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aMoL full book discussion


Brendan

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Stayed up till 2am just so I could finish it without sleeping! LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT! Such a bittersweet book, so happy but so sad it is over, I'm not sure I'll read any series that affected me like WoT in a long time. Thank you Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson!

I totally agree about the Perrin chapters, I was surprised since I he's not my favourite character. I disagree about Mat though, I loved all his chapters as well, but I think I felt a little of what you describe in Towers of Midnight so I understand.

Don't really have any complaints apart from 'why is it over?' and 'why don't we have an entire book dedicated to the adventures of Androl?' That guy is awesome!

Tempted to go off and re-read the entire series (for like the 5th time) just so I can justify reading aMoL again....

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I know what you mean about wanting to do another re-read, I had to stop myself or I'll be way behind in my reading list, I'll probably cave in another week or so :P Don't get me wrong I loved all of the Mat chapters he just seemed a little different.

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Other than picking up some snacks, I went straight home after the signing and pretty much read straight through it. A very long awaited 14 hours, still emotionally torn up.

On the voice thing, Mat felt alright, but Aviendha again felt off to me personally. And it felt obvious to me where Jordan had written clauses or descriptions that had been pre-written or lifted from the notes, because Brandon would say things like (not spoilers, showed up in ToM) "Vora's sa'angreal" where Jordan would probably have said that "aged dark ivory sa'angreal wand that had once been wielded by the Amyrilin Vora" or something, with braid tugging or sniffing accompanying. Early on, there was a couple of heartwarming descriptions of Rand that was very much Jordan.

But I loved it, so much, even when it made me sad. And I actually like Egwene again.

The ending was so very bittersweet, in content and context. The last page of the Wheel of Time likely forever, where WOT fandom is easily my oldest hobby, more than 2/3 of my life.

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Actually one other thing about how it was written was during the swordfight scene's I noticed that Brandon often says that someone used a certain swordform ie. Rand used Boar Rushing the Mountains. Which I don't recall RJ ever doing, it was usually one form meeting another. A little thing but it did throw me a little.

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I just finished it, and I absolutely loved it to death.

My favourite parts were Olver blowing the Horn (right at that moment I started screaming because I realized that Mat had died back in TFoH), "The Flame of Tar Valon", and the very last line. And yeah, Perrin was great in this. Brandon made me love him a lot.

Rand's final battle with the Dark One was a lot line Vin Vs. Ruin in my opinion.

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I'm still floating 18 hours after having finished it, spent all of last night dreaming about WoT and most of today thinking about it.

Definitely going to reread it in a few weeks to go through it again to see a couple of things, like I do not recall Sulin being mentioned at all in the book, did anyone else recall if she was mentioned?!?

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I loved it, I finished it yesterday and promptly fell asleep. I loved the ending, and the entire book kept me wanting to continue reading it. I loved Mat's plan to root out the spy, and the fact that he has been dead for a while and him killing Shaiaslm(?) The Flame Of Tar Valon. However, my favorite parts were Logain's viewpoints in the end, and how he struggled with what to do, and him earning the name Sealbreaker.

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I had to go cry in my girlfriend's shower after finishing the book and I still don't know why. No book has ever left me so emotionally... emotional. It was an amazing ride. Glad I reread the series earlier last year. Truly an amazing ending to an amazing series. And in a way I think I prefer Brandon finishing it... The whole way through I could feel his love for the series in a way I don't think Jordan could have done. This was an homage directly in the conclusion and it made the book something beautiful and unique.

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Egwenes death... I haven't cried so much in years... Mat asking Hawkwing to talk to Tuon, lolololololol

I was kind of hoping for a scene where the Ogier sing at Rand's funeral, and the Aiel join in, finding their Song, but *shrugs*... probably misremembering how that was supposed to go.

Lan was awesome, Mat was awesome, Perin was awesome, Egwene was awesome, Androl was awesome. I'm glad Loial and Erith survived, but it was sad to see Siuan and Gareth gone...they were my favorite couple ¬.¬

I liked Lanfear... as in literally, I was coming to trust her... its like compulsion through the fourth wall...

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But I loved it, so much, even when it made me sad. And I actually like Egwene again.

I did a massive re-read in anticipation of AMoL and at the end of that re-read I truly discovered how much I really hated Eqwene.

However, much like you, I liked Egwene again by the time of her death. Even though Gawyn was misguided and hated Rand throughout most of the series I still liked him. I was expecting him to off Demandred, but no such luck.

I had to go cry in my girlfriend's shower after finishing the book and I still don't know why. No book has ever left me so emotionally... emotional. It was an amazing ride. Glad I reread the series earlier last year. Truly an amazing ending to an amazing series. And in a way I think I prefer Brandon finishing it... The whole way through I could feel his love for the series in a way I don't think Jordan could have done. This was an homage directly in the conclusion and it made the book something beautiful and unique.

When I finished reading the last page and I finally closed the back cover of the book I got tears in my eyes. I almost broke down walking to my bookshelf to replace the dust cover. Looking back on these books I realize how much they meant to me and how much looking forward a new one every couple/few years kept me in anticipation. I finished AMoL yesterday and I have teared up/cried a few times as I wrote reviews, thought about them, or talked to my wife about their magnitude.

I agree with your statement about Brandon finishing the series. These books had as much, if not more, impact on his life as they did for each of us, which I believe made his writing that much more special. Doing honor to Robert Jordan and finishing WoT in an awesome way. Two authors from two different generations worked on the final chapter of this epic journey, and together they created a masterpiece that is unmatched.

I only began the journey nine years ago, but watching Rand Mat and Perrin go from being irresponsible boys to becoming heroes these last nine years was full of joy and sorrow. I don't know if I will ever discover an epic fantasy series that is an equal to The Wheel of Time, but I will search as the Wheel continues to turn, returning to the Third Age every now and again to re-discover old friends and loved ones that have been immortalized by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

"Life is a dream from which we all must wake before we can dream again."

Edited by Jeh
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I had this strong epiphany-like moment after finishing the book related to the last paragraph of the book (apologies if i don't get it quite right):

It was not the end. There are no endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was an ending.

I had this wave of emotion wash over me as it occurred that this isn't the end of this story, this isn't the last book we will read in the story of the Wheel of Time. There are other Rands, Mats, and Perrins being reborn in other new books and new stories. The events we read will see rebirth in other new forms as new books are written and we continue to read. It was like I saw all of the past and future books stretch out before me, blending together into one epic that is the turning of the Wheel. TWoT is in a way a rebirth of The Lord of the Rings, and in turn we will see other books that will be born in the same spirit.

Let the Wheel of Time continue to turn!

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I finished the book Wednesday night. It was good, but a few things bother me.

My first reaction to the Androl/Pevara scenes was "were these two really supposed to be that important?" followed closely by "I don't care, their PoV scenes are a lot of fun." Favorite couple of the book, followed by Matt and Tuon.

I've heard the criticism from others that no one ever seems to die in the WoT books. This book seemed determined to change that fact, almost to the point where it got excessive, unless the whole point was to show that people die in battles on a fairly regular basis. Only Gawyn's and Egwene's deaths got much attention, the other dozen or so major characters? Just mentioned in passing, usually without them accomplishing anything. Besides battering at Rand's mental state until he accepted that he had to let them be heroes/martyrs.

Also, was it really necessary for Rand to let everyone but his girlfriends assume that he was dead? Sure the dude deserves a break, but couldn't he show some sympathy for his friends and his dad who were mourning him?

Scenes I liked:

Egwene vs Taim.

Logain achieving his glory.

Androl kicking major chull, but if he had made a gateway to the Sun he probably could have his gateway of lava look like kiddy stuff.

The cannons being shot through gateways. (I was wondering myself why they didn't start this tactic earlier, I had figured that it just wasn't an efficient enough use of the Power.)

Any scene with Tuon and Min.

Talmanes in the prologue.

Demandred kept being forced into duels when all he wanted to do was fight Lews Therin. 1st Gawyn: I have come to kill you. 2nd Galad: I have come to kill you on the behalf of my half brother you just killed and my other half brother that I just learned about that you want to kill. 3rd Logain: I'm going to kill you, oh rust, I'm out of here. 4th Lan: I have come to kill you. No talking, I'm just going to kill you, oh, I'll make a mental reference to the whole Sheathing the Sword thing from the 2nd book, now you die. And then Lan gets back up, because he's just too much of a badass to die there.

I felt like Perrin wasted a lot time in the World of Dreams, but he ended up getting some important stuff done, and still kicked some chull in the process.

Padan Fain was in some ways a bit of a let down, but Mat finally killing him was nicely done.

Thom, sitting around, composing a ballad, and killing and stacking up the Black Ajah who were underestimating him.

The battles felt very battlelike, but the movements of the troops could be difficult to visualize.

Moghedian, captured once again.

Also, I'm still a bit fuzzy on how we're supposed to think of the Dark One. It is somehow both pure unadulterated cosmic evil, and the tiny bit of evil in everyone that makes them human? Or is it the struggle against that evil that makes them human, so it's not necessarily in them, but still a required existence? Also, I saw on another forum the possibility that Nakomi was a Hero of the Horn, which would explain her interaction with Aviendha (it was in the World of Dreams) and her presence when Rand pulled himself and Moridin from the cave of the Bore. Doesn't explain what she was actually doing at the end there.

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Well even if Androl could open a gateway to the sun, if he did that probably would've killed him and everyone else on the planet, so probably a good thing that he didn't try. He also probably didn't have enough understanding of astronomy to know that that would be a useful thing to do.

Edited by Voidus
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So Egwene saves the world for something like the 5th and 6th times in the book.

Once when she invokes the Flame of Tar Valon weave to undo the balefire damage and kill M'Hael, and again when (dead) she gives Rand the strength to not be broken by the Great Lord's strategy of breaking him by making him watch everyone die. Her words shatter that.

Also I echo everything that's been said about how awesome Androl was.

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Also, I'm still a bit fuzzy on how we're supposed to think of the Dark One. It is somehow both pure unadulterated cosmic evil, and the tiny bit of evil in everyone that makes them human? Or is it the struggle against that evil that makes them human, so it's not necessarily in them, but still a required existence?

To be honest I am too, but I actually quite like that, if the dark one is a something that exists outside of the patern and is infinitly old how is a mere human suposed to understand that? I wouldn't have wanted to finish the series with him becoming understandable, I think it would have cheapened it a little.

Agree about Nakomi being a hero of the horn, I think that one of the wise ones told Aviendha that the name Nakomi was very old and she hadn't heard of anyone alive wiith that name, which could back up the theory. Can't find the exact quote, sorry.

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yeah, Nyn's healing of Talmanes ("an explosion of weaves") was the first point at which I cried :D

Did Rand actually accomplish anything? Was the use of the True Power different to how it was prior to the Bore? If not, what did he do? He feels much like an unknowing Herald, sent by the pattern to prepare the world to fight, rather than to do anything himself.

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Awesome. Just awesome. I loved Androl's use of gateways. One of my favorite moments is probably when Aviendha reverses Graendals compulsion, a fitting twist of fate. Mats eccentricities, Cadsuane being pushed into leading...I couldn't even list how many moments were just perfect!

One question though, doesn't this seem like an Aes Sedai lying outright?

page 131

"Pevara Sedai, would you be so kind as to remove the weaves blocking his ears so he can start to hear... He cannot hear what we say?"

"No," Pevara said.

Still, easily my favorite book in the series.

Edited by lewstherin95
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