So! Fellow WoT readers! What brought you into the turnings of the Wheel? Was it finding out Brandon is finishing the series? Perhaps a friend or family member sharing a book with you? What did it, and what got you hooked?

For me, I was in High School. I want to say it was Freshman year, but I'm not positive. Anyways, the school was having its semi-annual book fair, and one of the volumes they were selling happened to be From the Two Rivers, the YA release of the first half of Eye of the World. My friend, having just purchased the book himself, showed it to me. I had already told him numerous times how I like fantasy, and have a particular fondness for very long books, and so when he introduced FtTR as being the first half of the first volume of what was going to be a twelve-volume series, my interest was piqued. I purchased the book, found myself quickly pulled in, and devoured it in no time. The cutoff really got to me too: what was going to happen to Perrin and Egwene? What's the deal with the wolves? Is the gang ever going to find each other?

I went out immediately and purchased the full copy of Eye of the World, and the rest, as they say, is history.

What's your story?

I'll go first: (Again subject to change as I'm only on book 8)

Favorite: Lord of Chaos (6)

Least Favorite: The Path of Daggers (8)

Anyway, the point is, it looks way weird for me to roam the halls of junior high with a brick of a novel that looks like gone with the wind gone wrong. And idk, it's funny to show off such a bad cover hahaha! Most people in general who I've shown it to get a kick out of them,  including me. And so in honor of these art monstrosities, I have renamed book six (with help from those who have never read it) to be "Back at it Again with Mike and Susan" just cuz the names got the people on the cover too well. 

And since I just started book 7, I have renamed the cover: "Home Fitness Routines with Chuck Simmons" 

The person in the front looks like  Chuck Norris. You're welcome. Now you can't unsee it. (Also what's with his crazy wide 90 degree angle elbow?)

Reply below with your cover renamings!

The rule is, viewpoint main protagonists only, no side characters, gods, etc. Can anyone think of a good example?

I'm wondering which character Jordan had planned on killing off in this book, if any. I was really miffed about one of the best characters from the beginning of the journey all the way back in EotW biting it, as well as an Amyrlin and her boyfriend. Is there a list of who's responsible for these deaths? Did Jordan have notes he left Sanderson on who was supposed to die, and has Brandon ever commented on this? I would love to know the answer. Thanks. 

Also, if actions are undone, say I kill some random person with balefire, and immediately after, someone kills me with balefire. Is the person I killed back to life now? 

I've been really enjoying the series and I just started book 4 the Shadow Rising.

The one plot line im confused about is with The Children of the Light. I can't seem to remember who is who, their rank, and their relationships. So could you guys help me keep them all straight?

Also I've only read up to the prologue of Book 4 so please don't share any info that's revealed after that.

I know there's one Child who kidnapped Perrin and Egwene in Book one after they met Elaidas but I can't remember his name.

I know there's one who is in charge of them all. Book 3 prologue was from his POV and he's plotting something but I can't remember. I know that Padan Fain is with him trying to manipulate things under a different name.

I think Padan Fains alias is Moredeeth?

I know there's a Child who is secretly a Dark Friend and hates Perrin. That was revealed in the Book 3 prologue when a half man talked to him

I know there's a guy who died on Almoths Plain at the end of Book 2 and his son is trying to avenge him. I think his name is Bornhold?

I dont really get what their goal is? Are they just killing anyone they think is against the Light? What is the Commander scheming? 

Again I'm only on the prologue of Book 4 so please no spoilers after that point. Just stuff I had forgotten before this point. Thank you!

She'll probably be rooting for the false dragon Lanfear creates in the episode she hasn't watched yet.

This season is epic! Rewatching with the fam is all joy.

I'll probably update this/post a pt 2 later, but these are my thoughts for rn

I'm sure that this topic has been bled dry BUT i'm opening it back up anyway! I propose that Rand has become so strongly Ta'veren that he can simply will the threads of the Pattern to flow in a way he pleases. I believe he as gained this power by being offered infinite power but rejecting it (When he destroyed the Choeden Khal) being offered the oblivion of nonexistence (Suicide) but choosing life, and by deciding to progress and try again. Then, once the Creator saw that he would never abuse infinite power, he just got it anyway. A little job perk for saving the WHOLE STORMING PATTERN.

Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts about this topic? Why do YOU think it happened? Do you think Rand can just control the Pattern now? Let's discuss!

Delightfully perplexed, the Ultimate Archivist.

Anyway. Aes Sedai are the worst. Even the best of them like Egwene and Nynaeve fall prey to the arrogance, overconfidence, and blindness that all Aes Sedai are prey to. Every one of them thinks they know so much, and refuse to admit when they are wrong. Elaida is a horrible person, but she is just an extreme version of what every Aes Sedai is. They all have that spark of arrogant tyrannicalness.

Just for one example. When Asha'man start bonding sisters, this upsets the Aes Sedai. I think this upset is warranted due to the non-consenting nature of the bond. However, the Aes Sedai aren't as concerned about that as they are the mere fact that it is women who are the warders and not men. They refuse to see themselves as equals. Even when the Asha'man come and try to make recompense they don't think that an even number bonded would be a fair deal because in their minds Aes Sedai are superior beings.

I know the sea folk are frustrating. I understand all the Gawyn hate. The Seanchan are pretty terrible. The Asha'man have problems of their own. Sevanna is almost as bad as Elaida. But for me, the Aes Sedai are the worst out of all of them.

Thank you for listening to my ranting. I would love to be proven wrong on these points. Maybe someone could help me understand the Aes Sedai better, and not grow as frustrated when they do literally anything.

Now then for a quick theory to start things off: I think that Lord Luc could possibly be the Slayer. He seems to recognize Perrin, he's a dude hanging out in Two Rivers, and he is confident enough to not be worried about a Warder.

An animated breakdown of Rodel Ituralde's attempt to defend the city of Maradon from a massive horde of Trollocs, that sprouting from the Blight, threatens to annihilate everything in its path. And this is merely the first step of the road that leads to Tarmon Gai'don:

The Battle of Maradon ANIMATED

After rousing a rebellion in Tarabon, Rodel Ituralde lures the Seanchan into Arad Doman, where he has set a trap for them. He waits for them at Darluna, a walled town that at first sight looks undefended, but thw "Wolf" always has a trick under his sleeve...

here are my issues

1. The female characters are really flat. They spend every other sentence talking about necklines and are treated disgustingly by men

2.  Somehow Rand, who does nothing but complain gets not one but 3 girlfriends? while i am not nessicarily against polygamy in books, it comes of as jordan projecting his fantasies onto rand

3. Mat and tylin where they are all just act like what is going on is fine

4. The whole series is communication problems. that is fine at first but once they can teleport there is no excuse.

The only really likeable characters are perrin and loial and once loial is not as important the series kinda falls apart

Confronted with the fact that she herself can channel, she still tried to train damane and enjoys it.

I totally despise her and feel so sorry for Mat.  

(Currently reading the part where she tried to train Joline, Teslyn etc)

Personally, I found it fascinating, though it took a page or two to get into it. We learned so many new things about Shara and Demandred (and other stuff) that only left me thirsting for more.

Which is why this story left me with a bittersweet feeling- it's the last Wheel of Time story we're going to see. I suppose the encyclopedia Harriet is working on will reveal some of the information I'm thirsting for, but finding it out through an encyclopedia isn't nearly as interesting as doing so through a story!

Anyway. Just wondering at my fellow WoT lovers' take on this.

Brandon's always been fairly tight-lipped about Robert Jordan's side of writing WoT.  Has he ever mentioned this before?  Because I was pretty surprised to hear it!  (Not surprised to learn it; it makes sense.  But I'm surprised to hear Brandon actually say it.)

Ok, I didn't want to resurrect a dead topic because I remembered and vaguely recall something about not doing that, So I wanted to create a new thread about everyone's least and most favorite characters.

I love:

Mat - Best character of WoT, if not ever. Not much more to say.

Rand - He's great, other than 2 problems. 1 He's the main character, and I personally don't let myself chose the main character as a favorite. 2 He's so moody in the late middle books oh I have to die so I can do whatever.

Androl and Pevara - I'm listing them together for obvious reasons. Their relationship is the only interesting one (for me) in the entire series. Circumstance might have something to do with it.

I hate:

Most of the girls. No offence to all the women out there intended AT ALL. Especially all the Aes Sedai. Brandon mentioned that there was some gender role manipulation, but I can now sympathize whatever gender discrimination now.

 Aes Sedai - They all think that they're the only ones that know what are going on, and the White Tower is perfect, and everyone should bow to Aes Sedai whims because Aes Sedai knows best. 

Perrin - Just boring. I mentioned him because so many people love him.

What about everyone else?

Condition is like new. This is the copy I personally read so it has been read through one time. It has been sitting on shelves and in boxes for 9 years so it's no spring chicken but it looks pretty brand new.

If there's no interest that's okay! Love this series and this community.

I have to say though, I'm disappointed by the ending. I had a hard time with Rand having 3 girlfriends throughout the WOT. I guess I can see circumstances where that would work and I can accept that this is a fantasy world. Further, its funny because the authors did a great job of convincing me that the girls were ok with the set-up. I just never found Rand to be totally reconciled to the arrangements and that's what dampened the very end of the series for me. If he was just off on his way to travel, without pain and without the burden of the world I could be happy for him. But he has this crazy love life arrangements that will never really allow him to be free. And I'm not sure the Rand that I really admired throughout the series, the boy who admired the stability of his adopted father and that posses such a deep sense of honor, would really be ok not being present for the SIX children that were due to be born within less than a year, nor would he want to be?  

I'm trying to come up with my own "ending" beyond the end that satisfies some of these concerns. I thought I'd reach out here to the Brandon experts to see if he ever opined about what he thought happened "after the ending"? I know he is hesitant to give his opinion too freely since he reverently regard's this as Jordan's story. I just wondered for those of you deeply familiar with Brandon's writing if there is a way to use his craft to reimagine the ending so that it seems more hopeful of a truly happy ending? 

Would love to hear other opinions! 

Thanks!

So what does "salvation" mean to them? What are they being 'saved' from?

Am I missing something and there's some idea of the Dark One eating the souls of the wicked/oathbreakers or something?

I can definitely see how people would be frustrated with these later books if they were fans when the books were first released. I was spared the agony of having to wait to read the next book, so I really didn't have any problems with these two. I could see how missing Mat for the entire book would annoy of great many people with that cliffhanger, but it seemed fairly obvious he would survive considering the number of side characters that were left behind with him. After reading through Winter's Heart, I was glad his story wasn't pushed in tPoD. The (relative) shortness of the book was refreshing, and the story flowed together really well. I'm equating these later books to be similar to A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons, in that they are more about further establishing the characters' places and reactions to the events as they unfold.

I'll try to keep this as well organized as I can, but the whole story is really starting to blur together.

Aviendha chapters are absolutely splendid. I wish that he'd have utilized her more as a POV. I especially enjoy that there are specialties in the power that the Aiel have which the Aes Sedai think to be impossible. (It was especially gratifying to see Elayne attempt it and have it literally blow up in her face.) This may be weird, but I'm not sure how I feel about the Chosen not knowing that it was possible.

The dynamic between the Aes Sedai, the Kin, and the Seafolk was interesting to watch develop, however, I found myself hating the Sea Folk. When I first met them, I had a much different impression of them. Since then though, it seems that they are only displayed in a pejorative light since the inital meeting. They used to be one of the bigger mysteries in my head, as they seemed to be calm, cool and collected, and willing to make sacrifices for the greater goal. Now I find myself not caring about them, as they are obnoxious, obtrusive, and uncompromising. I find myself able to relate more to the Seanchan at this point.

Egwene was the most gratifying chapters for me in tPoD. Seeing her come to power and maneuver the other Aes Sedai is great. Suane in particular I think really has come into her own as a character, and is a great companion to Egwene. In fact, I think this story arch has been my favorite in the whole series so far. I particularly enjoyed seeing Aran'gar's reactions and that of Delana as Egwene unknowingly even outmaneuvered them. It was quite a shock to find out that Sheriam is either Black Ajah or controlled by the Black. I was quite sad to not see any Egwene chapters in Winter's Heart.

It was good to see Elyas again, and him giving Perrin Marriage advice was absolutely priceless, even more so since he was correct. This revelation alone cleared up so much confusion for me. I just don't understand women the way Mat or Rand does. It surprised me that the wolves were that upset by the events at Dumai's Wells. It makes sense, however, I just thought that the wolves would know the risks of heeding Perrin's call, and would not hold that against him. Perrin didn't force that on them after all.

I take back all the griping I did about Morgase's story arch, since it ended with Balwer in Perrin's service. I can't even pinpoint why, but Balwer is quickly becoming one of my favorite minor characters, right behind Lini. Their party meeting up with Perrin was not something I would have predicted, but it definitely is one of those events that just seem to click with the story. The Shaido capturing Faile and their party surprised me more than any other event to date.

Rand...Oh Rand. Cadsuane can't teach you fast enough. I didn't think that Rand was going to fight the Seanchan, so his first chapter really annoyed me. When I caught up with him again, I groaned internally and prepared myself for some drudgerous (this is a word now) reading. Then there was all the awesome that was the campaign against the Seanchan. I hope that a good portion of Rand's poor decision making is because of the taint. Up until now, I hadn't been acknowledging his attitude as arrogance, but he crossed that line somewhere, and has dived head first into folly. It's impressive he was still able to pull a victory off despite going against the advice of his general and Asha'man.

So...Bashere is going against Tenobia's wishes? That's interesting...if that storyline moves any faster. I had expected Rand to cleanse Saidin at the end of tPoD. That not happening contributed heavily to me reading through both books before posting this. The attack in Cairhien made a good deal more sense though for the sake of realism though. I knew that it had to be the work of Taim before it was confirmed in Winter's Heart. I knew he'd turn, but as I said last thread, I don't think he's one of the Chosen anymore.

Moving on more into Winter's Heart. There were enough gems in this book to get me through it without paying too much attention to the stagnant storyline. Elayne bored me this book. While Egwene finding a way to turn her puppet status into the puppeteer was enthralling, I didn't find much excitement in the Daughter Heir inheriting her throne. The ceremony to make her and Aviendha first-sisters was splendid though, the channeling component, but especially the interactions forced on them. This definitely is my favorite piece of culture from the Wheel of Time so far.

Far Midding intrigues me. I wish there had been more time spent in the city. Of all the cities we've visited, it seemed to have the most unique culture and government to explore, at least in the mainland, but it didn't get as much attention as I'd like. I'd love to learn more about the history of it, such as how they got the Guardian. Also, I thought it was a good twist to make it Cadsuane's hometown.

I'm glad there was confirmation that Cadsuane's hair ornaments are ter'angreal. I've suspected that from the start, and I've been waiting to see what she could do with them. I do find it a little odd that she should be able to recognize Nynaeve's ter'angreal and establish what they do. After nine books of continuous talk stating that no one knows what they do, it seemed very odd. Especially that Nynaeve was able to pick out the exact ter'angreal that would be useful to her without knowing what they were.

Thank god Rand addressed the fact that Lan gave him advice about protecting any woman he loves by leaving, and then did the exact opposite.

So Mat went from having a royal rapist to having a royal stalker huh? I guess that's an improvement...kind of. I correctly guessed that he would kidnap her about a chapter before it happened. A little bit better than some of my other predictions being proven right EXACTLY as I make them. A little. I wasn't too impressed by Mat's story here though, other than Egeanin, Bethamin, and Domon resurfacing. As with the rest, it was necessary reading, and I enjoyed it, just not as compelling as it had been.

Until the end. When it rejoined Rand in Far Midding, I was worried that the taint would wait another book. I was so happy to be mistaken. This is an event that I've been waiting for since the first book, and the scene didn't disappoint. Having Cadsuane show off her abilities was a cherry on top of my storyline progression sundae. The battle was very well executed, with a couple of nice revelations thrown in, such as Lanfear returning.

On that note, my magic 8 ball says that all signs point to Moiraine still being alive. Can't wait for her to come back.

It mentioned that Lanfear is the other one caught in the soul trap, so there goes my Asmodean theory. Did I pass the hint up already? Shadar Logoth being destroyed in the process of cleansing Saidin was another surprise, and pleasant at that. I wonder if that will limit Fain's magic death fog ability at all. Either way, in the game of "mess your day up" tag, it seems Rand is up.

I was a bit disappointed they didn't address the anomalies in the source around Ebou Dar in WH. Unless it all just dissipated over time. I'm curious to see if the same will happen around Shadar Logoth, though it seems that it would've manifested during the battle if it was going to happen, and as remote a location as it is, I find it unlikely that anyone will encounter it. It was an intriguing dynamic to contend with, and I hope that there's more of this type magical disturbance to ruin people's day later on.

I'm still waiting for Mat and Alludra to invent cannons/ballistic warfare. I've been expecting that since the Stone fell, and I was hopeful this book when they were mentioned together so often. It seems unlikely that he left Ebou Dar with her though.

That's what I've got for now. More to come if I think of it.

Edit: *Sigh* I need to stop posting this at work, it kills my formatting every time because of our stupid internet.

Also, spoilers for the whole series.

I thought of a funny pun earlier this week, but forgot it, so instead I'll kick us off with some memes I made

spoilered for size

Ok so this is a little messy but essentially, why is Rand's soul/brain ok after the body switch? 

One of my favorite bits in all of fantasy is the sign for the Inn called Easing the Badger, which has a white striped badger walking on its hind legs, and a smiling man holding a shovel. I love that no one knows what this actually means.

Another small detail that is great is in The Great Hunt, when Rand is at Lord Barthanes' party and he's getting swarmed by the Cairhienen noblewomen, and he gets trapped between the wall at his back and the wall formed by the noblewomen's overly wide dresses. Good stuff!

What are some of your favorite small details/moments in the Wheel of Time?

It would also be fun to try to come up with a dice/card/tabletop game for Easing the Badger, with rules that are nonsensical and the gameplay is just ridiculous. 

The first US cover clearly shows that Rand needs to be played by (spoilered below):

Overall, it was a very enjoyable series.  Intriguing plots, characters and magic were all delightful.  It was a daunting task to start though, knowing there were 14 large books (no, I haven't read New Spring yet, I didn't want to get sidetracked after book 5).  After several of the middle books I would come up for a breath of air and think, 'Wow, I've finished 8 books, awesome! But I still have 6 more to go!' Glad I finished though, and that I started this when all the books were finished, because if they weren't I could see how it'd be difficult to continue after some of them.  That being said, the 'slog' for me wasn't too bad.  Some of those were a little bit boring, but knowing I could finish and start the next book right away made it bearable.

I will try and point out things I like, but I feel like it's easier to point out things I didn't like.  When I do, I don't mean them to be harsh criticisms of the series, but things I just think of.  I realize that if my thoughts dictated the book, it likely would not have been as great a series as it was.

Characters:  A general critique I have is that there were just soooo many named characters.  While this gives the books a lot of flavor and I'm sure it's easier to keep track of as books are reread, on first read I thought many times, 'Who dat again?'  When obscure Aes Sedai or noblemen from various cites were listed out I pretty much gave up trying to remember who everybody was.

Favorite characters:  I might cheat here and list secondary characters, because at one time or another, most of the characters bugged the storms out of me.  

• Rand, Perrin, Mat (I list them all together because I did enjoy them and their plots, but I have to say there were definitely large swaths of books where they all bugged me)
• Nynaeve
• Thom
• Tam
• Lan
• Graendal - Kind of sad she was made ugly.  Only really hated her at the end when she took pets.  (Thinking of Rhuarc alone makes me want to drop her from this list)

Top Annoying Characters:

•  Trakand family, minus Galad.  Something in their blood just makes me want to rip my hair out.  None of them seemed very good at critical thinking.
• Egwene - She had such awesome scenes and was so storming awesome for a lot of the books, but just the way she treated people when she gained power was annoying.
• Tuon - bleh
• Cadsuane

Top Hated Characters:

• Child Byar and Eamon Valda - I'd almost lump all White Cloaks in here until I realize there are some good ones... Much better once the leadership changed.
• Padan Fain - Such a good villain.  Such a sad ending.
• Daved Hanlon - His death wasn't satisfying enough
• Masema
• Shaido - I think I'm good lumping them all together.  Not sure if the Brotherless count.  They are not included in hated, but still annoying because could have helped more.

Characters I Hated But Now Feel Sorry For

• Galina
• Elaida
• Moghedien (not hated, but same circumstance)

One of the worst parts of the series in my opinion.  There are characters that I really disliked and was so looking forward to seeing them be pulled down.  However, the manner in which they are pulled down quickly took the joy out of it.  I can't feel good about people being made slaves.  Such a bummer when I should've felt happy. 

Somewhat related, I am sad to see that the Seanchan slavery was never resolved.  I guess I can imagine that Mat helps them get over that, but that doesn't give me much hope.

Mat vs Perrin

As I got in the story I would read things on the internet (I don't really shy away from spoilers; makes me more eager to read what's coming).  One thing I read was how boring the whole Perrin rescuing Faile arc was.  Another was how awesome Mat is.  I'm more in the middle ground on both of these.  Didn't find Perrin too boring, or Mat too great.  It seems there are a lot of parallels between them, that from my perusing of the internet don't seem to be connected much.

For example, just as many people found Perrin chasing after Faile and getting her back at all costs grating, I found Mat's escape from Ebou Dar all the way to Caemlyn equally boring and drawn out.  Seriously!  I think that trip took Mat longer than it took Perrin to get Faile!  Maybe Mat's just funnier than Perrin, but that plot dragged on and on for me.  I wanted Mat back where he mattered.  I know there are some ramifications for Mat's time, but still.

Another thing, Perrin always thought 'Oh, I'm not a leader, don't follow me to your deaths'.  Dumb, I agree.  Step up and get over yourself Perrin.  Similarly was Mat's constant mistrust of Rand, Aes Sedai, and nobles.  Constantly bemoaning his responsibilities. C'mon.

Other Random Thoughts

Rand/Mat/Perrin:  They go through enormous stretches of books without talking with one another.  I don't know how many things could have been resolved or figured out if they would talk with each other.  Early on, Rand discovered how to Travel.  How hard would it be to just meet once a week with his childhood friends and have a quick huddle.  All three of them together.  Find a secret underground cavern or something.  Seems like they could have saved themselves a lot of angst.

The Last Battle:  Whoa! A two hundred page chapter! It didn't disappoint.  I was trying to think how they could create an exploding gateway in the middle of the enemy though.  Seems like that'd have killed a lot of them.  After thinking some about it, it seems like it would be hard to do without taking some losses yourself, but seems this should have been explored more as they were so vastly outnumbered.

Logain:  His 'glory' that Min foresaw was pretty meh for me.  I'm glad to know he took petty on refugees being slaughtered after his men begged him to help.  Wish he had more screen time and more glory.  I was rooting for him but he seemed kind of left to the side.

Olver:  Loved him!  One of my favorite moments when Noal came back for him.  One thing I don't understand, at the end of the book Birgitte told him to throw the Horn into the ocean?  I really don't understand that.  He gets a friend back, and heroes of the Horn established very recently that they couldn't come back and fight for the Shadow.  They only fight under the Dragon's banner.  What am I missing?  

Forsaken:  Were pretty blah.  I wish they were worse baddies.  Other normal darkfriends or misguided allies earned more of my hate.  Not sure if there's anything wrong with that, but it seems like at least a couple of the Forsaken should have made my 'Most Hated' list.

The Black Tower:  I'm pretty sure everybody agrees Rand dropped the ball on this one.  C'mon Rand.  You should know not to leave the farm under the supervision of a very suspicous, powerful guy.  You'd risk a very powerful army with a guy like Taim?

How Rand Lit his pipe:  Didn't know this was a thing until I finished.  Apparently there is controversy on how this happened?  My thought was when he thought hard about lighting it, his three wives noticed and lit the pipe for him.  I thought it made sense since he thought of them immediately after thinking about his pipe lighting.

I'm sure there's a bunch of things I missed, but these were top of my mind now.

My question is…is this emblem actually embedded in the print or is it a sticker? Looks like this is a 2020 reprint from the publisher but I’m not having much luck figuring out if that logo it permanent. If it’s not a sticker that’s a bummer, and I’ll probably end up trying to go through the used market to complete the collection best I can based on the original printing of the trade paperbacks in the US. Thought I’d check here to see if anyone knew and could give some insight. 

Now that the random fun fact is out of the way, on to the book!

The first thing I want to say is I noticed the pacing problems in this book more than the other three. And by noticed, I mean I flat out wanted to throw the book at a wall in random placed because I was so tired of waiting for things to happen. Then, when the plot did finally decide to show up, it was only around for a few pages or so. It didn't ruin the read for me, but this was probably my least favorite of the books so far, as it felt more like a chore to read at points than it did recreation. 

One of my big problems up to this point has to be the female characters. We touched on this in my previous thread, but I want to expand on it here. Most to all of the female characters in the books so far do not seem believable to me. They seem more like caricatures of women rather than fully developed characters.

I had extremely high hopes for Elaida, but that was quickly squashed during her rebellion. She spent her whole life attaching herself to Andor in order to help with the final battle, then, when it falls apart, she just walks away to completely undermine the Aes Sedai, in order to grab power for herself? What? So because you know that the final battle is coming, you decide to destroy half of your number because you didn't like the leadership? Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't know that Rand was the dragon but figured out he could channel I could understand this, but it seems too egregious a mistake when you know the biggest threat to the world is just around the corner. Especially considering how many greens they take out, who are supposed to be prepared for battle (that confuses me because they should have put up more of a fight, and they seem to be a more important Ajah for when the end comes.)  I guess if you're going to make Elaida into a villain that outright and vanilla, at least have the decency to give her the Snidely Whiplash mustache. 

Along those lines, are all the Aes Sedai just carbon copies of each other? This frustrated me a great deal as well. Sure, they might have similar personality types that are drawn to those Ajahs, but they all can't be clones of each other. I'd like to meet a Red I can relate with, or at least have a Red whose reason for hating men is shown through character development. And where are the Grey Ajah at? I didn't even know that was their color until I got frustrated and looked it up online. 

Suane actually is much more interesting to me now that she's been stilled, and I'm hoping to see some great character development from her in the next few books. I was also highly satisfied to see I was right about her being stilled, and I still expect her to rally the Aes Sedai to her. But while I'm on the subject of Suan, what in Kelek's tongue was she thinking?!?!  After reading through the book and learning about the different societies of channeling women, and thinking about her sending Egwene, Elayne, and Nyneave off to hunt the Black Ajah, I can't help but feel like she did deserve to lose the stole. Sending those three off could very well endanger everything the tower has worked for, and the little amount of trust that they have in the world. Especially considering their little display in front of Bornhold, and Verin's reaction, why would you send them off into the world to cause trouble, whatever results they bring?  

Min was one of the few exceptions to my frustration with female characters, but the fact that she's mostly impotent and driven along still leaves me dissatisfied.

Egwene. The most satisfying moment in the book for me was her having to braid her hair.  Everything she thinks about Rand's head being too big and all her frustrations with him all seem to be her projecting her own actions onto him. Having the luxury of getting both their points of view shows Egwene to be the immature little girl that the braids paint her to be. This disappoints me because she seemed to be such a promising character while reading Eye of the World.

I still like Elayne. She seems to at least try to be a force for good and decency, and fairly well developed. She also seems to drive the story forward the least though. 

I won't say that Nyneave isn't well developed. All I will say on her is that she reminds me of my older sister, if my older sister didn't listen to reason, was crazy with rage most of the time, and if my sister wasn't right about just about everything. If anyone needed to be taught how much of a child she is, it's Nynaeve. 

Faile seemed to me that she was an entirely different person than she was last book. I was very excited for her, but she just frustrated me throughout most of the book. Not that I don't understand where she was coming from, not even that I don't like her, or think she's underdeveloped. I guess I'm just getting a little tired of all the internal squabbling and politics withing the protagonists. Can anybody even try to just get along?

Egeanin really excites me. The inner turmoil she's having about her cultural upbringing is fascinating, and she's definitely humanized the Seanchan for me, at least a little.

Perrin's story was very interesting, but I felt like it was very much lacking after the Whitecloaks came into the defenses. That seemed extraneous, and there's no real point to having that happen. They didn't contribute to the defenses much, and at the end of the conflict, absolutely nothing had changed. For all I care, the Whitecloaks could have never come to the Two Rivers, and it could've just been Ordeith, or Fain, or Mordeth, whatever you want to call him (I still like MorFain, but I'm a fan of puns) without any of the Whitecloaks. 

Call me crazy, but between Verin and Alanna, I trust Alanna. There's still something about Verin that just makes me very suspicious. Though I'm curious to see where Verin's talens lie after her comment about healing  and being skilled in another area. That was an offhand comment that seemed very important to me. 

Rand has finally come around, and is now my favorite character. Although I still think he's an idiot for the way he's treating Moiraine. Ok, maybe not an idiot. I finally understand where they are coming from not trusting Aes Sedai, but Moiraine is the exception to that rule. She's more than proven herself, and he could at least listen to her advice, even if he doesn't take it. 

LAN KEEPS CRACKING JOKES! STOP PROVING ME WRONG!

Mat makes me smile. Nuf said. 

I loved everything about the Aiel, and was glad to learn more about them and their culture. I was also fascinated by their origin. That revelation leads me to believe that the Tinkers are the "remnant of a remnant" that Rand is going to not destroy of the Aiel.

Geeze, now that I'm finally writing this, I've forgotten all of the predictions I had while reading through. I certainly didn't see the ending coming. I was dead wrong about the 'lines' coming out of the forsaken. I had thought that was their connection to the true source. It will be interesting to see how Rand interacts with his new teacher.

If I think of anything I've left out I'll post it on the comments. I think I lost a lot of my thoughts because I went on vacation last week, and was having so much fun I just plain forgot!

Also, I'm officially in love with Perrin and Nynaeve. I mean, I loved them from before but this book was seriously big for them. Particularly I can't believe how much Nynaeve's character was developed in a single chapter.

Overall this just feels bigger and bigger. I'm eager to read the fifth book but also want to do a Stormlight reread in time for the weekly chapters. What to do...

Perrin begins, by not liking Faile/

Then, He sometimes quarrel with her.

I find their relationship the most realistic of all!

Hi everyone!! You’ve probably seen this  question a million times but I’m midway through the first book in the WoT series and this far only the prologue has been good. I’m a huge fan of all Brandon Sanderson books out there especially in the cosmere. I started reading the book and expected pretty much from it, and the prologue definitely stood up to my expectations! But after that nothing really exciting happened in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong I really like the characters but the story isn’t going anywhere. Will the whole book be like this with nothing happening? I’m a big sucker for big epic fights and mind-blowing  plot twists, so will the series deliver that? Does Eye of the world get better? I would appreciate if you left spoilers out of this thread thank you! 

https://youtu.be/a7MxxBFyBkM

shouldn't they start releasing trailers soon? shouldn't they be trying to increase anticipation in the fandom?

two factors are against this interpretation: zebras live in warm climate, while razor horses were native of arad doman, a cold country. and zebras are too aggressive to become domesticated. both those changes could happen by normal evolution within the time scale separating our time from the third age.

so, is tuon actually riding a zebra?

And Tuon is a hypocrite! She can channel and still she enslaves others who can channel and make no move to get rid of damane.

The seanchans are nuts!

On an unrelated side note, doesn't Rand simply sealing the Dark One back in his prison mean that all of this will play out again, just as it likely has many times before? Better put up a cuendillar sign on the prison.

• "Hey Avienda, be careful with undoing that weave or else things will explode"
• Fix the weather.
• Another Seanchan invasion
• "Hey Elayne, be careful with undoing that weave or else...OH CRAP!"
• Undercover queen
• "You know Perrin, your life would be a lot easier if you yelled at your wife more."
• Rand sits around talking to his crazy head friend and his crazy real life friends, while he slowly goes crazy contemplating the nature of craziness and then teleport around while throwing up.
• Egwene decides that she after all wouldn't like to be a puppet to the hall
• "Hey look everyone, it's snowing"
• "Time to wreak mass destruction on both sides of the fight with my magic sword"
• "I'm back Min. You want to..." *gets beat up by a bunch of offended maidens*
• The castle gets smashed, literally
• And Faile gets captured

That is basically all that happens. I realize that I probably missed all of the stuff that is important for future books since I haven't read the rest of the series, but this sums up the stuff that was important for that book.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250754738

My favorite two happen to be in the same book. Lord of Chaos.

1. When Nynaeve heals Siuan and Leane. It gets me choked up every time when Siuan breaks down.

2. Battle of Dumais Wells. The entire battle is spectacular but that one line. "Kneel and swear to the Dragon Reborn... Or you will be knelt" ooooo it gives me chills. SO satisfying after Rands capture. 

Now, bored out of my mind I need a book to read and I have returned, but don’t remember much about the first 8 books, and do not want to read them again.

would anyone be willing to give me a short summary so I can finally finish the series?

Roses are red,

Hair can get tangled,

Nyneave Al'Meara 

Deserves to be strangled

Roses are red,

I like to eat bacon

Morgase's lover

Is a flipping forsaken

Roses are red,

Perrin has Faile,

Avienda's confusing

And so are the Aiel

Roses are red

Cheese is for grating

I have no idea

Why the heck I'm berating,

But hey let's be prudential

We all have that person

Who has obvious potential

And who seems to always worsen

Before you can see them get better

And that person is flipping Nyneave Al'freaking Meara

The end

So a couple of days ago I was considering how the "known world" (basically the whole mainland MINUS the Seanchan) would fight off the Seanchan, given that just about everyone considers it an inevitability. The Seanchan have a number of advantages, including huge numbers of channelers, and the ability to steal opponents channelers. With this in mind, it's possible for the rest of the world to prevent any invasion at all from the Seanchan. 

First, remove Mat. you could even wait for him to die, if you can stall the conflict long enough. You probably can use the time before the conflict to prepare, anyways. Mat with all of his memories would probably be enough to skew the whole conflict though, and that's an advantage that cannot be left alone. Second, get Elayne LOTS of angreal. Very specific ones. She would need to create a fixed dreamspike, focused on wherever (let's assume that we're only trying the defend Caemlyn for the moment). Next, have Elayne build a series of guardians around Caemlyn like there is around Far Madding, which now neutralizes channeling entirely. If you want, you could build in little passes to ignore the system. I know that that's possible, because the person who is bonded to the dreamspike can still make gateways. Instead of having a person bond the dreamspikes, perhaps create little amulet angreal that if they are bonded to aes sedai or asha'man like warders, they let a person ignore the effects of the guardians and dreamspikes. For basic physical deterrants, just beef up the wall, perhaps turning large swathes of it into cuendillar

Next, for offensive capability, create a series of tied off gates that can be moved via a series of levers. Put these gateways outside, but make sure that they are portable, like deathgates except maneuverable. The side in Caemlyn should be locked in size and mostly in place. Back the ground underneath and directly behind in Cuendillar so nothing can get in. Then, position rows of archers behind the portal on the Caemlyn side. 

With these innovations, you've taken control of channeling, and created a series of highly mobile strike forces that can't really be touched by anything. Tell me what you think.

But I don't know how it happens so please don't spoil that, okay? It's bad enough that I have those plot points spoiled. Blegh. Please and thank you. No more spoilers. Or at least put a spoiler tag on them. I wanna enjoy this series as much as I can people! woop woop, without further adieu, I will share my first thought on this book.

Where in the fReAkInG hECK is MATRIM C A U T H O N?!?!