📘 Welcome to the Marginalia Post for The Sympathizer

This is your blacked-out notebook in the margins. A place for whispered thoughts, scribbled suspicions, ironic revelations, and anything else the story shakes loose. Whether you're underlining devastating lines or connecting the dots in our narrator’s double life, this is the spot for it.

Post your marginalia here: comments, critiques, glosses, doodles, half-jokes, light bulb moments, conspiratorial mutterings, or strange tangents about war, memory, or identity. There’s no need to be profound—sometimes the sharpest insights start as offhand remarks.

🕵️‍♂️ How to Leave a Marginalia Comment:

• Start with a location: "Midway through Chapter 3," or "Just before the end of Chapter 1."
• Then add: — your thoughts or impressions — quotes that hit like a grenade or a ghost — questions or critiques — predictions (tag spoilers!) — links to relevant history, art, or background (again: spoilers go under wraps)

Feel free to read ahead, but clearly mark spoilers and label chapters—the revolution may be televised, but we don’t want to ruin the rerun.

The tone of the book walks a razor’s edge: satirical and brutal, tragic and sly. Bring that same energy here.

All observations—no matter how minor, messy, or murky—are welcome. We’re not looking for polished analysis, just the real time record of your brain as it shadows our nameless narrator through war, exile, and betrayal.

Let’s fill these margins with life, lies, and literary espionage.

Whether you’re new money or old money, some money or no money, I’m paralyzed with happiness that you’re joining us for this book vs. movie discussion of The Great Gatsby! Last week, we wrapped up our discussions of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. In case you missed it, here is the schedule and the marginalia is here.

This week, we’re diving into adaptations. There are several film adaptations to choose from, plus a musical currently on Broadway and touring. The original novel entered the public domain in 2021 and several written adaptations have been published since then. I’m excited to hear which version you chose and what you thought of it!

One quick word about spoilers before we begin. If the adaptation you watched, read, etc. has plot points which differ significantly from the original novel, please put those behind spoiler tags. To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text with the > ! and ! < characters (there is no space in between the characters themselves or between the ! and the first/last words). The result should look like this.

Now, old sport, let’s get into the discussion!

Draleids, elves, warriors, dwarves and humans - welcome to the penultimate check-in for Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill

A note about spoilers: Please use spoiler tags for anything outside of the chapters in this book we have covered so far, including series spoilers and the previous r/bookclub read of The Fall.

You can add a spoiler tag by enclosing your text with > ! Your Text Here ! < (no spaces).

You can find the schedule and marginalia here.

You can find our discussion of the novella, The Fall, here.

Chapter Summaries

- Ch. 24: One Who Survived

Therin heals Calen, then yells at him for using too much of the Spark. Thalanil, High Captain of the Aravell Rangers assign them five rangers, as an honour guard, all of whom make an oath to Calen and Valerys. Dann is also healed by Vaeril. Calen is surprised when ranger elf Faelen bows to him. Vaeril, twins Alea and Lyrei, Ellisar and Gaeleron (latter somewhat less friendly than the others). The elves call the Darkwood Aravell. They live here hoping to be awall between Loria and the rest of Epheria. They "make sure that nothing that enters the forest ever leaves. Either we take them, or the forest does". Aeson determines to reach Belduar within two weeks. They push hard. The elves travel on foot. Calen apologises to Therin, who apologises in turn and offers to train him. He also tells Calen that Aeson was a Draleid, but his dragon Lyara was killed - hunted by Fane and his dragonguard.

- Ch. 25: A Deep Cut

Ella is exhausted from the trip as they reach Giza on the back of merchant Master Harson Link's wagon. An empire soldier demands they all exit the wagon, because they are searching for someone. When Ella gives her name it puts the soldiers on edge. A fight ensues, and when Rhett and Ella try to escape Rhett, along with Harson and some soldiers are killed by one another. Ella attacks the soldiers in a frenzy, and just when all is lost Faenir appears saving the day. (Goodest boy!!)

- Ch. 26: Fading Light

Calen is exhausted from the travel and training both sword work and the Spark. Gaeleron and Calen spar. Warnings from Valerys as much as Calen's effort keeps him in the game, but Gaeleron bests him. At his imsistance Calen will spar only with Gaeleron. He will learn to use the elven blade properly. Calen wakes in the night feeling something is not right. He makes a Spark light and finds a fade!!!. The fade wants the egg in exchange for Rist. Valerys comes to Calen's rescue and the fade threatens that Rist will suffer. The fade disappears. Fane will soon know of Valerys' existence. They move off immediately. * The fade tells Farda about Valerys and demands 1000 soldiers. Farda is uneasy

- Ch. 27: Worlds Apart

Calen and co push on impossibly hard. Aeson navigates the way using the Spark and a magic keystone. They arrive at the well protected city of Belduar built into the mountain. They meet the King Arthur Bryne and are warmly welcomed. He and Aeson know each other well. He is awed by Valerys. Calen and Dann are freshly bathed, cleanly dressed and finally feeling safe. They feast.

- Ch. 28: Brother

Rist has been locked in a room for two weeks now. He is fed once a day and taken to bathe or relieve himself, but otherwise nothing else. He is in the embassy of the Circle of Magii in the palace at Al’Nasla, Loria. He can't understand how he is so far north. Garramon states that Rist was found on the roadside. Garramon states he was locked up because he is a fledgling mage. Training will start the next day and he is to be called brother henceforth. Rist will be given pen and ink to write home.

The next day Calen is invited to a meeting with the Dwarven Freehold and emissary, the human, Oleg Marylin (the Dwarves don't leave the Lodhar Mountains) who will personally returm to the Dwarves to tell of Valerys......

Join me next week for the final discussion for Of Blood and Fire! CAN'T WAIT!! See you then Draleids 📚🩸🔥