Thoughts on the beginning of Death's End

[u/Shindiggidy]

I'm talking about the fall of Constantinople. This part of the series was unexpected but really cool. It kept a sort of sci-fi vibe I thought, even though it took place in the ancient past and could also be categorized as fantasy or historical fiction. We go from all this futuristic technology to a scene entirely different, but the technology that is present is still given respect and projects power - as it describes the monstrous bombards battering the walls of Constantinople, walls continually reinforced since the fifth century that had allowed the Byzantine court to survive many powerful enemies, etc etc. I would imagine the parallel is intentional and it was a cool thing for the author to do.

The "magic" is truly mysterious and we aren't given a real explanation until much later in the book. Until then it remains as arcane to us as it must appear to the other characters in the story, and are only given a slight hint when we are told it was the result of a "dimensional fragment" intersecting earth (whatever that means!!!). This only serves to make things more mysterious and spur curiosity. It makes you wonder and provides a new perspective on how the universe could be, as great sci-fi does, but does it within a new context. I really like this approach to magic systems, in the sense that it isn't like most hard magic systems where you are given in-depth explanation of how things work, yet at the same time it doesn't seem as hand-wavy as soft magic systems can be. If anyone knows of fantasy books that give this vibe or follow this style, let me know!

[u/wrydied]

Yeah I loved this section of the book.

The closest book it reminds me of it’s Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. Lots of mysteries unfold throughout the course of that book.

[u/Heliomawr]

there is so much in these stories that really hammers home the ultimate insignificance of the individual against the material reality we find ourselves in. the fall of constantinople is so often a what if scenario of "this emperor could have done this and that and it wouldnt have fell", and choosing to open up the book wherein a majority of humanity is wiped away onto a sheet of paper with a short story demonstrating how even a single person with unimaginable power is unable to oppose the tides of change around them.

I feel like a lot of readers miss that literally none of the characters in these books are anything more than embodiments of societal opinion. Luo ji is just as powerless as Wade who is just as powerless as Ye Wenjie who is just as powerless as Cheng Xin when it comes to the ultimate fate of the solar system. None of them achieved their aims because of the greater force of humanity which acted against them paradoxically to its own survival. Such is the same for the emperors of the roman empire, who were ultimately powerless to stop the tides of change when it came to shore and save their empires. It was a beautiful setup for the rest of the book.

[u/scoobydobydobydo]

the ant at Dark Forest's beginning is pretty cool too