Predictions (MAJOR progressive spoilers on all books)

[Chrischa]

I can see that! Forest serves first the interests of the forest and the forest-dwellers. That it differs to the magic of the plainspeople suggests that, if Forest is an old god, then possibly the magic of the plains is an old god also (or was, as the Spindle was shattered) ?

Ah yes, but only if you start from the assumption that all magic comes from these old gods. It might be, though, Dancing Spindle might have been some sort of altar through which the Plains People god worked.

I have something else to add but will pop that in my other thread so we can compare things free of spoilers. A great way for Robin to make us curious about these other gods, and do some digging though...telling us there are others but only firmly introducing us to one!

Definitely! I love the way she leaves more then half the story for the reader to unravel. That speaks of so much respect for her readers, too.

Speaking of respect, I also love the way Nevare handles the animals in this book. For example, whenever he goes somewhere with his horse, he speaks of; "me and Sirlofty" or "me and Clove". He very much treats them as companions rather then servants.

Hmm, I’m still thinking on it but what do you think about the gods who fought for Nevare. Orandula was one, it seems, but who was the other? I assumed it was the “good god”, but Orandula just didn’t want to admit this to Nevare OR was it Forest?

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Do you mean gods who fought over Nevare or gods who were on his side?
Personally, I don't think this good god exists at all. But what a fascinating take on religion that people shape their lives according to what a religion says about their birth order. Things like that happened in our history, too, albeit on a much less extreme scale.

I loved that Orandula was sheepish too, and this admission made him seem much less onerous to me...I began to think more on his role as a god of balances rather than a god of death.

Yeah, me too. After all, as Nevare himself reflects in the forest, death and life are very much part of life overall. Only humans posses the ability to be aware of our own deaths, which is why it seems like such a huge and unfair thing to us. But they both fall under the balance of life. Another idea which blew over from the Farseer series (if you'll forgive that intrusion into this thread).

Maybe Tiber’s allowing Nevare to escape after he had offered his death balances well because, similarly, Nevare allowed the bird to escape, after it had given its death to Orandula? Still thinking though!

Yesssss... that could be it... still thinking, too... .

That is not to say that Forest ONLY thinks of or serves the forest etc. Rather, he prefers peace and has an awareness of all who inhabit the land, and thus also fully takes these others into his considerations/plans?

Perhaps... but maybe once his influence was much larger, and streched over the forest along the main river towards the great forest of the West. Remember in the first book, when Lisana briefly looked through Nevare's eyes and was distrought by the bare lands she saw? Maybe it isn't so much a Forest god, as the god of life and peace...? (grasping here)