If you haven't read the book, or the whole series,
why not join in and read along with the rest of us? This week you can find
links to everyone else’s thoughts at Dab of Darkness.
This week we read through to the end of Chapter 17.
1) Egwene
dives back into Tel'aran'rhiod to investigate Tanchico and comes out with an
Aiel Wise Woman's contact info. Egwene kicks herself for not having the
knowledge and skill to interpret her dreams. Have you ever given dream
interpretation a shot? Do you think Egwene's plans to train and pass that on to
Nynaeve and Elayne will work out as she plans?
Dream interpretation is not something that I have
ever tried and I have never had a dream that was in any way prophetic. I guess
it would be interesting to know what all the randomness in my dreams actually
mean, but I have a suspicion that they are mostly just an assortment of
highlights from the day’s thinking.
I think Egwene is being somewhat optimistic in
thinking that she can pass on her learning easily. I imagine that you need to
have you someone to travel with you at first and show you how to do things,
just like Hopper does with Perrin. Perhaps she will be able to do this for the
others, but I do worry that they are all very confidant in their ability to
handle their powers without people getting hurt.
2) Robert
Jordan loves setting up the battle of the sexes, doesn't he? In this section we
see that Perrin and Faile are having a contest of wills. Rand versus the Aes
Sedai (Moiraine in particular). Thom versus Moiraine. Even Min! What do you
think of Jordan's use of this?
I think that this is a product of him including
some very strong-willed women in his character list and so I rather like seeing
the girls hold their own against the lads. We talked a little last week about
his ability to write female characters that are strong and yet still seem
realistic, which I very much appreciate. I would say that he has a talent for
creating believable women and it is good that he acknowledges that males and
females are far more evenly matched than many people will admit.
I also like how he shows that men and women are
fundamentally different in how they think about things. This leads them to
react rather differently in situations, but also makes them frustrated when
members of the opposite sex do things in alternative ways. Each is adamant that
their way is correct and that the other person is simply being stubborn or
foolish. This dynamic is not only very realistic but also as ancient as human
civilization, so it is great to see it played out repeatedly in these books.
3) Mat,
Perrin, and Rand finally hear about Whitecloaks in the Two Rivers. Perrin feels
an obligation to return, tries to break some ties, and then finds out he won't
be going alone. Were you surprised at Perrin's self-sacrificial take on this
situation? Will the White Cloaks get more than they are looking for?
I was not at all surprised by Perrin’s reaction,
because he is a man who wants to protect other people from harm. We see Rand,
and even Mat, have similar reactions, but they are not free to travel to the
Two Rivers with him and so cannot go. It seems odd, but Perrin has already
discovered his special place in the war against the Dark One. Although he is
very uncomfortable with his gift of the Wolf link, or whatever it is, it is
obviously his destiny to lead the wolves in the Final Battle. I do not know why
this role is so important, but it must be vital to Rand’s success somehow or
other. He has much more to learn about his abilities, but he can learn where
ever he can find wolves, or even in his dreams from Hopper, whilst Rand and Mat
still have set paths that they must follow.
I am quite certain that the Whitecloaks are going
to have a massive surprise in store for them when he arrives and rallies the
people of the Two Rivers against them. I also expect Dain Bornhald to discover
that Perrin is not the monster that he imagines and so will find it very
difficult to justify the anger he feels towards him.
4) Ladies
and their weapons: We saw some hand-to-hand altercations and some subtler
weapons in use in this section. Who do you deem the more dangerous - Berelain
or Faile?
I am not sure that I could make a prediction about
which one of them would win a fight, but I suspect that Berelain might have
Faile soundly beaten before getting even one scratch from a dagger. We have all
seen martial arts experts fighting off hoards of angry men armed to the teeth,
so I expect Berelain to be very competent.
I doubt that Faile would be happy about this.
5) Of course
Mat goes through the doorway! But once he is done with his question and answer
session and tossed out, he realizes he wasn't the only one seeking answers.
What kind of beings do you think the folk in the doorway were? What do you
think Rand and Moiraine asked and had answered?
Mat has self-control issues at the best of times
and he seems incapable of trusting anyone to give him advice, so this was not
really a surprise. However, even though I know that he is paranoid about
Moiraine, but I would have liked to have seen him approach someone else,
perhaps Lan or Thom, before risking a trip through an ancient magical relic.
I was rather surprised by the race in the other world,
because they do not seem to be like any species that we have encountered
before. However, I was intrigued about their fear of iron, fire and musical
instruments: iron and fire are common weapons, but since when was anyone afraid
of a guitar? The fear of iron seems to be a direct reference to the old
traditions about fairies in folklore, but these people did not seem
particularly fae.
I can only assume that both Rand and Moiraine asked
for guidance about what to do next, but I bet that we will never be told
precisely what they asked. As for what answers they received: who knows? Some
of the things that Mat was told were kind of direct, but others were awfully
vague, which is rather annoying. Although we now know that he will get a wife,
even though it seems unbelievable! :D
6) Finally,
Loial is back in the story. While he seems to be content as a chronicler, I do
you think The Wheel will let him sit in a corner with pen and ink the entire
book? What do you think of Faile's twisting his arm to visit The Ways?
Yay, Loial!
I find it highly unlikely that he
will be able to simply drift along in the wakes that the ta’verens create
because I assume that every one of the significant characters in the series
have an important part to play in the lead up to the Final Battle. At the
moment I cannot imagine Loial persuading the other Ogier to take up arms
against the Enemy (as the Ents do in The Two Towers), but they would certainly
be an important ally because of their ability to navigate the Ways.
I was very angry with Faile for manipulating him
the way she did and for making him feel so miserable. Loial is a wonderful,
caring soul and he does not deserve to be treated badly just because she is angry
and jealous. Fortunately, I think that Perrin will not hold Loial responsible
for what has happened, but it does seem that Faile has made a mistake in
pushing Perrin and may come to regret her actions. I suspect that poor Loial
will blame himself for their bickering anyway, because he is just so gentle and
lovely.
Bad Faile!
Extra Thoughts
Way to go Lan! He really managed to get Nynaeve to
shut up for once! :D
