The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan: Week 4

If you haven't read the book, or the whole series, why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week you can find links to everyone else’s thoughts at Musings On Fantasia.

This week we read through to the end of Chapter 23.

1) Perrin and Co. are on their way. He thinks he's headed to his death. What kind of reception do you think he'll find in the Two Rivers? How long will he and Faile's stubborn, silent treatment of one another last? (Bonus question: Moiraine made a brief reference to secrets Faile is keeping from Perrin. What do you think they might be?)

I imagine that many of the people in the Two Rivers will be pleased to see Perrin and learn that the others are still alive and in one piece, more or less. However, I have to assume that the Whitecloaks have been quite free in telling everyone that he is the reason that they are in the area, so I am quite sure that some people will blame him for all the trouble that they are having, especially the Congars and Coplins. I would also expect everyone to have a very hard time accepting that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, although it will be interesting to see if Tam tells the truth of how he found him as a baby.

I expect Faile and Perrin to remain at loggerheads until there is some kind of threat that brings them together again. Poor Perrin, I cannot imagine that he will ever have an easy life with Faile because she is so prickly, but perhaps he will eventually tame her, just as Lan seems to be molding Nynaeve a little.

I am very intrigued by the idea that there is something important about Faile that she has not told Perrin. She seems to be of high or noble birth, but I doubt that she is a princess or equivalent because she took the oath as a Hunter for the Horn. I can only hope that she is not the Daughter of the Nine Moons, who Mat is supposed to marry! :D

2) What do you think of the Seafolk and their strange clothing customs? Were you surprised to find hidden Channelers among them?

I can see how clothing above the waist could get caught in rigging or be a nuisance whilst you are dashing about. However, I do feel some sympathy for the older women and those with larger ‘assets’ as this could be rather uncomfortable for them. I was rather surprised by the prudish response from Elayne and Nynaeve, although I guess that their problem is not so much with the nakedness but the setting: seeing women bare-chested is rather different when there are all those men about, even if there is no staring going on! I felt sorry for poor Juilin Sandar, trying not to die of embarrassment, but Thom seemed to be coping quite well, the old letch! :D

As I think I have said before, I do like the way that the different races and cultures in this world are markedly different from one another. This not only makes the world more interesting, but it helps to create a sense of age and size. It has taken a long time for these different traditions to grow into such different cultures and the world must be reasonably large for the societies to remain so isolated and secret from one another. Of course, the best examples of this are the Seanchan and Aiel, but all the diversity makes me feel as if the world is very real. It is also great to see a culture that places women into traditionally male roles, even calling their ships ‘he’. I wonder if this tradition also applies to other aspects of their culture, or is restricted to the ships. I am also curious to know if it could derive from the importance of the female channelers to the survival of their culture.

It is good to see the limits of the White Tower’s knowledge of the world and its people: they are so self confident and yet they are truly ignorant of so many things that are not that far away from them, such as the secret about the Windcallers. It makes perfect sense that sea-going folk would use channelers who specialize in manipulating the weather, and we have already seen Aes Sedai aiding river vessels by creating a suitable wind for them, so I was not really surprised. I also thought the comment about her looking strangely young was a big clue. I like the idea that the Sea Folk send a few girls to Tar Valon in order to prevent any close attention from the sisters: they seem like a very sensible people.

3) Rand dealt, after a fashion, with the Tairen High Lords, extra export inventory, famines in other lands, Callandor, and a few other things all in one fell swoop. How do you think he did?

Well, I am totally sure that not a single one of the High Lords had expected those actions, so he was completely successful in surprising them. He did seem to manipulate them quite ruthlessly, presumably using Thom’s advice. However, these people seem to be totally untrustworthy, so I do not expect them to exactly what he has ordered. I am quite sure that, once they get over the shock, they will be reinterpreting his order for their own benefit. For example, I can imagine that the preparations for their army to set out could take an extended amount of time, as they will be in no rush to get going.

4) Into the Waste. Do you think Rand was wise to use the Portal stones again? What are your first impressions of Rhuidean and the Aiel homeland?

I suspect that things could have gone horribly wrong when Rand used the stones; although it would have made the series a whole lot shorter so I was not really worried that they would all end up inside out or dead. As with his treatment of the High Lords, this would certainly have been a massive surprise to those following his movements. It would also make it very difficult for anyone to follow or track him, which will keep everyone guessing until rumors of his arrival in the Waste spread.

The Waste just keeps making me think of Dune and the Fremen, although the blatant use of water for cooling purposes would be sacrilege to them. Again we have a society with women given a significant role in roles of leadership and authority, which seems perfectly sensible to me. I note that none of the societies so far are female-dominated as far as I can tell, apart from the White Tower, which is even better as far as I am concerned, because it shows a true understanding of how men and women can share authority without one group dominating the other.

Rhuidean seems very ancient and mysterious. I am rather concerned about what they will all find once they enter the city and what is causing all that mist / cloud. I was a little confused about why the men got to keep their clothes on whilst the women had to be naked, although this is consistent with the Accepted testing so I have to assume that it something to do with the ter’angreals being used.

5) Couladin sure seems to be looking for trouble. What kind of role do you foresee him having in the story?

He is going to be a major pain in everyone’s posteriors. He seems unusually volatile and emotional compared to the other Aiel that we have met and also more concerned with his entitlements than in the ways of honor and duty that drive the others.

I predict that he will cause immense trouble before someone finally puts him down.

6) The instant they hit the slopes above Rhuidean, there's lots going on. Aviendha can channel, both Moiraine and Mat end up going to Rhuidean, and the Wise Ones accuse the Tower of coddling its trainees. What kind of learning experience do you think Egwene is in for in the Waste?

I thought it was pretty obvious that Aviendha was being summoned to begin her training as a Wise One, which suggested that she could most likely channel. I also seem to remember there being a hint earlier that she could see the glow when a woman held saidar, but I cannot pin point it exactly. I find it refreshing that being able to channel is not a requirement for becoming a Wise One, so I wonder what other things qualify a woman to begin the training.

I have a strange feeling that Egwene will very shortly wish that she had never come to Rhuidean because the training is going to be horrific. The Waste is obviously a very difficult place to live and so the Aiel must be strong and resilient to survive there. Egwene is going to find out how truly soft she is.

Other thoughts:

I meant to mention this last week, but forgot! How cool was the image of Loial protecting a room full of children and nursing women from the trollocs? He is such an adorable hero!

Sue's Saturday Suggestions #53

Interesting Books

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman, reviews at Fantasy Literature & The Book Smugglers

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

I have listed these titles in earlier SSS posts: check out my SSS Books Page for links to more reviews:

The City by Stella Gemmell, review at Bookworm Blues

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu, review at Sarah Says Read

Jan DeLima

As well as being a writer, Jan is also an enthusiastic gardener, as you can see from her latest blog post.

Anticipated Books

Fantasy Book Critic

Also, A Fantastical Librarian shares her thoughts in the upcoming releases:

Fantasy (July-September)

Fantasy (October – December)

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan: Week 3

If you haven't read the book, or the whole series, why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week you can find links to everyone else’s thoughts at Dab of Darkness.

This week we read through to the end of Chapter 17.

1) Egwene dives back into Tel'aran'rhiod to investigate Tanchico and comes out with an Aiel Wise Woman's contact info. Egwene kicks herself for not having the knowledge and skill to interpret her dreams. Have you ever given dream interpretation a shot? Do you think Egwene's plans to train and pass that on to Nynaeve and Elayne will work out as she plans?

Dream interpretation is not something that I have ever tried and I have never had a dream that was in any way prophetic. I guess it would be interesting to know what all the randomness in my dreams actually mean, but I have a suspicion that they are mostly just an assortment of highlights from the day’s thinking.

I think Egwene is being somewhat optimistic in thinking that she can pass on her learning easily. I imagine that you need to have you someone to travel with you at first and show you how to do things, just like Hopper does with Perrin. Perhaps she will be able to do this for the others, but I do worry that they are all very confidant in their ability to handle their powers without people getting hurt.

2) Robert Jordan loves setting up the battle of the sexes, doesn't he? In this section we see that Perrin and Faile are having a contest of wills. Rand versus the Aes Sedai (Moiraine in particular). Thom versus Moiraine. Even Min! What do you think of Jordan's use of this?

I think that this is a product of him including some very strong-willed women in his character list and so I rather like seeing the girls hold their own against the lads. We talked a little last week about his ability to write female characters that are strong and yet still seem realistic, which I very much appreciate. I would say that he has a talent for creating believable women and it is good that he acknowledges that males and females are far more evenly matched than many people will admit.

I also like how he shows that men and women are fundamentally different in how they think about things. This leads them to react rather differently in situations, but also makes them frustrated when members of the opposite sex do things in alternative ways. Each is adamant that their way is correct and that the other person is simply being stubborn or foolish. This dynamic is not only very realistic but also as ancient as human civilization, so it is great to see it played out repeatedly in these books.

3) Mat, Perrin, and Rand finally hear about Whitecloaks in the Two Rivers. Perrin feels an obligation to return, tries to break some ties, and then finds out he won't be going alone. Were you surprised at Perrin's self-sacrificial take on this situation? Will the White Cloaks get more than they are looking for?

I was not at all surprised by Perrin’s reaction, because he is a man who wants to protect other people from harm. We see Rand, and even Mat, have similar reactions, but they are not free to travel to the Two Rivers with him and so cannot go. It seems odd, but Perrin has already discovered his special place in the war against the Dark One. Although he is very uncomfortable with his gift of the Wolf link, or whatever it is, it is obviously his destiny to lead the wolves in the Final Battle. I do not know why this role is so important, but it must be vital to Rand’s success somehow or other. He has much more to learn about his abilities, but he can learn where ever he can find wolves, or even in his dreams from Hopper, whilst Rand and Mat still have set paths that they must follow.

I am quite certain that the Whitecloaks are going to have a massive surprise in store for them when he arrives and rallies the people of the Two Rivers against them. I also expect Dain Bornhald to discover that Perrin is not the monster that he imagines and so will find it very difficult to justify the anger he feels towards him.

4) Ladies and their weapons: We saw some hand-to-hand altercations and some subtler weapons in use in this section. Who do you deem the more dangerous - Berelain or Faile?

I am not sure that I could make a prediction about which one of them would win a fight, but I suspect that Berelain might have Faile soundly beaten before getting even one scratch from a dagger. We have all seen martial arts experts fighting off hoards of angry men armed to the teeth, so I expect Berelain to be very competent.

I doubt that Faile would be happy about this.

5) Of course Mat goes through the doorway! But once he is done with his question and answer session and tossed out, he realizes he wasn't the only one seeking answers. What kind of beings do you think the folk in the doorway were? What do you think Rand and Moiraine asked and had answered?

Mat has self-control issues at the best of times and he seems incapable of trusting anyone to give him advice, so this was not really a surprise. However, even though I know that he is paranoid about Moiraine, but I would have liked to have seen him approach someone else, perhaps Lan or Thom, before risking a trip through an ancient magical relic.

I was rather surprised by the race in the other world, because they do not seem to be like any species that we have encountered before. However, I was intrigued about their fear of iron, fire and musical instruments: iron and fire are common weapons, but since when was anyone afraid of a guitar? The fear of iron seems to be a direct reference to the old traditions about fairies in folklore, but these people did not seem particularly fae.

I can only assume that both Rand and Moiraine asked for guidance about what to do next, but I bet that we will never be told precisely what they asked. As for what answers they received: who knows? Some of the things that Mat was told were kind of direct, but others were awfully vague, which is rather annoying. Although we now know that he will get a wife, even though it seems unbelievable! :D

6) Finally, Loial is back in the story. While he seems to be content as a chronicler, I do you think The Wheel will let him sit in a corner with pen and ink the entire book? What do you think of Faile's twisting his arm to visit The Ways?

Yay, Loial!

I find it highly unlikely that he will be able to simply drift along in the wakes that the ta’verens create because I assume that every one of the significant characters in the series have an important part to play in the lead up to the Final Battle. At the moment I cannot imagine Loial persuading the other Ogier to take up arms against the Enemy (as the Ents do in The Two Towers), but they would certainly be an important ally because of their ability to navigate the Ways.

I was very angry with Faile for manipulating him the way she did and for making him feel so miserable. Loial is a wonderful, caring soul and he does not deserve to be treated badly just because she is angry and jealous. Fortunately, I think that Perrin will not hold Loial responsible for what has happened, but it does seem that Faile has made a mistake in pushing Perrin and may come to regret her actions. I suspect that poor Loial will blame himself for their bickering anyway, because he is just so gentle and lovely.

Bad Faile!

Extra Thoughts

Way to go Lan! He really managed to get Nynaeve to shut up for once! :D