If you haven't read the book, or the whole series,
why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week you can find
links to everyone else’s thoughts at Dab of Darkness.
This week we read through to the end
of Chapter 48.
1) In this
section, we see Mat putting on a tough demeanor and then shelling out coins to
those who need it. Do you think such behavior will perpetuate his good luck, in
a karmic sense, or will he be taken advantage of?
I thought it was so sweet when he gave that poor
woman some coins to feed her children: it put a big, cheesy grin on my face. I
have a suspicion that Mat’s Luck is connected to his being Ta’veren, although I
suppose it could be a Talent of some type, just like Perrin’s wolf thing, as he
does not appear to have any other Gift. Whatever it is, I doubt that it is
influenced by karma or anything else, but is more likely to be a way for the
Pattern to mold the world around him.
I suppose that some people might see his generosity
as a weakness to be exploited, but I doubt that it will do any serious harm if
they do. One reason that he can give away money is because he can always finds
a ready source of more, so it is not as if he is going to be robbed blind and
left destitute in a ditch.
2) Loial is
writing a journal of sorts of his adventures. What do you think he is focusing
on?
I would love to read this story from Loial’s
perspective: hint, hint Mr Sanderson! :D
Given his character, I imagine that he is trying to
be as honest and detailed as possible, relating what he experiences and hears
from trusted sources. I would guess that he is a rather careful historian,
unlikely to speculate or wander off into flights of fancy. However, I think
that he might perhaps censor some of the things that he thinks might offend the
Aes Sedai, and Moiraine in particular, and leave out any of the dissent and
arguments that he has witnessed.
I would also expect the book to be full of details
about the wildlife that he has observed, especially the trees. I can also
imagine him paying close attention to the architecture, especially the
Ogier-built buildings.
3) At Easing
the Badger Inn, Perrin is treated to some bawdy songs, making him blush
furiously. Have you ever found yourself in such a situation unexpectedly?
As a Biologist, I am fairly robust when it comes to
bawdy songs. However I do have one incident that springs to mind.
I was about 14 years old and in English class. We were
taking turns to read sections of a book set in the English countryside and I
was doing quite well until I got to the immortal line:
“It’s so cold the tits are falling down in
mid-air!” (Note: tits are small birds similar to chickadees).
As you can imagine, I went bright red and fell
around laughing at this mental image of ladies’ boobies dropping all over the
place, as did the rest of the class. Of course, my teacher was very cross with
me and thought I was being childish.
I was scarred for life! :D
4) Illian
has issues. Darkfriends, Darkhounds, Grey Men, and a Forsaken. Do you think all
that badass evil is there for Perrin or Moiraine, or is there something else
about Illian that brings them?
As the group is chasing Rand, I assume that they
might be there for him rather than them, but they did seem to target Perrin, so
I am not at all sure. I would also assume that all the Forsaken are now aware
that Loial is travelling with at least some of the group, and he does stick out
quite a bit and is easily identified by anyone who sees him. However, I am not
sure that the Darkhounds and Grey Men are necessarily following anyone in
particular. Perhaps the Forsaken running Illian uses those particular resources
more than the other ones that we have encountered. Maybe it is a sign that the
Forsaken are getting bolder in their actions and are less worried about acting
covertly because their grip on the various nations are tightening.
Note: It is interesting that the other Ogier had
abandoned their repairs and gone home. I assume that they refuse to work for a
Forsaken or are uncomfortable about the general air of evil permeating the
city.
5) Mat makes
it to Caemlyn and proceeds to play delivery boy for Elayne's letter to her mum.
As luck would have it, he overhears a plot to take Elayne's head. Whose danger
is greater: Morgase's or Elayne's?
That is a difficult call to make. Elayne is the
direct target of the plot, but is many miles away, which might make it far more
difficult for Comar to fulfill his mission. Also, it seems that Mat is going to
try to thwart that plan by travelling to Tear and warning the girls. Meanwhile,
Morgase is under Gaebril’s direct influence and is obviously under some very
powerful compulsion. As Master Gill explains to Mat, Gaebril cannot assume the
throne himself, but he can certainly rule through Morgase and then reduce her
exposure to public sight until he can remove her and do whatever he wants in
her name. By the time the people begin to wonder where Morgase is, she could be
long dead.
6) Egwene,
Elayne, and Nynaeve make it safely to shore and nestle down with a Wise Woman
called Mother Guenna. What do you think of Nynaeve's caution and Egwene's
snippy behavior?
It seems like both women are showing character development. We have
spent a lot of time laughing at Nynaeve’s rash behavior and anger, so it is
nice to see her becoming a little more calm and calculated in her actions. I
thought this sequence was really good fun, and I liked the interaction between
the two Wise Women. We know that Nynaeve’s default setting is to not trust
anyone, so the testing was a natural thing for her to do, but I was impressed
that she was not angered by Mother Guenna testing her back.
I suspect that Egwene’s time with the Seanchan has changed her quite
dramatically, but this impatience seems to be more connected to her possible
future as Amyrlin. She has spent a long time being cautious and submissive
towards Nynaeve and other powerful women, but is now beginning to come out of
her shell and try to assume some control over her own life. She is done with
being a follower and unconsciously resents Nynaeve for automatically taking the
lead in all their dealings. I am not sure if she will ever wrestle control from
Nynaeve, but it is going to be interesting to see them struggling for power, although
I do feel sorry for Elayne, who is caught in the middle all the time.
Final Thoughts
Last week we were considering Thom and his possible role in the death of
the King of Cairhien. Was I the only one to detect more evidence that he could
actually be responsible for this crime during the reading this week?
Also, the issue of Rand’s resemblance to Tigraine was mentioned several
times this week by several different characters. Somehow, I think we have found
the baby-moma, but then how does he fulfill the prophecy about being born of a
Maiden of the Spear?
Somehow, I think that we will finally get very complex answers to these
issues because nothing in this series is as simple as it seems.
