《血蕴之炎》(Fire in the Blood by Erin M. Evans) 阅读心得

Arcanum

原文發表處

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　　「血蕴之炎」是是硫磺天使事记(The Brimstone Angels Saga)的第四本书，承接第三本的宿敌(The Adversary)，该书亦为罅裂(The Sundering)系列的第三本。

　　以下绝对包含剧情，请考量是否继续阅读。

　　整个故事的时间点依然在罅裂事件期间，从1486 DR，耐瑟山脉卷轴之年的5月到12月，事件地点基本上都在科米尔。

　　先说我对于这本书的总体感想：我很喜欢这个故事，而且很想看到后续。我觉得本书比宿敌更好看。这有可能是因为页数扩增到四百六十余页，所以能够讲述更多且更完整。

　　在耐瑟选民营地的事件结束后，Farideh和Havilar跟着养父Mehen和Brin一起前往科米尔，但因为Brin的贵族身分和前作提到的婚约，他们不可避免地被卷入了皇室动荡，而在此同时，耐瑟瑞尔的军队正逐步入侵科米尔。

　　因为在罅裂事件时期，这本书也出现了好几位选民。我们如今知道了Asmodeus至少有六位选民，包括Farideh和Havilar两姐妹。而这本书还出现A神的选民和S女神的选民。

　　Farideh与半魔Lorcan以及前欧格玛圣武士Dahl的感情关系发生了很多变化。她一方面对于自己的选民身分感到不安，另一方面又得依赖Asmodeus赐予的选民力量。她的行动将直接影响到科米尔的安危。

　　Havilar和托姆侍祭Brin的关系波折不断。Brin的王位候补继承人身分，再加上他和Raedra公主的婚约为这三人带来很大的挑战。而Havilar的选民力量也开始觉醒了。Brin焦虑地面对各种难以抉择的棘手问题，又得与Havilar等人踏上寻找皇储的旅途。

　　Mehen依然全心为着两个疼爱的养女，但他的过往持续展现，本书新登场的几个龙人或许在下一本书会有更大的发展空间，而他可能会找到新的伴侣。但在那之前，似乎还得面对让其心碎的旧情人。

　　Lorcan同时身负来自Asmodeus和Glasya各自交付却互相冲突的任务，又得面对自己对Farideh的感情，但他的某些作为带来他预想不到的后果。而为了分头进行任务，他把姐姐Sairche放出来了，但Sairche当然自有算计，事件开始生变。

　　Dahl为了竖琴手的工作来到科米尔，试图抽丝剥茧解开某个真相。他在上一本中仓皇失措地拒绝Farideh使用灵魂视觉向他转述欧格玛的神意。在本书，读者会看到Dahl的转变与成长，他会面对之前一直逃避的问题，见证欧格玛留下的全篇神意，并逐步醒悟自己当初堕落的原因。

　　Raedra公主是非常让人喜爱的新角色，她不完美，有着自己的烦恼与悲痛过往，但她同样很努力而有责任心。科米尔与皇室陷入动荡，加上与Brin之间的问题，她依然能展现自己的勇气并有所成长。

　　A神的选民在故事中有重要的作用，我提早猜到了他的身分，并因此书竟然包括这件事而很是惊喜。总之，这有关一桩重要事件与Asmodeus的秘密，我非常期待这条剧情线的发展。

　　双胞胎的祖先，当初的「托瑞尔十三」之首Bryseis在上一本书揭开身分之后，在这本书持续影响多个事件发展。其目的一步步展现，而那可不是为了帮助Asmodeus。

　　除了上述的几个重要角色，书中有很多让人印象深刻的配角，包括某几个贵族，读者一开始恐怕没想到他们并不止是过场人物而已。另外某人的新宠物也很可爱。对了，T神以本体在故事中登场。此外还有很多有趣的人事物和剧情支线。

　　我觉得不管是从前作或本书来看，Erin都是个努力的作者，可以看得出她有做功课，让书中能合理出现与其他作者作品有关的线索。这很值得赞许和鼓励。本书还包括有趣的彩蛋。而标题的血蕴之炎可不止是指封面主角Farideh而已。书前附的科米尔皇室家谱对小说读者或设定爱好者会很有帮助。

　　我很期待后续作品，场景看来会是龙人国家提曼璱的首都Djerad Thymar，很多条剧情线应该会继续发展。不论你喜欢硫磺天使系列或科米尔，这本书都推荐一读。

　　本书将于2014年10月出版，感谢Wizards of the Coast让我有机会阅读并给予感想。

lsls

http://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/Ch1_FireBlood.pdf
序幕和第一章，含科米尔皇室家谱

下面是我瞎蒙的：
A神应该是阿祖斯，考虑到5E的PHB上的FR神祇列表上出现了阿祖斯却没有阿斯摩蒂尔斯，这本小说可能描写了阿祖斯复活以及地狱之王失去神性的经过。
S神应该是莎尔，不过考虑到萨弗拉斯也在5E的神祇列表上出现，他也有可能。

PS:Erin M. Evans确实很给力，她的《The God Cather》、《Lesser Evils》和《The Adversary》在篇幅上都比其他作者的小说长了不少。不过我个人对她的作品评价一般。期待这本《Fire in the Blood》能带来惊喜。                              

刚看到是S女神.....


竟然是Sune......

PlanesWalkerZF

先顶后看~~~~

Arcanum

接下來兩本是Ashes of the Tyrants和King of Dust，時間點依然是罅裂時期，將完成Asmodeus的劇情線。

lsls

Mehen........而他可能会找到新的伴侣。但在那之前，似乎还得面对让其心碎的旧情人。

如果我没理解错，Mehen是一位男同......  囧

Arcanum

lsls 发表于 2014-10-30 15:38
如果我没理解错，Mehen是一位男同......  囧

是呀。

lsls

Erin透露了很多硫磺天使系列的重要信息，解释了不少小说中的谜题，甚至包括少量后续作品的信息。
以下内容涉及剧透，慎入！
不过按照Erin的剧透，解释了双胞胎姐妹成为选民的原因，但却带来了另外一个问题：Bryseis Kakistos另外三名后裔又是如何成为选民的？

1. Bryseis Kakistos engineered the twins' birth so that she could be resurrected. But that went poorly because they twinned. She'd anchored her soul to the zygote and when it split, it ripped her apart. The two anchor points remained behind and now those pieces are contained within Farideh and Havilar.

2. She wants to come back because she's pissed at Asmodeus. She feels he betrayed her--and the details of this are actually in the Adversary's epilogue. She was promised a place at Asmodeus's right hand, but then he dawdled about it and she decided to betray him. He engineered her death and told her she had to be patient. She was not patient (for reasons...) and went with this resurrection plan, which went awry. And then the Sundering came and so Asmodeus imbued Bryseis Kakistos as his Chosen...but Bryseis Kakistos is dead and in parts so that power is split up. Farideh and Havilar received a big portion of those powers, and what BK got, she can't tap because she can't remember how to work it. So from Asmodeus's point of view, he's given Bryseis Kakistos what he promised. If she'd just been patient, she would have been the kind of Chosen you imagine when you hear the word--fear effect, burning angel visage, imp minions, and more. Their deal is done, and she's even more pissed.

3. But she doesn't remember how to get back at him. And honestly, she doesn't remember everything about why she wants to and what she planned to do--as you see in this book, she's forgotten Alyona. (Who is Alyona? NEXT BOOKS.)

4. Asmodeus is not screwing around with that though. He knows that Bryseis Kakistos knows how to steal his godhood, but he's banking on the fact she can't--not so long as the twins are alive and not on her side. He also knows that there are archdevils who are incautious enough to throw in with Bryseis Kakistos--he can't let them figure out what's going on.

5. Glasya has cottoned to the fact that something is awry here. The twins are Chosen and yet they don't really embody anything about her father's worship. They probably could--but they noticeably don't. She's not going to do anything too dangerous, but addressing the non-corruption is something Asmodeus can't complain about. Not without tipping his hand. So she doesn't particularly care about Farideh. She's watching Lorcan and Asmodeus at this point.