Post by Schefflera on Mar 24, 2015 16:15:14 GMT
I personally am inclined to think that the pacing in terms of the volumes, which are of course the units they're trying to sell, would be better if the current battle were completed during Act II Vol. 1. Depending on how close we are to the conclusion, this might not even have required that much condensing in terms of pages -- it could do with some, but we're only 148 pages into Act II as a whole, and we've had four volumes longer than that.
However, the (much-needed, I'm sure) break in 2014 cut down on the potential number of pages II-1 could incorporate before the end of the year, and they might not have wanted to run into January, which might have affected the timeframe in which they could bind and sell the volume, and would definitely have affected their Hugo eligibility. (On the other hand, I'd be more inclined to give a Hugo vote to a volume that struck me more as a complete unit. Oh well.)
I do hope Agatha keeps/rebuilds the train, though. It's a jerk, but it's so much fun. Although separating it forcibly from its body -- if that's what just happened -- instead of successfully talking it around while intact completely slews away from the issues I was imagining it would introduce. The Beast, intact, would have been incredibly useful as long as it was cooperative, potentially to the point of eliminating one host of problems in terms of travel, but also distinctly conspicuous and a source of a whole different host of problems regarding whether Agatha could get it to behave -- and whether people would believe that! -- as she approached and entered locations she didn't actually want to be hostile toward.
However, the (much-needed, I'm sure) break in 2014 cut down on the potential number of pages II-1 could incorporate before the end of the year, and they might not have wanted to run into January, which might have affected the timeframe in which they could bind and sell the volume, and would definitely have affected their Hugo eligibility. (On the other hand, I'd be more inclined to give a Hugo vote to a volume that struck me more as a complete unit. Oh well.)
I do hope Agatha keeps/rebuilds the train, though. It's a jerk, but it's so much fun. Although separating it forcibly from its body -- if that's what just happened -- instead of successfully talking it around while intact completely slews away from the issues I was imagining it would introduce. The Beast, intact, would have been incredibly useful as long as it was cooperative, potentially to the point of eliminating one host of problems in terms of travel, but also distinctly conspicuous and a source of a whole different host of problems regarding whether Agatha could get it to behave -- and whether people would believe that! -- as she approached and entered locations she didn't actually want to be hostile toward.