Alright! Another night, another chapter and back into the usual swing of one per post. I find this chapter particularly interesting from a personal experience perspective. In the first place, it is a very fun chapter because it serves as the culmination of a long built-up piece of the story. We’ve seen Snuff dealing with the Things all book, there’s been the running gag with the Thing in the Circle’s seduction, and now we actually get to see Snuff fighting them head on. Which is doubly interesting because it’s one of the few direct descriptions of combat in the book and makes for a curious read. It’s well rendered, of course, and you can understand what’s happening very well, but the fact that it’s dog-based combat makes the language and thought behind the strategy interesting to see. For instance, when Snuff talks about ‘slashing’, it’s not exactly the kind of word you’d usually think about for a canine. At least not me. In either case, it is also fun since this chapter confirms the unique nature of the Knife as something that’s not a Game tool but kind of is as well as confirming that Jack has the Closing Wand. Which makes it a bit of fun when earlier Snuff asked Graymalk if she knew where it was, since he certainly knew.
As for my personal experience with this chapter, it’s one that I’ve felt was slightly different each time I’ve read it. In subtle ways of what I pick up on. For instance, last year when I read this book, I can recall thinking that the desscription of the magical attack was more detailed than I remembered; that more strange mystical events where happening along with the Thing attack. This in contrast to my memories of the first reading (at least) focusing very heavily on just the Things and fighting against them. And now this time that I read it, I cannot for the life of me figure out what I was on about last year. Again, the whole chapter feels like it’s very straightforward and the magical attack mostly just happens in the background while Snuff deals with the Things. It’s strange and I really, really can’t explain it.
Footnote 1: Really? Really? ‘Night of Monsters’? I’m surprised you didn’t just outright say ‘Monstrum Nox’. — The Twisted Jerk
Footnote 1A: Hey! References are fun! And I felt like that was a little too cheeky for a headline. Also all of you should play Ys. It’s great.
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