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Post by goldenknots on Jun 4, 2015 23:54:35 GMT
I just ordered my advance copy. Can't wait!
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Post by Daedalus on Jun 5, 2015 0:42:31 GMT
I was struck recently with a thought concerning the title of this novel. It's been stated before that the titles of the books may refer to the steps of a general alchemic process: Orientation, Research, Reason, Materia, and now Refining. I wonder how many steps remain, and if that tells us anything about the number of books we can expect if he keeps to this theme... Source: I find it interesting that the titles of the books seem more Kat-themed. Has there ever been a good analysis of the book names? Can't say this is a good analysis, but... The books names seem similar to the elements of the scientific method: Characterizations, Hypotheses, Predictions, Experiments, Evaluations, and Confirmation. Given the alchemy references throughout the story, maybe the book names (Orientation, Research, Reason, Materia, Refine) are elements of an alchemical method. Obtaining the correct material and then refining that material seems like steps in an alchemical process.
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on Jun 5, 2015 2:19:27 GMT
My weak google-fu continues to fall short. Even when I find and skim through articles and books on alchemy, I haven't found a list of alchemical steps that look like a possible source for the book titles. Given Materia and Refining, I assume the next title might refer to working with the refined material. I keep thinking of a crucible, because the definitions all seem applicable to what is happening to Annie.
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Post by Daedalus on Jun 5, 2015 4:46:11 GMT
If we were brainstorming alchemy/metallurgy-related titles, "Crucible", "Temper", and "Forge" would all work finely. They also all have secondary meanings possibly relevant to this current book's material so far.
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Bill
Junior Member
Posts: 68
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Post by Bill on Jul 10, 2015 12:09:31 GMT
Orientation, Research, Reason, Materium, and Refine are all largish, complex steps in a process. A crucible is a tool, a container used apply extreme heat or even to melt or boil materials in. Not a process, a single step. Also a full Volume (2 years!) is too long to remain in this painful stage. I do not expect it to last beyond chapter 54. To temper is to dip red-hot metal into oil or water, to swiftly cool it. Again, a single step. It may have seemed appropriate in early June (Annie seemed pretty extinguished at the time), but no longer. Forging is a process which comes immediately after refining (and may even overlap with it)*. It begins with heating the metal, sometimes just until it is soft enough to work, and sometimes melting (in which case a crucible is used ) it so it can be poured into a mold. It is then hammered into shape while maintained at a workable temperature by periodic re-firing. Folding may be necessary. The finished work is then tempered, with the choice of cooling agent (rate) affecting the properties of the metal. I will be surprised if the title of this Volume is *not* Forge. On Wednesday the temperature peaked; today we have either the pouring or the first shaping hammer blow, perhaps both. If I'm correct, then the upshot is that Volume 7 will be full of awesome because the finished object(s) can actually be used. *if the refining was done by melting and separating or distilling as opposed to chemical reactions. Do we know what sort of refining process was used in Refine?
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Post by Eversist on Jul 13, 2015 17:38:24 GMT
I think I'll wait for him to list them on Topatoco (I assume you preordered from his publisher on Amazon?).
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Post by hypixion on Jul 17, 2015 16:08:58 GMT
I pre-ordered the volume months ago on archonia, listed it for release in june, now it's at december. Liars!
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Post by eightyfour on Aug 30, 2015 23:40:46 GMT
Incoming!Got my shipping confirmation from Amazon earlier tonight.
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Post by arf on Aug 31, 2015 8:27:27 GMT
Incoming!Got my shipping confirmation from Amazon earlier tonight. Got my confirmation last week. Still have to wait till the end of next week, though.
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Post by Eversist on Nov 20, 2015 8:42:25 GMT
Went ahead and ordered it on Topatoco. Woo!
Edit: Haha, my last post in this thread was over four months ago. Time flies.
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Post by todd on Nov 20, 2015 12:39:17 GMT
When Volume Five came out, I ordered it at the local Barnes and Noble. Not long after it came in and I picked it up, I noticed a couple of extra copies on the shelf in the graphic novels section; I wonder whether my order encouraged them to put those out there. (Though I haven't seen anyone take an interest in them yet.)
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Post by AluK on Nov 20, 2015 13:09:27 GMT
To temper is to dip red-hot metal into oil or water, to swiftly cool it. The process you described is actually hardening. Tempering is heating the metal to subcritical temperature and then allowing it to cool slowly to actually decrease hardness and, with it, brittleness. The whole process of hardening and tempering is known as heat treating.
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Post by Daedalus on Nov 20, 2015 18:31:59 GMT
To temper is to dip red-hot metal into oil or water, to swiftly cool it. The process you described is actually hardening. Tempering is heating the metal to subcritical temperature and then allowing it to cool slowly to actually decrease hardness and, with it, brittleness. The whole process of hardening and tempering is known as heat treating. According to Merriam-Webster, it can actually refer to either:
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Post by AluK on Nov 20, 2015 18:46:41 GMT
According to Merriam-Webster, it can actually refer to either: Merriam-Webster is wrong, these things have pretty precise metallurgical meanings. Hardening is heating over-critical and quenching in water/oil/forced air (or doing something like cryo-quenching with liquid nitrogen). Tempering is using sub-critical heating to do a controlled increase in toughness by reducing hardness (and relieving some internal stresses). Sometimes tempering can be used to harden some kinds of steel through a martensitic embrittlement phase, but that doesn't entail quenching - after tempering, metal is mostly allowed to cool slowly ('cept when doing differential tempering and some specialty treatments to get higher bainite or martensite wields).
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Post by jda on Nov 20, 2015 18:59:30 GMT
Excuse me, is there any official thread where I can find more especulation over the Alchemical/Chemical images and meanings on GKC? 'cause I have some ideas but I dont wanna spill them on the wrong area...
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Post by AluK on Nov 20, 2015 19:24:47 GMT
Excuse me, is there any official thread where I can find more especulation over the Alchemical/Chemical images and meanings on GKC? 'cause I have some ideas but I dont wanna spill them on the wrong area... There is an old thread about alchemy, but yeah, it's pretty old. You could necro it or start a new one, if you feel like it.
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fanofts
Junior Member
Watching gunnerkrigg.fandom.com
Posts: 64
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Post by fanofts on Nov 20, 2015 19:43:27 GMT
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Post by jda on Nov 20, 2015 20:34:44 GMT
I just ordered my advance copy. Can't wait! Yes, you can.
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Post by Daedalus on Nov 20, 2015 22:07:44 GMT
According to Merriam-Webster, it can actually refer to either: Merriam-Webster is wrong, these things have pretty precise metallurgical meanings. Hardening is heating over-critical and quenching in water/oil/forced air (or doing something like cryo-quenching with liquid nitrogen). Tempering is using sub-critical heating to do a controlled increase in toughness by reducing hardness (and relieving some internal stresses). Sometimes tempering can be used to harden some kinds of steel through a martensitic embrittlement phase, but that doesn't entail quenching - after tempering, metal is mostly allowed to cool slowly ('cept when doing differential tempering and some specialty treatments to get higher bainite or martensite wields). (shrug) I'll take your word for it.
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Post by Xan on Dec 23, 2015 8:06:06 GMT
I have completely missed the moment when it happened, but it's out now on TopatoCo.
..and they still have Traveler and Robot King boards. And their 3-things-discount. Wink-wink.
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