The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Weird Inconsistency in Skin Game

(1/3) > >>

Yuillegan:
In the fight between Karen and Nicodemus, he has just shot Karen in the belly during their sword fight. She still manages to get Fidelacchius to his throat somehow...and then when she strikes while he is defenceless (after asking to be saved and removing his tie, coin and weapons) she then breaks the sword. Immediately he headbutts her and strikes her in the jaw. Then she fights back and loses their sparring and ends up in a lock the forces her to her knees. Then SOMEHOW he strikes her knee and breaks is, and she falls to the ground. The thing is though..how is that possible? She was already on the ground kneeling (a very strong position for a knee for a start) and then he breaks her knee and she falls to the ground again. But she was ALREADY on the ground

(click to show/hide)Karrin seemed to gather herself together. She flicked a quick blow at Nicodemus’s face, forcing him to duck, and then their hands engaged in a complex and swift-moving series of motions that ended with Karrin’s left arm held out straight, while she was forced down to her knees on the freezing sidewalk.

Nicodemus twisted Karrin, tilted his head to one side, and then drove his heel against her knee with crushing strength. I heard bones and tendons parting at the blow. Karrin choked out another sound of pain, and crumpled to the ground, broken.

Mira:


   Well, one can be on one's knees, hit further to fall to a face plant...

Mr. Death:
Two things -- "on her knees" and "crumpled to the ground" are two different things. The former, you can be mostly upright; the latter implies you're flat on the ground or curled up, but either way, recumbent.

Second, I think "Nicodemus twisted Karrin" probably accounts for the discrepancy. She was on her knees, then he turned and repositioned her such that one of her knees was no longer on the ground, broke her knee, then let her drop.

Yuillegan:
I am aware of the difference between the phrases, and that was my conclusion too, however it is a pretty clumsy piece of writing (which is pretty rare for Jim).

It is just one of those limitations from how the author sees a scene in their head, to how it is then transposed through the (quite limited) form of writing, to how a reader then interprets it. While it doesn't take away from the scene, and when I read it the first time I don't even think I noticed, it just is a bit jarring.

groinkick:
It didn't happen so quickly as your put it here.  There was dialogue between the two, along with Nicodemus twisting his shoulders and hurting her arm.  During the time she was put on her knee's, and the time he kicked her knee it's believable, and likely that she had gotten up, or was partially up when the kick happened.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page