seems to feel it required to talk briefly about Tezzeret's nudity after awakening and the fact that he reeks of BO, which for completionism is great, but at the same time, those are details I could have easily lived without. It seems like I am being critical here, but let me just say that it is still an enjoyable read so far. Minor complaints in an otherwise detailed and well wrought world/mind.
Next comment, is that for all the time we missed of Esper in Alara Unbroken, we get it deliciously made up for. In fact, just Tezzeret's origin seems to run longer than all the bits of Esper COMBINED in AU. Which satisfies an itch I had convinced myself had stopped needing scratching.... right up until his dad speaks. I once again quote: "Boy. Come folla. We has to git yer mother."
And no, I didn't misspell that. Tezzeret's father is the equivalent of an Esper hillbilly. I wince once more that Matt felt it required to make this so, even if the father's attitude is done well.
Anyways, we continue on learning about how Tezzeret moved himself up in the world, and it is very well executed. He moves away from his dad so we no longer have to suffer from Dialogue lifted from Deliverance. Next we begin to learn more about Crucius and the kind of impact he had on Esper, and it indeed does seem to be mere decades since he left. However, it doesn't explore when he BEGAN his work, which leaves us a question or two, but that is not relevant. Once Tezzeret moved onto his majority age, the story immediately begins to pick up. This is when he begins his education, and that education ends with His Arm. He goes on at length and with pride about the nature of etherium and his mastery, about how his arm is unlike anything else created by the mages of Esper. We get a glimpse into what the Esper mages did with their metal and why Tezzeret is different among them, and I have to say, even I am impressed by what he proports.
Unfortunately, this history seems to be peppered with inconsistencies, or at least oddities about Tezzeret that we've come to accept as established fact. While nothing is absolutely contradicting towards it, there are minor flaws in his description of what happened that require creativity on part of the READER to sync up.
Now, we come to something that could have been very uncomfortable for a lot of us. Bolas. He has but a few lines, but his influence is felt very keenly by Tezzeret. You see, Bolas has regenerated Tezzeret's original arm. It is an incredibly subtle insult and one Tezzeret perceives perfectly. With only 2 lines, I can already say that This will be one of Bolas's good appearances.
Editing: This has been a serious concern in the past, and I will happily tell you all... There is not a single typo. (unintentional typo... Tezzeret's father still speaks like a hick.)
Writing Style and Comparison: Matt Stover is pretty good at capturing Tezzeret here, and I feel like he probably did actually read AoA instead of just winging it based on a small blurb. The similarities in Ari's character and Matt's are excellent, so we get a very consistant character, which is a wonderful treat in a shared world series. Unfortunately, one of Matt Stover's past weaknesses shows up quickly. Matt has difficulty, as observed in the past, of capturing a character without using a reference. In this case, Tezzeret is using Tezzeret as a reference and Bolas is using Ari's Bolas. Where this begins to get... well, completely obnoxious is in the fact that "Poorly educated and low class" immediately equivalates to "Hick Southerner" for Tidehollow characters, and it is PAINFUL to read. So I'm immediately weary of what Matt may bring to the table later. There's a good chance that these complaints will be isolated incidents, but I have to say that this is a little characteristic of Matt's past work. Same applies to some of the... extraneous details we get.
Overview: So, for all the flaws the writer has brought with him, minor complaints really, this story and the writing for it are shaping up incredibly well. I am easily more excited about this book than I am for Wintermute's next foray.
Funny fact considering the origin of the name...some couple of days ago, I realized how much Tezzeret sounds like tesseract (i.e. "hypercube"). Probably the primary inspiration for the name. Fitting to be given to an artificer character, to say the least.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I must say... this is the first first-person Magic novel we've ever had, yes? Of course, perhaps the entire novel is not in first person, but it's a rarity... oh, wait... Yawgmoth spoke in first person in some chapters in Apocalypse, didn't he? Ah, well, it's still a different approach!
I would say the accent may not be as terrible as you make it out to be. Cliched perhaps, but accents and dialects do exist, and it makes for an easy visual/textual distinction in a work otherwise filled with characters who are more easily discernible from that dialect.
I would venture to say the tone of Metal is darker than most (all?) of our previous novels. It sounds very promising.
Also, I'm happy to see that Bolas is much more like his AoA version then his AU counterpart- though, regenerating his arm has me wondering if he'll replace it again, as seen in the alternate art for Tinker?
EDH:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
The tone of all the walker novels have been darker than your average magic novel, but this one definitely has shades of black shot through it. Tezzeret's life growing up by itself makes the entire thing a darker endeavor, and we've already seen what kind of person the protagonist is.
@Zazdor: cliched it definitely is. The problem is that Matt went for the most hick of hicks to capture with Tezz's low class family, which is annoying, because just because one is low class does not mean one is a hick. (speak from the middle class perch, oh how righteous am I! Yeah, hicks just annoy me to be truthful, I have to deal with them regularly enough that I don't want their idiot speak polluting my literature.)
Anyways, his father's next line is "Even this, theyz tooken from me." and it just continues to slide down. At one point, he attempts to say "Might as well" and it comes out "myz well" and that sentence, upon review is even more embarassing. "Us downslopers myz well be buttrags."
so... yeah. That happens.
Either way, I'm eager to know more about the book.
His name means a small metal homemade weapon (essentially a shank) which is awesome!
Mommmy was a whore.
Daddy was an uneducated scrapper loser.
Seems people on Esper dont all think Crucius was a Sphinx.
Nicol Bolas, a balance of Vorthos and PowerUBR
Nath of the Gilt LeafBG
Others
Squee, Goblin of AwesomenessR
Nekusar, the Mindblazer!UBR
Vela the NightcladUB
I used to be a world champion, but then I took a wolf to the knee. And three Galvanic Blasts to the face.
Concerning when returning to Kamigawa would be acceptable
Some people had elevated him unto the status of a God, and since the only being to have ever actually laid EYES upon him was Sharuum, a lot of the lower classes didn't even believe he existed.
And yeah! Somebody totally didn't read the thread (my post specifically) to see if they were just repeating stuff.
@Tezzeret: I was honestly waiting for you to reply. If for nothing else, to get your opinion on how Tezzeret got named (after a butt-shank, which coincidentally is now my favorite nickname for Tezz.) And I bet you loved Tezzeret calling Jace a gutter-monkey.
I do not own this sample chapter, it was at my card shop I frequent once a week. If not one puts the information up before Thursday I will happily borrow the sample chapter and tell you all about it.
I apologize for not taking notes, I am paraphrasing what I remember off hand. I should mention that I meant to say that SOME people on Esper dont think that, not everyone. i dont believe they mention if it was the educated, the scum or some other group who think this.
The way it was said, wasnt something Tezz seemed to care much about, just exposition for us.
Nicol Bolas, a balance of Vorthos and PowerUBR
Nath of the Gilt LeafBG
Others
Squee, Goblin of AwesomenessR
Nekusar, the Mindblazer!UBR
Vela the NightcladUB
I used to be a world champion, but then I took a wolf to the knee. And three Galvanic Blasts to the face.
Concerning when returning to Kamigawa would be acceptable
Someone else mentioned "darker" - I gotta say - it starts off with him intentionally NOT looking at his arm, then once he actually looks at it, following multiple 'hints' that the arm might be severed, he backtracks into how he spent most of his young life constructing the arm and then once we come back to the present, his shock and anger is VERY believeable when he reveals that the arm hasn't been severed, but turned back into flesh.
I really enjoyed the sample chapter. After the literary diarrhea of Alara Reborn, and the incredibly boring Zendikar book, I was/am really looking forward to this book and all points indicate it's going to be a great page turner.
The paragraph follows one on the godliness of Etherium - how one can almost touch the mind of god - or implying etherium itself may actually BE god. :/
Then he indicate that Crucius supposidly introduced Esper to Etherium and that the Mechanists' Guild do not believe he is a Sphinx, but an "incarnation of the will of their abstract god"
It goes on to say how no one has ever actually seen Crucius, except for Hegemon, who tells 'tales' that get progressively larger each time he tells them.
Then he talks about the Ethersworn who, with no evidence whatsoever, believe the key to the "redemption" of the entire plane is to lace every living thing up with some Etherium, refering to Crucius as the "supposed creator". He also mentions that it is bad form to inquire about what they are trying to redeem the plane from in the first place.
** I disagree that it's told in any kind of obscure way. The author is making it clear that Tezzeret is a man of facts and expirience and has seen no reason to believe in the existence of any god - let alone this "supposed creator" Crucius.
Also very interested in the situation with Tezz's regenerated arm. What does that mean for the scene depicted on the From the Vault art of Tinker? Will he be making a new one?
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
I think that Wizards mentioned it showed Tezzeret in the future (hence the gray hair and all) so it might be assumed he gets his arm back? Maybe? Except as for the fact he looks a lot older...There's no telling when. Or maybe the stress of some event or another makes him age prematurely.
EDH:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
EDH:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
All the cool kids were doing it!
Anyways, Brady has already said that tezzeret's aging was "unnatural"