Amph [Wheel of Time] A Memory of Light (HTR spoilers allowed)

She probably learned it as part of being a Darkfriend.

 

What Nat said. Though, being a Darkfriend also means being kept in the dark (pun not intended) about a lot of things, so one must wonder how close she was connected to it to know about it.

I have no idea why I bothered to spoiler-tag that, really

 

Nobody responded to my statement that BS had offically begun work on AMoL...

 

Its excellent news, but fully expected and not much to really discuss yet

 

I heard the news on the Malazan site actually. He blogged that he began on the 3rd so for this one Im going to watch his percentage bar closely. Also I want to try to find out the date he finishes so we can time him.

 

What RJ said I'm a bit surprised, though, as his WoT reread bar is still set at 0.

 

My reread progress is about 300 pages into The Shadow Rising; started rereading the series on November 23rd.

 

Just finished re-reading Lord of Chaos. At this rate, I might be done sometime in the early summer.

 

Coming up on three months now for you

 

Finally read it and loved it.

Current feelings are that there is stll so much to tie up that the last book will essentially be two books in one.

This series is getting a stunning sign off

 

I think this last book is going to be epic

 

Probably, at which point, when it's out and I've my copy I'll begin my epic re-read of the series.

 

The last book should be fantastic. I'm planning on trying to do another re-read timed to finish right with the release of AMoL. Though there's no way I manage the perfect timing I did this time around again

 

I intend to do that. Whether it happens or not . . . well, we'll see

 

Hell Ive reread the series twice so far and have no plans to do so again in the near future. WAY to much now that there is 13 out. That second read through is still fresh pretty much as of TGS release. Maybe in 10 yrs when Im 40(that just hurts to type lol)

 

Nah. The only major things that definitely need sorting at this point:

-Lan's fight has to happen.
-FoM meeting has to occur.
-The Dark One has to be resealed.
-Three woman in a boat, and he who is dead yet lives.

Literally everything else can be left out. That includes the events involved in the Black Tower rift - we didn't see the fighting in the White Tower split, we're not likely to see much in the Black Tower split. There's several hundred reunions that I think that people want to see (Rand and Moiraine probably being at the top of most lists), but most probably won't occur on screen. We don't need to know if the Seanchan will change their policy towards channelers. We don't need to know if the Aviendha will succeed in saving the Aiel from their eventual fate. We don't need to know what Rand's children will be named.

I certainly hope that a fair amount of that sort of thing makes it in the book. But really, this late in the game, I think that the events are further along than people realize. The last battle began on page 728 of The Gathering Storm. The opening skirmish ended in a victory for the Light on page 759 of the same. With the failure of the primary plan, Moridin and his master sent forth their armies. The Last Battle is being fought throughout Towers of Midnight, but as Rand notes, it's just the first pebbles that herald the avalanche.

Rand is about to break the Seals and travel to Shayol Ghul. The combined armies of the Light have been gathered up in one place, with the exception of the Band and the Seanchan. At this point, the Horn and the Seanchan can be added to the bag in the space of two chapters. The debate at FoM doesn't have to last a chapter. I'd put down money that we're going to see the Bore sealed within three days of the last scenes of Towers of Midnight, if that.

It might annoy various segments of the fandom, but we're probably not going to get full resolution on most plots. Having said that, I suspect that the last third or more of the book will be epilogue of sorts, giving us some idea of how things are going moving forward, a Scourging of the Shire sort of plot that lets us see the grown-up characters interacting a bit.

 

I'd hope that most everything gets resolved, one way or another. After all this time, it would be hugely disappointing to have so much left up in the air (particularly things like Aviendha's vision, since it was just introduced in the last book).

 

The way Sanderson's been portraying it, I think the significant majority of those lines will be tied up. As I understand it, that's why he wanted to do another reread himself - looking for plotlines that hadn't been wrapped up or explained.

Though, of course, I could be wrong.

 

I have to wonder though if the Dark One will indeed be resealed (or, as Herid Fel put it, make it so there is no Bore in the first place). Given the nature of the Pattern, this exact struggle will take place again once the Third Age rolls around again, adding a sense of futility to the saga.

We all know the Dark One's ultimate goal is to put an end to the Wheel itself and rule the world for all eternity. If he keeps trying to break free and slay the Great Serpent, eventually he will succeed. Maybe not against this incarnation of Rand/Lews Therin, but at some point he will.

So Sanderson has to address that at some point. He can't just have the end of Tarmon Gai'don be Rand saying "Now you've been a very naughty Dark One, so back in your prison you go and I'll see you again in 21000 years."

Maybe, just maybe, Rand uses balefire against the Dark One? What sort of consequence would arise from that?

 

Finally done with Towers of Midnight, earlier than I thought I would be. Rand's badassery at the Battle of Maradon was so epic.

However, the first half of the book was very distracting with Perrin's sections taking place chronologically before everything else. Having Tam al'Thor seemingly be in two places at once was just odd.

 

It was weird, but once I got used to it I didn't have a problem with it anymore. And I can see the necessity for having to do so.

 

I can see why he did it that way, but I thought that was way too confusing; I didn't like it.

 

Meh, the Perrin storyline was mishandled for so long I was just glad for something to actually happen. The Tam thing was jarring given the epic end to the Gathering Storm but it didn't really ruin Perrin's story.


It's hard to imagine this series having a really depressing conclusion, although the last book certainly is hinting at that. Unlike the Malazan series or Game of Thrones, major characters have not died and the only characters of significance who were killed off (Moiraine, Ishmael, Lanfear), come back.

With the whole Seanchan supremacy in the future, I just don't really buy it. What is the extent of their losses in Randland? Since the Empress has been killed back in Seanchan, it's hard to imagine them getting everything together and subduing the various Randland nations.....unless the Seanchan simply sit to the side whilst Rand et al take on the Dark One.

 

It would be really depressing if Rand etc. beat the Dark One only to fall to the Seanchan. I really hope it's a possible future that doesn't actually come true.

 

But knowing that its a possibility makes the wait that much tougher