Amph Wheel of Time (No AMoL spoilers)

Yeah, go you!

 

I caved and skipped ahead to the last page. Hah! I totally called that the book would end with a similar paragraph to that!

 

Don't spoil it! We do have an AMOL thread floating around somewhere ... and I need to hurry up so I'm not spoiled

Right now, my copy of AMOL is still in library limbo, so I at least have a tiny excuse

 

Don't worry, I won't give any spoilers here. I just skipped ahead to see what the last page was like, since Sanderson said that Jordan wrote that passage long ago, and according to Sanderson, it was "fantastic," which it was!

 

I saw that! Man, this is bumming me out (that it's ending).

 

I got my copy today. Peeved that I have just over 6 books left. grrrrr....
I won't....will...won't....last page....gaaaahhhhhhh

[5 minutes later......ok I spoiled myself. I don't care. And I'm glad that I did]

 

My library copy just came in, so hopefully I'll finish up ToM by Sunday and can dive into AMoL. For a while I would finish new WoT books in 24 hrs, but I don't think I can do that with 909 pages... I'll shoot for finishing it by next weekend.

 

I'm halfway throgh #4 (The Shadow Rising). The part I've found most interesting, though not most fun, is Rand's trip into the other lives in Rhuidean. I don't care about the Aiel (never much liked them), but I find the technology they had in Lews Therin's day fascinating. Mostly I think about him and the Hundred Companions riding around and waving swords like Rand and Co. do.

I also find it interesting that two Aes Sedai broke the hole into Shayol Ghul and started the whole mess.

(The most fun thing is the Aelfinn and Eelfinn and what happens with Matt--mostly because I know the outcomes of all of that, so it's less confusing than the first time around.)

 

Rand and Mat's trip to Rhuidean is one of my favorite parts of the books, along with Dumai's Wells, the cleansing of the Source, and of course Tarmon Gai'don itself.

 

One of which is Mierin aka Lanfear aka Cyndane and the other is...some poor sap we never know anything about.

 

Rhiudan was definitely interesting. It's history I actually enjoy. Rand spilling the secrets is a bit sad though.

The Aelfinn & Eelfinn are so creepy. I hate them. I don't like their scenes.
But you're right - MUCH less confusing after the first time reading through.

 

I didn't so much enjoy it (it kinda dragged) as I found it interesting. That was Lanfear? I totally haven't gotten there/didn't remember ... she was once Lews Therin's lover, though, so I'm guessing that was an accident she took advantage of rather than on purpose?

 

When Rand's going through his Aiel ancestors in the columns one of the memories is of an Aiel transferring his service from Mierin. The Aiel is excited because today is the day Mierin told him she and Beidomon would try the new source of the One Power. (Which was probably the True Power.) The scene ends with bad stuff happening and everyone screaming because the bore was opened.

I forget which book first states that Mierin = Lanfear. I thought it was RJ's one short story, The Strike at Shadow Ghul, but it's not in there. Could be when Rand first starts going insane and LTT memories start infiltrating his own.

 

I think it was The Fires of Heaven where Rand refers to Lanfear as Mierin.

 

I think you're right (about where that is)

 

Yeah, I got to the bit about them going in there. Will be very interesting to get to the next--I don't remember Fires of Heaven otherwise being very interesting I do enjoy Asmodean, though.

 

I was right; Fires of Heaven isn't very interesting I'm 650 pages in, and so far, Rand has slept with Aviendha and moved the Aiel out of the Waste to go rescue Cairhein, and Nynaeve and has joined a circus, accidentally gotten Birgitte ripped into the world, and met the Prophet.

Seriously, that's all that's happened. In 650 pages.

 

Yeah. It's a lot of fluff and STUFF at too many times. Fires of Heaven isn't the only one that does it either.

 

I believe it was Crossroads of Twilight that can be summed up like this:

Mat: I'm going to escape the pursuing Seanchan with my wife-to-be, but that will have to wait until the next book.
Perrin: I'm going to rescue my wife from the Shaido, but that will have to wait until the next book.
Elaine: I'm going to take the throne of Andor, but that will have to wait until the next book.
Rand: I'm going to start doing things again, but that will have to wait until the next book.
Fluff ahoy!

 

Yeah, there were a few entire books that could really be cut.

I will say, despite the Nynaeve and Elayne not doing much this book, they have the more entertaining storyline. The Aiel are still annoying.

 

I got AMoL a few days after it came out, but on the first page I realized I didn't remember enough about the rest of the series. I started a reread, and am on Fires of Heaven now. I expect to go a lot slower now that I'm past the first few books, as The Great Hunt and The Shadow Rising were my favorites, especially Perrin's plot in TSR.

 

FoH gave us Birgitte who was my favorite secondary character, so I'll give it that much. It was definitely the start of the downward spiral though. IMO, the series doesn't really pick up again until Knife of Dreams.

 

So apparently FoH ...

Spoiler

... gets better. In the last 300 pages, Mat accidentally starts the Band of the Red Hand and kills Couladin, Rand and co. take Cairhein, Moiraine and Lanfear go through the door, and Rand balefires Rahvin and takes Caemlyn. And Davram Bashere, who is kind of a badass, shows up, which is always nice.

I thought Moirane and Rahvin were both for the next book; I guess not.

tjace I totally agree about Perrin! That was one of my favorite plots of the series.

Spoiler

Too bad RJ followed that up by not having him appear at all in Foh IIRC there was one Perrsin-less book (FoH, apparently), one Rand-less (or mostly Rand-less) book, and one Mat-less book (boo).

 

I think A Crown of Swords was when the series started going downhill, personally. Lord of Chaos was fantastic, and the last act of the book with

Spoiler

the Battle of Dumai's Wells was the greatest action sequence the series had had up until that point.

 

With all due respect and condolences, his malady elevated the quality of his writing. Knife Of Dreams stands alone as one of the best in the fantasy genre. So does The Great Hunt, but I didnt think I'd see that level of story telling genius again, especially after books seven through ten. His sickness had to have affected everything.