+Sorana she/her Posted January 28, 2019 Posted January 28, 2019 As we have spoiler warning in the title and it's monday, here are my thoughts on the next 240 pages. I tried to focus on them and leave the larger picture a bit aside, so that everybody has the same basis. What I liked: Perrin and Egwene's storyline. Yes, I'm still no real fan of Perrin, but I love the wolves and how the interact with him, how he doesn't want to accept that he indeed can talk to them, can understand them. Until at the end, when they get captured, that he misses them and tries to defend them. That's great and I liked a lot how he changed. The tinkerer and their believe in peace the way of the leaf. I like tinkerer a lot, but this forceful peacekeeping attitude, felt a bit forced to me. I had the impression, that they were set to be as strange as possible, almost forcefully. Mat and Rand, well they are Mat and Rand. The last group: Lan and his two female companions. (Lan ) nothing really happens here, most of the time they are travelling and Nyanaeve and Moiraine have their differences. Lan easily is the most interesting of them (and no, I'm not biased at all)
+Doomstick he/him Posted January 28, 2019 Posted January 28, 2019 No! @Sorana! You forgot the discussion intro!
+Sorana she/her Posted January 28, 2019 Posted January 28, 2019 4 minutes ago, The Last Post said: No! @Sorana! You forgot the discussion intro! It should be after 7am for everybody? It's 6pm for me?
+Doomstick he/him Posted January 28, 2019 Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) 9:50 The Wheel Of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past a wind rose in the Bookshelves Of WoT. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel Of Time. But it was a beginning. Edited January 28, 2019 by The Last Post
whattheHoid she/her Posted January 28, 2019 Posted January 28, 2019 I still have a couple of chapters to finish, but will post my thoughts asap. It's not my fault! Yennifffffeeerrrr! My darling! I was at the end of Tower of Swallows! I couldn't stop! Yenn!!!!!!!! It's good to be back with my sexy Malkieri, Lan though! I shall refrain from my pickup lines until I lost my thoughts about the chapter. Except for one... Lan!!!! Can I be the Heron on your Sword!!!!!?
whattheHoid she/her Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 Ok, so as last time I will post my thoughts and of course there will be spoilers as I have read this before, but I will spoiler tag everything! So we start with our company in Aridhol now known as Shadar Logoth. It was once a bastion of Light and had fallen to the Shadow,via Mordeth and Mashadar. Mordeth was an advisor to the King and he seemed to have poisoned him and everyone within the city. He almost gave me a Rasputin vibe, like the whole story as the most I know of Rasputin is that he kept chirping in the last Czarina's ear and "poisoned" peoples' minds. However, I bet if you were to go to Russia, there would be no Mashadar! I wonder if that was an influence on Jordan? At any rate, even Trollocs are terrified to enter the city and this is where we start out with Rand and Company, in Shadar Logoth. Of course our 3 boys can't help and explore the city and come across Mordeth. At least Mordeth can't leave the city or go out in the daylight. But of course our adventurers get trapped with Mordeth in the dark and Mat takes a dagger too! Patient Zero, Mat! So the troupe get separated and we see Egwene and Perrin meet Elyas and our famous Tinker group! I have to say the interaction with the wolves are scudding awesome! How cool would that be to be able to do that with awesome goldeneyes! (wink wink) I feel bad for Perrin, though because it seems that because Perrin is so big, he almost restrains his whole being which as we may find later to be a hinderance most especially in regards to his wolf sensei powers. He needs to learn to restrain economically. And yes we see the oh so attractive Lan and Nynaeve interact! do I detect some sparks! (Blush!) And we see the at first relaxing journey by boat with Thom, Mat, and Rand. We see Mat starting to act funny (cough cough). And then they get to Whitebridge and THOM!!!!! nooooooo! Then we get to the stressful part of Mat and Rand's journey. They seriously stressed me out. The whole time furtively looking over their shoulder! I know, as Hoid, I am used to being careful but I am way better at hiding then they are. I also find it funny that each of the boys think that each of them are better with the ladies. The other one always knows what to do with a quick quip or joke. Finally though they make it to Camelyn and that is where we stop. Few questions, more for anyone who has read this series multiple times, so Spoiler! Spoiler The Void is something that Rand can achieve and Tam. Later we find out Lan, and Galad can too; presumably other master swordsmen. My question, the people who can master or achieve the Void, do they have an ability to channel? We know that if you have even the slightest ability to reach Saidin or Saidar, you can channel to an extent. It seems to be a muscle, but you can reach your limit. You can only be so strong with out the aid of angreals. I just wonder, as Aes Sedai novices seem to have a void of thier own, where they reach for a flower. Is that the same? Who's ready for some catty Aes Sedai interaction! I know I am, I can't wait to grab some popcorn and watch some cats fly! 2
whattheHoid she/her Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 I tear up every time Hopper dies. Those storming Whitecloaks! At least he is soaring high in spoilers! Spoiler The Tel'aran'rhiod.
Just a Lifetime he/him Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) Thanks for the thorough thoughts whattheHoid; I enjoy reading them. 11 hours ago, whattheHoid said: So we start with our company in Aridhol now known as Shadar Logoth. It was once a bastion of Light and had fallen to the Shadow,via Mordeth and Mashadar. Mordeth was an advisor to the King and he seemed to have poisoned him and everyone within the city. Is it clear to the first-time readers that the Shadow of Shadar Logoth is distinct from the Shadow of the Dark One and his servants? I am glad there is darkness in Randland that is peoples' own stupid fault and not just due to the Evil Lord of Evil... Spoiler ...though them Whitecloaks do get on my nerves most of the time. Revisiting the Lord of the Rings vibe that has been mentioned before, I got a kind of a Wormtongue feeling from Mordeth, with Shadar Logoth as a whole seeming to address the "what if Boromir/Gondor had used the Ring to fight Sauron/Mordor?" idea. Spoiler The Void (or the "Oneness" as Lanfear will call it in the next book) seems to be required to control Channeling, but I always had the impression that anyone could achieve it, without needing the slightest ability to Channel. It reminds me of the "Mind Like Water" idea that features in some oriental martial arts---which may have something to do with the connection to swordmastery. Although the male vs. female procedures we see are different in the details---burning away your emotions in the candle flame vs. becoming a flower---I think the resulting Oneness is the same, despite the subsequent difference of seizing Saidin vs. surrendering to Saidar. These flame vs. flower and seize vs. surrender male/female dichotomies are not my favorite aspect of Jordan's worldbuilding. Edited January 31, 2019 by Just a Lifetime Better wording
whattheHoid she/her Posted January 31, 2019 Posted January 31, 2019 Thanks! @Just a Lifetime. Most especially for your thoughts on the Void! Spoilers! Spoiler I understand why there is the dichotomy between the flower and the flame as Saidin, if you remember, is better with Earth and Fire while Saidar is better with Air and Water. They seem to be Yin and Yang so I suppose it makes sense to have that dichotomy especially when it comes to male vs female channelers. I can see how that could annoy some people, however I think Jordan balanced out some of these tropes with very strong characters, most especially female. See Egwene, Nynaeve, and Moiraine. There are many more of course. I also think the Aes Sedai want the novice to think of calming things so you can always turn on your Void in high pressure situations. So that's also probably why they would pick something like a flower visualization. I think though after Egwene and the changes she has made along with Elayne and of course Nynaeve, the stereotypical "calm" and almost detached Aes Sedai will fade from being the norm during the coming years.
+Doomstick he/him Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 I need this so I can get to it tomorrow!
whattheHoid she/her Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 I have the Wheel of Time Companion Book and it has the actual canonical definition of the Void. When I get home I'll post it as I think it would be interesting.
+Doomstick he/him Posted February 4, 2019 Posted February 4, 2019 7 hours ago, whattheHoid said: I have the Wheel of Time Companion Book and it has the actual canonical definition of the Void. When I get home I'll post it as I think it would be interesting. Are you home yet?
whattheHoid she/her Posted February 4, 2019 Posted February 4, 2019 Yes! I am now home! I will put the definition in a spoiler box, just to be safe! Ahem! The Void is... Spoiler A state of nothingness that Tam taught Rand to access for use in the combat arts. To become one with the good, one put all one's emotions and thoughts in a flame, a point of focus, to be burned away, leaving the individual in a hyperaware state of consciousness. Then it directs you to see the "flame and the void" which is, possible spoiler... Spoiler A concentration or meditation technique, where the mind was cleared of thoughts, sometimes aided by the use of a candle or other external focusing device. Skilled users of swords and bows employed the technique, for example, to become one with their weapon and one with their target or opponent, removing obstacles of rational thought and emotion from their endeavor and giving them.an advantage in combat. A similar technique was used to help male channelers harness their skills in the use of saidin. Then it says to see our last related definition, Oneness, which is as follows. Possible spoilers. Spoiler The term Lanfear used for "the void" as described by Rand, the process by which he cleared his mind of thought and emotion, giving him am edge in the use of weapons, and a place from which he could draw upon saidin. It was called ko'di in Malkier. So these are the definitions. This is from the WOT companion book, which I highly recommend. It's great for a reread as it has maps, easy to look up and more detailed definitions. I would looooove one for Stormlight as it will be a long series and having one book with maps and definitions and small backstories on topics such as Aimia would be amazing. But I'll just settle for more stories of my loves Kaladin and Renarin right now. It's good enough for me. P.s. don't get the companion book if you are reading through the series for the first time. If you thought New Spring would spoil things, well let me tell you this book is even worse when it comes to spoilers!
+Doomstick he/him Posted February 4, 2019 Posted February 4, 2019 1 hour ago, whattheHoid said: I would looooove one for Stormlight as it will be a long series and having one book with maps and definitions and small backstories on topics such as Aimia would be amazing Well, we have one for the cosmere: Arcanum Unbounded
whattheHoid she/her Posted February 4, 2019 Posted February 4, 2019 Yes we do have Arcanum Unbounded, however that is not entirely the same thing or what I was thinking of. I do love Arcanum Unbounded though!
+Doomstick he/him Posted February 5, 2019 Posted February 5, 2019 10 hours ago, whattheHoid said: Yes we do have Arcanum Unbounded, however that is not entirely the same thing or what I was thinking of. I do love Arcanum Unbounded though! Essays
+Doomstick he/him Posted February 5, 2019 Posted February 5, 2019 The Wheel Of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past a wind rose in the Bookshelves Of WoT. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel Of Time. But it was a beginning welcome to the third WoT discussion!
+Sorana she/her Posted February 6, 2019 Posted February 6, 2019 Is anybody still reading apart from me? So, I managed to finish the book, 2 days late, but hey, I finished. The part about the blight is one of my favourite scenes of the first book. It's great how it is described, and it really seems dangerous to me. I also like the green man, especially when you learn, that he got his position by accident. That adds a nice touch to the whole mysterious eye of the world scenario, when this mysterious place and his warden suddenly found each other by accident. And then there's of course my all time favourite Lan. He was great, as always I started with the next book, but I'm not sure how far I'll make it. The week is half over and I'm busy this weekend. 1
whattheHoid she/her Posted February 6, 2019 Posted February 6, 2019 Hey, everyone! I just finished Eye of the World last night or early early morning. This is the first chance I have had to put more than a line down. So here are my thoughts. As always, I remind you all that I have read this before and I may have some spoilers of which you will have full warning. I also am reading Lady of the Lake, but that shouldn't impede me too much from rereading the Great Hunt. So onto the conclusion of the first book! So we left off where Rand and Mat finally make a stressful journey to Camelyn as guess who we get to meet!? Basel Gill! The fiercest of Morgase's Innkeepers! I love him! So Rand and Mat make it just in time to see the false Dragon, Logain. A False Dragon seems to be any man who can channel, however I would assume that they would have to be Ta'veren at least as I am sure that there are plenty of men throughout the years who could channel and didn't declare themselves the Dragon. It is interesting to note though, that there have been several false Dragons within a period of 5 years, i believe, Moiraine has mentioned? It seems like the Pattern is doing all it can to get that Dragon out and ready for the Dark One. At any rate, Mat seems to be not himself, he has holed himself up in his room and will only accept anything from Rand. He probably is pretty smelly by now. So Mat misses the Dragon procession with the Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah. We are starting to learn that there are more than one group or factions of the Aes Sedai and they each have a purpose. It seems clear that the Red Ajah is designed to capture and "gentle" men who can channel. Which sounds horrible, but jokes on you Red Ajah!...Spoilers! Spoiler Nyneave is going to get you all and heal Logain again and there is nothing you can do about it! And she is gonna help cleanse Saidin as she is a bamf! Go Nyneave! Also, question to think about while we read or reread, what Ajah would you want to join and why? For first time readers, don't worry we'll find them all very shortly. Anyways, while Rand is sightseeing he comes across and smelly and intent pursual by the mysterious beggar we find out later is Padan Fain and man the Dark Lord seriously messed him up. He seems to be an above average Darkfriend. So Rand runs away and climbs a wall, cause why not? And we meet the Trakand siblings, Elyane and Gawyn. Ok, so one point I want to bring up here. I get that Rand is not hideous, he is attractive but blood and bloody ashes! Elayne is all swoony and Min was giving Rand the eyes! Like I get why that reaction would be with a protagonist like Geralt and I get why Rand is heavily sought after later on. I guess that just must be the effect of being a Ta'veren.Instant super attraction! Elayne is definitely headstrong, but as we may find out later, could it be a hinderance? Gawyn, ehhh. This is one of the few scenes where he is tolerable to me and if you want to know why, well spoilers... Spoiler Once Morgase, "dies" and Gawyn finds out he does nothing to find out the facts; he just goes by rumor and assumes Rand killed her and becomes blinded by hatred and becomes almost whiney. I understand that his mother "died" but you know stuff is going down, things aren't normal. The Forsaken are loose; how do you know you aren't being tricked or duped. I dunno, he got likeable towards the end right before he dies. And Elyane gets irritating right around the time she gets pregnant as all she does from then on is almost get herself killed or complains that Rand gets her pregnant. Like girl, Min may have foresaw your children, but that doesn't mean you had to have them right then! I know there is some form of birth control as Nyneave and Lan go at it like rabbits after their marriage and I believe she takes herbs, because she is smart enough not to have a baby when Tarmon Gai'den is here! Sorry rant over! Needless to say, Birgitte had her work cut out for her as a Warder. Thank you for listening! Then we meet Morgase herself and Elaida and Gareth Bryne. Elaida has a fortelling, which seems to be a gift unique to a select few as in not every channeler can do this kind of like Nynaeve can "listen" to the wind. We also meet Loial! Our famous and hasty Ogier! So, when I first read this I thought the Ogier originally came from another planet or something. They just seemed otherworldly to me. They are non human and they live in steddings which they seem to be emotionally and phyiscally tied to to some extent. They can sing to the trees as we see Loial do to the Green Man, his Treebrother. They almost seem to be a cross between elves and like Gandalf wizards to me. I also find it funny that even unflappable Moiraine get irritated slightly with Loial's long stories! Then everyone is reunited in Camelyn and we find that Mat, you naughty boy!, took a dagger from Shadar Logoth and it is killing him! Moiraine gets him temporarily healed though and Loial joins the company and they go through the Ways! Which the male Aes Sedai have created. It seems to me that the Age of Legends was a time of huge societal and technological advances and through the Breaking of the World, society plunged back several hundreds of years. it seems a lot of technology and information was lost. So we go through the Ways and it is falling apart real bad and the Machin Shin! Watch out! They get out at Fal Dara and we see how the Borderlanders survive so close to the Blight with Trolloc raids. They are a militaristic and minimalist society, probably by necessity. However, we see they are very poetic in their wording and this is the first place that Loial doesn't have cries of Trolloc following him. We also find out more about Lan, the Diademed Lord! Uncrowned King of Malkier!, Dai Shan! The Golden Crane! We will find out more about Malkier traditions in New Spring; they are real neat! Malkier was swallowed by fists of Trollocs and the Blight. The morning after our company arrive, they leave for the Blight to the Eye of the World. Hottie alert! We see Nyneave bear her heart out to Lan and he's digging it! Only he is so stubborn, he rejects her. Don't worry Lan, you can't resist the stubborn heart of a Manetheren forever! Will we see them kiss in the next book!? Maybe Nyneave should wear fancier or more low cut clothes!? *wink wink* Spoiler! Spoiler She does! So a few things about the Blight. We know nothing about the Universe in which Randland is in and by that I mean does it have 1 moon, 1 sun? Is the sun a red dwarf? I ask this because, in the Blight they remark that the sun is a bright blazing red ball, which I imagine as red light. Is that Ba'lzamon's influence? Or does Randland just have a red sun? The local flora, fauna, and wildlife are corrupted and seem to actively go out and attack anyone really. But they make it to the Eye and we meet the Green Man who I imagine to be a smaller Ent-like creature. He is really selfless, he guards the Eye and it seems as long as he is alive things grow as they should, not corrupted. We also get to meet out first 2 Forsaken in the present time and yeah Rand kicks butt! So the first time, I read this I was a little confused, but I think Rand was channeling the untainted pool of Saidin within the Eye, as later on...Spoiler Spoiler When Rand or any other man channels, they remark on there being a thin film of grime on top of a river of light. Rand doesn't mention any of that while battling Aginor. The fight is over and Rand believes Ba'lzamon's dead, but Rand, I hate to break it to you, you got 13 more books to go and that would assume that no he's not dead, however you probably wounded him a little? Moiraine is not surprised Rand is the one and Nyneave and Egwene and Lan know he can channel. And boy, I feel bad for Rand. How would you feel if you found out you had this awesome gift but it cam with a price your sanity. I always have that in the back of my mind whilst reading Rand parts. He needs all our support after all! Our company returns to Fal Dara and spring has arrived, late but arrived and the Borderlanders have had a victory over the Shadow. So happy ending! Other notes: it is interesting to note the Perrin's eyes don't glow all the time; they only seem to glow when thinking of hunting, or the Dark One's minions. It is also interesting to note Rand's observation's of Perrin' behaviors and mannerisms. He hasn't changed too much, but maybe to someone who has known him a long time, like Rand, would notice these things. Also, out of all our Emond's Fielders, Mat, in particular has a gift of the Old Tongue. Might be important? Don't worry guys, he becomes waay more likeable real soon! Well that is all for now. Thanks for reading! This has been real enjoyable! This series holds a special place in my heart as it led me to Stormlight Archives and onto the rest of Sanderson and for that it will always be special. Until next week! 2
Just a Lifetime he/him Posted February 6, 2019 Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Sorana said: Is anybody still reading apart from me? So, I managed to finish the book, 2 days late, but hey, I finished. The part about the blight is one of my favourite scenes of the first book. It's great how it is described, and it really seems dangerous to me. I also like the green man, especially when you learn, that he got his position by accident. That adds a nice touch to the whole mysterious eye of the world scenario, when this mysterious place and his warden suddenly found each other by accident. And then there's of course my all time favourite Lan. He was great, as always Well, I'm still... following along. Perhaps certain posters' ardor for a certain Diademed Battle Lord might have scared off some of the more bashful participants? I definitely agree that Jordan had a gift for description. On the other hand, I never got the sense that the Green Man and the Eye "suddenly found each other by accident." He says: Quote [The Aes Sedai who created the Eye] charged me to guard it against the need to come. It was not what I was made for, but all was breaking apart, and they were alone, and I was all they had. It was not what I was made for, but I have kept the faith. Spoiler In your previous read, did you make it to the part in the fourth book where this is revisited, explaining the Green Man's reactions to Rand's sword and to the mention of Avendesora? That book 4 sequence is definitely one of my favorites from the entire series. +++ 44 minutes ago, whattheHoid said: A False Dragon seems to be any man who can channel, however I would assume that they would have to be Ta'veren at least as I am sure that there are plenty of men throughout the years who could channel and didn't declare themselves the Dragon. And also plenty of false Dragons who couldn't channel. Fain mentioned in Chapter 3 that Logain was the only one of the three false Dragons in the past 5 years who could channel. While I'm sure being ta'veren could help smooth a false Dragon's path, the only true 'requirement' seems to be a well-developed sense of self-confidence egomania. 47 minutes ago, whattheHoid said: Also, question to think about while we read or reread, what Ajah would you want to join and why? For first time readers, don't worry we'll find them all very shortly. Y'all can post your answers here (but beware of series-spanning spoilers starting in the third post of that topic)! 1 hour ago, whattheHoid said: They almost seem to be a cross between elves and like Gandalf wizards to me. Really? ...oh, I see, you were saving Ents for the Green Man. I still think there's plenty of overlap between Ogier and Ents, even though the former are not physically tree-like. I'm pretty sure that at least in The Eye of the World Jordan deliberately made Loial to be like Treebeard with his long-windedness and complaints about hastiness. (Similar to how he deliberately made Moiraine to be like Gandalf, with her staff and mysteriousness.) There's also independent inspiration for the Green Man. 1 hour ago, whattheHoid said: Mat, you naughty boy! Clearly he's not the Messiah! Sorry, I'll stop now. Spoiler Flesh so fine, so fine to tear, to gash the skin; skin to strip, to plait, so nice to plait the strips, so nice, so red the drops that fall; blood so red, so red, so sweet; sweet screams, pretty screams, singing screams, scream your song, sing your screams... 1 hour ago, whattheHoid said: This has been real enjoyable! This series holds a special place in my heart as it led me to Stormlight Archives and onto the rest of Sanderson and for that it will always be special. Until next week! Yeah, this world has been in my head longer than I care to admit. I might not have the time and inclination for a full reread, but I do enjoy revisiting it.
Gancho Libre he/him Posted February 6, 2019 Posted February 6, 2019 Hy, I'm pretty sure the schedule has us finishing book1 one a couple days ago, but just in case, I'll spoiler this question I have: Spoiler Can anyone explain to me, without really spoiling any of the later books, exactly what happened for that climax?
Just a Lifetime he/him Posted February 6, 2019 Posted February 6, 2019 1 minute ago, Gancho Libre said: Hy, I'm pretty sure the schedule has us finishing book1 one a couple days ago, but just in case, I'll spoiler this question I have: Hide contents Can anyone explain to me, without really spoiling any of the later books, exactly what happened for that climax? Spoiler IT IS NOT HERE.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now