Discussion thread for Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess. Beware, Here There be SPOILERS

[hippogrif]

Welcome.

This is a thread for discussing the Girl Genius novelization Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess, as well as all Girl Genius in general. The subject matter is the property of Phil and Kaja Foglio.

No spoilers are required in this thread. The assumption is you've read the material already. That is why this thread exists--to provide a place for people to talk without having to try to avoid giving away secrets.

I own this account. If you're rude or a jackass, I will delete your post. If you're debating in good faith and not annoying the natives, I won't. If people really can't behave, I'll delete the whole fershlugginer thread.

Have fun. Talk at will. If you don't want spoilers, run away now.

Hippogrif.

Comments

Re: T. Stormboy

[hippogrif]

I do want to add that "revolutionary," "resistance fighter," and "conservative aristo idealist" all blur together in this situation. He's a revolutionary because he's rebelling against Klaus, a resistance fighter for the same reason, and a conservative aristo idealist because he seems to possibly be allied with an old and romantic view of the aristocrat as both ruler and servant to the people, whose lives and rights he defends.

Given that Klaus HAS been trying to unravel the old aristo system, and has used a number of questionable methods for doing so, the Fifty Families have some legitimate beefs, for all their own flaws and failings. So Tarvek seeing himself as both defending Europa and its people, and also defending the Fifty Families and their way of life, makes sense -- as does Percy Blakeny saving the French aristos from The Terror and Madame Guillotine.

Re: T. Stormboy

[sffcorgi]

He's been trying to give it balance, I'd rather say. The Fifty's beefs is that they aren't allowed to run rampant over everybody else anymore - the Empire actually seems to have two rules after all. The big one is, of course, no infighting. The second one, which would be interesting to look at in more detail (like what isn't?) is 'No slavery'.

Given that the individual fiefdoms are not micro-managed, it makes one wonder where the line is drawn between peasant-serf and slave... and what parameters exist for getting them into those schools which keep being built.