Keeper of the Lost Cities #4 Neverseen - Thoughts from 4th Reading

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

Page 96  "What's a Cognate?" Sophie asked.  "An incredibly rare telepathic relationship," Granite explained.  "One very few Telepaths are able to achieve.  I know I've never found anyone I could partner with."  "Neither have I," Mr. Forkle agreed.  "Cognates combine their power through a deep personal connection."

I have assumed that the two Forkles had to have been Cognates.  They trusted each other completely, shared everything, and were identical twins.  The books never mention that the Forkles were Cognates.  However, I don't see how they wouldn't have been.

In this passage, Forkle says that he never had found anyone.  Hmm.  I checked the part of Book 6 where Forkle explains his relationship with his brother.

Book 5, Page 179  "So my father came up with this much more complicated solution.  He gave us one name.  One inception date.  One registered strand of DNA.  And from that moment on, we were raised to see ourselves as two halves of a single whole."

The Forkles saw themselves as one person.  Even if they were Cognates, Forkle speaks the truth when he says that he could never find a Cognate partner, meaning someone other than his brother.

Again, I do believe that the two Forkles were Cognates.

Page 290  "You've been lying to me," he said.  "You should've told me about Kenric's cache.  And you definitely should've consulted with me before you volunteered for Exillium."

It's hypocritical of Forkle to complain that Sophie lies to him, considering that he lies to her all the time.  Aside from that, this passage is another misdirection by Shannon.  Forkle isn't annoyed about the cache.  He's acting.

On page 374, we learn that Sophie is 14 years, five months old.  On page 480, we learn that Silveny's baby will arrive in 42 weeks.  This means that in #7 Flashback, Sophie is approximately 15 years, three months old when Silveny's twins are born.  After #7, time seems to move very slowly, so Sophie is probably somewhere around 16 years old in Stellarlune.

Page 623  The last thing she saw was Alvar's pained expression as they slipped into the void and teleported away.

This is right after Alvar is revealed to be a member of the Neverseen.  It wasn't Alvar's choice; Fintan revealed that Alvar is one of them.  Alvar wanted to keep playing both sides, and he's pained because he's now separated from his family.

I noted that a number of elves know that Forkle is Astin.  In addition to the kids and the Collective, Timkin Hex, Alden, and several others know as well.

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Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories