Wheel of Time series

Brand

Brand

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Heylel_sl said:
As time goes by since finishing, I'm starting to realize how much I didn't like the ending. I still enjoyed the book, but RJ's section at the end clearly felt unfinished, and I just didn't like how it wrapped up.

Rand should have died. That's the only thing that would have made sense, and I don't like the unexplained body swap with Moridin. He should have died, freeing his three women to go and live their lives.

As it is, Rand can't actually be happy. His father, his best friends, and the three women he loves (at least one, probably two of which are pregnant) must now be left behind, and he gets to live with knowing that they're still out there. There is absolutely no way for him to reinvolve himself in their lives without bringing suspicion on himself. He rides off thinking "I'll go and see new places, just be a normal guy", but that assumes that you can just choose to be normal. He's not, and never will be. He'll always be Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, no matter what face or name he takes. Being a "normal guy" who can't ever return to his loved ones is going to suck hard. He might be thinking some of them will follow him, but his women aren't the kind of people to just abandon their posts and shack up with a wanderer. Elayne is a queen for god's sake, and an Aes Sedai to boot. He'll never be a part of his children's life while remaining anonymous. Min and Aviendha also have leadership positions in other society's that would not allow them to walk away, nor him to simply become a part of their lives.

It's a foolish dream, and an anti-climactic way for him to go. The Dark One should have *tempted* him with a normal life, letting him step down from being the Creator's champion in exchange for keeping his life. It should have been one way for the Pattern to weave, but his duty was to die. He should have had to choose death willingly so that his loved ones could go on without him.

This, along with Padan Fain's total fizzle after 14 books, has me downgrading my initial rating of the book from an A- to a B+. Ironically enough, it was RJ from the grave who couldn't stick the landing.
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I don't think it is ironic at all. Since it was what I had come to expect. The quality of his writing was plummeting...The first 4 books were great and clearly well edited. Once he gained more standing and sway...I can only assume he was telling the editors to F themselves...Or maybe he switched editors and the new one was afraid to make the right suggestions(or incapable of making good ones.)
 
Heylel

Heylel

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Brand_sl said:
I don't think it is ironic at all. Since it was what I had come to expect. The quality of his writing was plummeting...The first 4 books were great and clearly well edited. Once he gained more standing and sway...I can only assume he was telling the editors to F themselves...Or maybe he switched editors and the new one was afraid to make the right suggestions(or incapable of making good ones.)
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Actually, his wife was his editor. So yeah, you're exactly right.
 
Azrayne

Azrayne

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Rand should have died. That's the only thing that would have made sense, and I don't like the unexplained body swap with Moridin. He should have died, freeing his three women to go and live their lives.
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I'm not sure it was exactly 'unexplained.' We knew there was a growing link between the two ever since their balefire blasts intersected at the end of ACOS, we knew souls could be moved and merged thanks to Slayer, and it was a pretty common fan theory.

As for the women, wasn't there a line in there insinuating that he was going to go to them at some stage? I'd swear I remember it, and if he does I'd imagine he'd eventually get in touch with Tam as well.

I agree that it could have been handled better, I felt the last few chapters were rather poorly written and a little vague on the details, but it's not like it came completely out of the left field.
 
Heylel

Heylel

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It's not so much out of left field as just not properly thought through. A little bit of consideration would be all it would have taken for RJ/BS to step back and think "yeah no way that's going to work out".
 
Azrayne

Azrayne

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I agree that they it could have been written to be much easier to understand what's going on, yeah.
 
Sterling

Sterling

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Ennya Dragonslayer_sl said:
Finished the Memory and I have to say the Epilogue is the only part that disappointed me. Sadly, it *really* disappointed.
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The more I think about it the more this is how I feel. Aside from this my main complaint I would say is the number of characters that were built up in previous books that had little or nothing to do with this book at all.
Morgase and her posse, the Tinkers, and Moghedien could have used more coverage. Also Padan Fain going out so simply seemed kind of weak.
Overall, I did quite enjoy the book.
 
Y

Yukiri_sl

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Azrayne_sl said:
As for the women, wasn't there a line in there insinuating that he was going to go to them at some stage? I'd swear I remember it, and if he does I'd imagine he'd eventually get in touch with Tam as well.
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The women knew he wasnt dead. There were multiple comments made about how they seemed indifferent to Rand "dying", Nynaeve even trying to pry the truth out of Aviendha at one point. Rand wondered as he walked off at the end which of the women would "come to him first" and decided that at some point all three probably would.

I dunno, the whole thing seems kinda sloppy to me. I cant imagine Jordan expected people to think that the women would be ok with being with a guy that now looks like someone who tried to kill them.

Shoulda just made it to where the flow of power could be directed through Callandor and it's user as it's flaw, push the saidar/saidin/true power through Moridin and it, reseal the prison, Moridin consumed in the process, Rand alive with his harem, roll credits. I must not have liked the book as much as i thought i did if im spontaneously writing fanfics...
 
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Wolfen_sl

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Finished and loved most of it....
I was surprised that Egwene died. I figured that if anyone would make it through, the head boss Aes Sedai would.
If balefire can unravel the pattern, why not have all the dark friend channelers go up on a mountain somewhere and cast it until the world dies? (Tolkien's eagles)
A major WTF moment for me was when Tom threw a knife as the supposed Cadsuane. I was like OH HELL NAW.
Birigitte getting her head chopped off was a shocker, as was Sanderson leading us to believe that Elayne's babes had been cut out.
Why did Demandred keep yelling for Rand to fight him? How could he not know that Rand would be going to fight the dark one? Galad even hold him that Rand wasn't there.
There were quite a few "little moments" that didn't make that book that I would have loved to have seen. The personal moments like Moiraine meeting up with her friends again and hearing what they said. Or the reunion of Moiraine and Lan, and several others.
Hawkwing talking to Tuon would have been awesome.
 
Dioblaire

Dioblaire

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Sterling_sl said:
Isn't specifically about Tinkers. It's about the fact that there's lots of buildup for various groups without any payoff.
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In a recent interview with BS, he said that RJ left specific notes as to what threads needed to be finished and which ones to let everyone wonder what was to happen. So, yeah, I expected a lot of stuff to be left unfinished.
 
Dioblaire

Dioblaire

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Just finished it about an hour ago... Still absorbing everything that happened. And I gotta say, I loved every page of this book. Yeah, there were some small complaints, but they aren't worth listing imo. This was the end that I had been hoping for for the past 17 years.
 
Azrayne

Azrayne

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There were quite a few "little moments" that didn't make that book that I would have loved to have seen. The personal moments like Moiraine meeting up with her friends again and hearing what they said. Or the reunion of Moiraine and Lan, and several others.
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Moiraine and Lan actually were together at one stage, though there was just a comment about how they were more distant than whoever was narrating expected, or something along those lines.
 
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Wolfen_sl

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Saw a theory believes Rand is the creator now. He sealed the dark one outside the pattern, just like the histories said the creator did at the beginning of time. Rand has now done it and has made the world as he wishes it to be. This would explain his new power that allowed him to light his pipe.

I listened to the audiobook, but someone said Rand started talking in all caps toward the end of the battle. If so, that could signify him becoming the new creator.

I don't know if the above is how it really is or not, but I think it'll be how I believe it is. I like it.
 
Chinaman889

Chinaman889

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Azrayne_sl said:
Moiraine and Lan actually were together at one stage, though there was just a comment about how they were more distant than whoever was narrating expected, or something along those lines.
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Yeah there was a very small scene where it was noted that both seemed distant. It's there, but in all the stuff that happened in the book, not surprised it might have been glossed over.
 
Brahma

Brahma

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I can die now. VERY satisfied with the ending. I didn't read the spoilers before writing (GOD that was hard!) But I know people will feel the same or have these questions.

When Rand asks Mat if he was trying to one up The Dragon Reborn, I laughed so loud I startled the wife sleeping next to me.

PF felt tacked on. Egewene's death felt forced, like SOMEONE we have known thru all the books had to die.

Olver, after scrambling to a crack in the blight, looking up to see Noal was just pure awesome. I smiled.

Ummm...Is Rand now the Creator or some shit? I didn't get it.

How did Moridin and Rand swap bodies?

So the DO was needed alive because there MUST be good and evil? WTF would this omnipotent being care about this world so much?

I so wanted Faile to be dead.

Thom knifing Dreadlords in the back, while thinking of words that rhyme with cat was awesome.

Sanderson if my Lord and Savior. Bring on Way of kings my lord!!
 
wamphyr

wamphyr

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I've started re-reading this series, I am just on the first book... God Damn, it is much worse than I remember. Such a weak Lord of the Rings clone, lame ass narrative bullshit. I know, I know, it gets much better, but I really needed to vent.
 
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