[quote]1. Where the hell did Mendicant Bias come from and how was his presence not detected long before he was able to start causing havoc?[/quote]05-032 Mendicant Bias is a Contender-class Metarch. He was tasked with the control of the Ecumene's defenses. His powers were not revoked at the time because his status was ambiguous while he was missing. (I don't even know if they could be revoked given the power he held.) [quote]2. How was the missing 12th Halo's sudden reappearance and approach on the capital not detected?[/quote]I'm sure it was, but Mendicant Bias quickly disabled all of the Capital's defensive systems as you read in the book. [quote]3. The Master Builder saw Mendicant Bias and yet he refused to warn anyone. Why?[/quote]He saw it as soon as everyone else saw it. Even if he warned them, the same series of events would have transpired. [quote]4. Why wasn't there more of a defensive force around the capital?[/quote]There is a MASSIVE consistent defensive force around the Capital consisting of trillions of sentinels and dedicated security systems. [quote]5. Why is the Librarian so adamant and accepting of Bornstellar being the Didact and her husband, while at the same time admitting to him being a different person than the Didact?[/quote]Because she and the Ecumene need the Didact more than ever. With the original gone, Bornstellar needs to accept his role. She doesn't admit to him being different. She just clarifies that the original is dead. [quote]6. The entire scene aboard the Falco watching the attack on the capital. Way too many things going on for me to fully understand what all happened.[/quote]Then Greg Bear has done his job. I'll be honest, first time I read Cryptum, I had no idea what the hell was going on. Second time was MUCH better. Be warned, Primordium has even more mind--blam!-ery in it. Parts that not even I understand despite having read the book twice and going over specific segments of it multiple times. [quote]7. At the end, why do they make it sound like the Didact is still missing when earlier it was said that he'd been at the capital but had left to attend to another matter?[/quote]Because the Ecumene council is accepting Bornstellar as the Didact. These were some good questions. I even had to break out my copy of Cryptum.

Thank you so, so much for helping to clear these things up! You're right. This book isn't easy to fully comprehend. At least, not the first time. And I'm glad I was able to challenge you a little bit with these questions. I've been enjoying the Forerunner saga so far and am loving the revelations it provides about the universe. With Primordium being the largest of the series, I'm sure I am about to learn a lot more.

Perhaps not as much as you'd expect. The book largely focuses on the story of the characters rather than the story of what's going on around them. Regardless, it's one of my favorites in the Saga, and if you've ever delved into anthropology before, this book is a [i]real[/i] treat. Many people not used to hardcore Sci-Fi find Primordium to be the slowest of the series. Don't let that deter you though. Primordium is still integral to the universe and the sagaand gives us an up-close look at Halo.

Sweetness!! I'm ok with slow as long as the overall pacing is good and the story is gripping.

[quote]Sweetness!![/quote][i]Until then, only sweetness...[/i] The book has one hell of an ending though.