tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39366351927597866222024-02-07T20:47:55.571-05:00Coffee, Cookies and Chili PeppersLooks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.comBlogger569125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-18799392275997260932015-03-09T16:35:00.000-04:002015-03-09T16:35:20.822-04:00Wheel of Time Read Along: Some Final Thoughts <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hello, my name is Sue and I am addicted to Read
Alongs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Wheel of Time Read Along was certainly massive,
but it was not my first venture into this form of extreme reading. I was
enticed into the seedy world of shared book dissection by a reTweet advertizing
a Read Along of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch that began in March
2012. At the time I was new to book blogging and excited to throw myself into
the full experience of book discussion over the ether because I was already an
enthusiastic participant in a local book group. If only I had known that this
seemingly innocent decision would have such a profound impact upon my life . .
.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At first it was just supposed to be a five-week commitment.
But soon I was introduced to a world full of interesting people reading and
writing and discussing, and it was simply too tempting to ignore. Ten titles
later, I had been exposed to some amazing authors and was ready to commit to
something seriously silly. So, on December 16, 2012 I posted my discussion for the
first week of this epic journey through the entire Wheel of Time series. At
first I tried to continue with my normal blogging regime, and even signed up to
do multiple Read Alongs at a time. I think four in one week was the craziest
that it got before real life put an abrupt stop to my madness. What, you might
ask, could possibly shake me of this never-ending desire for discussing books?
Quite simply, I found employment. It is strange how suddenly having to NOT read
and write about books all the time cuts into your ability to run a book blog. A
quick look at my archive will show that I tried to continue at first, but soon
realized that I had a simple choice to make: continue my normal blogging
routine or drop The Wheel of Time Read Along unless I could somehow stop
sleeping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I was tempted to drop out of the massive
Read Along, I have always been the type of person who tries to live up to my
responsibilities and fulfill my commitments. I had said that I would do this,
and so I was going to do my utmost to try. If this meant that my other blogging
had to fall by the wayside, then I would be sad but would stick to the schedule
and keep going for as long as possible. Also, by the time that I had to make
this decision I had become completely engaged by Mr Jordan’s series and really
wanted to continue with it. I can proudly state that I have managed to post
every week, even whilst travelling in Europe, and now that I have reached the
end of the series I am very glad that I stayed with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">How massive is massive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Without wishing to be overdramatic, I can safely
say that this series is the longest that I have ever read. At the beginning I
had an intellectual understanding of its size, but that did not really
translate into an understanding of the actual task involved. Perhaps I never
really thought that we would finish, or perhaps I was simply delusional about what
was involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The original plan was for a twelve volume series,
but then Mr Jordan added New Spring, which is a prologue, and the final volume
had to be split into three in order to tie up all the story lines. It could be
argued that there was enough material left unaddressed at the end of Volume 11:
Knife of Dreams to fill four or even five massive tomes, but Mr Sanderson felt
that he could do the job in three, though each of them is ginormous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To give you a feel for the enormity of this series,
here are a few interesting <a href="http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Statistical_analysis" target="_blank">statistics</a>. The 15 paperback volumes stack to a
height of 26 inches and weigh in at a total of 13.5 pounds. They include 4,410,036
words spread over 11,916 pages and divided into 684 chapters. The extensive
cast list includes 2,782 named <a href="http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~karlh/cgi-bin/wot.cgi" target="_blank">characters</a>, of which 145 provide their unique
point of view. We read approximately 100 pages each week, and the total
experience took us 114 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Why choose this particular series?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My original encounter with the series occurred back
in the 1990s when it was first published. I read The Eye of the World and then
the next two or three in quick succession, but then I had to wait for Mr Jordan
to actually write some more. I distinctly remember having to reread the earlier
books several times when the new volumes were published so that I could get
back into the world and reconnect with the characters. Eventually I decided to
wait until he had finished the whole thing before restarting it yet again. Then
he went and died, and I rather gave up on idea of ever reading it: why bother
if we would never know what happened in the end? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The excitement about Brandon Sanderson writing the
final ‘volume’ was rather lost on me because I had not yet been exposed to the
epic awesomeness that is his writing, and I rather assumed that it would
provide a second class ending to a first class series. However, once I was introduced
to the Mistborn series (through a Read Along, of course) I immediately saw that
Mr Sanderson was the perfect person to complete the series and I vowed to get
around to reading it once the final, final volume was published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Would I have enjoyed it as much as a solo read? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have always been terrible at identifying the
motivations behind characters’ actions when I read fiction. I simply do not
think on that level and so my experience of epic literature can often be a
little confusing and even frustrating as I try to understand why people are
behaving in irrational and stupid ways. The great advantages of a Read Along
are the slower reading pace and the ability to discuss and speculate as you go
along. Knowing that I will be answering questions about a section of reading
makes me concentrate on it slightly more than normal. It also gives me the time
to review and digest what I have read so that I can spot connections and hints
much more easily. Then there are the wonderful group discussions, which will
almost inevitably produce ideas and theories that had never occurred to me.
Every person who reads a book takes different things from it, so sharing those
thoughts enriches the experience for everyone. I find this in my physical book
group meetings, but it is greatly magnified in Read Alongs, which are more
frequent and concentrate on shorter sections of reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So, it is an exciting story, but as it really
affected your life? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst many might dismiss this series as simple
escapism, I have found it to be a thought provoking and often profound read. It
does follow in the tradition of the epic battle between Good and Evil, and we
certainly see history unfolding at a world-changing level, but the characters
are firmly grounded in everyday reality and show a degree of
three-dimensionality that is refreshing in a genre that can rely on cliché to a
woeful extent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Our heroes are flawed, reluctant or unexpected and
my only real criticism is that too many of the ‘bad’ characters are similar in
their personal ambition and blindness to reality. Whilst a few of our heroes
show little personal development, for example Gawyn, most have truly impressive
character arcs that transform them utterly by the end of the series. This is
most true for the young people that we meet right at the beginning of the first
book, being particularly startling in the development of Egwene, the youngest
of group. However, we see similar reversals in even the most stubborn
individuals, such as Galad, who finally emerges as a decent and wise human
being after spending most of the series as a pedantic do-gooder. This ability
to take characters in unexpected directions, that do not feel forced or
contrived, is one of the things that sets this series apart from other, lesser,
offerings in the field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not only are our characters growing and changing in
response to the massive challenges that they face, but they are most definitely
not perfect. They make poor decisions, often for very good reasons, and ignore
things that they expect will be difficult to face. This makes them very frustrating
to read, as you find yourself shouting at them whilst reading, but it also
makes them so much more human and appealing. We can see ourselves making the
same mistakes or at least identify behavior that we recognize in other people.
This helps us to bond with our heroes, some of whom we grow to love over an
amazingly short time frame: I am thinking particularly of Androl and Ituralde
at this point, two characters that appear close to the end of the series and
yet are wonderfully engaging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I think that the thing that I found most
impactful about the series is that it truly made me think about the human
condition. By presenting a variety of societies and cultures, I have been
placed within the mindset of a wide variety of belief systems. Some of these
have been very alien to me and I have struggled to be non-judgmental of certain
characters. Perhaps the most difficult for me was the pacifism of certain
groups. Whilst the Ogier live a mostly peaceful life, they will take up arms in
order to protect themselves if pushed to the extreme, whereas the Tinkers
refuse to fight even when faced with their imminent demise. Perhaps it is a sad
indictment of my world experience that I find their attitude to violence so
much more difficult to understand than any other belief system presented in the
series, even the acceptance of slavery by those held in chains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Throughout the series I have been forced to
consider the relationship between Good and Evil, and their impact upon Free
Will. Again and again we have seen characters doing what they believe to be the
right thing and yet ultimately they have been serving Evil with their actions.
Especially in The Memory of Light, the necessity of Evil to provide an
incentive for Goodness is a recurrent theme that has placed the emphasis upon
the actions of humans with Free Will. By the end of the series it seems as if
the Creator could have stepped in at any point and simply removed Evil with a
flick of His finger, but this would have removed Man’s need to choose a side. Ultimately,
the series is about those who make the hard choice and willingly risk death for
what they believe to be in the greater good. Those who act out of self-interest
and baser emotions are baffled by the concept of self-sacrifice and are,
therefore, defeated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In the end, the final chapters of the final volume
are indicative of the whole series. Horrible things happen to perfectly nice,
brave people because the world is full of evil and individuals who are more
than happy to do the Wrong Thing. This does not diminish their sacrifice but,
in fact, elevates it because they act without certain knowledge that they can
be victorious. Their hope and belief in the fundamental goodness of humankind
is a wonderful message to take away from any book and this series shouts it loud
and clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Do I have any criticisms of the series? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Obviously I would like to know much more about many
of the characters and the history that is not explored in detail within the
series itself. But that merely shows how addictive and immersive the experience
has been. As with Tolkien, Martin, Sanderson and a few other Fantasy authors, I
want to learn everything about their universe . . . and I do mean everything! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I would also argue that the final fate of our hero,
Rand, is unsatisfying. I have great respect for authors who refuse to provide a
Happy Ever After for all of their characters, even though it can be upsetting
to read the death of someone that you have grown to care about. However, this
shows an acknowledgment that facing the ultimate Evil in a battle to the death
is a life-changing experience that may not leave a character unscathed. As we
see at the end of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo survives, but is no longer able
to live a normal, happy life. Whilst I find this deeply upsetting, I can accept
that it is a realistic outcome after all that he has suffered. I do not want to
be more specific over my criticism of Rand’s fate, because it is more than a
little spoilery, so I will just say that it left me feeling a little cheated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I think that these are relatively minor
criticisms considering how much I have enjoyed this experience and I thoroughly
recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading Fantasy. If you can get someone else
to read along with you: even better!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-16040354021161591022015-03-08T12:59:00.000-04:002015-03-08T12:59:03.473-04:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Final Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the series
. . . what will I do now that we are finished????<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Egwene
speaks to Rand from beyond the grave and he has a hard time "letting
go" of those who've died on the battlefield. What did you think of this
part and it's solution?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I liked this section because it fulfilled several
roles in the larger story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Egwene’s words were simple and yet they allowed
Rand to release his guilt and sense of responsibility to the whole world. Only
someone who knew him very well would have understood this aspect of his
character and could make him see how arrogant it is to assume that nobody else
can help. It also showed how much both of them had grown and matured during the
series. Finally, it elevated her death into a true act of heroism, rather than
an overly dramatic suicide provoked by the loss of Gawyn. Probably only Egwene
or Nynaeve could have played this role of mentally slapping Rand with the
utmost love and support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather grateful that many of the deaths were
listed rather than shown in a drawn-out series of detailed scenes. Not only did
this save us from it becoming rather maudlin, but it also conveyed the speed
and apparent randomness of the battlefield. This increased the sense of the
desperation and intensity of the fighting, and showed us that there was a very
real danger that the forces of Light could be swept away. We needed to be shown
the possibility of defeat for us to feel that Rand’s efforts were truly
momentous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course, the deaths were also metaphorical blows
raining down upon Rand’s consciousness. They were weapons that the Dark One
could use to destroy his confidence and will to continue the fight, and they
almost succeeded in breaking Rand. Whilst I did not enjoy reading the list of
the dead, I could appreciate the decision that some of our beloved characters could
not survive the battle: sometimes Fantasy loses its grip on realism when all
our heroes survive the End Of The World uninjured. Although I am still not
happy about Bella’s fate . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. There's a
new horn blower, and we see more of Brigitte, Noal, Artur Hawkwing, and others.
Comment on what you liked of this section. What did you expect, not expect?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To be honest I thought this was pretty much
inevitable at the end of Chapter 37. It seemed highly unlikely that anyone
would rescue Olver and we had already deduced that Mat’s death in Caemlyn had
severed his link to the Horn. This was a suitable solution and gave Olver a
great excuse to swagger about shoving his face into ladies’ bosoms for the rest
of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As soon as the Heroes appeared and one dashed off
towards Olver, I knew that it had to be Noal. Again, this was not much of a
surprise, but it was nice to see the old guy again, and looking much fitter
than in his last few years. I was also rather revealed to learn that he was not
being held by the Finn and tortured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Birgitte was suitably badass, although I would have
preferred that Mellar suffered more horribly for a much longer period of time
before he died. I had hoped that he would have had his nether regions dissolved
in a bath of acid over several hours . . . :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I had hoped that Hopper might return with the
Heroes, and I am quite certain that Bella should have been there all tripped
out in gold-plated shoes, etc . . . grumble, grumble . . . and what about
Egwene: surely her death was suitably heroic! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I wish that we could have seen Tuon’s reaction to
her great-great-ancestor turning up for a quick chat. Perhaps even she was a
little shaken by that encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I couldn’t help noticing that Gaidal was notable
for his absence amongst the Heroes. Could this mean that Olver is Gaidal?????
Although young Olver is possibly ugly enough, I do not think that he old enough
as Gaidal answered the summons when Mat blew the Horn at Falme and I do not
think that was ten / eleven years ago. I am not sure if we have encountered any
truly ugly baby boys, but I imagine that he is out there just waiting for
Birgitte’s next return. I wonder if she will be reborn as one of Elayne’s
twins?????<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Lan
lives, Alana dies, and Thom is successful at killing many members of the Black
Ajah outside the pit. Questions? Comments? Happy dances?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Hurrah! Lan survives to sweep Nynaeve off her feet
and breed lots of grumpy little Borderlanders. Of all the people who really,
truly deserved a happy ending I think that Lan was at the top of the list, so I
was very happy to learn that he had not only been super-badass, but had also
survived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Alana survives long enough to release Rand and so
prevent the end of Life As We Know It. What a waste, but I am not overly
bothered by her loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Thom’s casual knifing of the Black Ajah was
excellent. It was very nice to get a good laugh during all this pain and
misery, plus it showed why Channelers really do need Warders. He and Moiraine
are going to have such fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Androl
impersonates Rand to trap the evil idiots, Grady opens a gateway to Hinderstap
(dah!), and Logain breaks the seals. What was your favorite and why? (Feel free
to comment on all.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Androl leading Taim’s supporters into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stedding</i> was another laugh-out-loud
moment. I particularly enjoyed the elderly Ogier lady and her opinions about
keeping the nasty people ‘safe’. I wonder how long they will last before they
puncture their own eardrums to stop the incessant bumblebee-like rumbling! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I wondered what that was all about with the dam. I
thought it was odd that we had a specific mention of a squad of supposedly
normal looking villagers being sent that way earlier in the battle. It was a
good thing that Grady stayed put and followed his instructions to the letter
otherwise Mat’s plan would have been a bit of a damp squib. I can only imagine
how terrifying the reappearance of all those ‘dead’ people was to the
Darkfriends. As a side note: I wonder if the curse was broken when Rand
completed his task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Phew! Logain finally stopped being an idiot and did
the Right Thing. Saving children AND rehabilitating the image of male
channelers all in one move: he certainly earned his moment of glory. I feel a
lot happier about him leading the Black Tower into the future now that he has
stopped being a douche bag. Plus he will have Androl to keep him on the
straight and narrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Aviendha
vs. Graendal. Aviendha loses her feet (ouch!), and kills Rhuarc. Ultimately
Graendal's compulsion backfires. What did you think of the final solution here?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Aviendha was so totally badass in this fight! I
loved the way that they both ended up exhausted and crawling along the floor. I
expected Aviendha to finally beat Graendal to death with a rock, but the
reverse Compulsion was hilarious. Considering how close she came to seriously
upsetting all the Light’s plans, I was highly delighted to see Graendal receive
a massive dose of her own medicine. I hope she cleans lots and lots of blocked
toilets in her new role as Aviendha’s slave! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was saddened by Rhuarc’s passing, although it was
necessary to show how subtle and effective Graendal’s actions were. It also
mirrored Rand’s dilemma about allowing people to die: Aviendha could have tried
to save her dear friend, but she did what was needed, which is pretty much what
I would expect of her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Perrin
takes out Lanfear and Slayer, and the worlds flicker. Meanwhile, the Wild Hunt
comes to Thakandar and the spirits of dead wolves appear on the slopes. Um,
discuss!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Way to go Perrin! Of course, I have been voting for
someone, anyone, to strangle Lanfear since about 2 pages after we met her, so I
was very, very happy about this. It served her right for trying to use
Compulsion on him! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My feelings towards Slayer are somewhat more mixed.
We know very little about his backstory, but he would probably have been a
decent person if had not been corrupted by the Dark One and the Blight. Isam’s
life in the Town as a child sounds as if it was horrific beyond imagination,
but I am not sure how he and Luc met or merged. I seriously doubt that either
of them was particularly good by that point, but I am not sure that they would
have been truly evil if they had experienced different circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Wild Hunt was not much of a surprise, although
we have not seen the Darkhounds for a very long time. I am not sure why they
had been kept in reserve until this point, but I am not going to complain that
the Shadow made that decision. The dead wolf spirits were epic . . . although I
was very disappointed that Hopper was not one of them :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The biggest “WTF!” moment was the reappearance of
Fain and his companion alien parasite buddy, Shaisam. It has been so long since
we last saw Fain that I had almost forgotten about him amongst all the other
excitement. I have to wonder where he has been during the preparations for the
Last Battle, but, then again, I was quite happy not knowing anything more about
him. At least he gave Mat a chance to kill off something epically evil on a
one-to-one footing. We had seen him being an uber general, but he had not
claimed a massively significant scalp, unlike both Rand and Perrin. I was most
intrigued by the suggestion that Shaisam was an alien entity of some sort . . .
I wonder if it travels between worlds like the Ogier . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Rand,
Nynaeve, and Moiraine exploit the flaw in Callandor to trap Moridin. How
well-thought-out was that? Are you surprised it worked?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This was obviously planned out well in advance,
although I did not see it coming. In retrospect it was a sensible approach to
using Callandor in light of the way that Rand and Nynaeve worked together to
cleanse <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">saidin</i>. In that case, Rand
had to use both forms of the One Power, so it was a logical step to see that
Callandor could be used to merge them with the True Power. Throughout the series
we have been told repeatedly that the greatest works were accomplished using
both forms of the One Power, so it makes sense that even more wattage would be
needed in this situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The idea of turning the Bad Guy’s minion against
his master is a classic plot device. Of course, Moridin was an unwilling
accomplice in this action, but it is still a common twist, and one that is much
more believable than a last minute change of allegiance (you did not fool us at
all, Lanfear). At least he did not profess to be Rand’s father and then throw
the Dark One into a deep hole at the center of a Death Star . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8. What did
you think of Rand's final solution for the DO's prison? Will it hold?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We know that Lews Therin had to try to seal the
Bore without the assistance of female channelers, so we can only hope that Rand
is more successful in this attempt. As it stands, it seems as if the Dark One
will be prevented from touching the Pattern in the future, but I suppose that
he will have a very long time with nothing to do but try to break through
again. However, it seems that he was completely contained before the Bore
allowed him to escape in the first place, so perhaps Rand’s solution will be
permanent until the Pattern is repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">9. Comment
on some (or all) of the aftermath: our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta'veren</i>
heroes are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta'veren</i> no longer,
Ilturalde will rule, Tuon is pregnant, Moghedien survives...as a damane!!!,
Faile lives, Cadsuane as Amyrlin, Rand vs. Moridin and the three women around
the funeral pyre, and Loial's writing makes an appearance. In the end, Rand
doesn't channel, but thinks his pipe is lit and it is. What does it all mean?
What did you like/dislike? Was there anything unresolved you wanted to see?
General thoughts, feelings, reactions. (This is your last chance to geek out!
:D)</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I guess the Pattern has been restored to the
Creator’s original design, so he no longer needs <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i> to tweak it for him. I wonder if Mat will lose his luck .
. . that could be inconvenient for him! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I imagine that the Little Wolf will make an
excellent king, though I am quite sure that he will always feel unworthy of the
position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good going, Mat! I wonder if Tuon will decide to
get rid of him now that he has done the necessary??? Perhaps this would be a
good test of my luck question! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Moghedien as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>
is a very satisfying and suitable punishment for this vile woman. However, I
find it interesting that although they were a minority of the Forsaken, most of
the female ones managed to survive the Last Battle, and Lanfear made it almost
to the end as well. I know that Mesaana is a drooling idiot, but she, Moghedien
and Graendal accomplished something that none of the male Forsaken did: they
lived! Is this an indication of sexism from the writers, or an indication that
they believe that women are greater survivors because they tend to be more
careful and intelligent than their male counterparts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought Perrin’s discovery of Faile in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod </i>was quite lovely, but my
dislike of her made me care much more about his emotional wellbeing than her
survival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Cadsuane being bullied was hilarious! I am quite
sure that Moiraine needed to change her smallclothes when she found out! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Maybe I missed something in amongst the mad rush of
final details, but I could not work out why the Rand / Moridin swap occurred.
Obviously, it fulfilled many of the prophecies and viewings without actually
killing Rand, but I was slightly ambivalent about it. In some ways it seemed
like cheating that he could survive the ultimate battle between Good and Evil
with a very neat witness protection scheme in place. However, we did have hints
that the Creator himself was involved with the Last Battle, so this could be
His direct action. Perhaps He thought that Rand and the girls deserved to have
some peace after all the mayhem. Plus, this gives Aviendha an opportunity to
conceive those four children that she is supposed to have with Rand . . .
perhaps she will not have quadruplets after all, just four in total over
several pregnancies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This leads on to Rand’s newfound magical
pipe-lighting ability. There is no suggestion that the One Power has
disappeared in general, so this must be a Rand-specific change. Again, I assume
that this is a gift from the Creator: perhaps it is His version of the True
Power. It would be interesting to discover if Rand can do other things with it,
but I suppose that we will never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was very moved by Tam’s words at the pyre. This
and Bella’s death were the points that moved me to tears. However, I was a
little surprised that Rand’s women were so useless at covering up his
non-death. They could have tried to look a little bit sad . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am sure that I have missed something, but I
suspect that there will be plenty to discuss when I read the other posts! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-25181910089210728092015-03-01T10:39:00.003-05:002015-03-01T10:39:40.255-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 37
– next week we will read the remaining chapters and reach the end of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Before I answer Eivind’s questions I just need to
get something off my chest:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">(deep breath)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2d1703; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Holy epic chapters, Batman! I have never before
read a single chapter that has included so much action and mayhem, such death
and destruction. It had everything: despair and triumph, bitter loss and the
sweet promise of hope! I doubt that I will ever read another chapter that can
match this for its complete and utter epicness!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">And now on to the questions . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1.
What did you think of the structure? That is, one huge chapter with no
breathers. Was it appropriate for the battle, or did you find the
difference from before jarring?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It certainly left me feeling as exhausted and
breathless as those fortunate enough to survive into chapter 38. The use of
many points of view and such short sections made it very difficult for me to
stop reading last night so that I could go to bed! This was the page-turning
chapter to rule them all: and I imagine that very few writers would risk this
structure for fear of their readers throwing the book away in disgust. However,
I think that it was very appropriate for the prelude to the climax of the
series. We were shown just about every important action and managed to touch
base with quite a few characters before they met their ends, which was rather
touching when they had happy thoughts or chose brave and selfless courses of
action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Rather than finding this different from the rest of
the series, I felt that it was as if Mr Sanderson had turned the volume up from
something comfortable to an eardrum imploding level. It was a similar structure
to the one we are accustomed to, only writ large. But this is the End Of The
World, so it is supposed to be a little more dramatic than normal. It certainly
conveyed the desperation and despair seeping through the armies of the Light as
their end becomes inevitable . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2.
Tuon orchestrates a fight with Mat, and decides to return only after some
careful deliberations. Ice-cold gamble or foolhardy move by Mat? Am
I the only one who thinks the Seanchan have gotten away with very little
fighting so far?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This was certainly a gamble, and it is not clear
that the return of the Seanchan will seal the win for the force of light,
unless Lan truly has done for Demandred. I was rather surprised that Moghedien
fell for this ruse, as I thought she might suspect that it was a set up. But,
of course, she is biased by her own personality: she would abandon a failing
fight in order to save her own skin in the blink of an eye, so she accepts
Tuon’s bluff as a reasonable action. It was just about the only way that Mat
could use the enemy spy to his own advantage without alerting her to his
knowledge of her existence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yep: the Ever Victorious Army is starting to look
like a massively unearned title at this point. Not only has the branches of it
left behind at home fallen to rebellion and civil war, but also their showing
in Randland has been patchy at best. They have not proven to be quite as epic
in this battle as I had hoped they would be. Perhaps it is all weird haircuts
and painted fingernails with very little to back up their sense of superiority.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3.
Androl and Pevara spend much of the battle behind enemy lines to recover the
seals, practicing telepathy and other fascinating effects. Why not
another lava trick? Logain also challenge Demandred. What do you
think of his motivations? Where will his glory come from?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I guess a giant flow of lava would be a little
inaccurate in targeting only Taim, and it might just damage the Seals a little
bit . . . or make them rather difficult to recover later! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Androl and Pevara are rapidly becoming my highest
ranked characters for further books in the series: they are so entertaining!
They also seem to be rewriting the rule book with their double Bonding
connection, which I am quite sure will prove helpful in the end. I was rather
sad that Androl did not get the chance to Gateway Taim into oblivion, but his
slight of hand theft of the Seals did make me chuckle quite a bit. I am quite
sure that Taim was furious when he discovered that they were missing . . . oh
dear, let me reach for my tiny violin! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Logain’s motivations seem to be rather mudded at
the moment. He went after Demandred with some wild idea of grabbing his scepter
and then making every one bow down before his awesomeness. This was the one case
where I was actually cheering on Demandred, as I was not sure that Logain
winning the duel would be a good idea. It does not look like he has much of a
chance of glory at the moment, but there is still time for him to validate our
trust in him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. In
the meantime, Rand and the Dark One exchange visions for the future. What
do you think of all these? Can Rand really kill the Dark One now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">These have been rather interesting in their variety
and been genuinely intriguing and surprising. They have certainly made me think
about the role of evil with regards to personal freedom and the implications of
trying to remove it from the universe. It seems as if the Dark One has a very
good understanding of Rand’s personality and weaknesses, some of which Demandred
has commented on in his various ramblings. I was most interested to see that
the Dark One offered Rand the chance at oblivion: I wondered if this was a
genuine proposal or simply a trick. If it was genuine, it suggests that the
Dark One is seriously worried about Rand’s ability to defeat him, although it
appears to be highly unlikely at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">From what we have seen I am not sure that killing
the Dark One is either possible or desirable. Whilst I understand that what we
are seeing is heavily biased by the Dark One’s attempts to defeat Rand, I do
worry that a total lack of temptation removes the need for people to choose to
do good rather than evil. We have seen so many examples of bravery and
self-sacrifice in this chapter that I wonder if Mr Sanderson also sees the
threat of Evil as something of a necessity. Having said that, I am sure that
Rand will be victorious, but I have no concept of how he will do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5.
Some choose not to fight for various reasons. What do you think of Ila's
thoughts on violence, now, at the Last Battle? Did you expect the
gai'shain to fight? Any difference between them and the reluctant
mercenaries from the prologue?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find the whole concept of the Way of the Leaf
very interesting because it shows a strength of commitment that I find
difficult to understand. In certain situations I can see how non-violence is
actually effective, as we have seen in peaceful demonstrations throughout human
history. However, it will only work if your opposition has a moral compass and will
finally stop massacring you because they feel bad about it. The Dark One and
his minions have no compassion and will not stop killing any humans that they
encounter: they simply see pacifists as easy targets, just as they view the
young, elderly and infirm. When the Way of the Leaf was at its most prevalent
mankind was living in a time of enlightened peace: I do not think that it is
particularly appropriate in the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I can respect the Tinkers’ dedication to
their beliefs and commend them for offering aid to those who are willing to
fight. I wonder if the Last Battle will cause more to question their
willingness to allow others to die to protect them. It would certainly be
expected that many would have their faith shaken by what they witness at
Merrilor, and it could cause a dramatic change in their society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gai’shain</i>
may be a rather different case. Their refusal to fight is based upon ideas of
honor rather than pacifism, but, again, they are applying a societal protocol
that does not fit this situation. The Shadow has no honor and deserves to be
shown no respect. Also, they will surely gain much dishonor if they stand aside
and allow the world to end when they could have joined the defense, which might
persuade them to postpone their term of servitude for a day or so. If they
still refuse to see sense I would suggest that they have to endure a few
seconds of Sorilea’s very worst evil stare . . . that should have them grabbing
spear in no time at all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Reluctant mercenaries are either cowards or very
sensible, depending upon your point of view. I can see how many people would be
unwilling to throw themselves into a hopeless fight, but I can also understand
the irritation of the people who realize that every able body needs to be
fighting on the battlefield. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6.
Faile and Co. make it to the battle, only to be betrayed by Aravine. Do
you think anyone other than Olver made it out (Faile, especially)? What
did you think of Bela's heroic death? Where does the Horn go from here?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I have always found Faile to be a very
irritating character, I do like Perrin, so I hope she survives for his sake.
Also, I think she is now the Queen of Saldaea after Tenobia and her father’s
deaths, so she does have a role to play in the reconstruction after the Light
prevails.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am certain that Vanin and Harnan will survive as
they seem to be particularly indestructible. I could almost believe that some
of Mat’s ‘luck’ has attached itself to them! I loved the way that they arrived
through the Gateway so much earlier and were trying to create mayhem in the
enemy camp: Mat would be so proud of them! Also, I knew that they were not
Darkfriends, although Aravine was a total surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Olver will obviously blow the Horn and become a
great hero of legend surrounded by large-bosomed ladies for the rest of his
life. Good luck to the little scamp! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Being the irrational animal lover that I am, I was
overjoyed with Bela’s return and her miraculous conversion into a super-horse.
Then Mr Sanderson killed her and I burst into tears . . . I could go off
certain authors . . . :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7.
Gawyn, Galad and Lan all decide to challenge Demandred. Gawyn pays the
ultimate price: foolish move, or a reasonable gamble to remove the most
dangerous enemy on the field? Galad tries to avenge him, and fails, only
for Lan to do the deed and finally fulfil his series-long death wish.
What do you think of these events?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Well, we could all see that Gawyn was going to come
to a bad end once we knew that he had triggered one of the rings. I had hoped
that some of Egwene’s good sense might have rubbed off on him, but his fate was
sealed from that moment on. Following his ‘thinking’ on this challenge does not
make me any more inclined to think of his death as a ‘reasonable gamble’. He
must have known that his death would incapacitate Egwene, and thus weaken the
forces of Light dramatically. His action was mostly driven by a selfish need to
be important and show off his prowess, with very little thought of the
consequences of his failure or even his chances of accomplishing his goal. I
suppose that the use of the rings might have affected his thinking, but his
pervious idiocy makes me disinclined to be generous to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that Galad had a seriously good chance of
succeeding. We know that he was always supposed to be more skilled than Gawyn,
and much more clear in his thinking. I also think that there are subtle hints
that he might be able to Channel, or at least learn to. Both here and in his
defeat of Eamon Valda, we see him attaining a form of the void that seems
remarkably similar to that reached by Rand. Of course, we have now seen Tam and
Lan doing something very similar, so I might be over-reaching here, but he is
related to both Rand and Elayne . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course, if anyone was going to finally succeed
it had to be Lan, Mat, Perrin or possibly even Loial, though I thought Androl
might have had a go with a Gateway to something nasty. I loved the imagery of
the Two Rivers archers lighting his way and clearing a path through the
Trollocs: I was almost cheering by this point! I was pleased that Mandarb
managed to get in some badass horse fighting without dying . . . unlike poor
Bela . . . grumble, grumble, grumble . . . I am so dumb that I did not even
predict the Sheathing the Sword move that Lan would employ, even though he
taught Rand about it right at the beginning of the series. By the way, he will
most certainly NOT die: can you imagine Nynaeve letting him get away from her
that easily! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8.
Egwene, having lost her warder and husband, slays M'Hael (WITH a sa'angreal)
and then lays waste to the Sharans, and kills herself, Lews Therin style.
Did you expect Egwene to be the first out of the original crew? Was her fate
sealed already when Gawyn died? What will her legacy be, as
Amyrlin? And what of this new weave---the Flame of Tar Valon?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I did not see this coming, although her despair did
seem to be pushing her beyond the bounds of common sense. Of course, her actions
were probably necessary and the outcome was a massive blow to the Shadow. Would
the forces of Light be in a stronger position if she were still alive?
Possibly, but her death was a rather neat balance to that of Taim. I did enjoy
his horror as she beat him into submission and then anti-balefired him out of
existence. I suspect that she might possibly have recovered from her grief over
Gawyn’s loss, what with her being as stubborn as a rock and all that, so I did
not see her death as inevitable though her sacrifice was nowhere near as
upsetting as Bela’s death . . . I am not going to forgive you for that one for
a very long time, Mr Sanderson!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst the Flame of Tar Valon was very impressive,
it did leave me with a few questions. Why did Taim’s death not reverse the
effects of the previous balefire strikes and revive many of the Forces of
Light? Why did Demandred survive it, even though he probably counts as one who
had ‘given himself over to the Shadow’? How was Leilwin supposed to find Logain
and get the Seals from him in time to break them when Egwene released the
Flame? I do not know if these questions will be answered in the remaining
chapters, but I do hope so because they are annoying me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">9.
Elayne, having suffered huge losses for the whole battle, is taken by Mellar,
threatening to cut her babies out. What will come of this? Is
Birgitte now permanently dead, or is she just waiting on the other side for the
Horn to blow?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It was too much to hope that Mellar had
unfortunately died of an infected paper cut, but I had rather hoped that he
would not reappear to cause more mayhem. I have no idea what the Dark One plans
to do with the Randlings, but I doubt that it is anything good . . . perhaps he
plans to file their teeth and give them nice red veils . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Obviously, Elayne will be saved by someone,
although the list of potential candidates for savior is woefully short at the
moment. Unless someone completely unexpected suddenly steps into the breach,
such as Thom, who has been noticeably absent throughout this whole mess, my
guess is that Birgitte’s death came at a very, very opportune moment. We now
know that Olver is going to blow the Horn out of sheer desperation, and her
death will allow her to answer its call to action. I suspect that she might
feel a slight inclination to kill Mellar once she reappears . . . This will
also allow her to rejoin Gaidal and regain her memories, which seems like an
appropriate end for her story arc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">10. Anything
else you feel I missed? Ogier? Dragons? The beautiful
Shendla? Demandred's approach to the battle? All the minor deaths:
Hurin, Mr. and Mrs. Bashere, Bryne and, dare I say Siuan? Min's
spy-hunting? Leilwin?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So much has happened this week that it is difficult
to get a grasp of what else I want to comment about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Loial going to help Lan, even though he now thinks
that he will never get the chance to write his book: heartbreaking! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Talmanes and his merry band: will they be able to
do anything useful with the hastily patched together Dragons?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Demandred’s complete fixation with the one person
who is very obviously NOT taking part in the battle: a full day later and he is
still trying to taunt Rand into facing him! What a lunatic! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that Hurin and the Basheres deserved
slightly more than a minor footnote, but the lack of detail added to the shock
that their deaths dealt to both us and Rand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that Siuan’s death was somehow fitting.
She made a conscious decision to abandon her own safety in order to do what
needed to be done: something that proves that she was truly a Blue. Poor Gareth
could never have lived an hour without her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">During the attack on the Seanchan command tent I
was rather distracted by all the excessive clothing in evidence. Poor Min could
hardly move for all the silk and Tuon had her quick release dress on. It does
rather make me wonder why they do not have slightly more practical dress
uniforms for times of war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One thing that I did like to see was the
unification of the Tower, or should I say TowerS. We know that it is common for
people to be united against a common enemy, but so many prejudices were
abandoned during this battle that I am hopeful that real change can occur in
the aftermath. I am sure that Cadsuane will be cross that she missed all this
excitement!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-30605069287443260032015-02-21T19:20:00.004-05:002015-02-21T19:20:40.555-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems like the end of an era: this is the last
time that I will set questions for this Read Along because we only have two more
weeks of reading to complete. It seems only yesterday that we started this epic
journey . . .</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2d1703; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 36.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Finally,
Graendal’s Compulsion of the Great Captains has been uncovered. Do you think
that Mat’s medallion will protect him from her ‘advances’? It seems as if
Ituralde was the only Captain to resist the Compulsion: any ideas about why
that might be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I certainly hope that the medallion will provide
some protection from her, although her ugliness will probably cause Mat to
steer clear anyway! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Graendal’s plan almost succeeded, and it may still
have been the greatest blow that the Shadow has managed to inflict upon the
armies of Light. Not bad for an appearance obsessed shrink! If only the other
Forsaken could have caused such devastation with so few resources then we might
be facing a real possibility that all Rand’s efforts would be in vain. I know
that we are now at the low point of the Last Battle, where everything looks
desperately bad and the Dark One may soon be cackling wildly over the remains
of Life As We Know It. Of course, I have unshakeable faith that we will have a
(more or less) happy ending and that no matter how dark things look we will not
all want to slit our wrists at the final outcome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather surprised that Ituralde seemed able to
almost overcome the Compulsion. I am not sure if this is supposed to be because
Graendal had just started trying to manipulate him or if he is supposed to have
greater self control than the other Great Captains. Perhaps it was simply
because we saw this section through his eyes, whereas we saw the others
confronted by other POV characters. Perhaps they had all been having a similar
response, but we just did not witness it. I like to think that all three of the
other Captains are equally tough . . . although his nickname of The Little Wolf
suggests that he might end up with golden eyes at some point . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Mat rides
into battle and is suitably awesome. Do you think that Tuon is reassessing her
ability to control her Prince? Could this be the end of formal Seanchan society
as it has existed for thousands of years?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Mat is always entertaining, and his actions here
were pretty much what I have come to expect from him. I can only imagine the
amazingly effortless way in which he mows down ranks of the enemy with his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ashandarei</i>. I have a mental image of all
the Seanchan soldiers standing around with their mouths hanging open as he goes
all ‘bullet time’ on the Sharans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hope that Tuon is wise enough to give Mat enough
independence to allow him to be effective as the overall General of the combined
forces. I suspect that she continues to struggle with his inability to simply
do as he is told, but she has already had quite some time to see how he
operates so perhaps she is becoming resigned to it by now. At the moment it
seems that her subjects are much more scandalized by his behavior than she is,
which I find rather encouraging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I would rather hope that Mat manages to make the
Seanchan a little more flexible in their adherence to etiquette, but that will
only happen if Tuon allows it. There have been times recently when her
inability to move away from established procedures and protocol has seemed to
slow her actions and possibly even damaged the Light’s chances of success. Her
use of a giant throne in the command tent seems like at least one tradition
that could be forgotten. Perhaps she will see that Mat can inspire devotion and
loyalty without having to sit on a ten foot tall chair all the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Perrin
and Slayer clash again. It seems like Perrin is still outmatched, although he
is continuing to improve, but will he ever be able to dispatch his enemy? Were
you surprised that Lanfear proved to be as fickle as we had suspected? Will
Perrin take any further part in the Last Battle now that he has returned to the
waking world?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems like every time Perrin improves he is
still not good enough to best Slayer. This is becoming rather frustrating and I
am not overly convinced that Perrin is being very useful running around on this
personal vendetta. I know that Slayer has been sent to attack Rand, and that
Perrin uncovered Graendal’s actions against Ituralde, but I hope that his
efforts will have a more concrete outcome. I wonder if his prolonged stay in
the Dream has weakened him, which might be why Slayer still has the upper hand:
he certainly seemed to be struggling towards the end even before Slayer’s arrow
found its target.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The only aspect of Lanfear’s betrayal that
surprised me was that she gave up on Perrin so easily. It seems like forever
since she first attached herself to Rand and he has spent almost the entire
series trying to get rid of her, but she has hung around like a particularly
bad skunk smell. Perhaps the poor girl is finally beginning to learn from her
mistakes and will now take “Argh! No!” as an answer! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If this is the end of Perrin’s role in the Last
Battle then I will be very disappointed, as he does not seem to have really
accomplished a great deal. However, he seems to have been overcome with both
mental and physical exhaustion, never mind having an arrow stuck in his chest.
I suppose that a bit of Healing and a square meal will have him fighting fit in
no time, but I still worry that he has over-reached himself. Of course, he will
need to return to the Dream, if only to collect Rhuarc and help out the wolves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. The
battle outside Cairhien is almost lost and even the mighty Ogier are starting
to fall when Androl produces a miracle. What did you think of Logain’s comment
about the notes in Taim’s rooms: does he have a list of all the Shadow’s battle
plans? Please comment on the epicness of Androl’s miracle! :D<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I seriously hope that none of the Ogier died in
this battle, otherwise I would have some very serious words to say to Mr
Sanderson! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It would be nice to think that Taim had left behind
some vitally important information that will help the forces of Light to be
victorious, but I doubt that he would be that stupid. Also, we all know that
wars are very fluid, and so plans are constantly updated, which means that
these are probably out of date. I presume that it gave an overview of the three
intended attacks, although I have no idea why Logain decided to help Elayne’s
army. Perhaps he had scouts have a look at all three battlefields and decided
that hers was most in need of assistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am beginning to wish that we had met Androl much
earlier in this series. His solution to the Trolloc horde was wonderfully
elegant but so delightfully effective. I wonder if we will see any more
innovation in how Gateways can be turned into weapons. It would be interesting
to experiment . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Tuon is
taking the End Of The World in her stride, with her giant travelling throne and
making full use of Min’s Talent. Are you a little disturbed by her serenity at
this time? Do you think that Min’s demands will be met, or will she eventually
refuse to reveal her viewings?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I almost get the impression that Tuon has not quite
understood the severity of this situation. As we saw last week, when she
thought about going home and sorting out Seanchan before returning to fight the
Dark One, she seems to be failing to grasp the consequences of failure at this
time. I hope that this is simply because she is just so good at hiding her
indecision and fear of what might happen and not that she is oblivious to the
danger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was a little confused by her insistence about the
viewings until she began to interpret them herself. She certainly seems
completely ruthless in how she applies what she learns from them, although that
was not really much of a surprise at this stage. I thought it was remarkably
stupid to discuss the viewings in public because it places Min in an incredibly
dangerous position: anyone wanting to ferment rebellion would need to remove
Min before attempting to move against Tuon. Perhaps Tuon sees that as a
reasonable risk, but I suspect that Rand would not feel that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Just for a
change, things go horribly wrong. Do you think that the black spikes were a
deliberate attack against Faile’s group? Can you believe that Vanin and Harnan
are actually Darkfriends, or were they just after the tobacco? Is there any
chance that the Horn will make it back to Mat’s hands?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is difficult to say, but it seems very unlikely
that they could have altered the destination of that Gateway, which suggests
that somebody wanted to send Faile out into the Blight. Knowing that Lanfear
has been trying to get inside Perrin’s pants makes me suspect that she might be
behind the attack, but the evidence is certainly limited. I cannot believe that
somebody has uncovered Faile’s quest to deliver the Horn, which is why I think
that this might be a personal attack upon Faile herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find it very hard to believe that Vanin and
Harnan are Darkfriends. They have had so many opportunities to do evil deeds,
especially Vanin, that this does not ring true to me. It makes very little
sense that someone knows about the Horn and has chosen these two to attempt to
steal it, even if they are being Compelled like the Great Captains. If Graendal
were behind this attack it would make much more sense for her to simply Compel
Faile. I genuinely think that they were after the tobacco and had just
discovered the Horn when that giant bear thingy attacked them. However, I
suspect that Faile will accuse them of being Darkfriends unjustly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I would like to see the Horn brought into
play, I think that everyone is rather forgetting about Mat’s death in Rhuidean.
I suspect that the Horn is no longer bound to him, because that death has
broken the link and that somebody else will be able to blow the Horn at the
appropriate time. I just hope that it is not Faile, because that would be far
too ironic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Red
veiled Aiel infiltrate the camp in Thakan’dar and cause mayhem. Do you think
that even Cadsuane and Sorilea are powerful enough to defeat Graendal? Will the
Aiel ever recover from the shame of learning about the fate of their male
channelers?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I am pretty certain that they could join
forces to fix her with hard stares, I am not sure that even Cadsuane could best
one of the Forsaken, and we know that Sorilea can barley light a candle with
the One Power. However, they are more than capable of mounting a formidable
defense and the use of circles could give them the power that they need to
defeat her. Even so, I suspect that Aviendha will be the main actor in the
confrontation with Graendal: I just have a feeling that she will do something
epic before she weeps over Rand’s pyre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This did make me wonder what they imagined had
happened to all those men over the years. Did they honestly think that they had
all simply dies in the Blight? Shame on them for underestimating not only the
survival skills of their menfolk, but also the cunning of the Dark One in
exploiting a source of useful minions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8. Rand is
frozen in place as he battles the Dark One. Why is Moridin frozen as well? Do
you think Nynaeve will be able to do anything to help Alanna before she can
release Rand from his Bond? Is there any chance that Nynaeve can save the world
by simply bopping Moridin on the head with a big rock?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not sure if this is an indication that Moridin
is an embodiment of the Dark One somehow. Alternatively, I thought it might be
a product of their strange connection, although we have seen much less evidence
of that since Rand had his epiphany. Of course, it would be rather unfair if
Rand froze and then Moridin got to chop him into tiny pieces unimpeded! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was very surprised to find Alanna chained to the
wall. I think we last heard of her disappearing and leaving behind one of
Verin’s letters. At the time it seemed as if she had dashed off in response to
the letter, but I suppose that she might have been kidnapped and that the
letter was simply a red herring. It would have been nice if Rand had noticed
her being mistreated or terrified, but I suppose that he has been rather busy
and has kept her boxed up in his head for most of the time since she Bonded
him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems like a bit of improvised field dressing is
all that Nynaeve could offer Alanna at this point as I rather doubt that she
brought her full first aid kit with her when she packed for this very brief
journey. You would rather hope that Alanna would have the good sense to release
Rand from her Bond now that it looks like she is going to die, but she has
never struck me as overly gifted with common sense. Hopefully Nynaeve will
knock some sense into her and get her to release him before it is too late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Bopping Moridin on the head with a boulder may do
no good at all, but I am quite sure that it would make me, and Nynaeve, feel a
whole lot better about the situation if she tried it! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Other<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not trying to be a nitpicker or anything, but why
is the Shadow taking so long to arrive at Merrilor? Surely they can just open a
few Gateways and zap over there to finish the bloodshed and mayhem: are they
taking the scenic route? :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-81276571440524610922015-02-15T16:43:00.001-05:002015-02-15T16:43:09.960-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU57cNjanpmVg9ZyKGKOmH2fn94F88RiIdbh2iqyYZlhRKmk-g9E0o0g_PfOHhazMdqqhxrmHfP1_MCicoansjHS7ZqazwZ11YtI1VBb1FxXab8DmemH-7U0txNFyJL_Ak-fBihS9BPD8/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. What do
you think of the Sharans so far? You can address fashion, choices, attitude,
class distinction, the fact that one of the Forsaken leads them, whatever you
want, or all of the above.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At the moment I am simply irritated at how little
we know about them! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Their use of Channeled body tattooing to denote
status is both strange and intriguing, especially as it seems to imply an
inability to change one’s social ranking. As the markings are applied using the
One Power, this may not be true, but the idea of a fixed caste system is not
one we have seen in this world before (I think). It goes against all my
thoughts of self-improvement but I will wait to condemn it until we learn a
little more about how it truly functions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Their society is obviously very authoritarian, like
the Seanchan, because Demandred’s rule seems to be accepted without question.
Of course, he has assumed the role of a prophesied leader, which I presume has
allowed him to suppress any opposition to his authority. A very clever move in
my opinion . . . which makes me wonder why none of the male Forsaken tried to
be proclaimed as the Dragon . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The male Channelers seem to be almost animalistic,
so I suspect that they are treated very badly and kept alive only until they
start to show signs of madness or Channeling. However, this suggests that they
stay alive long enough to breed, which seems like a very sensible option
compared to the scorched earth approach that we have seen in all other
cultures. I suspect that this means that a much higher percentage of the Sharan
population is made up of strong Channelers when compared to the Randlanders and
even the Seanchan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Gawyn is
actively using the Bloodknife's ring, Leilwin saves Egwene's life, and Egwene
meets with Tuon, amidst the chaos of the raging battle. What do you think, what
stood out to you, what do you predict will happen?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I predict that Gawyn will soon discover that using
the rings was a really, REALLY stupid idea because they are draining his life
away. I am not sure if we have been given a specific survival time after the
rings are activated, and I assume that using them only intermittently will
extend this period, but I am pretty certain that he will not live more than a
few weeks. Of course, that might be all the time he has before the End Of The World,
so I might be getting all upset with him for no reason. I suppose that I can be
impressed by his determination to do anything to protect Egwene, but I more
than a little concerned that his motivations are more about him looking like a
hero. What a twit!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was a little concerned that Leilwin arrived when
she did. How did she find Egwene in the dark camp? Does this mean that she is
actually a Darkfriend after all?? :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">You go, Egwene! During this confrontation I was
very disappointed by Tuon’s blindness towards the concept of the Last Battle.
Her thoughts about going home to Seanchan and then returning to deal with the
Dark One were laughably naive, and I expected better from her. I was seriously
impressed that Egwene did not simply slap her! I suspect that Mat saved his
lovely wife from a handprint on the cheek or some scorched hair. I still think
that Mat will be instrumental in persuading Tuon to be sensible and cooperate
with the other armies. Hopefully, he will also convince her to change her thinking
on the whole <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i> issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. It seems
that both Agelmar and Bashere might be darkfriends. Do you think they are? If
not, what is going on, and might it be connected to whatever Graendal was
doing, messing with people's dreams in T'A'R?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Nope! Never! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We know that Graendal was manipulating Bashere’s
dreams, assuming that Lanfear was telling the truth. In this case I find it
easier to believe that Lanfear is being honest than to suspect that either man
is consciously being deceitful. I think that we have had enough hints that both
of them, and also Gareth Bryne are having their sleep disturbed. I suspect that
Ituralde will also be receiving the same treatment. Corrupting the Great
Captains is a wonderfully effective way to defeat the forces of Light without
alerting them to the source of the attack. We know that Graendal is a master of
Compulsion and also psychology, and that she is a consummate manipulator, so I
trust Lanfear’s information on this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Rand
finally enters the Pit of Doom with Nynaeve and Moiraine, leaving Thom outside
to witness the fight below. Rand's blood stains the rocks, we hear the DO's
voice and Moridin shows up. What do you think of how this is playing out? How
do you think Rand will fare?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Aaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Although Rand has now fulfilled the Prophecy to
leave his blood on the rocks, I suspect that the rest of this battle will not
be a stroll in the park. First he must defeat Moridin somehow without losing
too much of his strength. For some reason I am strongly reminded of Luke
Skywalker facing Darth Vader whilst the Emperor cackles in the background . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am fairly certain that Rand will succeed in his
plans destroy the Dark One, as I am eternally optimistic that we have not read
this entire series only to have a horribly depressing outcome. However, I
expect him to die in the final push, which is why Min has seen his women stood
around his pyre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Oh good
heavens, Perrin! Slayer tries to kill Rand in the Pit of Doom, but Perrin heads
him off. They fight, and Perrin sees phantoms from the waking world (and maybe
other worlds!). The wolves want him to lead them into the Last Hunt. He sees
Rand and Moridin sword-fighting, speaks to Nynaeve, though she's in the waking
world, puts the dream spike around the Pit of Doom, and figures out how to
defeat the red-veils (in T'A'R' at least). Um...discuss!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Perrin’s long practice of careful consideration
before any action has given him a massive advantage in Tel’aran’rhiod. Both he
and Gaul are very disciplined mentally, and this translates into a cool and
thoughtful way to challenge the effects of the Dream. At this point, Perrin is
almost as cool as Rand in his natural understanding of how to deploy his powers
in this world. It is only a matter of time before he outwits Slayer, but I am
concerned that he does not know how to get back out of the Dream. As time runs
differently from in the real world, I cannot believe that he will ever be able
to be in the right time and place to use the Gateway to return to Merrilor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Maybe I am a horrible person, but I have to admit
that I giggled quite a bit once I realized what he had done to the red-veiled
Aiel. “You are an idiot.” “Dribble” :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Fortuona
has developed some interesting thoughts about Mat. She names him Rodholder.
When she hears of Min's talent, she names her a Doomseer and suddenly Min is as
important (and trapped) as Mat is in the Seanchan court. Mat throws away his
"emperor's clothes" and heads for the battlefield. Were you surprised
by the twist with Min? Are you excited to see Mat on the battlefield? Discuss!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I most certainly did not see the twist with Min coming,
and I am not sure that there have been any obvious hints that it would occur.
Of course, I could have predicted that someone would try to assassinate Tuon ‘soon’
because it seems to be a daily occurrence. Of course, Min does not know that,
so it makes sense that she would blurt it out as a way to help. At the moment,
Min could do a significant amount of good if she stays close to Tuon,
especially if she ‘sees’ anything useful over the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i> that she encounters and relates it to the Empress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was honestly surprised that Mat had stayed in the
highly impractical clothing for as long as he did. Whilst it was funny to
picture him in the lush, stylized uniform with his battered hat, it seemed
almost out of character that he would wear anything that uncomfortable for so
long. I suppose that he was trying hard to do the right thing for Tuon’s
benefit, but she will need to change the rules with regard to her new husband,
because he will not stick to the old traditions for more than a few minutes
before he rebels. If she has a history of training horses she may eventually be
able to ‘break’ him slightly, but I suspect that she will give up the effort
long before he is fully domesticated! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I expect Mat to take to the field and totally
outwit the enemy with effortless cunning. This will probably please Tuon
immensely and sour his relationship with Galgan even more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Perhaps
comment on some (or all) of the more minor events, such as why Moiraine and
Nynaeve are getting along so well, while Moiraine and Lan aren't, why Nynaeve
would actually seem older without her braid, Elayne's war speech before her
troops, the darkness that shadowed the sun for a time, or the fact that
Aviendha has officially joined Team Badass. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think Nynaeve has finally grown to understand how
she can protect Rand, and this has allowed her to forgive Moiraine for taking
him, and the others, out of the Two Rivers in the first place. She has gained
perspective and now sees why those actions were absolutely necessary. I suspect
that she and Moiraine are actually very similar and thus they can work together
very effectively. I suspect that the lack of her braid removes that ‘twitch’ of
yanking on it all the time, which makes her seem much more mature to those who
expect to see! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We have seen much badassness all around, but I
think that my standout moment was that short section of Loial fighting the
second Trolloc army. His thoughts about the dead humans were so poignant. I do
not think I could cope if he and Erith were killed in the Last Battle . . .
sniff . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-19039356045190462382015-02-08T18:32:00.003-05:002015-02-08T18:32:50.559-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 21.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1) Mat and
Tuon finally consummate their marriage. Do you think it was all Mat hoped for?
Will Tuon's ideas for him in her empire pan out? Tuon gets to keep her damane:
how do you think Mat will deal with or adjust to this in time?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find it very difficult to imagine anything changing
Mat, so I was hardly surprised that he was still ogling the help, even though
he seems to now ‘prefer’ girls who look like Tuon. I expect that he will still
be eyeing lovely young ladies a few seconds before he dies . . . and possibly
even after that! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Mat will fall into step with Tuon’s
plans without too much fuss, although he will spend plenty of time moaning and
complaining. However, I still think that he will eventually take over as the
person in overall control of the armies of Light and that might annoy Tuon for
some time. Perhaps his aversion to formality will help to make Seanchan society
a little more flexible, which would certainly be a good thing, and I found his
ability to persuade Tuon to accept Rand’s terms very encouraging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather disappointed that Rand allowed Tuon to
keep her <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>. I can see this being
a significant problem to the Aiel and White Tower once the Last Battle has been
concluded. Of course, Tuon may see the benefit of releasing them by that time,
so this potential point of conflict might still be avoided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2) Rand and
Tuon have their meeting. Feel free to comment away! Also, Mat and Rand have a
quiet little bragging contest. What other characters would you enjoy seeing in
a bragging contest? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that Rand handled this rather well, and
used Tuon’s rigid application of tradition against her. I would still prefer
that she admit that it is unreasonable to expect people to honor a pledge given
by their long-dead relatives so long ago that everyone had totally forgotten
about it. Of course, it is simply an excuse for conquest, but it is still
rather insulting and Rand made a very good point about her troubles back home,
which she is ignoring for the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I enjoyed the bragging match, which seemed like a
very believable way for Mat to express his concern for Rand. It really made
their friendship seem very close and very real, reminding me a little of my
relationship with my sister. I am not sure that anyone else would engage in
this kind of banter: Thom is the only one that I think could carry it off
without looking an idiot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3) Lan's
battle continues, though he has to give ground. What do you think about his
conversation concerning female warriors? Taim has shown his face at Lan's
front; does that change your mind on who might finally get to kill this baddie?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I think that Tenobia is a bit of an idiot
(and shares a lot of unfortunate characteristics with her cousin), I cannot
accept that women are unsuited to warfare. Throughout this series we have met
many women who are more than capable in a conflict situation, and some men who
are completely hopeless. I am all in favor of sexual equality, although I
understand that the young Prince is merely displaying his ignorance and
youthful bravado. Hopefully he will find an energetic young Maiden to show him
how to treat women properly! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Argh! Taim needed killing several books ago, but
wishful thinking is no use now! I think we are supposed to expect a
confrontation between M’Hael and Rand, although I would REALLY like to see
Androl slice him in half with a Gateway. We now know that Aviendha will be
leading the rearguard once Rand enters the Bore, so she may now be a good
choice for the person to finally rid us of his smug, evil face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4) Do you
think there is any significant Dark Friend left in Rand's forces, in
disguise/hiding? Lan was asked to keep an eye on Aglemar and Aviendha doesn't
care for Alsalam. Is it just so many cultures being thrown together? Or do we
have reason to be suspicious of something darker?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am fairly certain that the armies have plenty of
Darkfriends scattered throughout them. It seems only logical that many will
succumb to despair and join the Dark Side now that the Last Battle has arrived,
just as we see some being called to the Light. All the leaders are taking
precautions against such espionage, so they obviously think it is highly likely
that there are informants everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I am not overly worried about Aviendha’s
distrust of Alsalam, it seems that there is something similar happening to both
Agelmar and Bashere. Both men look overly tired and have made costly mistakes
that seem completely out of character. As they have both proven to be staunch
and trusted supporters they would make ideal targets for some subtle
manipulation via their dreams or something similar. If we see Bryne and
Ituralde displaying similar symptoms I will be very concerned. After all, if I
were the Dark One I would try to corrupt my enemy’s leaders if at all possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5) In a
short conversation with Egwene and Gawyn, Rand reveals that he is Galad's
half-brother and that the seals are fakes. Which do you think caused Gawyn more
grief? Who do you think switched the seals and for what purpose?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I had rather hoped that Gawyn would be much more
reasonable once he and Egwene had come to an arrangement . . . but no! I was
thoroughly irritated by his moan about not getting to fight as much as he would
like. “I’m such an uber swordsman that it is a waste for me to ONLY protect the
most important person on the battlefield.” He is such a spoilt brat and needs a
really good slapping! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was a little surprised that he initially thought
that Rand and Elayne were related. Surely he should be well versed in the
family bloodlines and know that they do not share a parent even before Rand
pointed it out. I say again: he needs a good slapping!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I seem to remember Taim telling Graendal that he
had stolen something important just before everything kicked off at the Black
Tower last week. At the time I immediately thought that he must have acquired
the Seals, although I am surprised that Moridin has allowed him to keep them. I
suspect that the Dark One is channeling his inner Sauron and could never
imagine that the Light would want to actually destroy the Seals: he probably
thinks that they want to keep them nice and safe. He is going to be so
embarrassed when he breaks them and Rand says “Thanks!”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6) Bashere
and Elayne are trying to outmaneuver 2 armies of trollocs. Meanwhile, Egwene's
forces are routed by the sudden appearance of the Sharran army. Will the forces
of good be able to recover prior to Rand's duel with the Dark One? Any 'in
retrospect' comments concerning the Sharrans? Did you see that coming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am quite sure that they will pull through, but it
will be a close call, especially if the Great Captains are being influenced by
the Dark somehow. As with the Battle At The Black Gate, it will all look
completely hopeless before Rand saves the world and everyone lives happily ever
after . . . well, almost everyone . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yep, totally predicted the Sharans. I would have
been massively surprised if they had not made an appearance at all because we
know that the Forsaken have knowledge of their existence. We saw Graendal with
Sharan ‘toys’ so it would make sense that another of the Forsaken would see
them as a potential fighting force. I suspect that we will soon discover that
Demandred is leading this particular thorn in everyone’s side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">By the way, I am afraid that I did chortle a little
when Romanda was blown to bits because she did not listen to Egwene’s command.
This seemed like a suitable outcome to her lifelong determination that she was
always right and nobody else knew a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7) Lorella
Aes Sedai and the rest of the Reds hanging around outside the Black Tower
insist on Bonding their promised 47 male Channelers. Egwene has sent riders to
fetch them back in order to send them to Lan. Are we about to see the moment
the purpose of the Reds changes? Do you think Pevara and Androl have shared the
double Bonding technique with the male Channelers?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that the Reds changed their purpose when
they sent the first group of women to bond <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i>,
and Pevara is certainly a good indication that their thinking can be changed in
a radical way. I believe that Lyrelle is actually a Blue, hence her determination
to get out from under Lelaine’s control, and she leads a group composed of all
seven Ajahs. However, it is great to see all the Ajahs working together without
all the stupid in-fighting that we have witnessed for the entire series!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I did wonder if Androl had spoken to the ‘volunteers’
about this particular aspect of Bonding. It will certainly give the Aes Sedai a
massive surprise if he has . . . I just hope we get to experience it from the
perspective of an idiot like Lyrelle who seems to think that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i> need to be controlled like
rabid dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-196680992318221942015-02-01T14:41:00.003-05:002015-02-01T14:41:29.937-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 14.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1.
Rand is traveling around, giving precious gifts to Elayne and Lan (so
far.) Is this his way of saying goodbye, his final will? Do you think he
is being unnecessarily fatalistic?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It certainly feels as if he is taking this
opportunity to do as much as he can before time runs out. We know that he has
accepted that he will need to die in order to save the world, but I do not get
the impression that he is being overly melodramatic or pessimistic. Even the
Prophecy seems to suggest that he will not survive his confrontation with the
Dark One, so it seems sensible for him to put his affairs in order whilst he
can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">On a side note: I did rather feel sorry for him
that nobody had bothered to mention Elayne’s condition to him . . . it seems
like he is the last person in the world to find out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2.
Egwene stands strong in Kandor, but the other two battlefields are suffering
setbacks. Do you think the Light has to do something drastic, or will
they be able to weather the storm with the current plan?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to admit that I was beginning to wonder when
Taim and his cronies would appear in the battles. I know that the Dark One has
more Trollocs than anyone can count, but his new Dreadlords are somewhat useful
as well . . . and they take less feeding!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I never expected the Last Battle to be a minor
skirmish and over easily: it is The End OF The World, after all. Given that
they are fighting to save the future of the world, I would rather assume that
it is going to be a very difficult fight and will look completely hopeless for
most of its duration. In that frame of mind, I am rather impressed by how well
it is going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The current plan is working reasonably well, and we
can assume that the Seanchan will eventually join the cause, once Mat has
talked some sense into Tuon. However, we still have not seen Demandred and his
army (presumably from Shara). I suspect that he will upset the plan rather
spectacularly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Mat
joins the story, on his way to Tuon in Ebou Dar. Will the “Seanchan
Question” finally be resolved? Rand seems to be hesitating, too...<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Mat seems like the only hope to persuade Tuon to do
the right thing, but the new and improved Rand may have something in mind as
well. I suspect that Rand is waiting to give Mat time to reach his wife and
soften her up a little bit before he approaches with his solution to the
problem. Or perhaps he is just too busy handing out presents! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was hardly surprised to learn that there is a
conspiracy to remove Tuon. I am continually amazed that the previous Empress
survived long enough to have any children at all, let alone a small flock of
them. Perhaps Rand’s solution will also help the Seanchan to develop a more
stable monarchy without all the backstabbing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4.
Rand takes his turn on the battlefield, but is turned back. Do you expect
him to try again, or is this the last we see of him on the field before the
invasion of Shayol Ghul?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Hopefully, this will mark the last time that Rand
tries to solve a problem all by himself. At least he realized that it was a
trap before getting sucked in too deeply, but he has to rely more on his
followers and survive to fulfill his purpose in Shayol Ghul. Perhaps he needs
the Maidens, or more likely Min, to knock some sense into him . . . or perhaps
Moiraine will simply give a stern look and remind him of his only role in this
conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5.
Perrin leaves and takes the battle to the World of Dreams... in the
flesh. Do you think it is as evil as it's claimed? Did you like his
speech? Was it wise to bring Gaul, untrained, to this fight?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose it depends on what you mean by ‘evil’.
The other people who are very experienced in the Dream fall mostly into two
camps: the evil agents of the Shadow and the Wise Ones who are ever vigilant
about what they do there. I suspect that the seemingly limitless power of being
there in the flesh is very persuasive and we all know that power corrupts . . .
and Slayer is a pretty good example of what can happen to people who resort to
this hunting ground. However, Perrin has already fought his own desire for
power and strength, so I doubt that he will be tempted to the Dark Side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Gaul seems to be doing quite well, even if he is
untrained in the ways of the Dream. I suspect that the mental discipline common
to all Aiel warriors makes him unlikely to do anything massively stupid or rash
whilst he is there, and it is always good to have a second pair of eyes when
Slayer is involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6.
Lanfear makes another plea to Rand, and he lets her into his mind to prove he
is over her. She then appears in the World of Dreams to pester Perrin.
What game is she really playing at?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather pleased that Rand burst her bubble so
completely: perhaps she finally got the message that he will never by her path
to power. At the time she seemed somewhat crushed by this realization, but I
suspect that she will soon become filled with rage at his rejection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am pretty certain that her actions to help Perrin
are aimed more at annoying Moridin in a petty attempt to ‘pay him back’ for his
torture over the last few months. Of course, if she undermines him sufficiently
she might be able to become the new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nae’blis</i>
. . . in other words, she is still as self-deluded as before and working
entirely for her own benefit. If she accidentally helps Perrin or Rand it will
just be a happy coincidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. We
find out how people are turned to the Shadow. What do you think of this
mechanism? Are the turned really turned, or just taken over, as Androl
seems to think?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It all sounds rather horrific, but it is a rather
neat way to gain supporters and reduce the Light’s fighting capacity. However,
I cannot help thinking that it rather reinforces my opinion that it shows the
Dark One as weaker than the Creator, who needs no such method for gaining
followers. This makes me wonder how it can happen at all, given what we know
about the Pattern and its determination to maintain balance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that they are still themselves, as
witnessed by how Androl and Emarin were able to manipulate former friends
because they knew their personal weaknesses so well. This suggests that they
are not possessed as such, but perhaps placed under a very powerful influence,
something similar to Compulsion. However, I find it interesting that it only
works on those who can actively channel at the time of the ritual, which
suggests that it has something to do with their link to the One Power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8. It
appears Taim and his cronies are finally ejected from the Black Tower, although
Taim is still alive. What do you think of how this went down? Will
we now see the good Asha'man lend their strength to the fight? Could that
turn the tide of the war?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It was all rather epic, and had me on the edge of
my seat because it looked so hopeless. However, I am beginning to wonder just
how small the Two Rivers could have been, because it certainly seems to have
created thousands of highly useful individuals! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It was good to see Androl make such excellent use
of his ‘pathetic’ talent in a combat situation. Of course, we had already seen
Rand doing something similar, and Androl himself had been using tiny Gateways
to cut his leather, so it was not too much of a surprise. I particularly liked
the idea of horizontal ‘trapdoors’! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that all the good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i> will immediately run off to follow Logain and Androl into
the Last Battle, which will certainly be useful, especially as they know exactly
who all the bad ones are. I am not sure if they will prove to be as pivotal as
the Seanchan, but they will hardly make things worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-10058726221624453002015-01-25T15:54:00.001-05:002015-02-01T14:41:55.173-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">the bottom of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to
the end of Chapter 7.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Pevara and Androl have done some mutual Bonding, which seems to have
created a rather uniquely intimate link between the two. Do you think that the
other Aes Sedai / <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i> pairs
could create something similar, or do we have an example of mushy, romantic
specialness in this case? Have you been surprised by the Red’s ability to work
with male Channelers, or do you think that she is unusual for her Ajah?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am rather surprised that none
of the other pairs have tried this, although I suspect that everyone thinks
that it is a one-way thing and so have not even made an attempt. I guess that
it could be rather uncomfortable having that sort of link, especially for those
who have never had even a Warder before, but it would be exceptionally useful.
I can only imagine how excited the Greens and Browns will be when they find out
. . . though for very different reasons! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose it is possible that
their Bond will prove to be unique, just like Androl’s Talent for Gateways, and
I do detect a kind of strange romance developing between these two. However,
they are both wonderfully pragmatic, so I think we should be spared from too
many longing glances and vomit-inducing baby talk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As with Silviana, I have been
pleasantly surprised by Pevara. She has proven to be remarkably adaptable, especially
considering her great age. It has been good to see a staunch Red behave with
good sense and show that they are not all just frothing man-haters. I hope that
she is more representative of the Ajah than some of the other Reds that we have
encountered, but I suspect that the removal of the Blacks within its ranks will
have culled most of the worst lunatics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. I was beginning to worry that Aviendha’s quadruplets would need to be
the product of some sort of bizarre ‘virgin’ birth scenario, but now there is
at least a biological chance that they could be created in the normal way! Yay!
Do you really think that it was necessary for her to use sexytimes as a way to
persuade Rand to grant her a boon? Were you disappointed or relieved not to
have more details of what was obviously a rather extended night of baby-making?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I could not help noticing that
Bair did not suggest that Aviendha NOT have sexytimes with Rand and, therefore,
avoid the conception of the quads: that would have certainly altered the future
pretty dramatically! We all knew that this scene had to happen sooner or later,
but I was rather glad that it had a practical and business-like feel rather
than a prolonged series of mushy exchanges and coyness. Of course, Aviendha is
hardly the blushing virgin type and I did snort out loud when she was so blunt
about what was going to happen next. I liked the response of the Maidens,
though I was rather glad that we did not have to hear them cheering on the
happy couple for the rest of the night! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Apparently, being Turned to the Dark Side does not improve your
intellect very much. Do you think that we will ever see a truly intelligent
Darkfriend? Did the sequence with Dobser make you more hopeful of Androl and
his party surviving against Taim’s attack? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It does seem to be a
prerequisite for evil that you have to be somewhat stupid, although you would
think that the Dark One would be a little more choosy about his minions given
all the eons that he has tried to seize control of the world. Of course, he
might be equally dumb and so incapable of understanding why he keeps losing! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I enjoyed the elegant way that
Emarin / Algarin exploited Dobser’s personality: it showed a remarkable
understanding of human nature and was a nice change from the more usual
violence. It makes me wonder how much of the original person remains within
these Turned individuals and, therefore, how truly ‘evil’ they now are. Whilst
Taim is likely to be surrounded by his most trusted men, who were quite happy
to be evil even without being Turned, it makes me hope that some of the others
might hesitate before blasting Androl into oblivion, which might give a slight
chance at survival. I find it unlikely that Androl will simply be killed at
this point, but I am not quite sure how he will defeat Taim with the Dreamspike
in position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Rand is beginning to manifest some startling new powers and can now
manipulate the Dream more successfully than Moridin. Do you think this will
cause the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nae’blis</i> to alter his plans
and be more aggressive in his pursuit of Rand? It seems that Lanfear is
managing to somehow slip away from his control via the mindtrap: or was that
all staged for Rand’s benefit?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I got the distinct impression
that Moridin was seriously shocked and worried by Rand’s new control, which
suggests that he has now surpassed the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nae’blis</i>
in power and skill. This places Moridin in a difficult position, because he
would ideally want to remove Rand as quickly as possible, but I believe that
the Dark One still wants the Dragon kept alive, presumably with the intention
of trying to sway him to the Dark Side. I guess that Moridin is also worried
about being replaced as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nae’blis</i>, but
is too fearful to act against explicit instructions. Poor guy: he must have
terrible ulcers! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Again, Moridin seemed surprised
by this news and I suspect that Lanfear might regret her attempts to circumvent
his control. Unless he is remarkably good at play-acting, I doubt that her
actions were staged because they took place in the Dream and we know that she
has a reputation for being extremely skilled in manipulating <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i>. I was very pleased to
learn that Rand was pretty much ignoring her plea for help because she cannot
die soon enough for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. And, yay verily, there will be much politicking and arguing and then
Moiraine will appear and quote the Prophecy, thus creating peace and harmony
amongst the leaders of the World. Did anyone else expect her to wink at Perrin
in a conspiratorial way as she walked past him? Do you think that the new and improved
Dragon’s Peace will hold and also stop the future we saw in Aviendha’s visions?
Who do you think Rand expected Roedran to be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to admit that I was a
little frustrated by this section of the reading. I think that I can safely say
that I have had more than enough of political intrigue in this series and so I
was rather hoping that someone would simply knock all their heads together and
make them play nice. After all, they were busy worrying about what might
possibly happen if they managed to avoid the END OF THE WORLD!!!!!
Arghhh!???!???!!!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I loved Moiraine’s return and
they way that she simply walked in and seized control of the entire debate. I
DID expect her to wink at Perrin, though that might simply be because Ian
McKellen does that to Aragorn when he returns as Gandalf the White. She was
rather awesome though, and I did almost come close to cheering at one point! :D
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems as if the new, and
hastily rewritten, Peace Treaty might just work. The Aiel become the
independent, unbiased policemen of the New Order, which is really just a
continuation of the role that they have fulfilled so far, whilst the whole
thing is null and void if Tuon cannot be convinced to accept it. I was a little
confused about what exactly was supposed to happen to the lands that the
Seanchan have already captured: were they excluded from the borders that Rand
had assigned to all the rulers present or not? I am still concerned about how
Rand will get Tuon’s agreement, but at least he has everyone else working together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This confused me at first, but
then I realized that he expected Roedran to be Demandred, who has been so
conspicuously absent from everything so far. This makes me even more convinced
that I was correct to suspect that he has taken control of Shara, which is the
only nation that we have not truly encountered yet. We know that Lews Therin
expects Demandred to have sought out a great army to lead and that is the only
one left to be revealed. I predict that it will be very nasty when it arrives,
presumably through a huge Gateway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Great Trees and a singing Ogier army, then Gateways bringing aid to
Lan’s final charge. Discuss, with specific dimensions for the size of your grin
and/or the number of tears shed! :D<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is so good to finally have
Loial back: I have missed my favorite bibliophile! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We did have a tiny hint about
the Ogier when Elayne, I think it was, thought about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stedding</i> nearby. I presume that there is also a Waygate there and
that is how the Ogier arrived so suddenly. I have to admit to grinning like a
lunatic when the Great Trees were revealed and the soft sound of singing. Then
we had Elder Haman, Loial’s mum being grumpy and Loial himself being all happy
and coy about being a married man. Sigh! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week was certainly packed
with images reticent of the Lord of the Rings, and I could not help thinking of
the Rohirrim charging across the Field of Pelennor. I loved the image of the
Gateways opening and cavalry charging straight through towards the Trollocs.
All it needed was some giant eagles to make me perfectly happy! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Mat is off in Ebou Dar doing something mysterious. Can we hope that
he is trying to talk some sense into Tuon? Will he accept the Horn from Faile
or run away screaming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As it stands now, I find it
hard to predict how he or Rand will be able to convince Tuon that she is
wrong-headed in her thinking about the world. I know that it has to happen, and
that she must eventually sign the Peace Treaty, but I cannot foresee what
leverage they will use to alter her perspective. We know that she has been told
that she could learn to Channel, but her view of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">marath’damane</i> has not been altered, and that could be a major
problem if she is to cooperate with any of the other forces who will all deploy
Channelers in some form or another. The Seanchan’s entry into the Last Battle
needs to be as a trusted ally, not as someone that the others need to guard
against, so this will need to be resolved and I doubt that even Mat has enough
charm to simply talk her around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There was a very specific
mention of Mat being bound to the Horn until he died, which makes me wonder of
we will see a rather neat switch up ahead. Mat nearly died in Rhuidean when the
Finn hung him from that tree, but he definitely died in the siege of Caemlyn, along
with Aviendha. Surely this means that the Horn is now free to be used by
someone else, so Mat’s like of enthusiasm about using it will be somewhat
irrelevant. I suspect that he would use it if the situation warranted it,
because I see him taking over from Elayne as the general in charge of the
military attacks against the Forces of Darkness. After all, he IS possibly the
greatest captain ever to exist in Randland and Elayne is bound to have a
pregnancy issue at some point. Just saying! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab
of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-57134106264809144172015-01-18T13:25:00.003-05:002015-01-18T13:25:58.308-05:00A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan: Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpZTrGewIta4p0LsW4GwJBTovKC83inZKcyH-wV5wLpl1JaSsxqs8Z7cJL3lkbIcnAXcOl19O2M7a1VGa-4rjKrJTJZNLWmQEs2m_xIxGrkmuM_DtrcjTQi1Kly8qEf_b5T178rfuhc/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpZTrGewIta4p0LsW4GwJBTovKC83inZKcyH-wV5wLpl1JaSsxqs8Z7cJL3lkbIcnAXcOl19O2M7a1VGa-4rjKrJTJZNLWmQEs2m_xIxGrkmuM_DtrcjTQi1Kly8qEf_b5T178rfuhc/s1600/WOT+14.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. We get a
terribly interesting chapter from Isam's POV in the Town below Thakandar. So
many things we could talk about here, including the pointy-toothed Aiel. What
stood out to you? What did you think? What do you want to know more about?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I guess that the thing that stood out the most for
me was my incredulity that any child could have survived in such a terrible
place: I suppose that it is hardly surprising that he might be a little
‘unbalanced’ by his experiences. I have a horrible suspicion that we have heard
Isam’s name somewhere before, but I am at a loss to remember where exactly. I
assume that he is originally from one of the Borderlands, otherwise he would be
unlikely to have reached the Town, I just hope that he is not Lan’s evil twin
brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Samma
N’Sei</i> seem as massively unpleasant as we had already suspected, but seeing
them run and hide from the groups of thirteen channelers and Myrddraal makes me
even more worried. Isam thinks of them as being Turned, and the description is
remarkably similar to what we are seeing in the Black Tower, so it seems that I
was right to think that they are the male channelers that wandered into the
Blight. This would also explain the references to the Talentless, who are
treated as disposable and are presumably the non-channelers who end up in the
Town. It also explains why they would instinctively fear the groups of
Myrddraal and channelers that must be the Turning squads. Whilst it is partly
comforting to see that they did not choose to become evil, it only makes them
even more dangerous because we now know that the Shadow has a useful army of
psychopathic killer Aiel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">asha’man</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was a little confused about his new mistress. It
seems that it was not Moghedien, as we had a section from her POV later in the
Prologue, nor was it the newly hideous Graendal. That suggests that it was
Lanfear/Cyandane in disguise, but she is supposed to be controlled by Moridin,
and he does not want Rand dead . . . However, it certainly fits in with her
latest pleas for Rand to help her, or am I just getting very suspicious? :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Talmanes
becomes a freaking hero in his own right. Will Nynaeve's healing be enough to
save him? What did you think of his antics against the trollocs in Camelyn?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If Nynaeve cannot save him then he has no hope,
however he did seem pretty much dead when she approached him. I hope that he
pulls through, just so that he can berate Mat on leaving him to become a hero
when all he wanted to do was smoke his pipe and relax! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I found the sections from his perspective very
entertaining, especially the sequence when he threw himself the Myrddraal and
laughed at its shock. He was almost channeling his inner Mat by that point, and
it was interesting to see how much he has been altered by his time in the Band.
I was rather hoping that he would knock some sense into Guybon, who was being a
bit of a whiny girl whilst the city fell into ruins around his ears, though he
finally saw the sense in abandoning the palace and trying to save the dragons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I noticed that Olver was conspicuous by his absence:
I was rather worried that he would pop up at some point to place himself in
peril!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Leilwin
offers her services to Egwene. What do you think will come of this? Will Egwene
be accepting of a Seanchan servant?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We know that Egwene had a Dream where she was saved
by a Seanchan woman with a sword: it seems very likely that Leilwin will prove
to be that savior. However, I could understand if Egwene were a little
reluctant to have a Seanchan warrior near her after the attack on the Tower and
the Bloodknives. Hopefully, she will see the potential for fulfilling that
Dream and accept Leilwin’s protection: I am sure that Nynaeve will eventually
agree that she is trustworthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Bair goes
to Rhuidean after hearing Aviendha's account. Do you think she'll see what
Aviendha saw, or something different? Do you think she was wise to send
herself?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that she will see something very similar.
Fear of this future would be much more likely to destroy the Aiel than even the
knowledge of their origins, which explains the rule about not entering the Pillars
for a second time. If the visions were more random, I doubt that the rule would
exist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My only criticism about Bair going herself is that
she has no way to return quickly because she cannot form Gateways. This seems a
little silly, but perhaps she quickly arranged a return trip with Aviendha
using a note or something else that we missed! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was intrigued by Bair’s comment about Nakomi feeling
like a very old name. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Evil Mofo
Meeting! Taim is raised to the level of Chosen and Moghedien is commanded to
"help" Demandred. What disasters do you see arising from these
decisions, if any.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What a surprise: Taim is a Very Bad Man!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose that we needed confirmation of his
evilness, but it was hardly a shock. Now, if they had revealed Loial as the
next Chosen I would have probably swallowed my tongue! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am even more firmly convinced that Demandred is
working in Shara, the lands beyond the Aiel Waste. He is obviously not at work
in Randland or Seanchan, so that does not leave many options unless there is
yet another giant land that we have not yet heard about. I can only hope that
Moghedien will ‘help’ him by being a totally incompetent nuisance and ruin all
his plans. Unfortunately, I doubt that she will be allowed to be that useless
without being killed, so I predict a very unpleasant surprise for everyone when
Demandred arrives with a massive army of unknown forces. Unless, of course,
Jain Farstrider suddenly returns to share his knowledge of the Shara . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I do not think that Demandred is responsible for
the attack on Caemlyn: Rand’s thoughts about this possibility seem like a red
herring to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. What do
you think of Egwene's argument about when to break the Seals? Is she right?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I can see the logic in what she is saying, and I am
glad that she has accepted that the Seals do need to be broken eventually. Once
she and Rand finally have a chat, I am pretty certain that they will be able to
come to an agreement. I am not quite sure what needs to happen before everyone
is ready for the Dark One to be released, but destroying most of his evil
forces beforehand seems like a pretty sensible idea. After all, we know that
they will have the ‘surprise’ attacks from the evil Asha’man and Demandred’s
army to deal with before they even worry about the Big Bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Rand says
it is the last night of peace they will know before the end, and on the morrow
he will meet with every leader of the known world to forge an alliance.
Predictions?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hope to goodness that he manages to beat some
common sense into everyone. I am a little concerned that either the Shadow or
the Seanchan will use this gathering as an opportunity for an attack: the
opportunity to remove a lot of the Light’s leadership in one move could be
rather tempting. I presume that Aviendha’s arrival means two things become
possible. Firstly, she will be able to alter events in order to avoid the
future that she saw in her visions and hopefully save the Aiel from becoming a
bunch of grumpy war-mongers. Also, she does rather need to have sexytimes with
Rand, otherwise those quadruplets are going to be rather difficult to create!
:D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I do not see how the Seanchan will be part of the
peace treaty that Aviendha foresaw, unless Rand somehow gets Tuon to the
meeting as well, but perhaps he plans to add an amendment to the bottom without
anyone noticing. I am also wondering where the Ogier have got to: surely Loial
persuaded them to join the fight and not run off to another world . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-54420435882877699252015-01-11T17:29:00.002-05:002015-01-11T17:29:18.192-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">the bottom of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to
the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Aviendha’s visions finally show us the decision that will place the
Aiel upon their path to destruction. That first step seems so logical, so will
she be able to persuade the Wise Ones to avoid it when only she has seen this
future? Can you see any way that Randland can avoid being overwhelmed by the
Seanchan, even if the Aiel try to preserve the Dragon’s Peace?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This plays into some of the
things that the mysterious Nakomi hinted at a couple of weeks ago: what exactly
should the Aiel do once they have fulfilled their destiny of supporting the
Dragon? I hope that Aviendha’s warning will prove convincing enough to stop
this future from happening because it was rather depressing to see the Aiel
losing their honor and resorting to warfare as a way to recapture some sort of
purpose. Of course, we do not know if all Wise Ones see these future visions if
they enter the columns for a second time, so the others might be persuaded by a
quick trip to Rhuidean. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In some ways, I find this
aspect of the visions more worrying and also more difficult to avoid. Given
what we know of Tuon’s thinking, it seems highly unlikely that the Empire will
maintain a treaty that allows any channelers to remain free. So far she seems
to be ignoring the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i> but I
expect her to notice their potential very soon and start moving against the
Black Tower. I wonder if someone could provoke her into realizing that she
really is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">marath’damane</i> herself and,
therefore, show her that not all channelers are dangerous animals that need to
be leashed. Somehow I find it difficult to believe that she will ever change
her mind, no matter the consequences to her personally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Elayne takes the Sun Throne without bloodshed. Were you impressed by
her method of uniting the two countries or do you think that it will offer her
enemies a neat way to gain power? Will she ever beat the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daes Dae’mar</i> out of the Cairhienien nobility?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One thing I have learnt from
this series is that I am woefully useless at politics! I was as clueless as
Birgitte during this section and so I was very impressed by how it all worked
out in the end. Whilst I can see how the unification of the nations offers an
amazing prize to Elayne’s enemies, I would also hope that the improved
stability might make the general populace much less likely to support the nobles’
political maneuvering. It certainly seems that the vast majority of normal folk
were happy to see her arrive in the city to take the Throne. Plus, as she
pointed out to Birgitte, Elayne knows who her enemies are, so she can keep a
close eye on them and hopefully work against their personal ambition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst it would be very nice to
see the end of the Game of Houses, I suspect that it would take either a
massively traumatic event or many generations of stability to remove it from
Cairhienien society. Perhaps, if enough of the leading nobles happen to die in
the Last Battle Elayne will see a slight reduction, but I would expect lesser
nobles to rush to fill the power gap, which will probably make the situation
worse. I am just very glad that I do not have to deal with it! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. It seems that I was wrong for wanting Rand to deal with the
Borderlanders earlier. Do you feel as if this plotline has reached a satisfying
resolution or do you think that the Borderlanders should have been keeping a
watch on the Blight instead? Where do you expect Rand to send them next: to
their respective homes or to Tarwin’s Gap?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As I read this encounter I
almost felt as if Mr Sanderson was saying “See! There WAS a really good reason
why we didn’t deal with this earlier!” I have to believe that plenty of people
had complained about Rand ignoring this very obvious problem, so it was good to
see that an earlier resolution might have been a disaster. This did not make it
any less frustrating that the Borderlanders were cooling their heels in the
South rather than doing their job and watching the Blight. I can understand why
they felt the need to check Rand’s identity, but their actions have allowed the
Shadow to rampage through a lot of their defenses and kill an awful lot of
people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Both Pevara and Androl have detected people who have undergone
mysterious changes. I guess that we all think that Taim is responsible, but do
we have any idea of what has actually happened to them? I was a little unsure
of Javindhra: has she undergone a similar transformation to Tarna, or does she
have some other reason for wanting to stay in the Black Tower?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that both Tarna and Mezar
have been changed or broken in some way. The descriptions of their changed eyes
and smiles suggest that they have both been subjected to the same process,
although I am unsure of what that might be. However, I am positive that Taim is
responsible: perhaps it is some form of Compulsion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At first I thought that
Javindhra must have also been ‘possessed’ or whatever it is that has happened
to the other two, but Pevara does not describe the same physical changes in her
appearance. I find it very difficult to trust any of the Reds, with the
exception of Silviana, so I wonder if she is a Darkfriend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Foxes and Snakes and blindings, oh my! The Tower of Ghenjei certainly
took its toll on our heroes, but at least Thom and Moiraine are happy now! This
section was so jammed with action, revelations and fulfilled prophecies: did
you manage to follow it all or were you a little overwhelmed? It seems that the
second red doorway, in the Stone of Tear, has also been destroyed: do you think
that Finn will finally stop receiving visitors now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief: that was intense!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was a little disappointed
with this section. As we approached the end of the book I was becoming
increasingly convinced that we would end with our heroes still within the
Tower. The cover made me fairly certain that they would begin their rescue
mission, but I could not see how the entire thing could possibly fit into such
a small section of writing. This is one of the few sections that I felt was
rushed and could have used a slightly less break-neck pace. Whilst I
appreciated the breathless excitement of their race against the Foxes, I would
have liked a little more description or just a chance to catch my breath!
However, I was thoroughly impressed by how it drew together so many prophecies
and experiences from the earlier books: it emphasized how much thought went
into the whole story arc even right back at the beginning of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am trying to think of an
event that could have destroyed the second doorway, but I am at a loss at the
moment. As Mat was stood over it, I did wonder if its destroyed state was
actually an illusion and that it was still functional. Of course, by that stage
it was difficult to trust that anything was actually as it seemed. It would be
very satisfying to believe that the Finn are now deprived of their source of
highly enjoyable emotions, but I am pretty certain that they will get their
‘fix’ some way or another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. So, Noal WAS Jain Farstrider. Were you surprised by this revelation?
What did you think of his ‘death’: is he really gone, or trapped like Moiraine?
Alternatively, did he die such a hero’s death that he might become bound to the
Horn like Birgitte?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have been saying for some
time that I thought that Noal was Jain and not his cousin, so this was more of
a nice “Yes, I was right!” moment for me. I was glad that the hints were
confirmed because I hate to be left with unanswered questions at the end of a
series. When we discussed Mat’s preparations for their trip, I said that I
thought it unlikely that they would all survive, and that Noal seemed to be the
one in most danger of dying heroically. I was sad to see that my prediction was
correct, although there is always the possibility that he has replaced Moiraine
as the Finn’s new plaything. After all, we saw human blood but no body . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If only a small fraction of the
tales about Jain Farstrider are actually true, then I find it very difficult to
believe that he does not qualify to be bound to the Horn. We have seen him
display some amazing fighting skills, even with his horribly broken fingers.
These skills are eerily reminiscent of Birgitte’s instinctive use of the bow
and I wonder if he was actually her lover, Gaidal. However, I am not sure if he
is ugly enough . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Olver seems to mirror Mat quite a lot, from his way with serving
girls to his ability to beat a game that is supposedly impossible to win. It
seems that his nosiness was rather fortuitous, but do you think that Verin’s
letter will prove at all useful now that the Trolloc attack has already
started? Do you think that she should have left instructions that would have
actually made Mat open the letter in time to prepare for the attack?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I had to snigger at Olver’s
thoughts about looking after Mat: those two are quite a pair! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Argh! Verin’s letter to Mat
obviously contained something Very Important, so I have to admit that I was
rather frustrated that Mat ignored it for so long. Whilst I assume that she did
not know the precise timing of the attack, I do not understand why she did not
insist on a much shorter waiting period before Mat was to open it. The news of
a Trolloc invasion is hardly something that would be problematic if you got it
too early! Perhaps she expected him to rip it open ten seconds after she left,
but that shows a sad lack of understanding of Mat’s stubborn refusal to be told
what to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Now that the attack has begun,
her letter could still be useful because it points to the incursion point for
the attacking forces. This might allow someone to fight to the Waygate and
close it, preventing further Shadowspawn from joining the battle. However, I
suspect that the Dragons will be more useful in repelling the screaming Horde
and Olver’s nosiness was almost irrelevant as the glowing sky would have caught
someone’s attention fairly soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8. Evil Aiel with filed teeth!!?!??!? Discuss!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yikes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose it was almost
inevitable that the Shadow would have its own warped version of Aiel. It would
seem that these ones are not massively concerned with honor as they attack a
man who is badly injured and apparently unarmed. They show some rather obvious
differences from the Aiel we have seen already, even the Shaido. They have dark
eyes, which are uncommon amongst the Aiel, they wear red veils, instead of
black, and uncover their faces before a kill. All of this makes me wonder of
they are under Compulsion or turned in some way similar to the channelers in
the Black Tower. We know that all male channelers amongst the Aiel walk off
into the Blight once they discover their ability and it is not difficult to imagine
that some of them would be captured by Shadowspawn. Along with other Aiel
captives, there could be quite a sizeable population sitting in the Blight and
sharpening their fangs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">9. Lanfear barges into Rand’s happy place and asks him to help her. I
suspect that we were supposed to be surprised that she was still alive,
especially after Moiraine’s report of her death at the hands of the Finn, but
had you already suspected this? Do you think that Rand will dash off to save
her, and, if so, will she finally turn from the Shadow, be a decent person and
help the man that she supposedly loves?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Again, I was fairly certain
that Lanfear was not dead, but had been reborn as Cyndane. What a shame that
she died horribly at the hands of the Finn . . . my heart bleeds for her! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I really hope that Rand ignores
her cries for help, mainly because I do not trust her as far as I could spit
her. We know that she is manipulative and deceitful, and that she was
considered very skillful in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i>,
all of which makes it almost impossible for me to imagine her having an
epiphany and turning to the Light. Considering how much time she has spent
telling everyone about her love for Lews Therin, she has been one of the most
dangerous of the Forsaken to Rand personally, and I am quite sure that she is
still scheming against Moridin, even though she is controlled by the mindtrap.
If she does prove herself to be a hero in the Last Battle, I will eat my hat!
:D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab
of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-66268271816122448442015-01-04T15:35:00.002-05:002015-01-04T15:35:21.267-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
48.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Galad
names a punishment for Perrin. What did you think of it? Also Perrin becomes,
in essence, Galad's commander (and therefore commander of the Children of the
Light!) for the Last Battle. Thoughts? Predictions?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“You must promise to go and fight in the Last
Battle!” As if Perrin was going to do anything else! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The punishment was as token as I had predicted and
pretty much showed the whole trial to have been a waste of time, but at least
it shows that Galad has finally started to understand that things in life can
be grey rather than black and white. I am quite sure that Byar would have had a
frothing fit and died of an aneurism if he had lived long enough to hear what
the punishment was, but he did make it rather impossible to leave him alive. I
feel sorry that Bornhald now has to deal with the guilt of betraying a friend,
but Byar was a rabid dog that had needed putting down for quite some time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am certain that Galad will honor his agreement to
follow Perrin’s orders, but I am not so sure of the other Children. I can only
imagine what rumors will start to spread about Perrin’s ability to corrupt the
minds of honorable men . . . Of course, I might be being overly pessimistic and
the Whitecloaks will actually show some common sense and humility and admit
that they were wrong about Perrin being a Darkfriend. I do hope so; otherwise
it will make the Last Battle even more difficult for the forces of Light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Gawyn and
Egwene finally reconcile and talk of marriage. Gawyn takes three ring
ter'angreal from dead sisters. What do you think he plans to do with them?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to admit that I share Silviana’s sniffy
opinion of Gawyn, so it will take a little more time for me to not see him as a
total idiot. However, his actions in this section did leave me with a much
smaller urge to slap him, so that is encouraging!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I doubt that he has any solid plan of what to do
with the rings at the moment, but we know that the rings are dangerous because
they consume the life of their wearers. Hopefully this knowledge will stop him
from using them unless there are no other options, but I suspect that Gawyn is
not quite as reformed and wise as he now appears. I predict that he will still
indulge in some rashness and use the rings in a needlessly dangerous attempt to
do something that does not actually need to be done. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Comment
on the fact that Lan finally, officially raises the banner of the golden crane.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Nynaeve knows him so well: he could never leave
Mandarb behind! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This moment is one that we knew would happen
eventually, but it was rather funny to see how grumpy Lan was about the whole
thing. I can understand why he does not want to be responsible for the lives of
all these people, but surely they have the right to fight with him if they want
to: the Last Battle is coming and nowhere is going to be particularly safe.
Still, I have a mental image of him grumbling away under his breath all the
time, complaining about all the deluded people coming to his aid!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was surprised by the subtle way in which he felt
the shift of his Bond to Nynaeve. I had not expected it to be such an
insignificant event for him, but I suppose it makes sense that he would have
kept that part of his awareness turned down for so long that he would not
notice a massive difference at first. I just hope that he never admits this to
Nynaeve! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Morgase
and Tallanvor marry and Morgase finally returns to Caemlyn with Galad to see
Elayne. Just talk about whatever stood out to you.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think at one point I suggested that Lini would be
the one to force these two to get hitched, and it was nice to be proved right.
I wonder if anyone ever argues with Lini??? Perhaps Lini will be used to
express Morgase’s unhappiness with Elayne’s pregnancy . . . I expect that will
be a scene that will need popcorn!! :D <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To look at this from a political point of view, I
can see that her marriage to Tallanvor will also make it more obvious that
Morgase no longer seeks to rule in Andor. A marriage to the head of an
important House could have been seen as a move to gain power, but this union is
so obviously a love match that nobody could see it as politically motivated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Was I the only one to snigger at Perrin’s massively
understated wedding “ceremony”?? :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. The
future of the Two Rivers is discussed and Perrin is given titles. What do you
think? Fitting? No so much? Do you think these arrangements will hold in the
long term? What of the political "pact" that seems to be forming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The decision to cede the land to Rand was a neat
solution and saved face all round. As everyone stands to gain from this
agreement, I suspect that it will stand firm unless the Dragon really does
Break the world again. I was rather surprised that Berelain was not included in
the meeting . . . but I suppose that she was busy mooning about after Galad and
could not be trusted to think straight for five minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Androl! I
don't know if we've seen him yet (can't remember) but he'll play a fairly big
role until the end. What do you make of him--good, evil, somewhere in between?
And what do you think Taim is up to?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not sure if Androl will have a large role to
play in the Last Battle, but it seems unlikely that he would be introduced at
this stage and then zapped after only one chapter. He seems to be a good
person, even though he could do with a visit from Nynaeve to remove the black,
spikey madness thingies from his mind. He is certainly opposed to Taim, which
makes him a Good Guy as far as I can tell. I suspect that he will be important
in removing Taim from the Black Tower and placing Logain in his place, but he
might not survive that particular battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that his only real Talent is in making
Gateways. We later learn that it is impossible to Travel to the Black Tower,
which I assume must be due to another Dreamspike, so he might be the only one
able to make Gateways in the area and his supposed weakness could give him a
massive advantage in any battle because he will be underestimated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. What did
you think of Mat and Perrin's little reunion and story swapping? How about the
fact that Tuon (Fortunata) still seems intent on destroying the White Tower?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I can see why the reunion was necessary in order
for Mat to get a Gateway to the Tower of Ghenjei, but it was really just an
excuse to show how far each character had come since the beginning of the series.
Plus, it let Thom get in some rather nice jabs at their expense. I was rather
glad that Mr Sanderson did not stretch the reunion too far: we got a nice taste
of their feelings without it becoming too maudlin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief, Tuon! Before she became Empress I was
growing to like her, but now I am consistently annoyed at her total lack of
consideration for the cultural differences on this side of the Aryth Ocean. She
keeps thinking about fighting the Last Battle, but is completely unwilling to
bend her worldview in order to form alliances with the powers in Randland. I
know that she was raised from childhood to be an absolute ruler, but she needs
to get over her inflexibility before it does some of the Dark One’s work for
him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8. Aviendha
feels a resonance with the glass columns and steps through a second time (big
no-no, apparently). This time, she's sure she's seeing the future, rather than
the past. What do you make of what she saw?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A future dominated by the Seanchan seems highly
likely given Tuon’s refusal to form alliances with the other leaders in
Randland. This seems to be confirmed by the ‘lightsticks’, which seem to be
some sort of musket and are presumably derived from Aludra’s dragons. It is
difficult to judge how far into the future Aviendha is seeing in the first
vision, but these features are consistent in the other two visions as well, which
suggests that the Seanchan gain control relatively quickly after the Last Battle.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is rather shocking to see the Aiel broken and
scattered, but if they were hunted systematically, then this would be a likely
outcome. In fact, I was rather surprised that any of them managed to survive at
all. I assume that Aviendha will now work to try to prevent this outcome, but
it will be difficult with Tuon’s current mindset. Yikes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-44589600748990214952014-12-28T19:20:00.001-05:002014-12-28T19:20:11.208-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
40.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1) Perrin
goes through his trial. What did you think of it? Morgase provides judgment but
hands off the punishment decision to Galad; why do you think she did so? What
do you think Galad has in mind for punishment? Will Perrin ever see that
punishment? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To be brutally honest I found it rather
anti-climactic. We did all that waiting around and postponing so that the
injured could be Healed and then the trial took about five minutes: I had
rather expected something a little more prolonged and dramatic! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Apart from that, I thought that the judgment was
pretty much the only one that Morgase could reasonably reach based upon the
very biased evidence offered up by Byar. The fact that we could almost feel the
spittle flying off his lips did very little to help his cause and I am sure
that his intense hatred made it much easier for her to give Perrin the benefit
of the doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was impressed by her decision to give Galad the
task of pronouncing the nature of the punishment. Although the Whitecloaks
‘lost’ the trial by Perrin being found innocent of murder, this gave the
impression that they still ‘won’ by having him punished in a manner that they
found suitable. I also imagine that Morgase would know that Galad would be
unlikely to chose a horribly vindictive punishment. She was probably also
hoping that it would make him think about the ‘grayness’ of Perrin’s guilt: he
seems to be making some progress in this area of his thinking, which makes him
a much more sympathetic character than Byar who is really starting to annoy me
at the moment. I suspect that Perrin may never be punished in a way that we
would see as negative: Galad will probably demand that he must fight the Shadow
in the Last Battle or something equally token.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2) Perrin
spent a lot of time in the Wolf Dream during this section. He and his small
band of wolves fought Slayer more than once. What did you think of these
multiple fights? How about Egwene's reaction to Perrin (and vice versa) in the
Wolf Dream/T'A'R? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to admit to shedding a tear or two when
Hopper died . . . he was such a terrific character! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that Perrin has met his match in Slayer,
certainly when they are in the Wolf Dream, so I am not sure that he will be
able to kill the man there. This is a shame because of what he did to Hopper,
but it seems like sticking a knife into whilst he is awake will be much easier.
We know that he is, in some way, the man naming himself Lord Luc and yet he
refers to Luc in the third person, which makes me wonder about his sanity:
perhaps he has a split personality or is similar to Fain in his being possessed
by some ancient evil. Whatever he is, he needs to die but will probably be
around for a little longer to annoy Perrin and kill more wolves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Perrin’s interaction with the Aes Sedai was rather
funny because it showed how much Tel’aran’rhiod is based upon what you accept
as the truth: they are so wrapped up in their ability to wield the One Power
that they see it as the ultimate weapon. It is no wonder that Bair is as
dangerous as anyone else in this world because she has an iron will and does
not have the delusion that she has a special power that only she can control. I
assume that this revelation will improve Egwene’s abilities quite dramatically,
as was shown in her confrontation with Mesaana. Of course, the is also quite
correct to say that she has trained during a time of great peril whilst the
Forsaken spent most of their time as the dominant, dangerous elements stalking
the Dream and so they are not actually as powerful as they think they are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Also, everyone get out your tiny violins to play a
sad tune for Mesaana drooling away the rest of her life whilst sitting in a
puddle of her own waste . . . :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3) Egwene
has a meaningful meeting in T'A'R with the Sea Folk, the Wise Ones, and some of
her Aes Sedai. Why do you think the Kinswomen were not invited? Will these
leaders be able to convince their folk that trading apprentices is a good
idea? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good point about the Kin: I had not thought about
their absence. However, Egwene sees them as a part of the Tower’s future, so I
assume that she sees them as being subject to her authority. This is probably
one case where Egwene is simply thinking as the Amyrlin: the Kin are a branch
of the Tower and so will honor the agreement in that capacity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I almost cheered when this agreement was being
beaten out. Finally, some people showing common sense and sharing their
strength in the fight against the Shadow! Whilst I can see most channelers
having an instant opposition to this proposal, this will mostly be due to their
desire to remain independent and self-governing. Just as long as none of the
groups, especially the Tower, try to place themselves above the others this
will work out beautifully. Of course, it would have been much better if this
all could have happened hundreds of years ago so that they were not scrabbling
to do it ten minutes before the start of the Last Battle, but better late than
never. So much about this world is weakened by the lack of trust between
various groups that this kind of open exchange of information is a breath of
fresh air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course, they could also learn a great deal from
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>, but that will be a much
more difficult challenge to overcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4) Egwene
battles Mesaana and wins. Do you think Egwene received a valuable nudge from
Perrin (he blocked Balefire!!!) and was able to apply that to the a'dam? Who do
you think Mesaana was impersonating in the real world? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have no doubt that Perrin’s skills were the
revelation necessary for Egwene to escape from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a’dam</i> and then turn Mesaana’s brain to mush. As an aside, how sick
was it that she could actually hear her mind snap? We have had constant
reminders that non-channelers can be just as powerful in the Dream, but Egwene
had never really considered how Bair could survive against weaves that she
could not even see. This short-sighted approach to the strange world of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i> could have been her
downfall, but Perrin saved her from her own blinkered view of ‘power’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We know that Mesaana was masquerading as a woman
with short brown hair and blue eyes. I assume that she was posing as an Aes
Sedai, but I have not complied a list of descriptions for those that we have
met, so I am afraid that I cannot suggest a name. I was a little surprised that
none of the other Sisters identified her as I was expecting a gasp of horrified
recognition, especially from Siuan or Leanne. Hopefully we will get a name
eventually: I am sure that we will have encountered her before, but that she
was someone who did not stand out in any particular way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5) Gawyn and
Egwene are now Bonded! But at what cost? Was it too little too late? Or are
these stubborn lovesick fools going to have a lifetime to irritate each
other? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This took rather longer than I had hoped, but at
least Gawyn finally got his thick head around the concept of what Egwene
actually needed from him. Now that he has worked past his stubborn need to be
in charge of everything he should be an excellent Warder and they will probably
get along quite wonderfully. However, with the Last Battle approaching rapidly
I would not predict a long and happy life for them. It seems very likely that
one or both of them will be killed before the end of the series because Egwene
is immensely powerful and, therefore, a prime target for the Shadow. She is
also very likely to sacrifice herself in order to win the Battle because she
will not be held back by simple sentiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Did anyone else notice that Gawyn’s warning about
the bloodknives went missing? I wonder what happened there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6) We spent
just a tiny amount of time with Aviendha as she is headed to Rhuidean. She
meets a mysterious woman, Nakomi, in the wastes. What did you get out of their
conversation? Any guesses as to who/what Nakomi is? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems highly likely that this was a vision of
some sort because Nakomi was too knowledgeable about world events and used her
questions to guide Aviendha’s thinking in a way that almost suggested
telepathy. I wonder if Aviendha is already in Rhuidean and has passed through
the Glass Pillars: if this is a vision from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ter’angreal </i>she might not be aware that she is not still in the
real world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If this is the real world then I can only suggest
that Nakomi is a personification of the Creator. Her appearance and words will
no doubt have a significant impact on what the visions in the Pillars reveal
and also on the counsel that Aviendha will offer to the Aiel as the Last Battle
draws near. We know that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Car’a’carn</i>
is supposed to destroy them, but this could simply be by allowing them to
fulfill their destiny and then return to a more ‘normal’ life outside of the
three-fold land. Yet again, I am reminded very powerfully of the Fremen in
Frank Herbert’s Dune: their way of life is totally destroyed by their decision
to follow their prophesized messiah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7) Perrin
has forged a new hammer. Feel free to comment on this scene. What powers do you
think the hammer has? Will Perrin & his Channelers make more weapons for
the coming Last Battle? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This was certainly a very cool scene and it makes
perfect sense that Perrin would have a Talent for making power-wrought weapons.
It seems that the hammer is always warm to the touch, so perhaps it burns
Shadowspawn?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst it sounds like a grand plan for Perrin to
churn out a ton of mega weapons for the Last Battle, I suspect that he will not
have enough time to make many. Even with the possibility of swapping out the
channelers helping him, assuming that Neald is not unique in his ability to
help in their production, I doubt that he could make very many before the
fighting starts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-21161845530743815222014-12-21T17:02:00.000-05:002014-12-21T17:02:14.790-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
36.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1.
Slayer prowls the World of Dreams, where a strange violet dome prevents
access. Meanwhile, gateways fail in the real world. Is there a
connection? It's building to a battle between Perrin and Slayer very
soon. Do you think Perrin's work with nightmares will bear fruit or is it
still too soon?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that it is pretty obvious that there is
some sort of link between the dome and the no-Gateway zone. We know that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i> is not a function of the
One Power, however, it seems too much of a coincidence that teleportation is
blocked there and Gateways do not work in the waking world. We know that
Moridin gave Slayer to Graendal and also some device from the Age of Heroes. I
can only assume that it is this device that Slayer is using to hold Perrin in
place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to assume that Perrin, as one of our Heroes,
will be successful in his battle with Slayer. So far he has surprised his enemy
on several occasions and has shown that he is getting stronger and more capable
of controlling the Dream. Slayer has the advantage of familiarity with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i>, but this could lead him
to be complacent and overconfident, giving Perrin the necessary advantage.
Also, I suspect that Hopper will play a pivotal role in Slayer’s demise. I
suspect that Perrin will need to act in the near future as time is slipping
away at an alarming rate: he needs to get back to Rand and start to prepare for
the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2.
Perrin avoids a battle by submitting himself to a possibly pointless
trial. Do you agree with this choice? How risky is it for
Perrin? At the same time, Morgase is finally revealed and will act as
judge! What do you think about that? Does Berelain strike you as
smitten by Galad?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I commented last week on how Perrin was sitting
about doing very little at the moment, but I understand his desire to avoid an
unnecessary battle. I had suspected that he might try to persuade Galad to
agree to a dual, but this is actually a better alternative because both of them
will be pivotal leaders in the Last Battle. Although Byar is still frothing at
the mouth, I suspect that Perrin will be shown to have acted reasonably in
killing those particular Children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I believe that Morgase will be harsh but fair and
that Perrin has nothing to fear from her as his judge. Unlike Galad, she has
had plenty of time to observe Perrin and his actions, and she is already
convinced that he is not simply evil. I suspect that Galad’s shock at discovering
that he wrongly killed Valda for murder and Byar’s increasingly insane ranting
will help to persuade him that Perrin could be a good man who was placed in a
horrible situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Galad and Berelain making calves’ eyes at each
other could get very irritating very quickly . . . but at least it will solve
Faile’s problem! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3.
Sitters attempt to undermine Egwene (again) and Egwene wraps them up neatly
(again). Have we seen the final political battle or do you expect
more? What do you think of Egwene's proposed changes?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I sincerely hope so, because it is getting rather
tiring to see them trying to seize control and have Egwene slap them down.
Whilst there humiliation is somewhat gratifying, it would be even better to see
them finally acknowledge that there are more important things to worry about.
At the moment they still seem to be trying to ‘rearrange the deckchairs on the
Titanic’, but at least Egwene can predict their idiocy before it arises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Her changes to the law seem so obvious that I am
surprised that they were not included in the first place. But then, of course,
when the laws were written the idea of the Sitters overthrowing the Amyrlin was
probably beyond anyone’s imagination. Unfortunately, the Aes Sedai have drifted
from their original goals and intentions over the centuries of peace and have
become a highly inefficient gathering of power-obsessed individuals. This
should hopefully focus everyone onto more immediate, and important, problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4.
Shots fired! The dragons are in production and work well, but the Last
Battle is near and time is short. How many will they be able to make, and
much of an impact will they really have? Birgitte thinks the world has
changed. What are your impressions?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is hard to predict how many dragons will be
forged, but they will certainly be excellent for at least a short time when
they are first deployed. As fixed positions they will be very vulnerable to targeted
attacks from Channelers, but they will be devastating as long as they keep
firing and might be pivotal in the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that Birgitte’s sadness comes from her
understanding of what it would be like to stand against the dragons as an
attacking soldier. I am not sure if she has ever had to stand against Aes Sedai
attack, but we know that she has seen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>
at work, and they are the only things similar to the dragons in their power. As
an eternal soldier, she can only be sad when she sees something that is designed
to be such an efficient killer of men. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5.
Wolves gather at Dragonmount and Perrin observes the “Veins of Gold” event from
the World of Dreams. The Last Hunt is now upon us and the wolves are
mobilizing. What are your thoughts? Did you enjoy seeing this scene
from another perspective?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To be honest, I thought that this scene was rather
redundant with the exception of the wolves announcing that the decision had
been made. I suppose that it helped to confirm the lag between Perrin’s
timeline and that of everyone else, but I could have lived without it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Mat
finally disposes of the gholam, helped out by some Kinswomen and a gateway.
What do you think? Was this the solution you had in mind?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This was a wonderfully simple way to deal with
something that cannot be killed. We know that it had originally been contained
in an artifact from the Age of Heroes, so it seems highly unlikely that there
could be any other way to deal with it, though the Forsaken would be highly
unlikely to destroy such a powerful weapon even if it scared them half to
death. I just hope that we have seen the last of it: and that it keeps on
falling forever . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7.
Rand lands in Maradon in the eleventh hour, brining aid. He then shows
off some impressive channeling. Do you think he made a dent in the shadow
army? Do you agree with his assertion that he must stay away from the
main battle? Feel free also to comment on Torkumen and King Alsalam.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I seriously doubt that he made any significant dent
in the Shadow army as a whole, but it seems that he destroyed that particular
section of it. I imagine that there are uncountable numbers of Trollocs being
produced wherever, and however, they are created. I suspect that Moridin and
the Dark One will be more than a little miffed at this incident, but it will
not really alter their plans too significantly as there seem to be armies
rolling south all along the Borderlands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I see a certain similarity with the final destruction
of the One Ring. All the armies will be the distraction whilst Rand, Nynaeve
and Moiraine (I am certain it will be her) slip into Shayol Ghul to do their
thing with the seals and Callandor. This means that Rand needs to be whole and
fully ‘charged’ when that final confrontation takes place and that he must
ignore what happens to everyone else. I am quite sure that the Dark One will
attempt to draw Rand into battle in many places by attacking those he loves,
but the Dragon must remain focused on his role in the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I doubt that any of us were surprised by the
revelation about Torkumen being a Darkfriend. His actions last week were pretty
damning, but Bashere’s comments about how the Trollocs had ignored him were all
the confirmation that we needed. Him gouging out his eyes because of Rand’s
Light was simply nice to see, because he deserved to be punished for the deaths
he had caused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I do not think that we really saw enough of Alsalam
to comment on him at the moment. It seems that the Little Wolf is totally
devoted to him, so that is certainly a huge hint that he is quite a good chap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I want to add a quick note about the male
channelers that attacked Maradon. I predict that we will discover that it was
Taim and some of his evil <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Asha’man</i>: he
has been suspiciously absent for far too long now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">8.
Egwene plans an elaborate trap in the World of Dreams. Do you expect it
to be as easy as she imagines it? Meanwhile, Gawyn has discovered
important information in Caemlyn, but refuses to return. Does this strike
anyone as a potentially disastrous case of miscommunication?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am always a little uneasy about elaborate plans
because there is so much to go wrong . . . but that could just be because I am
unable to do all that psychological analysis and plotting myself: I am far too
straightforward and simple! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Mesaana can be tempted out into the
open by sufficiently succulent bait. She has been massively unsuccessful in her
attempt to destroy the unity of the Tower, so she must be desperate to regain
some standing with the Dark One. I can only assume that she will eventually
feel unable to ignore Egwene when she offers herself up on a plate. I doubt
that the actual defeat will be a simple affair, but the initial manipulation
should work very easily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Arghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HIT
GAWYN??!???!???!?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Just when he seemed to be coming to some reasonable
conclusions and behaving with common sense he goes and throws a petulant fit
and refuses to return to Egwene’s side when she actually needs him. Now, I know
that her ‘invitation’ was rather rude, but for crying out loud!??!???! If I was
watching this on film I would be throwing popcorn at the screen! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was pleased to learn that my deductions about the
assassins were correct, although the Bloodknives sound remarkably difficult to
defeat. Hopefully Gawyn will not return to Tar Valon to attend Egwene’s funeral
. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-4674164331218817682014-12-14T17:38:00.002-05:002014-12-14T17:38:31.443-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
25.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Morgase
discovers that she was manipulated by one of the Forsaken. Do you think that her
discovery will finally alter her attitude towards Tallanvor, or will the poor
lad have to go off and die in the Last Battle all unrequited and depressed?
Does this information make it more likely that she will reveal her true identity
to Perrin and Faile?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems unbelievable that she had not already
heard about Rahvin because everyone else knows and it is presumably common
knowledge around the camp. Perhaps she is very good at not listening to
conversations whilst she goes about her duties as a maid! Whilst this appears
to be horrible news at first glance, I can also see it coming as something of a
relief because she can now shed some of the responsibility for her stupid
behavior. However, I am quite sure that she will still blame herself for the
evil deeds done during that time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Her presumed death offers her an opportunity to
leave her old life behind, so she could simply choose to marry Tallanvor and
have a fine time with him in the remaining time before the Last Battle. This
might be quite tempting, but I suspect that her sense of duty will force
Morgase to try to reach Elayne and offer her as much motherly advice as the
poor girl can stomach. Poor Tallanvor!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I doubt that she will volunteer to reveal her
identity until she is forced to, probably by an encounter with Galad when there
are some final attempts at negotiation. This makes perfect sense, as it will be
very awkward for Perrin and Faile to have the former Andoran Queen in their
camp, especially as they have been using her as a maid. I would also suspect
that she is unwilling to risk exposing her presence to the Whitecloaks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Phew!
Maradon has finally opened its gates for Ituralde and his troops. Personally I
could have kissed Yoeli at first, but do you think that he will really refuse
to continue fighting Shadowspawn in order to submit to execution for his actions?
What did you make of Lord Torkumen: Darkfriend or idiot?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was getting rather worried that the Little Wolf
would become Trolloc fodder when his army started to fall apart. I can only
wish that Yoeli had not needed to kill some of his won people in order to offer
assistance. I rather hope that he decides to be a little less honorable and
slightly more useful by continuing the fight against the Shadow. However, these
Borderlanders do have a very strange sense of honor, so I would not be
surprised if he remained pig-headed and threw his life away in a pointless
gesture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to agree with Ituralde’s assessment that the
man is a Darkfriend. Surely even an idiot would have been slightly more upset
at the thousands of Trollocs swarming towards the city walls. Also, I cannot
imagine that Queen Tenobia allows idiots to take control of any of her cities,
especially those that are tactically important. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Speaking
of idiots . . . yet again Gawyn rushes in and ruins Egwene’s plans. Do you feel
any sympathy for the poor lad, with his love-addled brain, or are you getting
frustrated with his inability to let Egwene take care of herself? Any more
thoughts on the identity of the assassin and Egwene’s assumption that it is
Mesaana? Will Gawyn be any more sensible once he returns to Caemlyn?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Argh! I am beginning to wonder if it will be Gawyn’s
fate to become Egwene’s Warder, or if he will instead become a smoking smudge
on the carpet when she zaps him out of pure frustration. He STILL has not got
the message that she is very powerful and actually capable of taking care of
herself, but I am not quite sure what will persuade him to trust her even
slightly. I can offer an intensive course of head slapping, but even that might
not prove successful! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This latest incident makes me even less convinced
that the assassin is Mesaana, or even a Black sister or Darkfriend. I am pretty
certain that we are dealing with those super ninja/assassins sent into the
Tower by Tuon. We know that one was killed by Siuan and Bryne, but I believe
that five were sent on the mission. Whilst the attacker has powers that could
very easily be ascribed to the One Power, we were given some heavy clues that
the ninjas were very, very dangerous, probably due to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ter’angreals</i> of some description. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I sincerely hope that Gawyn will start to change
his mind about many things once he has time to talk to Elayne and think about
Egwene’s situation. I would not be surprised if his sister, or Birgitte, feels
the need to slap some sense into him, but I think that he just needs to get a
better perspective on the situation and apply some reasoning to his future
choices. A little more thought before he rushes into action would do him a
world of good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. So,
Birgitte entered the Tower of Ghenjei, wandered around it for a few weeks and
then died. Can we expect a better outcome for Mat, Thom and Noal? Obviously
they are going to survive, but apart from Mat’s luck, do they have any other
advantage that you can think of that Birgitte was lacking? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find it very hard to believe that Mat, Thom or
even Noal will die in the Tower. So far this series has been remarkably kind to
its lead characters and we are getting too close to the Last Battle to have a
few meaningless deaths. Also, I feel certain that Moiraine will be rescued and
marry Thom, so that makes me think that he will certainly escape unscathed
(otherwise I will cry . . . a lot!). Mat is highly unlikely to die because of
his previous experiences with the Finn, huge caution and astounding luck. Although
we still have not had the reveal that Noal actually IS Jain Farstrider, which
is very obvious but surely needs to be acknowledged at some point, I suppose
that he is the most likely to die a heroic death. This will be a shame, but definitely
worth another chapter in his memoires. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The fact that Birgitte was defeated by the Tower is
very worrying. It does not sound like our heroes have an advantage that she did
not, apart from Mat’s luck. This is the main reason why I worry that Noal will
not survive this particular adventure. At least the should be able to stop
Olver going with them . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. What is
it about idiot Trakands this week?!!??! So, just for a change of pace, Elayne
dashes off and places herself in terrible danger and then somehow manages to
survive by the skin of her teeth. I doubt that any of us were surprised by her
rashness, but what did you think of her disguise: effective or not? Was anyone
at all surprised to discover that the secretary/torturer was a Darkfriend? How
much do you want to see Mellar with a knife through his eye?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief! Yes, I know that Elayne is pregnant,
but surely most women do not become suicidal maniacs during their
pregnancies?!??!? If Lini was there she would have quite a few things to say to
Elayne: and none of them would be at all complimentary! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Having said that, I was rather impressed by her
idea to trick the Blacks. Her disguise most certainly worked: I was completely
unconvinced by Chesmal’s assertion that she had seen through it all along. It
seems that she learnt about some sort of impending attack on Andor, which makes
me wonder if that was the content of Verin’s letter. The revelation that
Darkfriends are searching for Mat and Perrin was hardly surprising as they have
been on the hit list for quite some time now, but at least we know that these
are not still Verin’s flyers circulating after her death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Strangely, I did not expect any man so ‘dedicated’
in the pursuit of torture to be anything other than a Darkfriend. This does
make me wonder about Sylvase’s allegiance: so far I have not suspected that she
is a Darkfriend, but this makes me even more cautious of her. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I presume that Mellar took care of the torturer,
but I wish that we could finally get rid of him as well. The man makes my skin
crawl and I suspect that he will return to be a nuisance either before or
during the Last Battle. His possession of a copy of Mat’s medallion makes me
even more nervous, because it will make him even more difficult to kill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. It seems
that Perrin may be coming to terms with his inner Wolf. Do you think that this
will happen in time for the battle with the Whitecloaks, or will he need a few
more ‘training sessions’ with Slayer before he can take that final step? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I had rather expected the battle against the
Whitecloaks to occur this week, so I was rather surprised that it simply did
not happen. I find it rather strange that two armies can camp close to each
other and send letters back and forth before they finally decided to actually
have a fight. Something about that seems far too polite to me! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">After waiting so long for this battle, I am
beginning to wonder if it will ever actually happen. Of course, we know that a
few words from Morgase could prevent a lot of unnecessary bloodshed, but I feel
as if we are waiting for something else to happen before the two armies face
each other. I am not sure what that might be, but I am pretty certain that
something is coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hope that Perrin makes his breakthrough fairly
soon, as he really needs to deal with Slayer. I get the impression that he is
making progress rather quickly, so hopefully he will be able to save any other
wolves from dying permanently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Lan’s
little army is growing steadily and he is thoroughly annoyed by it! How funny
is this? I was disappointed that we did not get to experience the swapping of
his Bond to Nynaeve in this section: am I just impatient, or are you looking
forward to that scene as well?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I love these little snippets of Lan’s journey to
becoming king: they are so funny, and he is so grumpy about all these brave and
loyal people showing up to help him! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find it hard to believe that we will not
experience this pivotal moment from Lan’s perspective, but this disconnect in
the timelines is my one major criticism of this volume in the series. This one
is nowhere near as irritating as the lag in Perrin’s plot. I find it rather jarring
that Nynaeve has obviously not Travelled to collect Tam yet, even though I can
understand that it was necessary to follow his story in this volume in order to
divide the twelfth ‘book’ into three roughly equal segments. I hope that we do
get to see him reaction, as I am sure that it will be both funny and touching
at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-7835802043361998462014-12-07T17:57:00.000-05:002014-12-07T17:57:00.426-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
20.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Egwene
gets Nynaeve and Elayne to agree to obey her as Amyrlin. Then she slays a
member of the Black Ajah and catches a glimpse of Alviarin. What do you think
Alviarin is up to these days. How big a part will she continue to play? How
will this turn of events change the relationship between our girls?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to assume that Alviarin is desperately
trying to gain approval from Mesaana by killing Egwene. At the very least her
spying will gain useful information, but only so long as she is unnoticed. I
presume that her exposure this time will make it very unlikely that she will be
able to do very much productive from now on. I suspect that her days of being
an influential player are behind her, but one good shot in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tel’aran’rhiod</i> could be all that she needs to regain her status.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Hopefully this incident will finally convince both
Elayne and Nynaeve that Egwene is the Amyrlin in more than name. They have not
witnessed her remarkable transformation over the last few months, so it is
probably quite good that they have had the chance to see her in action. They
are the ones most likely to find it difficult to accept her status, so their
compliance is vital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Nynaeve
heals madness. Will she be able to heal Rand? Does she even need to?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am beginning to wonder if there is anything that Nynaeve
cannot Heal if she decides to, although it seems that Rand’s madness would
defeat her if she tried. It is rather fortunate that the Light has somehow
formed a barrier between it and his mind so that she can leave him alone
without worrying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Removing the madness from the Asha’man could be a
very significant step in the preparations for the Last Battle. However, I
wonder if Taim and his supporters will be cooperative . . . they have been far
too quiet recently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Sounds
like Egwene wants to use herself as bait to capture Mesaana. Do you think this
is wise? Will it work? Will she and Gawyn ever be married?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yes and yes! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Mesaana is a formidable opponent and so Egwene has
to outwit and outpower the Forsaken. Somehow or other she has managed to
circumvent the Oath Rod test, although that could be something as simple as her
not thinking of herself as a Darkfriend. We know that the Aes Sedai all seem to
be able to bend the truth without breaking their oaths by being very selective
about their wording, so there may have been no convoluted trick to Mesaana’s
ability to pass the test. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course Egwene is going to trap Mesaana and burn
her into a crispy crisp: at the moment she seems all powerful and becoming even
more awesome every time we meet her! She will also marry Gawyn eventually, but
I suspect that it will be a much longer road and more difficult that killing
one of the Forsaken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Ituralde
seems to be in big trouble in the Borderlands. Do you think Rand will come
through for him and keep his promise?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I sincerely hope so, as I like the Little Wolf. I
am not sure that Rand will get there in time, but I am very disappointed that
the Saldaeans in Maradon are sitting on their hands at the moment. You would
think that they might be enclined to assist someone who is fighting off the massive
waves of Shadowspawn heading towards their city, but obviously I am not
Saldaean enough! Hopefully they will finally decide to help out and defend
themselves by helping Ituralde’s forces before they are completely minced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Berelain
and Faile have a heart to heart. Do you think their plan will work to dispel
the rumors? Can they pull it off when they hate one another so much?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As they discussed all the alternatives that I could
think of and showed how none of them would work, I hope that this one will help
the situation. Whilst I can understand Faile’s desire to tear off Berelain’s
head and then use it as a football, it would certainly not stop the rumors from
circulating. I also agree with her that the First allowed this stupidity to go
on for far too long in the face of complete disinterest from her ‘prize’. I am
afraid that I cannot have any sympathy for someone who decides to steal another
woman’s husband just because it seems like a good idea at the time. It is very
obvious that Berelain has no real romantic interest in Perrin, and her
motivation for trying to tear him away from Faile is beyond me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I know that I could never succeed in hiding my
intense dislike of Berelain if I were Faile, so I hope that she is a much
better actor than I am. Perhaps she will be able to give herself hope by
searching for a nice gullible man to divert Berelain’s attention from Perrin.
However, I am not sure where she will find a suitable candidate as nobody has
proved an obvious choice in Perrin’s merry band. Perhaps she will swoon when
she meets Galad . . . although the prospect of the world’s two most beautiful
people falling for each other makes me want to vomit! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. What do
you think of Mat and Elayne's contract about Aludra's dragons. Will this work?
Cause contention?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This seems like a very sensible compromise. It
gives them both what the want and need so it is likely to work out quite well.
I suspect that Mat will eventually become Elayne’s general once she leads the
forces of both Andor and Cairhien into the Last Battle, but he will not be
happy about the responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have to say that I am really enjoying Mr
Sanderson’s Mat chapters: he gives the lad a much funnier voice than the one
supplied by Mr Jordan. I particularly like Mat’s constant mental womanizing: I
wonder if that will continue once Tuon returns to his immediate are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Share
your thoughts--anything that stood out to you--on Nynaeve's testing and her
finally obtaining Lan's bond.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief: they really do not want much from
Nynaeve do they? We already had some idea of what would happen in the testing
because of New Spring, but their determination to push her harder than any other
candidate proves how stupid this is as a method for testing competence. If
those administering the test can alter it so dramatically then it is massively
unfair and open to corruption. I was not overly surprised that Lelaine tried to
prove her power by voting against Nynaeve because she did not stick strictly to
the rules. Good grief: she destroyed their shield blocking her ability to
channel when not in position on the symbols and then gave them a demonstration
of superior weave handling. I can only assume that their negative votes are
based mostly upon anger and jealousy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was actually expecting that Nynaeve would punch
Myrelle in the face: it is ironic that she controlled her anger so well in this
situation after the testing debacle. She truly is Aes Sedai and I am glad that
she finally has her link to Lan. They deserve it and have waited long enough
for it to become a reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-56667377874395318372014-11-30T19:59:00.002-05:002014-11-30T19:59:25.256-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTLt0Gn6lmDdFc_s0XsaAqQSS_cgt-l62GMPlJTTV0rH0OI0b_9cv_TUH850eLPmIO7vskjXIRTOBM9PJil4elLSWt8GMKzw6GyVShXE3ocmvjTs_cRnv-UGk-0MDoLP92tuBSZf_n8U/s1600/WOT+13.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
13.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1) Gawyn and
the Warder Sleet are playing detective over the murdered Aes Sedai. Care to
compare them to other literary detectives? Do you think Egwene is correct in
thinking a Forsaken is behind the murders? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I cannot quite see Gawyn as Sherlock Holmes or
Hercule Poirot! He and Sleete do seem to be noticing things that have been
missed by the Aes Sedai, but I am not convinced that they are going to solve
this mystery all by themselves. I suspect that it will need to be a collective
effort, if Egwene can bring herself to trust Gawyn with more information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My first thought was that these murders must be the
work of those nasty Seanchan super ninjas that were left behind after the
attack. I was surprised when Egwene suggested that it was Mesaana causing the
deaths because it does not make much sense. Unless being a threat to the
Forsaken somehow connects all these Sisters, I do not understand why she would
suddenly start killing them now. Also, she would surely use the One Power
rather than a knife. The discovery of the black silk makes me even more certain
that this is not Mesaana, but Tuon’s suicidal assassins: after all, she did
think about how none of them would return from the Tower after the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2) Graendal
was interrupted while reading A Light in the Snow (what genre book do you think
that was?) to have a meeting with Moridin, wherein he reveals the book or
prophecies. What prophecies do you think the dark side has? And what about the
prophecy that Perrin shall die at the bad guys' hands? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I find it difficult to imagine Graendal reading a
soppy Romance novel. I imagine that she is much more into psychological
mysteries, but I could be wrong! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This book of prophecies could be very interesting,
and I hope that it is the collection that Verin mentioned. I wonder if the
dotty old Brown managed to get a peek at it before her untimely suicide. Learning
about more of the prophecies could help us to understand some of the decisions
made by the Forsaken, but I doubt that we will get to discover many of them. Of
course, they are just as open to misinterpretation and error as the ones that
we have seen on the Light side, so they may be fairly useless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather shocked at the thought that Perrin is
supposed to die in the Last Battle, as I had rather assumed that he and Mat would
survive even though Rand will obviously perish (Min has ‘viewed’ his funeral
pyre). I hope that this proves to be one of the incorrect prophecies, or
perhaps Moridin and Graendal have simply misinterpreted who is being spoken
about. Hopefully it is ambiguous enough that Perrin may not be the one who is
supposed to die . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">On a side note, I got the distinct impression that
it was bound in human skin . . . yikes! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3) Did
anyone else get a giggle when Morgase demands of Perrin, 'Do you know my heart?'
in regards to her feelings for Talanvor? What did you think of Perrin's &
Galad's meeting? How do you think the face off on the field of battle shall go?
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought Morgase was quite right to tell Perrin to
“Get stuffed!” For someone who claims that he does not want to be a leader,
this was an astoundingly patronizing proclamation from him. Whilst I agree that
Morgase would do a lot better after some serious sexytimes with Tallanvor, I
cannot condone such offensive behavior from Perrin: shame on you, Blacksmith!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that the meeting went as well as I
expected. Neither man has the full truth of the situation, which has led them
both to make the wrong decision even if it is for all the right reasons. I was
particularly concerned by both Perrin and Edarra thinking that all the other Whitecloaks,
apart from Galad, had a feeling of wrongness about them. We know that both Byar
and Bornhald are biased against Perrin, but I had rather hoped that they others
would be more neutral in their dealings with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems like both men believe that they have the
superior numbers, which makes very little sense unless the Whitecloaks have not
actually seen the Aiel working with Perrin. Whilst I think that we will see
both armies prepare for battle, I am not sure that either man will want to be
the first to charge the ‘enemy’ and so we may find that some third party
intervenes and stops the fight before it can start. I suspect that they will
avoid all out warfare somehow . . . perhaps the Shaido will finally show up and
give them something to agree about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4) We run
into Mat at the Seven Striped Lass tavern (is that yet another reference to
spanking?) and toying with Verin's letter. Later that night he battles the
golem. Do you think the threat of the golem will be the thing that forces Mat
to open Verin's letter? Teslyn speaks plainly and honestly to Mat, thanking
him, and then fights the golem with him. Do you think this will alter his
attitude towards Aes Sedai in the future?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Obviously, I am far more innocent than you, Susan,
because I assumed that it was referring to the Amyrlin! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Mat will only open Verin’s letter
when he has waited the allotted time: if he was prepared to break his oath he
would have done it by now. In fact, I can imagine that the arrival of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gholam</i> might distract him enough that he
forgets about it for some time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was pleasantly surprised by Teslyn’s actions, and
I hope that this marks a change in the way that some Aes Sedai treat Mat. He
may be irritating, but he is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i>,
a great friend to the Dragon Reborn and the husband of the Seanchan Empress.
Also, it is very obviously that he will be an important general in the Last
Battle. These are all excellent reasons to develop a decent working
relationship with the man, in my opinion. I hope that he can start to trust
more of the Sisters, but that will largely depend on how rude they are to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5) Elayne
has to make a decision soon about what to do with the captives (those who did
not support her). What do you think she should do? Also, she plans to take
Cairhein. Do you think this is wise and will be as easy as she thinks it will
be? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems to me that she has a selection of bad
options, so it is a case of choosing the least offensive and moving on to
pastures new. She certainly needs to do something, and I am not sure that she
is thinking very clearly at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was surprised by her announcement about Cairhein,
especially as she has only just got her bum on the Lion Throne! However, it
does make some sense, especially as it gives everyone an enemy to rally against
and a task that requires them to unite as a nation. It might also provide the
less supportive nobles with an incentive to play nice, otherwise she might use
them as cannon fodder! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I just have to mention how much I enjoyed Mat’s
wonderful letter . . . I loved the comment about him not rewriting it because
Thom was laughing so much! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6) Rand
returns to Tear. Please comment upon his reunion with everyone there such as
Min, tam, Nynaeve, Cadsuane, the Aiel, etc. Where do you think Alanna has gone?
Who will Rand set Cadsuane to finding? Will Rand be able to meet his toh
towards the Maidens and the Aiel in general?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is going to take a little time for me to get
used to the new, Christ-like Rand, with his happy happiness and warm, fuzzy
glowingness. It was very nice to see how his transformation has affected Min,
and the teary greeting for Tam was very touching. I loved the way he beat
Nynaeve at her own game and then berated Cadsuane in a gentle, almost teasing
way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At first I thought that Alanna might have gone to
the Tower, but it seems that she has gone wherever Verin was wanting to send
people. I presume that this has placed her in great danger and that we will
learn all about it very soon. As for Cadsuane, Rand could have her searching
for just about anyone: I have no idea who it might be. I am equally stumped
when it comes to his decision to repay his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">toh</i>
to the Aiel. I just hope that we will not see him moving drips of water or something
else completely useless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am fairly concerned about his comment about going
back to the Tower. As he intends to take Bashere, this could be a tension
situation, and I am sure that both he and Egwene will be angry by the time it
is over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-1307622996845625452014-11-23T19:05:00.004-05:002014-11-23T19:05:31.401-05:00Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan: Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the Chapter
4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1.
Everyone who thought Graendal might not be dead can pat themselves on the
back. With Aran'gar's death that leaves six. Are there any others,
thought dead, that you fear we might see again?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">For once it seemed much too obvious that we had a
nice and neat confirmation that could not possibly be wrong even though we did
not witness her actual demise. I am glad that Mr Sanderson chose to reveal this
surprise soon afterwards, because it would have been annoying for Graendal to
reappear during the Last Battle without a hint before then. I am not wildly
happy that she deceived Rand, but it is nice to have at least one Forsaken who
is not a moron . . . and I am delighted that she is a female!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am trying to remember if we have had confirmation
that Cyndane is actually Lanfear, but I fear that my aged brain is starting to
suffer from Wheel of Time overload! Other than the infuriating Lanfear, I think
we are fairly certain that all of the other dead Forsaken are staying firmly
out of the action in the future. Egwene’s Dream of thirteen black towers
reduced to only six seems to confirm that, unless someone can suggest a
different interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Is
this the first time we've seen Padan Fain since book nine? Running around the
Blight setting world records for creepiness... What role do you think he has to
play in what is coming?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief, is it really that long since he showed
up? I seem to be suffering from some sort of strange time distortion effect as
well as memory overload!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst Fain is possibly the most awesomely horrifying
character of all time, though Shaidar Haran runs him a close second, he is very
entertaining to read. His sections are so mind-bendingly wrong that they are
always a surprise, even though they feel a little like being unable to tear
one’s eyes away from a horrific car crash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that he will play a role similar to that
of Gollum, a character that he seems to mirror in many ways. Whilst he plans to
murder Rand and eat his brains before taking on the Dark One himself, I expect
him to inadvertently aid the Light at the very end. Or Rand will simply swat
him like a bug . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. The
blightborder in Kandor is attacked and will probably not hold for long.
Meanwhile, Lan is in Saldaea, heading east. Will he even make it to Tarwin's
Gap, or will he be caught up in the invasion? How many followers do you
expect to see before he gives up the lone wolf plan?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The attack on the towers made me wonder if this
invasion was the important information in Verin’s letter. I imagine that it
takes quite a bit of organization to gather and target so many Shadowspawn, so
she could have learnt about it in time to warn people who could be useful in
stopping it. I suspect that the letter delivered to Rand in Tar Valon is also
from her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">But to get back to Lan . . . Of course he will make
it to Tarwin’s Gap: he is Lan the mighty, if grumpy, warrior-king, so he is
guaranteed a spot in the Last Battle! He will also gather a mighty army of
people too scared of Nynaeve to refuse to help him. Plus, he seems to have
impressed quite a lot of people in his earlier life, so they will be happy to
fight at his side. However, I am rather hoping that he does not end up with an
army of undead oathbreakers that only he can summon as that would feel a little
too similar to Tolkien.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Yet
another reunion happens as Rand reveals part of his plan to Egwene, but she is
not pleased. Rand looks quite sane but Egwene is not so sure. Do
you expect this to be a big conflict before the Last Battle? Who do you
think is right?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather surprised by how low key this was,
especially as the Chapter was titled “The Amyrlin’s Anger”. I was expecting
more fireworks and shouting, especially from Egwene, but it was all very
civilized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Egwene will be angry at first, but
will eventually come to see that Rand is correct. It does make sense that you
need to clear away the rubbish before building a new door to the Bore, but I
can understand why any sane person would be more than a little reluctant to
remove that last impediment to the Dark One’s freedom. Hopefully a combination
of Browns and Whites can help her to see the logic of doing what is necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. It
looks like we'll be spending a lot of time this book with Perrin and Hopper in
T'A'R. Excited? Anything special you want to see? Will we
maybe run into Slayer again?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yay! Any time spent with Hoper is great fun,
because the wolves have such a unique perspective on the world. However, I am
increasingly concerned that he will finally die in the Dream and leave the
world forever, possibly at the hands of Slayer. We have not seen or heard from
Slayer for a very long time, so I am quite sure that he will return very soon
and try to remove Perrin before the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. It
also looks like we'll see a confrontation between Perrin and the Whitecloaks,
world champions in grudge-keeping. How will this play out? How do
you think Galad is doing as Lord Captain Commander?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Oh crumbs! This could be very, very bad, especially
if Bornhald and Byar have anything to say about it. However, Galad is a
sensible guy, with his eyes firmly set on reaching the Last Battle, so I am not
sure that the Children will attack Perrin’s army en masse. But, then again, we
know that he will always do what he considers to be right, so perhaps he will
challenge Perrin to a duel to prove his innocence. Also, I am not sure if
Morgase is with Gill’s party, but she could talk some sense into her stepson if
necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Galad seems to be doing a remarkably good job of
making the Children into a useful force for the Light rather than an annoying
bunch of self-righteous prats. Some of it seems very fortunate, which makes me
wonder if he shares some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i>
aspects with his half-brother, Rand. He is mirroring Egwene in his ability to
unite a divided force, but I am not sure that he will be able to persuade both
Bornhald and Byar to forgive Perrin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/">Dab of
Darkness </a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/">Musings On Fantasia</a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-90618223537697404652014-11-16T17:10:00.003-05:002014-11-16T17:10:47.525-05:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1.
Egwene appears very reluctant to forgive Siuan and Gawyn for having rescued her
from Tar Valon. Do you think she went overboard? Has Siuan lost her
status for ever? What sort of thing might it take for Egwene and Gawyn to
finally get together as they should?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose she did seem a little harsh, but she was
much more concerned with her efforts to reunite the Tower than her own personal
safety. Her disappearance after the attack could have been very problematic
because she could have been accused of deserting her Sisters in their time of
need, although I think her defensive actions would have countered that
complaint. Still, she did not know that Elaida had been captured, or that the
Ajah Heads would finally see sense and make her the true Amyrlin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am certain that Siuan will retain much of her
status with Egwene, probably by becoming the head of the Blue Eyes and Ears
network in the newly unified Tower. Her actions were based upon much more
sensible reasons that Gawyn’s, which were still driven by the idea of Egwene as
a helpless little puppet. I imagine that their hormones will finally push the
lovers together, but Gawyn’s attitude needs some very serious adjustment before
they can have a healthy relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. The
Black Ajah is purged and all its members are now either dead or missing.
Do you agree with Egwene's plan, or would you have waited until after the
reunification, to get all of them at once? Would you have liked to see the
hunters in the White Tower (Saerin et al) play a larger role?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This seemed like the most sensible approach because
it meant that Egwene could trust all of the rebel Sisters as her forces
attacked the Tower. She did not anticipate the Tower allowing her to enter
without a fight, so I can fully understand why she did not want Blacks ‘accidentally’
killing people or causing other problems. Also, it would have been very
difficult for Egwene alone to subdue the entire Tower: this way she only had to
bend a few to her will before then relying upon them to help with the others in
the camp and then back in Tar Valon itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I did not expect Saerin or the others to step
forward because they were too few in number to risk exposure. However, I assume
that they were the ones who handed over the Oath Rod. It is a shame that
secrecy is such an integral part of life as an Aes Sedai, but in this case I
think that they were right to stay quiet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. The
Aes Sedai are reunited, eight books after the split, with no more
bloodshed. What do you think of everything? Do you agree with the
decision to take Silviana as a keeper, and to distribute the blame? What
will now happen with the Red? And just how epic were those speeches?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Egwene has become my favorite character during the
last few books because she has shown the most growth and huge heapings of
common sense, which seems to be in short supply in this world! I loved the way
that she handled every step of this journey, and I cannot fault her motives or
plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that Silviana was an excellent choice.
She is a remarkably competent woman who will do almost anything to fulfill her
duty. However, she was also the only person to openly stand against Elaida and
rebuke her for her treatment of a lowly Novice. She grew to admire and respect
Egwene and she has a uniquely intimate knowledge of just how strong the new
Amyrlin really is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hope that the Reds can see Silviana’s position as
an olive branch and start to trust again. Egwene’s decision to berate everyone,
including herself, should help this a little as they must surely expect
retribution and petty revenge from the Blues if nobody else. I suspect that it
will be difficult to persuade everyone to try to be one happy family, as it
seems like the inter-Ajah bickering is a centuries old tradition. We can see
how difficult it is for Cadsuane to change her way of behaving and I suspect
that she is fairly typical of most Aes Sedai in that respect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4.
Were you happy to see Hurin again? Do you think he was happy to see
Rand? What can be done now, from Rand's side, to fix this problem with
the Borderlanders?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was certainly surprised, but it made sense to
send someone that Rand had known personally as a messenger. However, the
message he carried was highly likely to get him killed, so I was rather annoyed
with the Borderlanders for putting him in such danger. Of course, he was
probably overjoyed at the chance to reunite with ‘Lord’ Rand . . . poor guy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I rather hope that Rand will simply send Bashere to
grab hold of Tenobia, by the ear if possible, and drag her out of Far Madding.
Their message was incredibly insulting and I would not blame Rand for choosing
to just ignore them for the duration. Of course, he has sent them a massive
insult by suggesting that they are cowards sitting in Far Madding to save their
own hides, so he might provoke them into a meeting. However, it could be that
the ‘new’ Rand will have a different opinion, so we may see him submit to their
demands and face them in Far Madding after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5.
Rand has a surprise meeting with Tam, for the first time since book one, and it
does not go well! Even though Rand was insane, how much blame rests with
Cadsuane and Nynaeve here?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is easy to see this meeting as a total disaster.
However, it acts as the catalyst to Rand’s epiphany, which can only be
considered a Very Good Thing. It was certainly a very risky maneuver, but I
cannot think of anything else that could have worked. Whilst it seems that
Cadsuane is the author of this plan, I imagine that all the Wise Ones had a
chance to persuade her of its foolishness if they thought it was hopelessly
stupid, and I am sure that Nynaeve would see the possibility of Tam being able
to reach Rand when nobody else could.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. We
got some more hints about the nature of Callandor, and now that the male
Choedan Kal is also destroyed, they are more relevant than ever. Does
anyone want to try guessing what it's for?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Callandor is shaped as a sword, which would rather
suggest that it is intended to be used as a weapon. It places no limit on the
amount of power that the user can draw, which is probably a good thing if you
are planning to use it to destroy the Dark One. So that is my prediction: Rand
must use it to defeat the Big Bad Guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">That only leaves us with one other puzzle: whom
will he choose as the two women in the Circle? One obvious pairing would be Elayne
and Aviendha. These are both very powerful channelers and Rand trusts them
completely. However, he did not ask either of them to help him with cleansing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">saidin</i>, so they might not be his first
choice for this task either. Elayne’s confirmed pregnancy and Aviendha’s
supposed quadruplets might also make him unwilling to risk their deaths in such
a risky action. Plus, we know that Elayne is struggling with her channeling and
might be too busy leading her armies against the Shadow. That makes me think
that good old Nynaeve might be called upon to tug her braid at the Dark One,
possibly with the help of a certain annoying Blue that is going to be rescued
in the next book . . . he trusts both of these women as much as anyone else,
and they are both certainly stubborn enough to stick with him to the bitter
end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7.
Rand travels to Dragonmount and has his epiphany. Is he now sane for
good? What do you think he will be like when we see him again? Was
this what Cadsuane needed to teach him? Feel free to speculate on the
nature of the Lews Therin voice.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not sure that he is entirely sane, but he has
certainly come to terms with what he has to do. Releasing all that anger and
frustration will hopefully help him to be slightly more agreeable and
approachable to his allies. I hope that he will be a little more like the Rand
we first met in Book One, although there may be an overtone of sadness. At
least he will be less likely to simply balefire people for being a little
annoying! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Cadsuane’s actions have certainly helped him to
integrate Lews Therin and find a way to go forward without despair and anger.
In this respect, she has certainly taught him something massively important.
However, this may not be all she has to do to fulfill Min’s viewing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am still not sure what to make of Lews Therin. Is
he really a separate personality inside Rand or simply a figment of his
madness? The fact that he knows things from the past suggests that he cannot be
just an aspect of Rand himself, but that might be far too logical for this
series! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-55674336336970992092014-11-10T15:42:00.002-05:002014-11-10T15:43:18.367-05:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 42.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1) Verin
demands a deal for Travelling his army & Mat demands a compromise. What do
you think is in Verin's sealed letter of instructions? Will Mat hold to his
bargain? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Even the Big Reveal about Verin’s Blackness offers
no hint at what she has included in her letters. I wonder if they are all the
same, independent of who receives them, and if she managed to deliver anymore
of them. The fact that they were pre-written simply adds to the mystery. I have
no idea what they might contain, because she seems to have passed all her relevant
knowledge to Egwene. I am officially stumped! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not sure if Mat intends to keep this bargain
or not. He may very well try to avoid it but then find that he gives in at the
last moment, with lots of moaning and whining. I have to assume that the letter
contains something rather important, and not just a request for someone to feed
Verin’s cats after her suicide, so I rather hope that Mat actually does as he
has agreed. But then again, this series has been filled by incidents that could
have been prevented by simple communication, so I could be wrong and Mat will
ignore the letter until it is too late and then wish that he had opened it on
time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2) Tuon, now
referred to as Fortuna, carried through with her decision to attach the White
Tower. What did you think of her discussion with Selucia concerning how this
action might very well turn the Dragon Reborn against the Seanchan? Is
Fortuna's concerns well founded, or should she be more concerned about how the
Aes Sedai will react? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not altogether sure about how Rand will view
this attack on the White Tower. Whilst he distrusts most Aes Sedai, he knows
that they are a very valuable resource and that he will need all of them in the
Last Battle. Tuon’s actions have reduced the pool of the Light’s channelers, so
I doubt that he will be overly happy with her. Of course, we have seen him take
a very pragmatic stance towards her refusal to become an ally, so he may simply
see this as unfortunate and then pretty much ignore it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In theory, the Aes Sedai should be a force to be
feared by the Seanchan now that they have been attacked. However, I doubt that
they will do anything in retaliation because it would simply place them back in
danger and increase their risk of being made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3) Rand is
certain he has removed Graendal from the picture. Do you agree? Will Nynaeve
forgive Rand for having her play a part in his ruse? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst it would be very nice to think that she has
been removed from the War, I am a little suspicious that we did not see a body
or have a witness to her destruction. We know that she is extremely cunning, so
I am not sure that Rand actually managed to outwit her with his plan. Somehow
it all seemed a little too easy . . . However, I have no idea how this can be
true when the Compulsion on Ramshalan was removed by the balefire blast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am sure that Nynaeve will eventually move past
her shock and horror to accept the necessity of Rand’s actions. However, I am
sure that she will hold herself for it somehow: because she is responsible for
absolutely everything! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4) Nynaeve
swallows her pride and asks Cadsuane and the Wise Ones to let her in on The
Plan. Why do you think they want Perrin? Any ideas on what The Plan is? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I found it strange that they mentioned only Perrin,
and not Mat at all. This suggests that it may not be Perrin himself, but one of
his followers that they actually want to find. This makes sense because Perrin
has a contingent from the Two Rivers in his army. As Rand has no particular
friends left in that group, I can only assume that they want Tam to talk some
sense into his son. However, I have no idea how the poor man could have any
more success than Nynaeve at making Rand ‘normal’ again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5) And the
big reveal for this section concerns Verin. Did you see that coming? What more
did she leave in her notebook for Egwene to decipher? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that we had worked out that she must be
Black because she had lied in the past and was quite happy to use Compulsion on
the sisters that she drove to swear fealty to Rand. However, her apparent lack
of evilness made this a little difficult to accept. Discovering that she was a
mole made a lot of sense, although it does rather make me worry about the
oversight and management of Darkfriends, as we never saw her do anything remotely
useful to the Shadow. I can only suggest that her direct supervisor has been a
little lax in monitoring her evil doings: I suspect the Verin failed to make a
quota on a regular basis! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As well as the lists of Black Ajah, I suspect that
she has gathered lots of juicy information on the Forsaken and their actions.
Other than that it could be just about anything. I hope that most of it proves
to be useful in a strategic way, rather than just interesting snippets of
information filed away for posterity. However, Egwene’s assessment that Verin
had been acting much more absentminded and ‘Brown’ than she really was leads me
to think that it will all be solid gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I do have one worry, though. Why now? What made
Verin decide to do this at this particular moment in time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6) The
Seanchan finally attack the Tower! Feel free to gush about your favorite parts.
What did you think of Bryne's demand of Warder status of Siuan (and his still
unnamed second demand)? Was Egwene bad-ass enough for you? Pleased or surprised
by the actions/reactions of the other Aes Sedai? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Obviously, Egwene’s awesomeness was well worth the
wait and I expect some spectacular artwork portraying her defense of the Tower.
It is hard to believe that she is the same person as the naive country girl
that we met in the first book because she has changed so much. Surely this will
convince the Hall that she is truly suitable as the Amyrlin of the reunited
Tower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I was a little frustrated by the need to
spend time with Siuan and Bryne, I did enjoy their little moment of ‘profound
love revealed’. Somehow I expect that the second demand will be a little more
romantic: marriage would seem like a very safe bet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was pleased to see some of the Reds behaving in a
sensible way and was even more happy to see Saerin take control and tell
Katerine to get stuffed when the Red started blustering. I was more than a
little disappointed by the apparent uselessness of the Greens during the
attack, although Adelorna, the Battle-Captain seems competent enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7) The
aftermath: Do you think the Seanchan raid on the White Tower will be seen as a
success or a loss by the Seanchan? How will Egwene react to being removed from
the Tower? How will the Tower react to it's loss of Elaida?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yet again, I am not sure about this question.
Whilst they certainly captured some new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>,
I suspect that the raid was a loss overall for the Seanchan. The loss of so
many men is not vey important, but the number of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to’raken</i> killed will be much more significant, as will the number
of fully trained <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i> who were
killed or captured. I suspect that Tuon will not be pleased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am pretty sure that Egwene will demand to be
returned to the Tower straight away and be very cross with her ‘rescuers’. I
also suspect that she will forgive them and understand why they chose to carry
her away to safety. As she is likely to be accepted back into the Tower with
open arms, I doubt that this action will have a negative impact on her rise to
power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that once they calm down most Sisters will
see that the Seanchan have actually done them a favor. This effectively removes
the necessity of deposing Elaida, which would have been a very difficult
decision for them to make. Now they have a perfect excuse for raising Egwene to
the Amyrlin Seat and can do it with a clear conscience. The Seanchan attack
will also focus everyone’s minds on the really important events happening
outside the Tower, which should help in the reunification and the preparations
for the Last Battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Can we have a brief moment for the playing of my
tiny, tiny violin to mark Elaida’s passing into servitude . . . I hope that we
will not be troubled by her again! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On
Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-24570820354028301332014-11-03T12:00:00.002-05:002014-11-03T12:00:15.838-05:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">the bottom of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to
the end of Chapter 35.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We had 18 inches of snow and a
12 hour power outage yesterday, so I am a little late with this post . . . and
it is only just November! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. We journey to yet another impressive city. What are your impressions
of Bander Eban and its inhabitants? Do you think that Rand will succeed in
bringing peace and unity to the region, or will it all dissolve into chaos
again as soon as he moves on?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am always impressed by the
way that Mr Jordan could create such different cultures for each of the nations
in Randland. Although we have already met Domani, and so are aware of the
women’s scandalous clothing and methods for manipulating men, there are plenty
of aspects of their culture that we have not explored. I find the concept of an
elected monarch rather interesting, and it is good to see a variety of methods
for selecting a ruler. I am not sure that any one of the methods we have seen
in this series is demonstrably better than any of the others, but at least they
offer a nice variety!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems as if the Council of Merchants
are going to be a problem for Rand because they are so accustomed to being in
control. Whilst not all of them might be self-serving as Milisair, I suspect
that she is fairly typical of the group. This makes me very concerned for Arad
Doman’s ability to remain organized after Rand withdraws. I suspect that the
Merchants will return to their habits of personal aggrandizement rather than
continuing to feed the hungry and protect the helpless. However, I am not sure
that Rand can afford to spend much more time restoring order here: I suspect
that once he deals with Graendal he will move on to more important nations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. I feel as if I am being overly harsh towards Gawyn, but he does seem
to be very slow on the uptake! Do you think that he will ever see sense and
stop trying to rescue Egwene? Will their reunion be all magical and gushing, or
will Egwene take exception to Gawyn’s image of her as only a helpless puppet
and not the awesomely powerful woman that she has become?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems certain that Elayne
got more than her fair share of brains and common sense in this pair, and even
she is totally hopeless at times! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As with so many characters in
this series, Gawyn is very frustrating. Whilst he was still ignorant of the
true situation it was a little easier to cut him some slack and understand his
delusional attitude towards Egwene. However, now that he has been given the
truth by multiple people, some of whom he trusts implicitly, he is getting
dangerously close to ‘needing a slap’ territory with his dogged refusal to alter
his world view. I can understand that he does not want to admit that he was
wrong about just abut everything, or that he has been fighting for the wrong
side for a long time. I just wish that he would grow up a bit, admit his
mistake and move on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that the only thing
that will stop his determination to rescue Egwene is for the woman herself to
give him a good slap around the head. In fact, I think that they will both be
very unhappy once they are reunited. She will have to deal with his unnecessary
attempts to protect her when she is more than capable of looking after herself:
and I doubt that she will spend too much time on protecting his ego. Meanwhile,
he will suddenly be confronted by a person who is totally different from the
woman he knew before, which may be too much for his stubborn mind to accept. I
suspect that they will have a very frosty relationship for quite some time
before they finally work it out and get a chance to have some good
old-fashioned sexytimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Cadsuane has decided to enlist the Wise Ones in her efforts to
‘guide’ Rand. Do her thoughts suggest that she is starting to truly understand
him and do you think that her efforts will have a positive or negative result?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">She certainly seems to have
finally worked out that the repeated, public humiliation was A Very Bad Idea.
It certainly took her long enough to see that he was not succumbing to her
methodology, but she is very old and has probably not had to rethink her
approach to dominating people for several centuries, so I can almost forgive
her for being somewhat rigid. Unfortunately, I doubt that she will get a second
chance with Rand now that she has failed him so completely. Perhaps if she
could explain how the male <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a’dam</i> was
secured he might just be able to let himself understand her mistake, but I
think we are way past the point of explanations or forgiveness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Wise Ones are one of the
few groups who have managed to not totally alienate Rand, so they appear to be
a good choice of allies. However, they may not agree to work with Cadsuane if
they see no value in her proposal. Fortunately for her, I suspect that Sorilea
at least will see the value in it and they will move ahead with her plan. At
the moment I am not sure what she will suggest, mainly because it seems that
she is highly unlikely to be able to soften him now. We know that she is
destined to teach him something massively important, but unless it is something
that helps him to control his desire to use the True Power, I cannot guess what
she might possibly know that he can learn from her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Nynaeve decides to go off and ‘help’ Rand behind his back. Were you
surprised by what she discovered or how she went about it? Do you think that
there is any chance at all that she will be able to moderate her behavior to
guide Rand in a similar way to Moiraine?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yet another for the list of
People Who Need A Good Slapping! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather surprised by the
intelligence that Nynaeve displayed in her reasoning here. It is not that I
think that she is stupid, but she is so rigid in her thinking, and so ruled by
her emotions, that I do not expect her to apply logic to any situation. She
always strikes me as more of a ‘yank on my braid and fireball everything’ kind
of girl! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, in this case her
reasoning was very sound and her experience of dealing with the Forsaken would
have helped her to see the hidden meaning behind the facts. I thought that the raid
was very well written because there was so much humor injected into the account
whilst the underlying story was really rather sad and depressing. It is always
fun to ride around in Nynaeve’s head because she is such a bundle of anger and
judgmental fury that she produces a wonderfully snarky diatribe as her running
commentary on the situation! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was particularly amused by
her thoughts about how to control Rand, and how she was the only person who
could possibly know what was right: she and Cadsuane are so very similar!
Indeed, she shares her older Sister’s understanding of how Rand needs to be
more human and her fears that he will not survive to even begin the Last
Battle. I hope that she can control her temper enough to maintain Rand’s trust,
because he really does need at least one Aes Sedai that he can rely upon
completely, and I suspect that Nynaeve is the only candidate for that position.
Having read New Spring, we now know how fiery Moiraine was in her younger
years, so we can appreciate how difficult she found it to bite her tongue and
play nice with the young Dragon. I suspect that Nynaeve might surprise us all
by proving to be almost as successful. Assuming that she does not slap him for
putting Lan in danger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Mat spent hours coming up with very interesting, and thorough,
backstories for his group of spies. Was this a justifiable use of his time or
were his men correct in finding it all rather funny? Aludra demands all the
resources in the world for her ‘dragons’: will Rand go along with this plan or
see it as pointless?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I loved this chapter and the
way that his men were playing with Mat. Yet again I have to praise the writing,
because it showed how much understanding and affection his men have for him.
They knew that the stupidly intricate backstories were a product of his intense
concern for their safety, but they did nothing to openly criticize the amount
of time and effort he had wasted in creating them. Whilst his plan did not need
such elaborate plotting, it certainly seemed like a massive improvement over
the blind ignoring of all the danger signs in Hinderstap. I do not feel that I
can criticize Mat for being more cautious after that near disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not at all sure what Rand
will think of this plan. I suspect that he will probably see the value of it as
an alternative to relying upon channeling, but the need for so many resources
may force him to discount it as impossible. However, Travelling might make it
more feasible than it sounds at the moment, and I am not sure that the Dark One
will have an answer to such a new weapon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Verin has returned! Any ideas why she has been hanging around in the
mountains distributing flyers rather than Travelling about trying to find Mat
and Perrin? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This seemed like a rather
passive way for her to find the young men. Surely she could have been hopping
about trying to get news of battles and armies on the move and then following
the Band. I cannot imagine that such a large army could be moving about without
anyone noticing them at all. However, I suppose that she had her own reasons
for more or less sitting and waiting for him to arrive, and I suspect that we
will be none the wiser once she talks to Mat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I have no idea why she has
suddenly decided to meet up with the lads. Perhaps she has been sucked in by
their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i> quality, but I am not
sure why they need her just now. I suppose she might be able to provide Mat
with a vital clue about the Tower of Ghenjei, but other than that I am stumped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Could Rand’s meeting with Tuon have gone any more badly? Do you think
that this will signal open warfare between Rand and the Seanchan, or is there
still a chance of a truce? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Good grief! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suppose they could have ended
up having a bitch slapping fight, but otherwise this was pretty hopeless.
Neither of them is good at understanding alternative points of view, so it was
pretty much doomed to fairly from the beginning, but I had hoped that they
could have reached a compromise. In fact, I was very surprised that Rand’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i> quality did not overwhelm
Tuon’s thinking and force an agreement. The fact that she could refuse his pull
says a great deal about her strength of character, but in this case it was
possibly a bad thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I think we have
already realized that the Seanchan attack on the White Tower will be the
catalyst to remove Elaida and install Egwene as the true Amyrlin. This will
allow her to unify the Aes Sedai and purge the Black from their midst, creating
an effective fighting force just in time for the Last Battle. Perhaps the
Seanchan attack is vital in order for this to happen, as we can expect the
Sisters to keep dithering for a long time if they are not pushed into a
decision. I hope that either Rand or Tuon will see sense and that they can
finally come to a Truce, but it looks very unlikely at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab
of Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-74435072251549111752014-10-26T16:33:00.002-04:002014-10-26T16:33:25.305-04:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. We
finally learn Rand's logic for swapping Bashere and Ilturalde. Do you agree
with his logic? Will it work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think most of us were fairly sure that Bashere
should stay with Rand and that it might cause problems if he returned to
Saldaea. I was simply relieved to discover that Rand had very sensible reasons
for his decision. So far we have spent too little time in the poor lad’s head
to understand some of his decisions, which has been both irritating and led us
to be somewhat uncharitable in our assessment of his intelligence! :D <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Rand
balefires Semirhage, then banishes Cadsuane. He says he has become
"cuendillar" but Cadsuane sees darkness around him. What do you think
it is? Is this a good thing? Will it help or hinder him in the Last Battle?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">First, I have to say “HOORAY!” that he actually
balefired Semirhage and the creepy Elza into nothingness. I had expected some
more whining about not killing women, so this was another huge relief. Perhaps
Rand is finally coming to his sense: I do hope so!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that Cadsuane is right to be very worried
about the new Rand. I assume that she, and mostly everyone else, will see this
as a symptom of his imminent descent into madness. As this would be A Very,
VERY Bad Thing, I fully understand why she is terrified of what will happen next.
I also assume that she now realizes that she has mishandled rather
spectacularly and bitterly regrets her decision to berate and bully him in
public. I was rather surprised that she was exiled, even though it is a very
logical decision from Rand’s point of view. We know that she is supposed to
teach him something very important, and I have not seen any evidence that she
has achieved this outcome already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The darkness must be associated with Rand’s use of
the True Power. As this is linked directly to the Dark One, I can understand
why it might produce an aura of evil around the user. As for its usefulness in
the Last Battle, that is difficult to predict. The True Power seems like the
ultimate power source, and spectacularly useful at destruction, however, it
would seem wise to avoid using it if at all possible. We know that the other
Forsaken are very worried about the effects that it will produce in Moridin, so
I cannot expect it to leave Rand untouched. It also seems to be even more
addictive than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">saidin</i>, which suggests
that Rand will now be tempted to use it at every opportunity. As with Callandor
and the Choedan Kal, this might be a weapon that Rand should put away and leave
well alone if he can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I found it interesting that Semirhage’s attack was
the catalyst for bringing Rand to an even more dangerous and powerful state of
awareness. This makes me wonder if his ability to access the True Power will
prove pivotal at some point, thus making this incident vitally important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Gawyn
reaches Gareth Bryne where he IDs an Aes Sedai in hiding, and is told the truth
about his mother, Elayne, and Egwene's situation. Even after he sees Egwene, do
you think he'll go to be at Elayne's side, or stay to be Egwene's warder? Do
you think he'll ever accept that Rand wasn't responsible for what happened to
Morgase? What will the discovery of Shemerin do for the rebels?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">He seems to have some crazy idea of dragging Egwene
off to Caemlyn to play happy families with Elayne . . . he really is
delusional! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">He may very well want to fulfill his role as
Elayne’s protector, but I suspect that his manly organs will overwhelm his
sense of responsibility and the lifetime of training that he has received. If
she asks him to Bond with her he will stay with Egwene, and even if she rejects
him for some bizarre reason I suspect that he will be unable to tear himself
away from her side. I expect much mooning, whining and teenaged angst before
these two sort things out . . . I also expect to want to slap them both
repeatedly during this period! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I can understand why Gawyn is resistant to
accepting the reports of his mother turning into a brainless trollop and
letting some man ruin Andor. However, he will finally accept this version of
events because he will be presented with so much evidence that it is the truth.
He already knows that Gareth Bryne is not lying about this; he is just
struggling to come to terms with it. I am pretty certain that Morgase will
eventually reemerge as herself and admit the source of her horrible behavior.
Either that or Elayne will slap some sense into him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In many ways, Shemerin’s discovery is rather
unimportant. She reinforces the evidence for Elaida being a bad Amyrlin, but
that is somewhat beside the point at this stage. Of much more significance is her
knowledge of a way to get into Tar Valon undetected. This could be very useful
if a bunch of soldiers need to get inside to rescue Egwene or help to defeat
the Seanchan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Yup. It's
official. Sheriam is a Darkfriend. Were you surprised? Does it bring any
clarity for you of her past actions? Do you think she'll be successful at
stealing the dream ter'angreal?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather surprised and yet we had a brief
glimpse of her being tortured by someone several books ago. It makes sense that
it would be Halima, who could successfully use <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">saidar</i> to beat and then Heal Sheriam without anyone sensing the
channeling. This also explains her increasingly tearful and disheveled
appearance in the recent past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Her role in the Salidar Six is now given a much
greater significance and suggests that there may be other Blacks among the
rebels. It makes sense that they would be ordered to join both factions and,
therefore, have influence over both groups. However, I am not sure who else
will be revealed as Black, although I suspect it will not be the obvious
choices such as Lelaine and Romanda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that she will try very hard to get all
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ter’angreal</i>: the possible loss of
her fingers will be a great motivator. However, I suspect that she is unlikely
to get all of them because I doubt that she knows who has possession of all of
them. For example, Siuan has one, but that is a secret as far as I can tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Aviendha
gets her honor back and we finally learned what all the punishments were about.
What did you think of the Wise One's tactics? What will Aviendha see in
Rhuidean, and what's next for her?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Oh, for crying out loud! As we had predicted, the
answer was something mind-blowingly simple and really rather irritating. It
makes perfect sense and everything, but I was rather exasperated by it! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I guess that it would be too much to hope that she
will see a way to trap the Dark One forever or to save Rand from certain death.
Her earlier visions were about the Aiel’s past, so I suspect that this time she
will see their future. However, I have no predictions of what exactly that will
entail, although it will probably be bleak and full of death and destruction.
Happy, happy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">After that, I suspect that she will return to Rand
and spend a considerable amount of time getting pregnant with the four babies
that she is supposed to have. She will need to hurry though, if those buns are
to get started before Rand enters the Last Battle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. The
cockroach incident was pretty gross. It was definitely a dark omen. What do you
think this incident is foreshadowing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I actually thought that this was rather funny,
especially when they all decided that bringing the tent and all its contents
was the very best idea. I seriously doubt that I could have used anything from
inside it ever again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">After the revelation of Sheriam’s allegiance, I
suspect that this foreshadows the exposure of the other Blacks in the rebel
camp. Somehow, seeing them as cockroaches seems rather appropriate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7.
Hinderstap. (Oh good heavens!) What do you think that was all about? And what
does it mean for Mat?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought it was rather obvious that they should
have left before sunset because the clues were hardly subtle. I had assumed
that the villagers must be werewolves, so I was not overly surprised when
everything went horribly, horribly wrong. However, it was interesting that
there was some sort of ‘reset’ happening to the Pattern here. All the other
bubbles of evil have left only death and destruction, but this seems unique in
having an almost positive outcome. I am quite sure that the villagers would
rather be dead than to live like this, but they seem to be developing
strategies for coping and are trying to remain productive. This is actually
rather inspiring, and I hope that they get some respite eventually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hope that this makes Mat a little more likely to
follow the rules in future. It was blazingly obvious that staying after dark
was a very bad idea . . . yet another case of a character needing a good
slapping! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-33891612628553767542014-10-19T16:34:00.002-04:002014-10-19T16:34:20.052-04:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 21.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1) We get a
little more quality time with Semirhage. Cadsuane seems to have come up with a
way to get under her skin. Do you think it will be enough to get answers from
Semirhage? Cadsuane believes it is important to keep Semirhage alive in order
to learn useful weaves from her. Do you agree with this logic? Or are you all
for killing her? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was sure that Sorilea would simply fix the
Forsaken with her beady old eyes and we would see Semirhage soil herself, so I
was a little disappointed with this solution. It seems to work, which is a
massive improvement over everything else that they have tried, but I am not yet
convinced that it will allow them to extract information from her. We saw
Moghedien broken and thoroughly defeated, and yet she only gave away drips of
knowledge rather than spewing out everything that she knew. I expect Semirhage
to be much more tough to crack, so they could be trying to get anything useful
for a very, very long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There is some logic in trying to get information
from one of the Forsaken, but I am not at all sure that they truly appreciate
the risk of trying to hold Semirhage indefinitely. As we saw with Moghedien,
she will do everything in her considerable power to escape, and there are
allies that might decide to help her (Shaidar Haran springs to mind).
Personally I would balefire her as soon as possible, but that would be a whole
lot less fun than having her escape and then try to get revenge for her
humiliation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2) Moridin
and Rand have a heart to heart. Rand seems to understand the two of them are
connected somehow. Do you think he will make use of this information? Upon
waking from this chat, Rand confesses to Min about Lews Therin. Will Min tell
others as she told others about Rand's time in the box? And would that be a
good or bad thing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I doubt that Rand can use the connection for spying
purposes, because it would risk revealing his own actions to Moridin, which is
a shame. Other than preventing further injury until Moridin can work out how to
kill Rand without dying himself, there seems to be few advantages in this link.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Min will end up telling some people,
most likely Cadsuane or her sister-wives. However, it is not made clear that
she believes that he actually has Lews Therin inside his head. Perhaps she
thinks that he is merely hearing voices and will, therefore, keep this
information to herself. The possible implications of her sharing her knowledge
will depend a great deal on what exactly she shares and with whom, so it is
difficult to make a prediction at this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3) Egwene
matches wits with three White Sisters (Ferane, Miyasi, & Tesan). And then
she is forced to match wits with Elaida in front of the Sitters. Will there be
harsh punishment for Egwene, beyond the beating Elaida gave her? How will the
Sitters react to this? Or will we still have to wait for the Seanchan to invade
before the Aes Sedai get their act together? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I seriously doubt that anyone, apart from Elaida,
will see Egwene as deserving punishment for this confrontation. It was very
clear from their reactions that the Sitters were horrified by Elaida’s attack
on a supposed novice. This is a clear violation of the Third Oath and can only
be excused by Elaida’s assertion that Egwene is a Darkfriend. Even so, she has
clearly lost any power she had to influence the Sitters: they are actively
speaking out in support of Egwene in the run up to the attack. The only thing
that will save Elaida from a public removal from office is the Hall’s desire to
avoid the disaster of removing a second Amyrlin in such a short space of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that the Hall will be unwilling to remove
Elaida, but her power is now truly broken. However, I suspect that the Seanchan
attack will provide the Sitters with the excuse that they need to replace the
Amyrlin, or she may even be killed or captured if we are exceptionally lucky.
Either way, I am sure that Egwene will prove very useful in the defense of the
Tower and be unanimously accepted as the true Amyrlin in the aftermath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4) The rebel
Aes Sedai have word that the White Tower now has the art of Traveling. Do you
believe Elaida is aware of this weave? Or is it just a handful of Red Aes Sedai
testing it out? And what do you make of Lelaine's latest actions? What can
Siuan do from this point on in holding the Aes Sedai together?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am pretty sure that if Elaida knew about the
weave then we would have heard about it by now: she would not have been able to
resist gloating to Egwene about her newfound knowledge. I am also not sure if
the Reds involved are actually Blacks because I am starting to lose track of
the multitude of Sisters that we have encountered. It is certainly bad news for
the rebels, but I suspect that the Seanchan will swoop in before anything
significant comes of this discovery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Lelaine is rather less talented at
manipulation than she believes. It certainly seems rather obvious that she is
trying to create panic as a way to seize control of the rebels, but she
obviously thinks that she is being terribly subtle. I suspect that many Sisters
will resent her clumsy attempts to gain power and will, therefore, act against
her out of pure spite. However, I imagine that all of this will become somewhat
irrelevant once the Seanchan attack occurs, so Siuan only needs to hold out a
little longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5) Tuon
holds court in Ebou Dar. Did you find her offer to Beslan fair? Now that she
has seen the heads of trollocs, creatures she believed to be of myth, do you
think she will be more open to listening to Randlanders? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It was pretty much what I would expect from a ruler
who makes use of existing monarchs to impose power upon a vast Empire. It is
the same methodology that has worked well throughout our history, and something
similar was implied with Tylin, so I was not surprised. However, I expected
Beslan to be somewhat less practical in accepting the inevitable simply because
he has always struck me as being rather immature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I would hope that the Trolloc heads would have some
effect, but her decision to attack the White Tower suggests that Tuon still has
not understood how to deal with the locals on this side of the sea. Rand will
be more than a little cross once he hears the news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6) Mat opens
by comparing women to goats. Did you find his behavior to be 'husbandly'? Was
his own ta'veren-ness working against him in keeping the Aes Sedai with him or
was it his own goat-like behavior? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Ah, yes: it is always nice to be compared to a
goat! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In many ways, Mat has been behaving quite like a
husband ever since he met Tuon. He has certainly been a lot less like his
roguish, old self and has kept away from barmaids and girls with dainty ankles
(as far as I can tell). I find this rather hilarious, but it is very pleasing
to see a character grow and change as he matures. I just wish that he was still
Tuon so that he could point out what a terrible mistake she is making by
attacking Tar Valon. Of course, the attack is needed to remove Elaida, but it
would be nice if it could be avoided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that the Aes Sedai are determined to
stick to him like glue because of his newly acquired role as consort to the
Seanchan Empress. Mat’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i>
quality will no doubt add to this impulse, but there are more than enough
reasons for them to hang about without it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7) Perrin
returns to the dream-wolf world, promptly insults the wolves, and is tossed
out. Will he be able to conquer his own fears? And if he does, what will he do
with the wolves then? Faile has yet more secrets from Perrin. Do you find this
good or bad? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yay, Hopper! I am so pleased to spend more time in
his company: who doesn’t love a happy, flying wolf?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am sure that Perrin needs to accept his ‘inner
wolf’ and unify his character in the same that Mat has done with his multiple
memories, and Rand will do with Lews Therin. Unfortunately, Perrin will lead
the wolves into the Last Battle and many of them will die, which makes me very
sad even though it will be wonderfully epic to imagine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Faile has good reasons to keep these secrets, and
not only because she is ashamed of how she acted towards Rolan. She is quite right
that Perrin will berate himself about killing an innocent man, so this is one
truth that she is correct to withhold from him. I was rather touched by their
little ceremony, and it was certainly the honorable thing to do. I am a little
less certain about Masema’s disappearance. She could say that one of her
followers found the Prophet’s body, which would remove Perrin’s worry that the
idiot is still out there to cause trouble whilst avoiding any suggestion of how
he died. On the whole I find it difficult to trust Faile because she often
behaves in an overly secretive way, which causes no end of mistrust and angst
for Perrin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-66000540145678416312014-10-13T15:31:00.003-04:002014-10-13T15:31:55.575-04:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikct6m5szepdG_Sb5qMNAtcw9KYYMw6nByusxpHOYN-OEL-kF0_lWtDNt-NXyRWG_629jc6n9yMD9cDBcpRrUdCYuvKoqEH17HGAxQmRftThtbgLrh1OudgMgOtxlqbMgfHR_M62X3jew/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 13.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Questions
are being raised about the loyalty of the Aiel, and that Rand keeps misusing
them. What are your thoughts? Could we really see another Shaido-like uprising?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that Rand is very lucky to have both the
Wise Ones and the Clan Chiefs on his side: if either of these groups decide to
rescind their support he will be in very dangerous waters indeed. It sounds
like the Wise Ones in particular are doing a great deal to soothe the Clan
Chiefs and their wounded honor, so we may be much closer to a break down of
Aiel support than Rand understands. I am not even sure that Cadsuane and
Nynaeve would see the dishonor that he is heaping onto their broad shoulders
with all his talk of kidnapping and forcing peace upon Arad Doman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I am not convinced that we are likely to
see another collapse in Aiel unity similar to the one caused by his revelation
of their pacifist origins. Rand may be somewhat blinded to their unhappiness by
his multiple worries, but he has learnt a little of how to satisfy their honor
whilst getting them to do what he wants. Despite all their grumbling, the
remaining Aiel do seem to be doggedly loyal to their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carn’a’carn</i> and there are many of them who would tell him directly
if mutiny was likely to occur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Siuan and
Bryne have a heart to heart. Do you see this relationship to finally
blossoming? Everyone still thinks Moiraine is dead. What impact do you think
she could have on the story when she returns?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is possibly the cutest romance in the whole
series. I am fairly certain that Gareth Bryne knows exactly what is going on,
but is waiting for Siuan to finally accept the inevitable and admit her
feelings for him. I am sure that it will happen eventually . . . although it is
likely to be almost unrecognizable because of her use of fish-based metaphors!
:D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So, I guess we can assume that Mat, Noal and Thom
manage to rescue her quite successfully then? Phew! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Apart from lots of surprised exclamations of “I
thought you were dead!” I suspect that we will people moving along quite
nicely. After all, we have the End Of The World on the horizon and I am quite
sure that everyone will be happy to have an extra Aes Sedai of her strength to
joint he forces of Light. Rand might actually be nice to her for a change when
she reappears!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. Perrin is
belabored by refugees, but is still reluctant to take on his lordly
duties. Will something more have to happen here, before Perrin achieves his
"final form" before the Last Battle?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not sure that Perrin, or Mat, will ever become
comfortable with their roles as Leaders Of Men. Neither of them is happy about
their talents and their positions in History. However, both have managed to
acquire wives who are most definitely going to insist upon them becoming the
Heroes that they are destined to be. I suspect that we will still see plenty of
moaning and self-doubt from both lads, but the inevitable will finally happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In many ways, I think that Perrin has already
started to think like a true leader. His feeling of responsibility towards the
refugees is a good case in point and mirrors a lot of the things we see Elayne
worrying about. However, I am quite sure that his journey back to Rand will be
full of interesting diversions that will provide him with many opportunities to
grow into his role as King of the Wolves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Ituralde
is delivered from his death trap and is sent to Bashere's homeland, while
Bashere is in Ituralde's. Would it perhaps have been prudent to switch places?
If a shadow invasion of the Borderlands really is imminent, wouldn't it be</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">good to actually approach the Borderlanders
instead?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yes, this did seem a little backwards to me as
well. However, Bashere has been very creative in following his orders from
Queen Tenobia, so it also seems prudent to keep him away from her. I can also
see the wisdom of removing Ituralde himself from Arad Doman, where the Seanchan
are likely to continue pursuing him with their usual dogged persistence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">However, I would like to see Rand actually spend
five minutes spinning a Gateway to go and have a quiet word with the
Borderlanders. That is all it would take and then he could put them to good use
and move on to something more important. It seems highly unlikely that they are
trying to find him in order to murder him or tell him that they will not
support him, so I am not sure why he simply does not get this over and done
with. In fact I am getting rather frustrated with his lack of effort in this
regard: but he does sometimes seem to have strange priorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Egwene's
infiltration is gathering momentum. She's talking to sitters as a near equal
and has even been in contact with the Black Ajah hunters. Meanwhile, Lelaine is
winning the political war on the outside. Should Egwene start hurrying? Having
earned the respect of these sisters, what would be her next step?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We know that the Seanchan are going to attack the
Tower, so I have to admit that they are my primary concern in this regard. At
the moment, I am not sure that Tar Valon will be able to withstand their
attack, even with the Rebel Sisters helping in the defense. I can only hope
that we reach the tipping point soon and Egwene is able to rally an effective
force to repel the attack. Somehow, I am not convinced that Elaida will be very
effective in this regard . . . but perhaps she will look good wearing an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a’dam</i> . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that her actions are bringing increasing
numbers of Sisters to support her stance against Elaida, so the key is to allow
them to realize this. Once they see that they are in a majority, Elaida’s fall
should be fairly swift. At least, I hope that it is! I am not sure that there
is any more that Egwene can do to engage this critical mass of support, so she
will probably be alright if she simply carries on in the same way. Of course,
one of her admirers could trigger a sudden switch in mood: at the moment my
money is on Silviana finally refusing to continue with the absurd punishments
that Elaida has imposed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. Gawyn is
finally on the move, but where? Egwene does not want a rescue... do you expect
him to listen or will he just make a mess of things?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Ah, Gawyn! Last week we were moaning about his
uselessness and now he is rushing off to almost certain death in his effort to
rescue Egwene. If only she wanted to be rescued, or even needed it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that he will go to the Rebels and try to
encourage them to rescue Egwene. In fact, I predict that he will be most
indignant that they have not tried this themselves already. Of course, Siuan
will simply tell him that Egwene does not want to be rescued and that they
could pull her out of the Tower whenever they wanted to by using a Gateway.
This will be very embarrassing for the poor lad and he will go back to being
depressed and feeling useless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Sadly, I still want to slap him around the head . .
. I had hoped that he would improve once he made a decision! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-21767420186465207122014-10-05T14:30:00.003-04:002014-10-05T14:30:35.972-04:00The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan: Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3buF_IEhihZJ3Qa0UP-doEC1RygQtqtpJudn2Bw09nZSPuLo3Rkd_6IUsnhpAZXzzoO-RhvZ6aFPhThXL37ESGJ7gjxcX9-_NgsExxBk0-47S1S5j35ZYpUuXfqsEbVN01kFhGp9394s/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3buF_IEhihZJ3Qa0UP-doEC1RygQtqtpJudn2Bw09nZSPuLo3Rkd_6IUsnhpAZXzzoO-RhvZ6aFPhThXL37ESGJ7gjxcX9-_NgsExxBk0-47S1S5j35ZYpUuXfqsEbVN01kFhGp9394s/s1600/WOT+12.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of Chapter 6.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. Rand has
sent a message to Tuon via a released <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damane</i>,
but it seems that it might be some time before she hears of his invitation. Do
you think that this delay will make a difference? Will the Seanchan be too
distracted by the newly arrived Trolloc hordes and Rodel Ituralde’s army?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Oops: I meant to say “a released <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sul’dam</i>” . . . the shame, the shame . .
.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Why is nothing simple with the Seanchan and their
political maneuvering? I sincerely hope that Falendre passes the message along
reasonably quickly because delay is going to cause more needless fighting and
many deaths that could be avoided. Of course, we should really expect people to
completely ignore the approaching End Of The World in favor of their own petty
concerns because that has become a recurring theme in this series. However, it
is still annoying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Whilst I think that the Trollocs might distract the
Seanchan for a moment or two, I doubt that even the Shadowspawn will halt the
Return for more than a few days. As Ituralde himself has noted, the Seanchan
are remarkably determined and also adaptable, so they will certainly accept
this new challenge with their usual relentless efficiency. Indeed, it seems as
if Ituralde is almost a spent force, with most of his army destroyed and an
enemy that rarely repeats the same mistake. I had expected him to eventually
join Rand’s cause, especially as he is one of the Five Great Captains, but it
looks like he might not survive that long. However, it seems unlikely that we
would have followed him this far only to see him die a pointless death . . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. We had
only a short glimpse of the Forsaken in this section, but there were some
tantalizing hints. Given Graendal’s thoughts about Demandred, where do you
think he has made his base of operations? What do you make of Moridin’s issues
with his left hand?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Graendal seems to have decided that Demandred is
masquerading as one of the rulers in the Borderlands, but this seems to
discount the most obvious choice in my opinion. Whilst most of the Forsaken
seem to be fixated on Randland, we have seen at least one work with the forces
beyond its borders. Semirhage has been marvelously effective with the Seanchan,
so it seems highly unlikely that none of the Forsaken would attempt to mobilize
the forces of Shara. So far we have heard very little about this land, but it
seems to be massive and we know that Graendal herself has visited it quite
recently to select suitably exotic ‘toys’ for her collection. I find it very
suspicious that we have heard no rumors of Shadow activity or political unrest
in this vast nation, so I conclude that Demandred has been rather more discreet
than some of the other Forsaken in his attempts to gain power and influence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So far, we have seen Rand and Moridin sharing their
power-related ‘sickness’ as well as the occasional vision of the others’
activities. With this latest manifestation, it seems that the link is much more
powerful than we originally thought and could possibly be a danger to either
one. This goes a long way towards explaining why Moridin has issued orders that
Rand is not to be harmed: he may be uncertain of how the link was formed and
fears that Rand’s death could cause his own if he does not learn how to sever
their connection first. We know that the link occurred when the two men crossed
their beams of balefire back in Shadar Logoth, but that does not mean that
Moridin has any more idea of what happened than Rand does. I just hope that
this link will not stop Rand from killing Moridin when the time comes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. The
Prophet finally met his end, but not before we got to spend a little time
inside his highly disturbing mind. What do you make of his vision of the
Dragon? Do you think that his death will remove the Dragonsworn as an organized
force?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Throughout this series I have had very few
opportunities to pull out my tiny, tiny violin and play a sad, sad song for
those annoying characters that have FINALLY died and made me happy. I was so
pleased when Masema made my week and took an arrow to the chest!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course, the poor guy was totally insane, so he
was almost pathetic in his last few moments. However, he has been responsible
for so much chaos, death and destruction that I found it rather difficult to
muster much sympathy for his delusional thinking. I took no satisfaction at all
in learning that we were all correct in thinking that he had no real interest
in serving Rand’s plans: in fact, I think that he would have decided that Rand
was a False Dragon within a few minutes of their reunion. It is just a shame
that Rand let this lunatic run around like a rabid dog for such a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Assuming that Masema saw a real vision, and not
just some delusional hallucination, I can only assume that one of the Forsaken
was manipulating him. He was certainly a great candidate for fulfilling their
mission to sow chaos throughout the lands, and he has ultimately weakened
Rand’s support in many places. I sincerely hope that any remaining Dragonsworn
will return to being the disorganized rabble that they were before he took
control: Rand does not need any more problems to deal with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. We see
Egwene go through some serious changes this week, as she realizes why the Aiel
laugh at pain. Do you think that she is correct to think that Elaida’s rule
would come to an end soon even without her own efforts? What do you make of the
severe disruptions that are occurring in Tar Valon: are they worse than the
ones we are seeing elsewhere?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Egwene is certainly developing into a real force of
nature: I hope that she gets to swap notes with Cadsuane and Sorilea very soon!
:D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Given the way that everything in the Tower and Tar
Valon are falling apart, I think it is highly likely that Elaida will be
deposed very soon no matter what Egwene does. I suspect that her continued
existence as Amyrlin is being extended by the actions of the Blacks, who are
probably laughing themselves stupid at how easy she has made their orders to
weaken the Tower. We know that it would look extraordinarily bad if the Aes
Sedai overthrew a second Amyrlin so soon, but I doubt that this reason will be
sufficient to keep her in office for very much longer. Egwene’s appearance, and
her stoic acceptance of Elaida’s vengeance, will no doubt speed this process,
but even the most stubborn Sister will accept the inevitable eventually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We do not seem to have evidence of such effects
elsewhere, although a patch of grass moving permanently would be difficult to
spot unless it showed up somewhere really unusual. It seems likely that the
Dark One is targeting the Tower for special attention in the hopes of causing
further disruption and unrest: plus a few half-buried Sisters to scare the rest
out of their minds. Of course, it could be Mesaana’s actions, which might
explain why Leanne seemed to be targeted and we do not know if the Forsaken was
one of the yellows on duty when this particular bubble manifested itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. Poor
Aviendha is off counting tiny seeds whilst running across country. Can you
offer any suggestions about what she has done wrong in the eyes of the Wise
Ones?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is a tricky one, as the Aiel seem to take
offense at the strangest things. However, I am at a loss to think of anything
in particular, and the tradition of not asking what is causing the problem
seems likely to prolong this for quite some time to come. This is probably
going to be rather frustrating and I hope that it is not because of something
stupidly pointless. My only hope is that she is actually ready to be a Wise
One, but needs to start acing like it: perhaps by telling them to take their
seeds and shove them where the Sun does not shine! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. We
finally touch base with Gawyn in his efforts to disrupt the rebel siege. Can
you think of anything that might make him finally see sense and join the rebel
cause? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems that we have yet another person to add to
my long list of Stupid People Who Need Some Sense Slapping Into Them.
Seriously, Gawyn, what are you still doing supporting Elaida? Surely even you
have notice that her last few orders have been specifically designed to get you
killed? No, you want her to say it to your face whilst cackling insanely?
Perhaps she could take out an advertisement in the Tar Valon Times or send
Gareth Bryne you exact location?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am beginning to think that a good blow to the
head might be the only way that Gawyn will FINALLY acknowledge the decision
that he made when he helped Min and the others to escape: that Elaida is
unworthy and does not deserve the loyalty of any of the Younglings. I can
understand how he might worry about persuading the rest of his men that she is
actually the enemy, but he really needs to get out of this situation ASAP. At
the moment his sense of self-preservation is sadly lacking in someone who has
been trained from birth to protect his sister from the evils of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The only other thing that could trigger a return to
brain-owning sanity would be an encounter with Egwene, followed by a swift
application of her foot to his backside before she explains the realities of
recent history and then Bonds him as her Warder . . . and then uses some
well-timed sexytimes to prevent any further idiotic behavior! I sincerely hope
that we see a resolution to this side plot soon, otherwise I suspect that Gawyn
will be proven to be Too Stupid To Live, possibly by attempting a suicide
mission in order to rescue the ‘helpless’ Egwene from the Tower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. Cadsuane
and a few other Sisters are trying to get information out of Semirhage. Do you
think they have any hope at all of succeeding, or will we have to endure many
more creepy stories about how she can do truly diabolical things to peoples’
bodies?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Semirhage is possibly the most disturbing person
that we have met so far in the series, although Coilin Mellar comes quite
close. In many ways, the idea of trying to torture her is actually quite funny
and I have to agree with her announcements that the modern Sisters are puny and
laughably useless. I have a sneaking suspicion that she might actually enjoy
some physical torture, but even if she does not, there is likely to be very
little that actually frightens her. After all, she can face down Cadsuane
without a problem, and that is almost the scariest thing that I can imagine! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that defeating this particular Forsaken
will require a great deal of thought and a deep understanding of human nature.
However, Rand has one weapon that he has yet to unleash on the poor,
unsuspecting creature: Sorilea! Surely the wizened old Wise One has been kept
in reserve for when all else fails, so that she can stalk in, take one look at
the problem and solve it as if everyone else is a total idiot. I do hope so!
The solution will probably be something elegantly simple, like ignoring
Semirhage or making her wash dishes all day until her nails split and then
laughing at them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
Looks-Mostly-Harmlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918651503213054373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3936635192759786622.post-16091321889889615162014-09-28T14:42:00.000-04:002014-09-28T14:42:05.979-04:00New Spring by Robert Jordan: Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5c6pGDryTGoqcrtm0DlsraHjzq0KVTvAYZExNg9exZf_q1BJwxLfNZVgQplvKYHIdQzljS1FBCmh-UpPyvX1Ud94Or708KTSaWtsub_TN2oK1rnLvzWE3icNNfUv2okFh5pLeCiTS1k/s1600/WOT+00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5c6pGDryTGoqcrtm0DlsraHjzq0KVTvAYZExNg9exZf_q1BJwxLfNZVgQplvKYHIdQzljS1FBCmh-UpPyvX1Ud94Or708KTSaWtsub_TN2oK1rnLvzWE3icNNfUv2okFh5pLeCiTS1k/s1600/WOT+00.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">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 the links to the
other posts can be found at </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the bottom
of this post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This week we read through to the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1. What do
you think of the fact that Moiraine met Cadsuane. I don't think we knew that
before. What's Cadsuane up to. Do you think Moiraine's eventual conclusion that
she's Black Ajah is valid? Logical?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Any time spent with Cadsuane is always good fun,
and I enjoyed this scene a great deal. I think that we had a slight hint about
her and Moiraine at one point when she mentioned her in a list of things that
she had failed to do or not seen as significant at the time. However, it was
not clear that she had actually met Moiraine, or could have been much more
proactive in the search for the infant Dragon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I doubt that we will ever learn what Cadsuane was
doing at this time, although it could simply be that she was in the Borderlands
during the last months of the Aiel War to guard it against Shadowspawn
incursions. However, we see here the weakness of Cadsuane’s total
self-confidence and certainty of her own superior knowledge. She gives no
thought to why Moiraine might be moving through the Borderlands and simply
assumes that she is doing nothing of importance. If she had only considered the
fact that the young Sister might be trying to accomplish something significant,
she could have extracted the information from Moiraine and then helped in the
search. I can understand why Cadsuane thinks that she knows everything, but
this is a very good example of her making things worse by being too much of a
bully. I am sure that her future self is now bitterly aware of this oversight
and truly regrets it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Given that Cadsuane is obviously not working under
Tamra’s direction, but is one of the most powerful and competent Sisters for
many generations, it makes some sense to think that she was not included in the
search for a good reason. Given her paranoia, and her youthful assumption that
she is the center of the universe, Moiraine leaps to the conclusion that Tamra
could not trust Cadsuane, who must, therefore, be Black. Of course, the good
reason was much more likely to be the fact that she was lost somewhere in the
Borderlands when Tamra needed people close at hand that she could trust . . .
or that she scared the snot out of the Amyrlin as much as everyone else! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Do you
think Tamra was killed by a Darkfriend? Do you think the new amyrlin, Sierin,
is Black Ajah? If so, why, and what do you think will happen next?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think that it is very likely that the Blacks
killed Tamra and her searchers. I would discount a ‘normal’ Darkfriend because
of the similarity between her death and that of Meilyn. This suggests that the
One Power was used to kill both these women and in a manner that would leave no
evidence. It also makes a lot of sense for the Blacks to put Tamra to the
question before killing her, and that again would leave evidence if done by a
normal person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Sierin is not actually Black, even
if she is a crazy man-hating ball of spite. Given the Aes Sedai tradition of
manipulation and deception, it seems much more likely that the Blacks are
highly placed individuals, as we see with Merean, and that Amyrlin is more of a
puppet than she believes. We also know that she does not survive in place for
very long, which adds more weight to my belief that she is not Black. It is
likely that she became suspicious of one of the powerful Blacks, or learnt
something incriminating, and they had to remove her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. We saw
the scene with Lan, Moiraine, and the lake that was mentioned briefly clear
back in book 2. What was your reaction to it? Did it play out the way you'd
imagined?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I had completely forgotten the reference in The
Great Hunt . . . but it is almost two years since we read it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought this was hilarious, and did actually
laugh out loud when she landed in the pond. I thought that the imagery was
particularly well done, especially Lan’s apparent confusion that she had
somehow disappeared from in front of him!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In the main series, we are constantly shown that
Lan is as lethal as Moiraine, and that he has some pretty nifty talents that
would make him almost super-human even without the Warder Bond. To have their
initial confrontation show that he can both outwit and outmaneuver her was a
delight, but also very necessary to show him as a worthy companion and true
equal to Moiraine. It also made me wonder how much of his silence in later life
was to cover up derisive thoughts and eye-rolling frustration over her
stupidity and rashness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">4. Someone
tried to assassinate Lan. He was an idiot who was told to kill Moiraine first,
but didn't. Who do you think the attack was aimed at and who was responsible
for it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At the time, it seemed clear that it must be Edeyn
who wanted Lan dead. However, now that we know that she intended to marry him
to her daughter, that seems less than unlikely. The assassin says that he was
paid to kill Moiraine, so I suspect that she is correct in thinking that he has
something to do with the man Gorthanes who was so interested in her in Tar
Valon. It makes sense that one of the opposing Houses would want to remove
Moiraine as a potential heir to the Sun Throne, especially as she has the might
of the White Tower behind her. This would also explain why the young man was
told to shoot her first, and from a great distance, so that she would not have
chance to defend herself with the One Power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">5. What did
you think of the Lan-Edeyn relationship, and all of Edeyn's plans for Lan?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I hate to be picky, but I am a little disappointed
by Lan’s apparent habit of jumping into bed with women that he does not really
like. We saw the same thing with Myrelle after Moiraine’s death, which was even
more unforgiveable because of his love for Nynaeve at the time. I know that men
have their ‘urges’, but I thought that there were cold showers available for
that kind of problem! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was rather surprised that Lan not only bedded
Edeyn, but that he did so after she told him of her plan for him to marry her
daughter . . . eew! The Malkieri seem to have very rigid customs about the
whole <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">carneira</i> thing, but I was
seriously expecting him to send her off with a flea in her ear, not
‘reluctantly’ spend several days having rampant sexytimes. Sorry, Lan, but you
disappointed me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I suspect that Lan has not changed all that much
since Edeyn first ‘cut his hair’, but she seems to believe that he has no say
in how his life will unfold. Either she is blinded by her ambition, or is just
plain stupid, because he is obviously not a man to be forced into something he
does not want to do. Of course, once we meet his intended bride, I have to
believe that he would stab her to death after only a few hours in her company,
or run off into the waiting embrace of the Blight just to get away from her. I
suppose we cannot blame her for how she has been trained by her mother, but I
was surprised that Moiraine did not push her out of a window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6. In the
end, a Black sister is revealed, and several innocents die. The fight scene was
pretty epic. Thoughts? Feelings? Regrets?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Is it bad that I was actually quite pleased about
Iselle dying? She was an obnoxious twerp and I suppose that she did not deserve
to actually die, but I could not feel a great deal of sorrow for her or even
her grieving mother. I think that this probably makes me a bad and judgmental
person . . . sorry about that! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If it is any consolation, I did feel bad for Diryk
and Brys, both of whom seemed nice and most definitely did not deserve to die.
Of course, all that talk about ‘luck’ and mysteriously survived falls had me
shouting “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ta’veren</i>!” in my head, so I
was very disappointed when Diryk was the first off the balcony and this time he
did not survive. I thought the point about the ‘blacksmith’ was a little
labored and would have been much more subtle if the man had not been a very
clear amalgam of Mat and Perrin and if he had not been mentioned several times.
It felt a little like being hit in the face with a sign saying “This Is A Very
Important Clue!”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was also sorry to see the demise of Bukama. He
reminded me an awful lot of Uno, so I was sorry to see him die. However, he is
never mentioned in the main series and I somehow doubt that he would ever have
retired to a certain comfortable inn in a nearby town. These should have been
obvious clues that he would probably not survive to the end of the book, but I can
be rather blind when predicting the deaths of characters I like. Wishful
thinking can be powerful stuff!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">7. What did
you think of final scene that led to Moiraine bonding Lan? Did you like it?
Want more? Think it was legit?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thought that it played out in an understated way
that was rather appropriate for both characters’ impassive personas. There was
a grim practicality about it that seemed like a good way to end this chapter of
the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Would I have liked more? Of course! I want the
entire history of most things and people in this world laid out nice and neatly
. . . or even not all that neatly as long as I get more detail. Unfortunately,
I know that I will never have my wish fulfilled and, even if Mr Jordan were
still alive, the poor guy could never provide enough detail to stop me wanting
more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Extra
Thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was so pleased to learn that the infamous mice
were destined for Elaida’s bed . . . and so disappointed to discover that they
never made it that far . . . boo! :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Why would the Blues keep a secret of a weave that
allows them to herd around insects? Maybe it is just me, but that does not
sound like the world’s most exciting secret! :D<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Goodbye Mr
Jordan<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Finally, I just want to comment on our transition
to the “Final Volume”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I know that Brandon Sanderson is no stranger to
monster tomes of epic Fantasy, as I have copies of both The Way of Kings and
Words of Radiance weighing down my coffee table. However, I am staggered that
anyone could have expected this series to be finished in only one more title,
even a real doorstopper. There are so many plot lines to resolve that I cannot
believe that readers genuinely expected the series to end after book twelve. In
fact, I imagine that even a summary of the upcoming volumes would still be a
substantial work! However, I hope that we will see many characters reunited and
plot lines tied off as we stagger towards the Last Battle and I doubt that Mr
Sanderson will disappoint us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://dabofdarkness.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Dab of
Darkness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://musingsonfantasia.blogspot.com/"><span style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Musings On Fantasia</span></a></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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