|
pik_d posted:I've finished AMoL too now. Wait...Tuon is pregnant by the story's end? I genuinely don't remember that being mentioned at all, and it wasn't even that long ago I read the final book; maybe a few months. I remember them boning on the roof of the palace; just not the story saying or implying she was pregnant afterwards. Not sure how I missed that. Or just forgot it, I suppose. Regardless, the scene of Jain rescuing Olver after Olver blew the horn is probably the most emotive scene in the final book for me. I loved a good few other bits, including other horn moments like Birgitte as you mentioned, but just Olver thinking about how Noal was the first person to return for him really got me. pik_d posted:I hate to say it too, Perrin was a real let down. It just felt like at every turn not as much happened with him as the other main characters. You'd think cool teen wolfman with dream powers could be really cool, but no, he just drags everything out and goes missing from time to time. There's a short story called "A Fire Within the Ways" starring Perrin among others about him cleansing the Ways that may help give the character a bit more to do in your mind. It's not canon because the timeline of events and where various characters are during the events of A Memory of Light aren't compatible, but I don't think that really matters personally since I'd take it as something that just happened off-screen in a similar way or something personally given that Sanderson wrote it during the process of writing A Memory of Light but eventually realized it just wasn't working for various reasons and cut it. There's also another short story about Demandred fufilling the Sharan prophecies I must chase down at some point, and finally I'd point you to a really short story (more of an excerpt really) that is only a page or two long and all online called "The Strike at Shayol Ghul" that gives a little bit of info on Latra Posae (who is briefly seen during the Lews Therin flashback at the start of the final episode of season 1 of the TV show), a woman who is commonly seen as one of Egwene's previous lives in the fandom given her role in that little snippet. Seems like the kind of thing you might like to read since you liked Egwene. tsob fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Mar 23, 2023 |
#
?
Mar 23, 2023 13:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 19, 2024 12:47 |
|
|
Full spoilers reply to @tsob I have read The Strike at Shayol Ghul, but I haven't read River of Souls (the Demandred one) or The Fire in the Ways, but I'll be reading them soon now that you've helped me find one of them at least! Thanks! The Strike at Shayol Ghul was really informative and I don't understand why it was never put in the book in full. When you really dig into it, that story proves (to me) that Lews and Latra had no chance at fixing things because they didn't have access to the True Power and that was necessary to shield Saidin and Saidar from the Dark One tainting them. pik_d fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Mar 23, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2023 14:09
|
|
|
tsob posted:Wait...Tuon is pregnant by the story's end? I genuinely don't remember that being mentioned at all, and it wasn't even that long ago I read the final book; maybe a few months. I remember them boning on the roof of the palace; just not the story saying or implying she was pregnant afterwards. Not sure how I missed that. Or just forgot it, I suppose. Regardless, the scene of Jain rescuing Olver after Olver blew the horn is probably the most emotive scene in the final book for me. I loved a good few other bits, including other horn moments like Birgitte as you mentioned, but just Olver thinking about how Noal was the first person to return for him really got me. It's in the AMoL Epilogue Tuon frowned. The explosions reflected in her dark eyes. “I’m with child,” she said. “The Doomseer has confirmed it.” Mat felt a jolt, as sure as if a firework had gone off inside of his stomach. An heir. A son, no doubt! What odds that it was a boy? Mat forced a grin. “Well, I guess I’m off the hook, now. You have an heir.” “I have an heir,” Tuon said, “but I am the one off that hook. Now I can kill you, if I want.” Mat felt his grin widen. “Well, we’ll have to see what we can work out. Tell me, do you ever play dice?”
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2023 14:37
|
|
|
Starting book 9 winters hearts Path of daggers was amazing. Could not put it down. dashiva was maybe number 1 top anime betrayals ever. kill them !!! Kill them all!!! While path of daggers was good, it was not so fantastical and more politics and war . I hope the later books get a little more silly with the fantasy as I like that
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 16:52
|
|
|
Finished The Shadow Rising yesterday. Really enjoyed how the story both slows down the big picture pacing and also feels like a ton of stuff is happening. The Tar Valon coup was super nuts and that's the plot line I'm most looking forward to seeing play out. Still plenty of room to let Mat, Moraine and Egwayne grow too. Perrin has a hall of fame storyline in this one. I'm sure I'm not breaking new ground saying this was great, but hot drat it was a fun read. Laughed out loud at how annoyed he got with being called the lord of the two rivers Excited for the next book.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 21:43
|
|
|
Fires of Heaven spoilers - The Far Snows chapter was everything I hoped it could be. Hope it all works out for those crazy kids. Aviendha has become one of my favorites - love all her attitude towards Rand, balancing her own feelings with her duty to her people and her friend - it's good stuff. We did have the least interesting plot of the story so far for me - Nynaeve and Elayne bicker and join the circus, WEW this was boring. Payoff felt pointless. RJ has his tenancies to repeat points, but this one went too far. We didn't need 90 percent of the Nynaeve judging other women's clothing. gently caress, we get it. Really enjoy the way that RJ writes battle scenes. Gives a good balance of the chaos going on, the mindset of the narrator and still keeps the reader aware of what is going on. Battle Generally really liking all the big moments and where the plot is going. The space between the blockbuster stuff varies pretty wildly, but not enough to stop reading - just need to power through it. Lord of Chaos, Chapter 5 - Loved that Fires of Heaven ended with Rand offering the amnesty to all men that can channel, and we basically get right into it with Rand after the epilogue. Obviously going to end well with Rand bringing in all these men, lol Likely going to take a break from the Wheel after the end of this one, I've seen some people say this is kind of an end of an arc.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2023 18:16
|
|
|
81sidewinder posted:Fires of Heaven spoilers - The Far Snows chapter was everything I hoped it could be. Hope it all works out for those crazy kids. Aviendha has become one of my favorites - love all her attitude towards Rand, balancing her own feelings with her duty to her people and her friend - it's good stuff. Robert Jordan was a Vietnam War veteran, and imho it shows in how well he could wrote battle scenes. And if you want to take a break, doing so after finishing Lord of Chaos is indeed a good choice.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2023 13:56
|
|
|
Finished Lord of Chaos, and ready for a short break. Love this story, but it's time for a short break until the next book. WOW, a lot happened in the last third of this book. Egwayne as the resistance's Amyriln! Perrin comes back to Rand. Rand gets kidnapped. And the ending, holy poo poo. Perrin marching to save Rand, Rand breaking free, Taim showing up with the men who can channel and flexing that brutal power, the Aes Sedai bowing to Rand at the end, holy poo poo So much happened, but there are more questions than answers. Will Rand unite the tower with Eguwayne? Is he going to have three wives? What about everyone in Ebou Dar? Is there any point to that plot point? Very excited to see what happens next, but cant handle the slow 400 pages in the middle of a book again quite yet.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2023 21:57
|
|
|
81sidewinder posted:Finished Lord of Chaos, I remember when I read that going back to re-read everything at the battle of Dumai's wells a few times. Rand breaking free of his shield and immediately gentling sveral of the women who held it? Awesome. The moment of everyone else learning what an army of solely-trained-for-combat channelers can do... just a thrilling conclusion to all that build-up. Satisfying, gruesome, continuing the ever-running theme of 'the world is not what it used to be, and now that we've seen/done this there's no going back' that just echoes through the series. Good stuff. good stuff.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2023 23:23
|
|
|
road potato posted:I remember when I read that going back to re-read everything at the battle of Dumai's wells a few times. Rand breaking free of his shield and immediately gentling sveral of the women who held it? Awesome. The moment of everyone else learning what an army of solely-trained-for-combat channelers can do... just a thrilling conclusion to all that build-up. Satisfying, gruesome, continuing the ever-running theme of 'the world is not what it used to be, and now that we've seen/done this there's no going back' that just echoes through the series. Yeah, it was intense. Loved how RJ turned it on it's ear the way he did. Rand trying so hard to get out of the bind, finally doing it and being so ready for his revenge. Then he gets it, and it just goes so far. Made you want it so bad, then regret it when you did.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2023 21:54
|
|
|
I'm about 3/4s through Lord of Chaos and kind of taken aback at Egwene becoming Amyrlin Seat and raising Nynaeve and Elayne up to Aes Sedai. Almost felt like I stumbled into a fanfic or am just missing some obvious coming twist where they're just being used, but it all reads genuine to me so far. I'm just now to Egwene talking to the other two after the fact, but I can't help feeling like the other shoe's gonna drop at some point.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2023 17:55
|
|
|
Soul Glo posted:I'm about 3/4s through Lord of Chaos and kind of taken aback at Egwene becoming Amyrlin Seat and raising Nynaeve and Elayne up to Aes Sedai. Almost felt like I stumbled into a fanfic or am just missing some obvious coming twist where they're just being used, but it all reads genuine to me so far. I'm just now to Egwene talking to the other two after the fact, but I can't help feeling like the other shoe's gonna drop at some point. This reminds me of when people say that no one is really and adult, we're all just pretending and seeing how far we can take it
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2023 18:14
|
|
|
pik_d posted:This reminds me of when people say that no one is really and adult, we're all just pretending and seeing how far we can take it It's not even that she would be experiencing imposter syndrome, it's that even the book points out that women typically spend 10 years as a Novice and 10 years as an Accepted, and it felt completely out of left field, especially since Egwene has spent almost half her time in training embedded with the Aiel. The only thing I figure is that once Siuan got stilled, she immediately began scheming with Leane to install one of her last loyal Aes Sedai as the rebel's Seat, and she's been using essentially children to hunt down Black Ajah, so she has full influence on them. Like, I get it, but it's all happening extremely fast, imo
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2023 18:20
|
|
|
Soul Glo posted:It's not even that she would be experiencing imposter syndrome, it's that even the book points out that women typically spend 10 years as a Novice and 10 years as an Accepted, and it felt completely out of left field, especially since Egwene has spent almost half her time in training embedded with the Aiel. The only thing I figure is that once Siuan got stilled, she immediately began scheming with Leane to install one of her last loyal Aes Sedai as the rebel's Seat, and she's been using essentially children to hunt down Black Ajah, so she has full influence on them. If you get past Chapter 37 and still don't get it, read this. She's raised because she's far too young for the role. Neither of the other two candidates had the votes to be raised herself, so each decided to keep her rival out by pushing for somebody who's never had a chance to form alliances in the Tower. Both assume that somebody raised directly from Novice to Amyrlin will be weak, unsure of herself, and easy to control.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2023 18:44
|
|
|
It took a span of 25 years and at least half a dozen false starts, but I have finally finished The Eye of the World. Sorry it took so long, Mr. Flaherty, but you were right: it was really good! It was a high quality fantasy story with great lore and absolutely fantastic character writing. It wasn't a complicated book, but they were a lot of threads and motivations that were managed brilliantly. I never felt confused or lost, and even without a map I could keep track of the party's journey. I especially liked how characters would gradually grow from the moment-to-moment events and not just all in one lump sum during a big climactic battle My only disappointment was the ending sequence, which was unsatisfyingly hasty. Jordan spent 600+ pages slowly weaving together all these storylines, but it's like he finally looked up at the clock and realized just how late it was. The legendary Green Man is introduced, escorts them to the eye, then foreshadows his own death a dozen pages later. Two Foresaken we've never even heard of before literally stroll up to the party unannounced and menace them for a few pages, and by the time you realize this is meant to be the penultimate battle they're both dead. I can't even remember their names! Why did they show up, how did they get past the Green Man and all the defenses of this place? Well Moraine has the answers: "uhh they were sealed close to the surface...?" Ok! Then Rand attaches himself to a light umbilical cord and it's off to wipe out an army and then cut satan's shadow umbilical cord with a sword of light, and Rand just knows how to do all of that. I at least buy this part if Rand truly is a "reborn" dragon and has memories or instincts of the previous ones I will say one part I appreciated was Rand's attitude toward the end where he's irritated that Moraine is treating the Dark One as a threat. "I just loving killed him, I saw him die, can we appreciate my victory for even a minute???" It fits his character and age, and plants seeds why he'd want so badly to split from the party and Moraine. A few wild predictions: - Rand will go to Aiel thinking it's empty and safe, but instead he'll have familial revelations, go crazy, and Loial will save him and bring him to a stedding - Thom is definitely alive and it'll be revealed he's a male channeler like his nephew and will mentor Rand - Moraine is on the "good" side, but for the wrong reasons. She cares more about prophecy and her willingness to discard others in that goal will put her in conflict with the boys. She will die by sacrificing herself to save one of the boys and she'll say something cryptic like "so it was all the pattern after all...!!" as she dies - Mat and Perrin will go back home, Mat royal blood will trigger the dagger's curse and Perrin will need to stop him with wolf powers. Both boys realize they can never go back home again - Egewene will be the most powerful aes sedai in a million years and she'll be in constant political conflict with Tar Valon - Min, Rand and Elayne will form a love triangle - Gawyn is a darkfriend - The Horn is a terrible idea and bringing heroes back from the dead is what the Dark One wants
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2023 20:43
|
|
|
Wow. Some of those predictions are... just wow. Great write-up, WarpDogs! I think you will enjoy the next three books at the very least. Please keep us posted if you have time, should you decide to try out book 2. I really enjoyed reading your post 
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2023 02:02
|
|
|
Soul Glo posted:Like, I get it, but it's all happening extremely fast, imo I really liked it! Like, a fist pumping level of enjoyment. I'd love you to clarify what you mean - What is the concern you have here? That she is doing something out of character? She is being too savvy based on what her experience level should be? The plot is moving too quickly? People are doing things that don't make sense? I think it ruled. She quickly picked up on the fact that she will be used as a puppet and started to see how far she could push it to her own ends.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2023 17:27
|
|
|
81sidewinder posted:I really liked it! Like, a fist pumping level of enjoyment. I'd love you to clarify what you mean - What is the concern you have here? That she is doing something out of character? She is being too savvy based on what her experience level should be? The plot is moving too quickly? People are doing things that don't make sense? I think it ruled. She quickly picked up on the fact that she will be used as a puppet and started to see how far she could push it to her own ends. it makes more sense reading further, as elaborated on by gnoman. in the moment it felt out of left field. throughout this book i've been thinking that maybe they'd never become aes sedai at all, which would free them up from the constraints of oaths at all, making them very powerful Source wielders and free to use it in fights not against darkfriends/forsaken/etc. as yet, they're still not limited by the oaths so that may still come to pass i've still got 75 pages of Lord of Chaos to go and when i put it down last night poo poo was starting to pop off. rand got kidnapped. kind of assuming alanna saves him, endearing him to her and the rebels. i don't think he's even aware that egwene is their Amrylin yet.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2023 17:39
|
|
|
Soul Glo posted:
Oh man you gotta finish that tonight and post a reaction immediately.
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2023 17:46
|
|
|
Gwaihir posted:Oh man you gotta finish that tonight and post a reaction immediately. for sure. the other things i think might happen is that alanna dies, freeing him from her bond and/or he actually gets stilled. it leaves him as just a swordsman until nynaeve can Heal him but still leaves him way de-powered relative to where he is currently, which might be OP. i also know that future, much later spoilers he eventually he cleanses saidin and has some sort of children, so i know he makes it through the story with some connection to the power
|
|
#
?
Jul 6, 2023 17:51
|
|
|
Gwaihir posted:Oh man you gotta finish that tonight and post a reaction immediately. that was loving rad
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 03:36
|
|
|
WarpDogs posted:It took a span of 25 years and at least half a dozen false starts, but I have finally finished The Eye of the World. Sorry it took so long, Mr. Flaherty, but you were right: it was really good! Yes, but also no
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 05:04
|
|
|
Soul Glo posted:that was loving rad Hell yes it was. Which did you like more - the end of The Great Hunt or the end of Lord of Chaos? I ask because those are far and away my two favorite parts of the story and I'm only like 150 pages ahead of you.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:24
|
|
|
81sidewinder posted:Hell yes it was. Which did you like more - the end of The Great Hunt or the end of Lord of Chaos? I ask because those are far and away my two favorite parts of the story and I'm only like 150 pages ahead of you. the latter, but it's also fresh. definitely the most visceral scene yet in the books. i immediately opened crown of swords and read 65~ pages before bed.
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 15:41
|
|
|
A few chapters into The Great Hunt and I'm really loving all these new perspectives, including a whole bunch from the key manipulators and ostensibly a few of the bad guys! Jordan does a really good job with his third person limited style of writing. It's not just a difference of inner monologue and new pair of eyeballs, it also colors the narrator in both obvious and subtle ways. We get glimpses of internal machinations, but never the full picture because the narrator isn't omniscient and nobody exposits everything to themselves He even uses it for jokes, like how Perrin and Rand each thinking the other is better with women I don't love books that go beyond a handful of perspectives, but I really don't mind him piling them on, at least not yet!
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 02:19
|
|
|
WarpDogs posted:A few chapters into The Great Hunt and I'm really loving all these new perspectives, including a whole bunch from the key manipulators and ostensibly a few of the bad guys! This is something I'm a big fan of as well, and it gets used to even better effect later on imo. Without spoiling anything, you have the regular characters who you're used to having for points of view, and once in a while you get a view from a complete outsider looking at once of the main cast and it just puts them in a completely wildly different perspective and it's great.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 02:42
|
|
|
Yeah there is some super intense dramatic irony I phased out in the beginning of winters heart. I need to pick it back up and finish this
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 02:43
|
|
|
euphronius posted:Yeah there is some super intense dramatic irony You should, Winter's Heart ends with an absolute banger. Book 10 is divisive due to it's special gimmick, so if you don't enjoy it, read a summary. Book 11 really picks up the pace a lot, with many longstanding threads being resolved, and the following books don't slow down, more the opposite!
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 09:44
|
|
|
WarpDogs posted:We get glimpses of internal machinations, but never the full picture because the narrator isn't omniscient and nobody exposits everything to themselves If you can keep this in mind, and occasionally look at the other characters and go "I wonder what this looks like from their perspective", you'll catch a lot that people miss.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2023 10:59
|
|
|
Winters heart does indeed end well . Holy crap
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 20:24
|
|
|
euphronius posted:Winters heart does indeed end well . Holy crap The man may dawdle a bit here and there but he knows how to close
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2023 21:30
|
|
|
About a 3rd of the way through The Great Hunt, and I feel like at least once a chapter I'm thinking "haha, you stupid dumbass", regardless of PoV character. be more suspicious of the hauntingly beautiful women you "happened" to stumble upon in a parallel world who knows things nobody else does, you colossal moron!!! But it's fitting at least. 1st book was about a bunch of naive little kids growing up fast, this book it's like they're teenagers who are finally capable of making their own judgments, but they're very bad at it The whole Mat and Perrin are angry with Rand plot went on way too long, though, and for really no payoff. They've been friends for nearly 2 decades, it should take more than a single rude conversation to destroy that. It also undercut their reactions to learning he can channel. It'd have been more impactful if that had been the reason they suddenly avoided him
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 01:02
|
|
|
I would have agreed with Lanfear instantly
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 01:18
|
|
|
WarpDogs posted:The whole Mat and Perrin are angry with Rand plot went on way too long, though, and for really no payoff. They've been friends for nearly 2 decades, it should take more than a single rude conversation to destroy that. It also undercut their reactions to learning he can channel. It'd have been more impactful if that had been the reason they suddenly avoided him I think them learning he can channel is more the reason why they were avoiding him. As Moiraine describes, when dudes start to channel they become manic depressive basically, so his wild mood swings were causing the tensions.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 14:38
|
|
|
The library got me a first edition hardback of Crossroads of twighlight with the og cover art I am happy
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 15:32
|
|
|
I am going to give this series one more try
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
BattyKiara posted:I am going to give this series one more try How far in have you gotten before? The first book is very deliberately imitative of Tolkien but the series gets more interesting after that and really takes off after the first million words or so!
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 15:54
|
|
|
My advice : don’t even try to memorize the different aes Sedai Just look them up while you are reading
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 19:12
|
|
|
euphronius posted:My advice : don’t even try to memorize the different aes Sedai To add onto this, use the "WoT Compendium" app to look stuff up, it updates spoiler level for each book. It's a good safe way to check things out without googling something and have it autofill with how they die.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 19:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 19, 2024 12:47 |
|
|
Smart person ^ If you're gonna look up stuff I recommend something that let's you choose the book you're on and gives you spoiler free info. This app is good https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.silvermast.wotcompendium
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2023 19:26
|
|
