Wheel of Time series

There's nothing crazy overt with them being super horsemen. Just one throwaway line from Lan that made me roll my eyes. When someone else says something about having untrained farmers and not cavalry Lan throws back "Have you ever seen a Two Rivers man ride?" or something like that. It's such a petty thing to bug me, but it did.

Setalle Anan was the Aes Sedai who studied ter'angreal etc and burned herself out right? Doriele or something like that? Verin kept some of the notes back from the "girls" early on when they were first set to look for the escaped 13 black sisters.

Talking of Verin, she dotted the landscape with letters just before she died but was the one she left with Mat the only one we got to see "onscreen" as it were? We never found out what prompted Alanna to go and end up being another Demandred trap for Rand, we didn't see what she had told Rand in the letter he was given when he visited the White Tower and I seem to recall Perrin noting that Dobraine had one as well?

I didn't mind Fain dying as anti-climatically as that, he had been built up waaay too much and if they had treated him like they possibly should have done we'd have just had yet another Rand/Someone vs BigBadBastard fight in a book already spilling over with them. Sanderson deciding to "Harrison Ford is ill so shoots the swordsman instead of fighting him" was fine by me.

Edit: Almost forgot, I also really like he never explained Asmodean's death. For years during the earlier books it was a bigger whodunnit than Agatha Christie. Apparently it used to piss RJ off as he was convinced it was easy to work out so him not saying it out loud is an epic final troll to all those people.

Edit 2: VV Oh okay, missed that reference.

Asmodeans death is explained in TGS or ToM, i believe it was graendal. Moridin says something along the lines of "You seem to be making a habit out of killing chosen"

Ya I was very disappointed with the Asmodean resolution. I was really hoping he would come back to help or something. None of the forsaken actually redeemed themselves in the end.

I also was sad there was no conversation between Tuon and Hawkwing. Sort of expected it, because it seemed some of Hawkwing's tenets were a bit twisted, so I wanted to see her eyes opened.

Had a hard time with Perrin this book. It felt extremely repetitive. Shift, smack Slayer around, ask the wolves about Graendel, repeat, repeat, repeat. Also felt a little weird that I thought his revelation in becoming the person he needed to be had already happened, then the old blacksmith is like, STOP FUCKING AROUND< and he's like, oh, right.

Fain's death was a bit anti-climatic, but I almost liked that. Fain had a tendency forever to go on and on about how he was awesome, and was going to kill everyone etc, even at the end he had a bit soliloquy about how he was going to remake the world, then Mat comes along and he's like, lol no.

I didn't dislike Egwene likes other did, but I wasn't a huge fan of her being retarded with the Seanchan. Also, her dying was one of the worst spots for me. Just seemed terrible. With the foretellings and people talking about how she would be an amazing Amyrlin, was just so sad to say goodbye. At least she went out in a literal blaze of glory.

Have never hated a character more than I hated gawyn in this fucking book. What an idiot. He spent his entire life knowing that he would be by Elayne's side, that he would be her shadow, then that just shifted to Egwene. Suddenly, he decides that means he should go kill Demandred with those stupid rings, despite growing up with an intimate knowledge of aes sedai, and knowing that the rings are killing him etc. So with all that, knowing how his death will affect Egwene, he decides that's a good idea. What a moron.

Lan is awesome. I was starting to shed some tears when he went down, then he just gets up. Fuck yea.

Androl is awesome. That is all.

Siuan and Bryne is sad times. Really hoped they would live.

As far as people saying some things came out of left field...I'd say that callandor probably needed a bit more of a lead in, like the actual moment where Min probably discovers the last flaw, but others I don't think really needed it. The Sharans were fine being introduced IMO; it was one of those things that were well hidden - when you think the shadow is being lax, they're really bolstering their forces and being ready to fuck up your shit. The fact that that was where male aiel channelers went was icing on the cake.

As far as M'Hael, I thought it was obvious that he was either a chosen or had become one, and him being such I thought was necessary. It wasn't so much that he "picked Rand's pocket" as he fucking stole all of the male channelers Rand had been hurriedly teaching to become weapons, and did it under everyone's nose, until such a time that it was relatively hard to stop. I mean, despite red sisters being all over their shit, and Logain around, he somehow managed to get Myrrdraal and start creating dreadlords. Even the Dark One pretty much says, yea, he's a chosen, because while you fucks were screwing around he just gave me an entire army.

As far as TDO and The creator go, it almost felt like preservation and ruin from Sanderson's Mistborn series. Preservation wanted to create life but could only do it with Ruin's approval, and vice versa, and "winning and saving humanity" was not about destroying Ruin, but in getting them to work in concert with each other. They were both simply forces, without personalities originally - feels a bit like that, in that one creates and TDO simply lives to unmake. In fact, I think at the end Rand specifically states that TDO isn't necessarily evil, he just IS. Ruin became evil when he became personified, but TDO wasn't a person, he was merely a force.

Demodred went 3-1, not bad. It seemed to be such a set up for a Mat vs DD fight. Gawyn you knew was toast, Galad you thought had a chance, and Logain you knew was destined for glory somehow so maybe this was his shot. Nope. So after those you had to worry about Lan because as a character he practically screamed "KILL ME", and then the fight started to go bad.. but NOPE, Sheath the Sword! The same move Lan taught to Rand to beat Ishy at Falme. Too perfect.

Egwene had to die. Her intolerance of the Seanchan all but guaranteed a swift end to the Dragon's Peace. Despite all the other ways she had a grown, she had that tragic flaw.

The arrival of the Sharan was great I thought. First, you immediately knew it was going to be DD. And then you do a bit a facepalm when you find out its an entire nation loaded with war-trained channelers that no one accounted for. All of the other Forsaken plots were defeated along the way so there had to be at least one that actually managed to be a threat at the end.

Using compulsion on the four generals was sweet. Leading to Mat taking over, as was inevitable.

I like that the Dark One's motives weren't what everyone had assumed. Destruction was never his goal. Let the Lord of Chaos reign.

Lighting the pipe: It seems very similar to the way dreamers can affect THR. Almost certainly a side effect of his direct confrontation with TDO burning out his ability to channel but bringing out his other abilities. Its just an extension of the other powers he's shown, like growing plants and countering TDO's effects. Rand could probably always do it to some degree. As the Adversary, Rand is almost certainly some sort of avatar of the Creator - albeit one totally ignorant of such gifts.

Hawkwing and Tuon. Safe to say that the Dragon's Peace lasts because Hawkwing throws down some Truth. Tuon had no intention of honoring the treaty. Min becoming her Truthspeaker was pretty lol.

Birgette's instant revenge, loved it. And of course Noal.

It's a shame Moraine and Nyn's role basically disappeared once they were turned into walking batteries for Rand. But it isn't as if there wasn't enough going on that we needed two more heroes. And how crushed Nyn was at the end, really makes you hope she finds out the truth somehow.

What now? I'd imagine Rand would find a way to let his friends know he is still around. And I disagree with the idea that he couldn't really be with any of the women. He couldn't just pop in to court as Elayne's mystery husband the day after the battle and rule by her side, no, but its not like its impossible for him to be known as the Queen's consort. I imagine him living out his days traveling from poon to poon, holding no official title and thus no burden of responsibility. His children wouldn't know who he was, I wouldn't think.

Yea I don't know really how people think he can't be with the women. Min has no real ties to anyone except the Seanchan and the other two women now; I assume as Kreugan did Hawkwing laid a bit of smack into Tuon so it will hopefully be easier to get around her. Min could easily travel with Rand, though they'd have to keep a low profile.

Aviendha would be easy to see - the entire Aiel fucking kept the people of the dragon crap secret forever. Aviendha is quite honestly the easiest one to be around, as if you fuck up and the Aiel find out, *no one* is letting that secret out.

Elayne would be the hardest, but then again she's a Queen - who cares!

As for people who bowed out in the book - I'm really glad Lan and Rand survived. We talked about this at the beginning of the thread and I had said I didn't think it was necessary that they die, so I'm glad they didn't get offed. I had a hard time with Nynaeve, since she was one of the petty women, but she grew on me, because she was the most genuine. No games, no manipulation, just her, wanting to protect and heal everyone. Her and Lan having a happily ever after is probably the most feel good part of the ending for me.

I also don't see why it's necessary that "Rand" die. I mean, maybe I'm a terrible person, and I can see that if he had lived they might want him to govern or some crap, but really...you just saved the entire world. Couldn't you just say hey, this is my hard earned reward, go fuck yourself! I'd live in the lap of luxury for the rest of my live - admittedly, I understand that at the very core Rand himself was just a simple person, so him wandering the world makes sense. But the way Nynaeve and Tam etc all mourned...I really hope the truth comes out for those people. Tam saying goodbye to Rand was the saddest part of the whole book. Tears had threatened up till then, but they spilled when Tam said how good of a job he had done.

Bring on the books with Mat and the Seanchan!