Reactions to A Crown of Swords

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Halfway through the series! Which is a good thing.

 

You see, I made a mistake. Before I was too far into the book, I looked up the page count for the entire series, and tried to put it into perspective. By the time you finish The Fires of Heaven, you've read more pages than in Harry Potter, and have double that left to go. I'm starting to feel about daunted, but I'm going to keep on slogging on. Having three Brandon Sanderson books as my carrot has kept me moving at a fair speed so far. 

 

I mentioned this already, but reading through the battle again through another perspective. In fact, the perspective choices were the saving grace throughout the book in key places. Aviendha really lightened the mood between Elaine, Birgette, and Nynaeve, and I don't think I enjoyed any of the three girls' story archs as much as I did in this book. I think my favorite line in the entire book was from Aviendha:

 

 

"...Only a Ninny thinks she can threaten people, Elayne, and still get anywhere."

Aviendha burst out laighing. By the startled look Nynaeve gave her, she did not see the joke she had made on herself. 
. . .
You could never be sure about wetlander humor; they found strange things funny and missed the best.

ACOS Chapter 13 The Bowl of the Winds

 

 

There were several times throughout the book that I was very thrilled with perspective choice. Choosing Min's perspective during the incident with Padan Fain instead of Rand's or Cadsuane's was a brilliant decision. It raised the tension so much, and that scene was made so much more compelling for it. 

On that topic (I've got the feeling already that I'm going to flit about madly this post. Don't judge me.) What was that? MorFain can summon crazy fog demons with his mad giggle? More seriously, it seems like a local manifestation of Mashadar caused by the connection between Fain, the dagger, and Shadar Logoth. But blood and bloody ashes!

 

It's interesting how the wounds are being played out, that maybe the corruptions will fight each other. Not sure how accurate that prediction is going to be. That scene did annoy me though. I understand info dumps have to happen, but it really could have been more masked than: "Hope you don't mind if I tell you my life story since I've suddenly become a very important plot device."

 

It seemed like it was take the bad with the good this book. For every scene that delighted me, there were almost as many that really felt useless, or completely unnecessary; the foremost of those being Mat and Tylin. It really felt to me that rape was being taken extremely lightly, and I'm just personally not ok with that. Elayne laughs and him, and Nynaeve comments about him tasting his own medicine, and in the end, Mat admits to himself that he'll miss the whole experience. Rape is rape, and it shouldn't be glossed over like this, and made out to be a non-issue, especially when it doesn't help drive the story forward in any way. 

 

Another was the Children of the Light. At the end of the day, everything that happened before that with Morgase, and Nial was pretty much whitewashed by this book. If Sebban Balwer becomes a major player in events, than I will happily eat my words, but otherwise, it felt very roundabout, and frustrating. 

 

The Kin will be an interesting addition to the boiling pot of Aes Sedai. I think if they all flock to it, that will secure Egwene's power absolutely, not that she hasn't gotten a fair start on her own. It was a disappointment when her arch didn't pick back up again. It seemed like she was caught back up to Rand, and now we're way behind on what's going on there. Especially when it ended with 'Halima' tending to her. I would have much preferred to have her story arch spread throughout the book, but with Lan being required to be in Ebou Dari, with what little we were given that couldn't have happened. 

 

Mat and Birgette becoming friends should have been obvious to me. I thought that maybe he might remember her from past lives too, and it will be interesting if that ever turns out to be the case, but still what a great friendship! Especially when Elayne got some blowby from their first encounter. Another one of those scenes that I particularly enjoyed. 

 

I was really frustrated by the Sammael/Graendal sequences. Sammael lies and their entire interaction paradigm shifts? What is it about their relationship that would make Graendal fall with him? Why did he even need her? It didn't seem like she really did anything, just observed. There hasn't been enough revealed about the Chosen's politics for me to really grasp anything of significance in those exchanges, and that really bothers me as a reader, even if it's explained more next book. It doesn't seem like the book would be any less without their chapters, and it might even had enhanced the mystery surrounding his visits with the Shaido. 

 

I suspect that Alanna is going to die, knowing what I do now about the way the warder bond works. It seems like that was a decision that could only end in disaster, and seeing what it did to Lan, I suspect that's another burden that's going to be placed on Rand's shoulder's.

 

Cadsuane is my new favorite character. She's a boss. 

 

Apparently, Leanne was able to teach Min more than enough to get the job done. 

 

Elaida continues to astound me. She's so incredibly short sighted in regards to almost every decision she makes. Her doing something relatively competent actually was one of the biggest surprises in the book. 

I'm glad we've finally established what a gholam is. That was one that's been bugging me for a while. Now if a shocklance could make an appearance that would be great.

 

I tried to keep an eye open for any hints about who killed Asmodean, and I didn't run into anything this book, but reading through the prologue for The Path of Daggers it seems likely to me that it was either Moridin or Shaidar Haran. It mentioned two soul traps with Moridin, and as Mogheidien was given to Moridin for being captured and teaching the enemy, the same punishment would be given to Asmodean. It seems more likely to me that it is Shaidar, as Asmodean recognized the killer, but Mogheiden did not recognize Moridin. That's my guess for now,

 

As always, I'll post more if I think of it. 

[kaladamSB he/him]

Its very hard not to downvote after reading Cadsuane is now your favorite haha. I have harboured such a hatred for her that took on a life of it's own later in the series.

Do not feel daunted! The last 4 in this series are amazing novels. It's so worth it to get through.

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

Don't get daunted! You've been maintaining a great pace with each book so far! It will be over before you know it (after you know....the other half of the series...) but it's worth it! Keep trucking on!

[king of nowhere]

well, feeling daunted about reading the wheel of time is like being intimidated by an immense cake because you'll take a long time to finish it. assume for the sake of the example that the cake never spoils no matter how many weeks it takes you to eat it all. I would soo not complain.

 

I have to agree that the forsaken chappters were quite annoying in that you never undestood what was going on - unless you were one of the diehard fans keeping diagrams and notes to figure out all the hints. I think jordan overstimated what "was obvious" and how  many side.subplots readers could really remember.

 

Cadsuane... well, she's awesome and she's annoying. Both to an incredible degree. I never sorted my feelings about her.

 

As for morgase and the children of the light, well, sometimes it happens that all political machinations is thrown away because of something unpredictable. I don't think too many chapters were spent on it to call them unnecessary scenes - at least not for the standard of the series. And Balwer will not become a main character, but he will have a part to play, so introducing him was not a total waste.

 

Overall, you entered the place where the plot really starts slowing down. but I was always ok with it, cause i like reading about the characters and the world. I was in for the trip, not just the destination.

[fievelgoespostal]

well, feeling daunted about reading the wheel of time is like being intimidated by an immense cake because you'll take a long time to finish it. assume for the sake of the example that the cake never spoils no matter how many weeks it takes you to eat it all. I would soo not complain.

 

I have to agree that the forsaken chappters were quite annoying in that you never undestood what was going on - unless you were one of the diehard fans keeping diagrams and notes to figure out all the hints. I think jordan overstimated what "was obvious" and how  many side.subplots readers could really remember.

 

Cadsuane... well, she's awesome and she's annoying. Both to an incredible degree. I never sorted my feelings about her.

 

As for morgase and the children of the light, well, sometimes it happens that all political machinations is thrown away because of something unpredictable. I don't think too many chapters were spent on it to call them unnecessary scenes - at least not for the standard of the series. And Balwer will not become a main character, but he will have a part to play, so introducing him was not a total waste.

 

Overall, you entered the place where the plot really starts slowing down. but I was always ok with it, cause i like reading about the characters and the world. I was in for the trip, not just the destination.

very well said!

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

well, feeling daunted about reading the wheel of time is like being intimidated by an immense cake because you'll take a long time to finish it. assume for the sake of the example that the cake never spoils no matter how many weeks it takes you to eat it all. I would soo not complain.

 

I have to agree that the forsaken chappters were quite annoying in that you never undestood what was going on - unless you were one of the diehard fans keeping diagrams and notes to figure out all the hints. I think jordan overstimated what "was obvious" and how  many side.subplots readers could really remember.

 

Cadsuane... well, she's awesome and she's annoying. Both to an incredible degree. I never sorted my feelings about her.

 

As for morgase and the children of the light, well, sometimes it happens that all political machinations is thrown away because of something unpredictable. I don't think too many chapters were spent on it to call them unnecessary scenes - at least not for the standard of the series. And Balwer will not become a main character, but he will have a part to play, so introducing him was not a total waste.

 

Overall, you entered the place where the plot really starts slowing down. but I was always ok with it, cause i like reading about the characters and the world. I was in for the trip, not just the destination.

 

In this and other posts you've made in my reaction threads, I can't help but feel a condescending undercurrent that I don't appreciate. Yes, I am feeling daunted at the fact that I've read seven books, and have that many more to go. Is that really so difficult to envision? What it wasn't, however, was a complaint. It was a mere statement of fact. 

 

I also think you're being way too simplistic in your analysis. If the Wheel of Time can be likened to a cake, then it would be more like this. Yes, it's a giant cake, and I enjoy eating it, however, the cake is made out of every single type of cake imaginable, including types of cake that I don't like. There's no way of telling what kind of cake I'm biting into, or that it will even blend in with the flavor of the cake that I ate five minutes ago. Also, some parts of the cake are exceptionally good, and lead to the promise of more of that to come, but when I get to the piece that seems it's the same, it turns out it's not actually cake, but an artist's rendition of a cake, or there's never any more of that cake whatsoever, or it's that type of cake, but suddenly there's prunes in it as a filling.  Yes, there's a lot of cake to eat, but if I eat too much at one time, I', going to get a sour stomach, no matter how much I like cake. Especially when most people have eaten the cake over the course of years, and I've eaten half of it in 4 months. 

 

My problem with the Children of the Light has been building over the course of the series. This is just one of many points in the plot where the Children have been made up to be some huge plot event about to happen, only for nothing to come of it. Jaichim Carridin is one especially. High inquisitor of the hand of the light, yet he has yet to achieved any goal he set out to do, and more often than not ends up crying in his scenes, yet, in his introduction chapter he was presented as an incredibly powerful and competent character who would be a huge threat to the protagonists, but that has never developed. In Ebou Dar he recognizes Mat, and so sends a few teams of thugs after him, that really does not move the plot along or enhance the story. Mat would have had enough reason to move into the palace without that happening. It's frustrating to see them played up as important when they could just as easily be entirely missing from those plot points without major problems.

 

I've mentioned this before during The Shadow Rising about how they seemed entirely unnecessary in the Two Rivers story. Then there was mention of them being sent to Salidar-nothing ever happened. About the only plot point that the White Cloaks enhanced was in Ghealdan, and that was only because Galad happens to be a Whitecloak now. It took a character who was established outside the Children to make them important to the plot. Now, I'm faced with an entire book of foreshadowing the consequences of Morgase seeking help in Amadicia, and beaten over the head with how competent Nial is, but he's dead, and the Children are marching to Ghealdon. Oh wait, there goes Amadicia. It's not the fact that the one event was thrown into chaos, it's that every time it seems that the Children might play a role in events, all the foreshadowing and tension that's been building is tossed aside for another anti-climax. If my first impression of the new leaders are correct, then they will continue to bungle up events for them. 

 

When was your last read through? I very much do enjoy learning about the cultures and characters, however, that is not happening as much any more. I mentioned that some of my favorite scenes were because of perspective changes that we haven't seen before, but they really aren't happening enough. We've learned a great deal about most of the main characters, and their character development is wonderful, and I truly enjoyed a good number of characters more this book than I had any others, as I mentioned, however, there are a plethora of characters that have not been explored that were made to be incredibly interesting that is missing from the story for me at this point. Elyas Machera. Aludra. Cerandin. Egeanin. The Aelfinn. All of these characters have more worldbuilding potential and the ability to illuminate other cultures in the world than another chapter where Nynaeve becomes slightly less hypocritical, or one of the hundreds of times that Ji-e-toh is mentioned not to further explain how it is used, but rather to showcase the fact that it exists. I enjoy worldbuilding, but I don't enjoy being repeatedly beaten over the head with the same explanation over and over and over, when there's obviously so much more to be explored. 

 

You also have the luxury of saying all this after having read the whole series. Not that I'm implying you're lying, but this are my honest, immediate reactions to these books that I am putting up as they read them. It's all very well for you to say that you were in it for the trip and not the destination, but I find it hard to believe that you didn't get frustrated with the books sometime. I also don't appreciate you implying that I'm not in it for the trip, as unlike a good majority of the people who I've talked to about The Wheel of Time, I haven't started skimming instead of reading, and I wouldn't be documenting my reactions to every portion of the trip if I was only worried about getting to the ending. 

Edited September 11, 2014 by Fifth of Daybreak

[king of nowhere]

Sorry you misunderstood my attitude, it happens on the internet when we don't have body language or intonation. Condescending was not my intention. My actual attitude is half amused and half teasing. I'm not "ah, you're not gonna finish it", I'm more, "aww, I sooo would like to tell you the next awesome stuff that happens". I feel anticipations for the stuff that you will read; it's pretty crazy. It's like I was reading it, with the added bonus of knowing what happens, but since you don't know what happens I get excited about it. Yes, it don't make much sense. I'm laughing at my own sillyness right now. But still can't help feeling excited at the idea of you finally getting the payoff for soome of the stuff that you don't appreciate right now.

So, I hope that clarifies a bit. Or maybe it's even more confusing.

 

By the way, I read wot three times, the first was around 2004, and i'm planning to start a fourth any week now.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Glad to hear it was a miscommunication! That's what most of the frustration is on my end with the books is anxiety to see the new things I know are coming because of what's hinted. Overall I still enjoyed the read tremendously and I'm racing forward.

Sorry for being terse in my last post.