* Since the book is largely Trull's backstory, it would seem more logical to me to complete the book with his "shorning". I assume there that will be visited in another book, but I haven't gotten there yet.
edit: apparently this is intentional:
Steven: It was always intended to be left out, because it was, by that point, inevitable. Also, in telling his story, Trull's own emotional context had to play a fundamental role in what he was prepared to describe. Also, the conceit of the framing device was undermined in the narrative, since part of Midnight Tides described events Trull could know nothing of, but I've done that before (This River Awakens), so I was prepared to run with that contradiction. In a sense, the audience always sees more than the characters, and that's always the point behind this structural conceit.
Inevitable might be the justification, but I don't think there's a good dot-connect. By the end of the book the Warlock King, Fear, and Trull could all be up for shorning or execution.
* Seren Pedac's arc is weak -- Iron Bars and Corlo save it. I'm kind of tired of reading about the rape of female characters as part of their "hardening" and general development. Like her rape, the reveal of her magical aptitude seemed abrupt and contrived, too.
* I appreciate comic relief with Tehol and Bugg and friends, but it got a little bit repetitive. I felt like Tehol's near death should have been sadder or more significant than what was written. It seemed unnecessary in the end.
