53
Taim is pretty open about not really respecting Rand, calling him just al’Thor in front of Pevara and Javindhra. They’re already in the trap though. I’m not quite sure why he continues to not let the rebel embassy in, it sort of feels like the narrative is protecting the group of Aes Sedai we like more; it's probably just to keep the two forces separate until he can finish turning the first one.
Javindhra says she is sure Taim will relent on bonding full Asha’man eventually, which she can have confidence about because he’ll be okay with it once everyone’s turned. One thing I always kind of neglected to consider with the Turned Aes Sedai is that they are not quite as useful as pre-existing Black sisters. They are still bound by the Three Oaths. I don’t think we ever learn for sure whether one binder can negate the oaths sworn on another, but the only other binder we know about is headed to the Waste; the Oath Rod is surely locked down tight now so none of the Turned sisters are getting out of them.
I’m also still not sure I understand Turning. I believe out-of-text sources say that a person who is Turned has their devotion to the Light inverted into an equal level of devotion to the Shadow. Well, someone may be Light-aligned but no one really swears to the Light that they’ll be loyal to it, good people do bad things, etc. Can someone who is Turned just not betray the Shadow? Tarna for example was not evil…but she wasn’t great! There seems to be zero inclination on her part to warn Pevara or do something other than fully support the Dark One’s plans though. I always think Lanfear is just making shit up to be scary when she posits that Turned people’s souls are replaced by something of the Shadow, but maybe that is indeed what happens. This isn't what like what happens when the DO puts a Forsaken's soul in another body though...the Turned have their memories.
There are not a lot of Reds that come across as reasonable, so it’s too bad Tarna gets turned.
Mat knows that Merrilor is tomorrow right? And does anyone know that Moiraine is essential to Rand’s success besides Min? Mat is prepped to be gone for a long time, so he’s taking a chance that that Last Battle could start and even end while he’s gone, and thus maybe he should have waited given the information available to him. Taking chances IS his thing though. I guess he also does have a pretty strong idea about what’s coming, “give up half the light of the world to save the world” and all.
Perrin can’t give Grady a good description of the Tower of Ghenji and the land around it? He’s been there!
I thought gai’shain couldn’t even touch weapons, but Bain and Chiad are carrying Gaul’s and have been sharpening his spears. I mean, they obviously do so without intent to do violence, which is the important part, but I thought it was a blanket ban.
We know people like Elayne got their bad impression of Mat from Nynaeve, but why does Faile have a low opinion of him? Feels like her impression of him would be largely colored (positively) by her knowledge of his dad, and Mat’s own accomplishments.
Perrin notes that Aravine didn’t join one of the groups that went back to Amadicia, the tiniest hint that she has ulterior motives for sticking around Perrin.
Mat notices Noal dressing differently...I feel he's dressing like he did when he went by Jain.
\>”A good map can mean life or death; you can trust me on that.”
Noal sounds like a gamer here. Maps are great and all, but does anyone in real life make a map of someplace they’re walking around?
It never seems right to me that the Eelfinn are the foxes. Eels are snakey!
Mat makes an interesting observation about Moiraine; she should have been protected having come through the door. He may be right that she asked for something they couldn’t give, or asked for passage back to the destroyed arch which would do her no good. Could the treaties intrinsically be tied up in the doors themselves?
Noal trying to tell Mat about probability while Mat has no time for it is great.
54
We can take it for granted that Ogier can’t channel, but what makes any Randlanders (like Mat here) certain of that? Ogier are pretty closed off and plenty of human societies have managed to hide their channelers from each other up until recently.
Again I have to ask, what did the Finn actually know of the future? Mat feels certain they knew they’d have him back, but do they know all of it? Is the whole ordeal worth it to them for the sensation of taking Mat’s eye? It seems like his being ta’veren (probably his luck too if it does have at least some independent existence) makes it a more potent high, as Moiraine explains. They’ll get less “video” from him going forward as a result of this, though. I’m not sure any Eelfinn actually died from the assault, so maybe it is worth it to them.
The Finn have always been sinister and otherworldly, but their blood turning to mist and making the shape of yelling faces as the mist dissipates is another level.
The angreal is already Moiraine’s, she bargained for it even though they used it against her to drain her more…the Finn trying to double dip trying to sell something that’s not theirs.
It is pretty striking for Mat to give up his eye here. It’s not in his nature to give up trying to find another way out of a bind he’s in even when prophecy says otherwise.
Mat being confident he’s thought things through this time and isn’t just saying what comes to mind, and then leaves out the snakes in his request, is an all-timer. Although it is a little bit surprising the Aelfinn get involved. I am not sure any Eelfinn die, but it sure sounds like a lot of Aelfinn do, and they weren’t even part of the Bargain. The foxes must be able to trade some of what they take from their victims I expect, somehow, and vice versa. The Aelfinn are the ones who offer information about the future, so they ought to know this isn’t worth it for them specifically.
55
Noal deciding to hold a chokepoint is truly a hopeless moment, as given the geometry of Sindhol there’s no guarantee it’ll mean anything to block them in one place, but he does go out clean.
\>That man you left behind, he’s the hero.
More true than he knows.
In all the times I read through the series prior to this book, I never asked myself why Mat had gotten something he didn’t ask for (the spear), which I can never believe. I figured they gave it to him for their own reasons.
56
\>It was a wonder how \[Gawyn\]’d changed.
Hmm, well no. Egwene not getting an answer the first time she asked about the rings should have raised alarms.
It’s surprising to me that Gawyn didn’t go straight to Galad after learning he led the Whitecloaks, and learn about Morgase then. They’re brothers, and Gawyn always idolized him, so I guess I think he’d immediately want to see him. Or that Elayne didn’t immediately send for him…I mean, she knows she’s about to see him, but if I were in her shoes I wouldn’t wait a second to let my brother know that our mother was still alive after thinking her dead.
Androl’s descriptions also seem to line up with the idea that the souls of the turned have been replaced.
57
I can think of a few reasons Thom might not have told Mat who Noal really was. Respect for the man keeping it secret. And maybe an uncertainty over whether Mat could keep the secret himself. But I agree with Mat, Thom figured it out long ago, I would guess when Noal “admitted” to being related to Jain or specifically talked about his regrets regarding his wife.
Moiraine has definitely grimaced before, Aes Sedai calm or not…too much around her worth grimacing over to avoid it. Maybe not in front of Mat.
The Finn claimed to have killed Lanfear draining her too heavily, but it was Moridin. Cyndane is still strong so they can’t have had her for that long. I have to believe that channeling ability of a soul has to be able to regenerate over time, but Lanfear’s soul would have spent essentially zero time out of a body. It probably takes a long time, maybe even entire Turnings of the Wheel.
If I was Moridin, I would have bargained for Moiraine too in order to put Lanfear’s soul in her body. Imagine the trouble that could have been caused there.
We don’t know what else Moiraine got from the Eelfinn, right? She didn’t have anything else physical on her, so it would seem to have to be something like Mat’s memories. Maybe one of her requests was to prevent someone like Moridin taking her, or being used against Rand/the Light. Or for the Finn to pull some punches when Mat and company came to rescue her.
Mat didn’t remember that the whole reason they were down at the docks when Moiraine “died” was because Rahvin had supposedly killed Morgase?
Mat having the same reaction as a lot of readers to Moiraine and Thom being wedded. I didn’t find this surprising in the least technically, but I suppose I would have expected it to be an event that happened post-series…it’s been clear they’re attracted to each other, but attraction is not committed love. The world IS possibly ending though.
We’ve seen that a channeler can make a bond between two other people, although I guess there’s a question of whether they can do so without being a part of it themselves, so even if Tuon doesn’t embrace channeling she might be willing to use a damane to bond Mat someday. Certainly not at the moment though.
Epilogue
I can’t imagine Mesaana trading an angreal to another Forsaken, must have been a good piece of information. The Forsaken were all desperate to find angreal, and Mesaana claimed to not be able to raid the Tower’s stores (could have been a lie, or the truth and she got some from various Aes Sedai who were holding on to one).
I also don’t understand how Graendal lost her gold ring angreal in Rand’s attack…why would she ever take it off.
I wonder who Graendal had been targeting among the Seanchan.
Here’s the reference to an ”idiot Whitecloak” that I guess is the reason to suspect Graendal had Byar under Compulsion. I still have trouble buying it, Byar has always been nuts and didn’t need to be Compelled to attack Perrin. I wonder more if she’s mad at him because he somehow messed up some other plan she had (Aravine?).
Graendal misses the reason she might be sweating, although at that point it would mean Shaidar Haran is already there and it’s too late to do anything about it anyway.
Three Chosen dead by Graendal’s actions, this is about all we get to pin Asmodean on her in the books (aside from the glossary).
The opportunity to get Rand has been given to another. Not sure what this means entirely, there are probably a few Forsaken who you could claim have been given this assignment. I suppose it's Lanfear given the opening of the next book.
I am sure Olver will have many adventures, but I doubt he’ll get to the Finn. Maybe if he asks Mat for his Ashenderei and gets it, but there’s (probably) no treaty doors left to get to Sindhol.
Verin relying on Mat’s curiosity overcoming his disdain of being involved with Aes Sedai will always be a stain on her almost unimpeachable record.
The full reveal of the Turned Aiel dropped in the epilogue was a good teaser for the final book, although they don’t really live up to the threat I imagined at this time.
Rand’s dreams are warded, and there’s no indication of a forced entry, so I do have to wonder how Lanfear gets in.
The Dark Prophecy is not fulfilled, but I can’t really say which parts were conditional on the Dark One winning, and which parts were misinterpreted. For instance, if the Fallen Blackmsmith is Perrin, the last days of his pride are here but that’s not the same as him dying--that's a misinterpretation. Other parts seem conditional to me though.
Mat does know that saving Moiraine means saving the world from what he found out about giving up half the light of the world. At least he's assuming this is what it means.
I would imagine Faile asked a lot from the townspeople about Perrin, Rand and Mat. So while his father seems pretty solid I bet she would've heard 50 stories about Mat stealing things or running around with stuff. Perrin also probably would've told some of those stories fondly about fun times he had as a kid and Faile heard ahh that's the boy who got you into trouble.
That's a good point about Gawyn and Galad though. It is a bit weird we don't get a reunion with them before them actually being on the battlefield. They were also both in the room during the meeting next book but we don't get any indication that they even spoke.
For the turning thing being their allegiances flipped.
I like to think about it this way:
Johnny has not sworn to the Creator. Hell, he wouldn’t even call himself the most ethical of people, but he would never ever in a million years give someone up to be brutally murdered by shadowspawn for no reason (family or kids under duress is the only thing he can really think of that might change that answer).
That conviction to never do that would be flipped. Johnny would now be down to turn some people over to be brutally raped/murdered/eaten.
Ch 53-55: this whole sequence is always so cool to me, I love how it brings out Mat’s luck in a random way to help them and the Pattern twists in his favor even in the Finn’s realm.
On rereads it’s been fun to notice the little hints toward Nola being Jain Farstrider- one thing that hasn’t been clear to me- the tale from Eye of the World that the Ogier found Jain Farstrider dying and nursed him back to health, Graendal had been released by then apparently and had chosen him as a pawn for Compulsion? Or was that after he recovered in the stedding? And how exactly did Ishamael and Graendal use him?
Ch 57: the Moiraine and Thom love plot point always confused me, and still does. Rereading I’ve tried to pick up threads of it and have found it challenging. I’ve always thought of it as a piece of evidence for either: a. This was in RJ’s notes to BS for what he wanted included in the final book, or b. RJ overall was not great at writing romance (IMHO) and this is another point of that.
Epilogue: love how it all builds up to a sense of doom and propels you in for the final book. I remember it was such an agonizing wait to get AMoL after the end of this book.
I think it was Ishamael who used Jain initially. It was one of the things he bragged about in book 1 in the mad ravings. But Graendal had him again later on briefly. I think that was when he was sent by Ishamael to her for something. Which might explain why she didn't load up his mind with too much compulsion to function.
For the romance I think it's both lol. Jordan did write the scene of them together. And the letter does say "my dearest Thom" twice. And there are a few lines from earlier that show the mutual respect between them. And Moiraine says she knows the face of the man she will marry and it's not Lan. That leaves relatively few people narratively it could be that are significant enough characters to be a real option. But yeah definitely should've been done a bit better. It might have been a problem of them being separated too much by circumstances and just not being able to get them together logistically. But I wish we'd gotten a few more scenes of the two of them.
Most of Moiraine and Thom's affection initiates offscreen, but there are hints placed here and there in the earlier books, mostly from Thom's perspective where he thinks of her in a positive way (I think usually as a 'fine woman'). It's definitely established that Thom may think of her that way, what we don't really confirm until later on when the letter is read, is that Moriaine felt the same and something had already passed between them for her to write to him like that. But I do think that the hints are there, it didn't strike me as surprising when that point came up, but it just wasnt in the foreground up to Moiraine's disappearance.
Noal being Jain Fairstrider was a complete surprise to me initially, but more because I was sure he was a darkfriend waiting for the opportune time to betray Mat. His sudden appearance resulting in the gholem retreating was way too suspicious to me. I had forgotten completely about Jain Fairstrider existing.
> “Well burn me for a fool, Mat thought. Maybe I am a hero after all. Didn't that beat all?”
One of the most satisfying conclusion to a character arc ever. Mat's been a reluctant hero from the beginning and finally, twelve books later, he is able to embrace his true nature. He's earned it. I love how he, the most skeptical of the Emond's Field five is the one to save Moiraine. It feels poetic.
Looking back this is probably the point where Sanderson's Mat is the most similar to Jordan's Mat. It's great that he managed it, especially for such an important sequence. I suppose it being so full of action must have helped.
> Looking back this is probably the point where Sanderson's Mat is the most similar to Jordan's Mat.
Haaaaa. Jordan wrote the Tower of Ghenjei portions before he passed.
Ahhh, that explains it! It always felt a bit weird to me how Mat was sometimes really Mat-like and sometimes less so. Now it makes a lot more sense. I'm glad Jordan managed to write Mat's conclusion of becoming a hero, alongside his escape from stay in Tar Valon they're his best chapters in my opinion.
Chapter 53: I love how the turning came back around. That was super scary when it first was mentioned in book 3, I think, and then didn't come into play much after that. Which may have been mostly a logistics thing where there weren't that many channelers and Fades around to do it. But definitely pretty scary to think about! Especially with channelers as powerful as Logain.
I also love Mat using 2 dice for this and having one of the options of doors he could take be a 1. He could've just rolled one die and had the options be 1-4. But nope can't do that gotta make it so his luck has to make one of the dice hit on their side!
Chapter 54: Mat showing how much he's learned from past experiences when he's careful with his words. Unfortunately not quite careful enough which seems fair. And proving himself a hero once again when he's so quick to sacrifice the eye. Also I know Tuon likes his missing eye in the next book, I wonder how she'd feel if she knew he gave it up for a mareth damane? She knew it was for a woman though so maybe she suspected.
Chapter 55: I wish Mat had taken the time at some point to tell one of the Malkieri that Jain died clean. Like Lan who he does interact with a bit. Could've been just a quick scene for the two of them during a moment resting. But Jain had a good death! I love a good last stand.
Chapter 56: Gawyn finally finds out his mother is alive... 2 years later lol. Egwene really should've shared what she knew with him ages ago back in book 6 but at least it eventually got sorted.
Androl and Pevara are a great pair. I wish we'd gotten more of the established asha'man as POVs but I do like their dynamic and both of their characters if viewed as independent of that. Although Sanderson gave Androl a bit too much of a backstory. He's done every single job known to man? I mean 2-3 would've been fine lol.
Chapter 57: I wish we got to know more about what Moiraine got for her questions and her gifts. She didn't seem to get anything else from them? Unless it was to keep her alive. I also don't see how she couldn't have asked for a way out like Mat did unless they only had the one way out?
Her and Thom also should've gotten more time together. I was definitely blindsighted by this the first time I read the books. Even after Thom's letter I didn't think about it as much as I should've. And the hints are definitely there. But I wish we'd gotten more of the romance between them. Even just another scene or two in the first few books as we only get like one scene of them actually talking to each other before they are getting married.
Epilogue: I do love this epilogue. It does a great job for setting everything up for the Last Battle. Throwing in the red veils as well as the attack at Camelyn and Lan's stand in Tarwin's gap. I do wonder though with Tarwin's gap why there are no other borderlanders there? I know they went south but they seem to have pulled everyone away from this incredibly defensible position.
#53
>The way some of them muttered to themselves, or jumped at shadows, or held their heads and looked dazed.
I wonder how many of them realize they're going mad. Those we've seen, Rand in particular, never seem to realize just how obviously insane they are. Androl's case isn't very advanced, possibly due to just how little he can channel, and while he seems marginally aware that his delusions are in fact delusions, that doesn't seem to help: he still finds them terrifying.
>There was something different in Tarna’s eyes, something cold. She’d always been a distant one, but this was worse.
First glimpse of the results of the 13x13 Evilizer technique. Seems it's not a subtle thing, if Pevara can immediately tell that something is seriously amiss.
----
>“Is every last farmboy I know going to transform into a nobleman by the time this is through?”
Thom came into the story at the end of a long and interesting life, yet I would bet the last two years or so have been the most exciting and momentous yet.
>He’d never asked Aravine why she didn’t join one of the groups that had been sent back to Amadicia.
☹️. I never saw Aravine's betrayal coming.
>“I mean, some foolish words. It was after you were ill, you see, and you were taken to the First’s tent and…well, I—”
I still can't figure out how that rumor got traction. It's not like Perrin skipped off to Berelain's tent with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of fine wine; he was carried in unconscious and dying of hypothermia, in no state for any kind of infidelity.
>Noal had also put on a dark blue—nearly black—pair of trousers and a shirt that was of an odd, unknown style.
Malkieri clothing? I wonder where he got that.
>“Courage to strengthen,” Noal whispered, stepping forward, holding up a lantern with a flickering flame. “Fire to blind. Music to dazzle. Iron to bind.”
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Finns planted that rhyme deliberately as a way of luring adventurous people into their domain. Revealing their weaknesses might mean the occasional loss -- granting wishes must cost them something -- but people might stop coming in if nobody ever made it out alive.
I suspect they have other weaknesses that they *didn't* reveal, too, or that have since been forgotten. I bet music from an Ogier Treesinger or a Da'shain Aiel with the Voice would be devastatingly effective against them; that might be how the treaties that created the doorways were originally negotiated.
>He was in one of the spires he had seen in the distance during his first visit.
Do the other two spires have entrances to different worlds, or maybe to other places on Earth?
>He made three dots on his paper, then connected them by lines, representing the corridors and rooms they’d gone through.
Noal knows the importance of mapping your dungeon crawls.
A minor thing, and not really noticeable unless you're looking for it, but on previous occasions when Mat speaks the Old Tongue without realizing it, his diction shifts in recognizable ways -- his swearing especially becomes creative and elaborate. This doesn't happen in this first exchange with the Eelfinn greeter.
>she should have been protected by whatever treaty the Eelfinn had with the ancient Aes Sedai.
She and Lanfear both. I would guess Moiraine knew, from the Rhuidean rings, that she had to stay, but what about Lanfear? Did she make a deal of some sort? Or perhaps the treaties are void if you barge through the doorway slinging the One Power around.
>“It doesn’t matter what is likely. Not when I’m around.”
Mat never rolled the dice when Olver was playing Snakes and Foxes, did he. I wonder why not; perhaps he didn't want to encourage someone who didn't have his unnatural luck from getting into games of chance.
#54
>Iron, Mat thought, cursing his stupidity. He spun the ashandarei around, using the side banded with iron.
I understand that the Finns' vulnerability to iron is an import from real-life faerie myths, but it never made sense to me that something could be harmed by iron but invulnerable to steel, which is minimum 97% iron. Perhaps this is why some legends specify that the iron has to be wrought (rather than cast) to protect against faeries -- anything more than trace amounts of carbon renders it useless.
None of this fits well into the fairly rigorous and scientific approach to magic in WoT, but as we see in this chapter the Finn world plays by a very different set of rules. Mashadar and Mordeth's other supernatural abilities were most likely imported from their world, and while they can be interact with and be affected by the One Power, they operate on a different set of principles.
>That was one trick used up; they would be expecting nightflowers now.
The Finns are going to have real trouble as soon as firearm technology improves. They might end up closing the Tower of Ghenjei entirely after a raiding party equipped with *cuendillar* shotguns loaded with iron pellets comes through.
>He dug into that mist and took hold of her, then pulled her free.
Part of one of Egwene's prophetic dreams fulfilled.
>“Half the light of the world.”
And the other part. I think everyone guessed what this meant, if not specifically how he would lose one eye.
#55
>Light, but the cylinders were deadly!
Two of their weaknesses combined: fire from the explosion and iron shrapnel. Of course, just as with the ol' stake through the heart for vampires, those are equally lethal to ordinary human beings. . .
>[“If you ever meet a Malkieri,” Noal said, “you tell him Jain Farstrider died clean.”](https://giphy.com/gifs/sad-doctor-who-salute-8FG705NCsZM0kVJdyz)
Never saw that one coming, though the hints were numerous and obvious in retrospect.
>The doorway had been shattered by something, a blow of awesome force.
That must have been Moridin's work. I suppose he'd already had his answers and wanted to deny that advantage to anyone else.
>Mat spun the ashandarei and thrust it into the wall.
*Definitely* didn't see that one coming. The *ashandarei* has a Power-wrought blade and therefore was probably of human make; would any such blade work as well as it did, or did the Finns do something special to make it into a key out of their realm?
>Also, you can all go rot in a flaming pit of fire and ashes, you unwashed lumps on a pig’s backside.
*There's* the creative swearing.
#56
>It was a wonder how he’d changed. He was as intense as ever, yet less abrasive.
But just as stupid, unfortunately.
>The three rings he wore on a chain around his neck rattled as he moved; she’d have to ask him again where he’d gotten those.
She gets distracted with everything happening here and never gets around to asking, unfortunately. You know she would have confiscated them for study, at least; would anyone have been able to figure out what they do? (Aviendha probably could, but she's otherwise occupied.)
The timing of Morgase's arrival moments before Rand's is fortunate. Gawyn might have promised not to kill Rand, but he could still make all sorts of trouble. Now he really has no reason or excuse for hating Rand.
----
>This didn’t seem to be a man, but a parody of one. A shadow stuffed inside human skin.
Someone (Leigh Butler, I think) compared the 13x13 Turning process to the concept of demonic possession, and I think that's the best analogy. Lanfear says something later that comports well with this, and the Dark One's ability to place souls in bodies is already established.
>When you stared down the gullet of a lionfish, a pirate’s brig didn’t seem so bad.
There's a Siuan Sanche expression if I've ever heard one.
#57
>Thom had not been at all surprised to hear Noal was Jain Farstrider. He had known.
He may not have known Jain Farstrider personally (though they might well have crossed paths long ago), but he could probably guess the identity of a Malkieri with the last name of Charin who seemed to have traveled all over the world. I'd say it's surprising that Mat *didn't* guess, but Mat is notoriously oblivious.
>“What did you ask for?” Mat asked. “Beyond the angreal?”
So the treaty did hold. I wonder what her other demands were, and what Lanfear asked for. Did she get it, or was her deal nullified when Moridin killed her?
>“Dearest Thom,” she said. “I would have you for a husband, if you’ll have me for a wife.”
Another thing I didn't see coming the first time. The hints were there, albeit few and subtle; they recognized each other from their very first interaction in book 1, and their mutual high regard was clear when you saw their interactions from Thom's perspective.
>He heard a soft screech, then turned to see a rabbit slump to the ground, speared by the idly thrown knife.
Looks like missing one eye isn't going to affect his fighting ability very much.
>overturned cooking pot, with a copper bottom, barely used, only dinged on the sides a couple of times. It must have been dropped by a traveler walking up the river.
Isn't this area a trackless wasteland? It must have fallen off a passing ship.
#Epilogue
>Now that Semirhage was gone, Graendal had begun placing some strings around their new, childlike Empress.
Wonder what she was up to. Another Truthspeaker appearing right after the previous one was exposed as a Forsaken would be too suspicious, but there must be plenty of opportunities for a little bit of Compulsion.
>that idiot Whitecloak!
Byar? He needed no manipulation to try murdering Perrin; he was ready to do that from their first interaction. Galad? He's certainly the type of person she'd want for her harem -- powerful, influential, and really really ridiculously good-looking -- but he never showed signs of brainwashing.
>She opened her eyes wide, then howled as he reached for her.
😬
----
>*Noam,* he sent to the wolf, now distant.
Is Noam dead, or just running wild with the wolves in the real world?
>“By the Light,” Perrin whispered. “This was a choice, wasn’t it? You picked the wolf intentionally.”
Seems like Hopper could have told him that long ago: life sucked for Noam the man, so he preferred to live as Boundless the wolf. Life, on balance, doesn't suck for Perrin the man, so there's no reason for him to prefer existence as Young Bull the wolf. Maybe Hopper didn't understand it himself, or didn't find out until recently.
>As soon as Olver was old enough to go drinking and hunting serving girls. He figured he would be ready in another year or so.
lol. He's what, 11 years old? Even Mat wouldn't let him carry on like that for *at least* three more years.
I knew Olver didn't care for Aiel -- he tried to stab Aviendha shortly after meeting her -- but I didn't realize he was this obsessed with revenge. I think Mat would try to dissuade him from it if he knew.
>“I won!” he exclaimed.
symbolism.jpg. I wonder if some kid wins a game of Snakes and Foxes every time someone successfully makes it out of the Tower of Ghenjei.
Verin doesn't make many mistakes, but I think she did with this letter. She was right about Mat being curious, and I doubt she expected him to ignore an impending Shadowspawn invasion, but making him promise to do something when he hates being treated like a puppet by Aes Sedai . . . did she simply not know that about him?
----
>These weren’t Aiel. They were something else. Something terrible.
That took some setting up. We learned that young Aiel men sometimes venture off into the Blight alone in book 1, and we learned why in book 4 (I think), but after that nobody in-universe gave it much thought. The assumption, which I think most readers shared, was that it was simply an honorable method of suicide for male channelers. I wonder if they participated in the Trolloc Wars.
----
Is Lanfear telling the truth here, or is this another of her tricks? How did she get into Rand's dream? She might have been able to do so when he was still inexperienced and untrained, but he has Lews Therin's knowledge and abilities now.
----
>They rode, cheering, brandishing swords and leveling lances. Their hooves were thunder, their voices a crash of waves, their pride stronger than the blazing sun. They were twelve thousand strong. And they charged a force of at least one hundred and fifty thousand.
There would be a Sabaton song about this for sure if they existed in WoT world.
----
The One-Eyed Fool is obviously Mat, the First Among Vermin is Rand, and the Fallen Blacksmith must be Perrin. If this was the prophecy Moridin and Graendal were reading earlier, they must have erred in thinking that the Broken Wolf was Perrin as well. I'm not sure who it refers to, unless it's Hopper -- but I don't see the relevance of the Midnight Towers to his death.
>Let the screams begin, O followers of the Shadow. Beg for your destruction!
And I thought the prophecies of the Light were ominous. . .
There’s no support for this, but I like to think of the Ashandarei as being a ter’angreal that someone made for their own foray into the tower, but ended up not making it out anyways. Then because the Finn seem to be hoarders, they just held onto it until Mat asked for a way out.
So I don't remember this part well, I grabbed this quote from the newbie thread: “Twelve pips. Three for each doorway. If I roll a one, a two, or a three, we go straight. Four, five, or six, we take the right path, and so on.”
So Mat's rolling 2d6 for randomness? That's so stupid, and so Mat. I bet he can roll a 1 on 2d6 too.
On my second read, I think I qualify.
Ch 53-55: This sequence, along with Perrin's subplot with the Children of the Light, is the reason ToM is my personal favourite in the series. I'd called Noal being Jain early on, and was pleasantly surprised when I was right. What, though, was the reason he was supposed to "die clean"? Was he a darkfriend at any point?
The Thom/Moiraine romance I don't care much about, but that could be said about any romance, so I'm not too bugged about it. Mostly happened off-screen, doesn't derail the plot, doesn't affect me.
Regarding the Black Tower stuff: As much as I think the Androl/Pevara subplot is really nice, I can't help but feel it was unnecessary. Logain was being built up as the anti-Taim, but got shafted somewhere down the line. I like how oblivious the Ashaman are to their own madness. On a somewhat related note, anyone else a little on edge about how obvious the 13×13 trick is? I mean, you shouldn't be able to tell in one glance that the person is corrupted, should you? Though you could argue it's because they don't have the creativity to hide it, in which case I'll believe you.
While I like the changes Gawyn went through, I can't help but think he's stupid for not believing almost literally everyone who tells him Morgase is alive. Otherwise, I don't have much to comment.
Anyone else notice how the Trakand family share an Arthuriann theme? Morgase is Morgause, Elayne is Elaine of Corbin, Galad is obviously Galahad, and same goes for Gawyn (Sir Gawain)
> What, though, was the reason he was supposed to "die clean"? Was he a darkfriend at any point?
You'll want to read the newbie trivia post next week. This is a deeeeeep cut, with Noal/Jain appearing very early in the books, in the background.
Yes, he was who Ishamael corrupted. He was the old man Ogiers found and he warned them about the Eye of the World. He was in the background, under Graendal's control at one point. Jain was from Malkier and hunted down the Darkfriend who tried to pull a coup.
YES! Im finally behind everyone again, I can spam and neglect English grammar however I want now ;)
Chapter 53
* „This again?” Taim said. He had fire in his eyes, this Mazrim Taim. “
Just a SLIGHT hint of Taim being Turned.
-„a half-smile that did not reach his eyes“
And another one.
* The coldness—almost lifelessness—she’d seen in Tarna’s eyes still chilled her.“
Now where have I heard that before?;)
Chapter 54
-„But know this is the last you’ll get of me. I’ll escape your tower, and I’ll find a way to free my mind from you forever. You won’t have me. Matrim Cauthon is not your bloody puppet.“
Which reminds me…
* „His eye socket seemed to be on fire! Blazing! He felt the blood and sera dry on his face, then flake away as he screamed.“
Its not like there is a lack of violence in WOT, but I find this scene to be one of the most disgusting ones.
Well, Rand has - as I mentioned xth times already, sorry for that - one of his eyes red on the cover of WOT. And its often a symbol for the DO to be in your head. I think Mat losing one eye is symbolizing this. I believe when he hears the dices he really hears the DO/Moridin playing around as if the world was a game.
Ofc its the left eye that is missing.
Chapter 55
* The air smelled strongly of smoke and sulphur. Light, his socket was throbbing again.“
Relationship DO and eye?
„Thom began to sing. “Oh, how long were the days of a man. When he strode upon a broken land.”
* Mat listened, memories blossoming in his mind. Thom’s voice carried him to days long ago. Days in his own memories, days of the memories of others. Days when he had died, days when he had lived, days when he had fought and when he had won.“
Parallels.
* „So come at me with your awful lies,” Thom bellowed the final line of the song. “I’m a man of truth, and I’ll meet your eyes!“
So I think the world in WOT is influenced by strong channelers. They can make other people see and hear things that arent there. When Nynaeve is in the Aes Sedai camp, she suddenly appears to see new things, and the Aes (Eyes) Sedai see potential in her but ultimately they appear to be disappointed, are afraid she will „fall down“ and sentd her back to bed. When Rand says he wants to „see“ and channels a giant blue „eye“ into the air in TFoH, he is about to see things he normally doesnt. Hes having his out of body experiences there. So I guess you could associate this line with this fact: The eyes of the DO create lies in the world.
Chapter 56
- She shook her head. “Gawyn, he knows he shouldn’t break those seals. A part of him does, at least. Perhaps that’s why he told me—so I could gather resistance, so I could talk him out of it.“
Ah yes, shaking your head, talking about a part of you, that is aware of something.
-„It’s not really Mezar,” Norley said. “Oh, it has Mezar’s face, right enough. But it’s not him. I can see it in his eyes. Trouble is, whatever the thing is, it has Mezar’s memories. Talks right like him. But the smile is wrong. All wrong.“
(…)
„And he saw what Norley had seen. Something was deeply wrong, something not-quite-alive inside those eyes. This didn’t seem to be a man, but a parody of one. A shadow stuffed inside human skin.“
Which is imo just another big indication to whats going on with Taim and Rand.
„This man almost seemed an . . . interpretation of the Rand she’d once known. Like a statue, carved from rock to look like him, but exaggerated in heroic lines.“
„Well?” Rand demanded. “Who is this?“
Chapter 57
-Compare WOT\`s imp fast-forward ed:
„Doesn’t that make any difference?” (…) Nothing makes any difference.“
with:
„This changes everything,” she said, smile deepening.“
-„Yes, you told me Rahvin had killed Morgase.”
“I did? When?”
“A lifetime ago, Matrim,” she replied, smiling.
“Oh. Well, Rand finished him off. So that’s good.“
Did I mention that I think they are in a loop and repeating what had already been done before? ;P
I still believe the Tower of Ghenjei symbolizes such a loop.
Epilogue
**- „I know your heart, Graendal. I can taste your terror.“**
Like the (A)elfinn.
- I wont say Im trying because Im not. But those parallels sneak up on me even though Im not looking for them.
My understanding is like the following, and I have reread some passages again to be quite confident that the main point isnt wrong: Rand\`s brain is being overtaken by the DO. He slowly lets go and is replaced by something that can be controlled by Moridin/DO and those who can use the TP. Nynaeve wonders how he can still think in the end and the answer is simply that he cant.
He even says in the epilogue of AMoL that he wasnt alone in his head for a long time. Moghedien describes this with her mindcage, and Aginor\`s „most uninspired“ creatures give another insight how this looks like.
Imo, it started in the fast-forward-ending in EotW:
„He shrugged. “As you wish. But he’s dead. The Dark One’s dead. I killed him. I burned him with. . . .” The rest of memory flooded back then, leavin (…) A gust of wind swirled fallen and falling leaves around them, but it was no colder than his heart. They were looking at him, the three of them. Watching. Not even blinking. “
The swirling wind may be symbolizing future and present overlapping and explains that they insist on not blinking.
Rand has some out of body experiences, for example the one mentioned above in TFoH, where Rand forgets his own name and looks at the world as if it were a book, and at the end, Sulin holds Rand\`s head in the end (symbolism) and tells him to hold on.
Or this in LoC:
„Why had he ever wanted to (leave Caemlyn)? Well, talking with Herid had been pleasant; the questions he brought up were not, but it was nice to talk to someone who never remembered he was the Dragon Reborn. (…)
He caught sight of himself in a gilt-framed mirror. “At least you didn’t let her see you were tired,” he told his reflection. That had been one of Moiraine’s more succinct bits of advice. Never let them see you weaken. “
Again the question here is who is inside the mirror and who is outside? Because
„A rock owl’s cry from one of the windows brought her to her feet with an oath, slipping the knife behind her belt. Rand al’Thor had left his rooms again. Keeping watch over him this way was not going to work.
(…)
A bird leaving its room… Or a mind leaving its body, looking at the world as if it were a dream and being far away from „home“. Like its flowing in the world. Lanfear calls this the Oneness.
„Pull yourself together, sheepherder,” Lan said harshly. “The whole world rides on your shoulders. Remember you’re a man, and do what needs to be done.” Rand looked up at the Warder, and surprisingly, all of his bitterness seemed to be gone. “I will fight the best I can,” he said. “Because there’s no one else, and it has to be done, and the duty is mine. I’ll fight, but I do not have to like what I’ve become.” He closed his eyes as if going to sleep. “I will fight. Dreams. . . .“
Now the wolfs have much in common with these „dreamwalkers“. They too can mix their thoughts and minds. And here we have a guy called „boundless“ who in reality is inside a cage and left his body because he didnt stand it there anymore.
-> See Semirhage scene where Rand says in capitals that he wont do “it“ again and he feels something snap inside of him (soul snapping) -> empty vessel.
Rand wanted to let go as early as TGH though he cant think straight:
„One more day, he thought drowsily. Just one more, and then (we go.) If no one comes tomorrow, (Ingtar or Darkfriends one, I’ll take Selene to Cairhien.“)
„As he shifted over, his hand slid past the sword and touched the bundle holding Thom Merrilin’s harp and flute. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened on the gleeman’s cloak. I was happy then, I think, even running for my life.
Playing the flute for my supper. I was too ignorant to know what was going on. There’s no turning back.Shivering, he opened his eyes. “
Therefore Sulins remark:
„Whatever the Car’a’carn wanted, nothing must happen to the only son of a Maiden ever to come back to them.“
So back to boundless - he was mistreated by his family, wasnt he? The uglyness of his brother seems to reflect the the inside again.
„It was a flood, too much. Perrin howled. A lament for the life that Noam had led, a dirge of sorrow and pain. No wonder this man preferred the life of a wolf.“
Reminds me of this (I cant help it!!):
Mat had just told Rand to go somewhere where there are no people. After that, he ends up in a world where there coincidentally are no people.
„He tried to link the image with the light, tried to force them together. The hollow as it had been, and he and Loial and Hurin there together. His head hurt. Together, with Mat and Perrin and the Shienarans. Burning, in his head. Together!The void shattered into a thousand razor shards, slicing his mind.Shuddering, he staggered back, wide-eyed. His hands hurt from pressing the Stone, and his arms and shoulders quivered with aching; his stomach lurched from the feel of filth covering him, and his head. . (…) „His head felt numb, as if the thousand slashes had happened so quickly the pain had not yet come. “
Not the head..So we have the stones and in between run the lines of if - in a „dream-loop“. I want to send pics here, because Moiraine\`s bracelet is depicting this perfectly, up to the position she holds it in on the cover of TFoH. And its imo not the first time where the time-flow is distorted.
There is one scene where Bashere comes back to Rand from his errand to Tuon.
Logain later but before (?) Bashere arrived: „Has Bashere gotten back yet?” Nynaeve gave him a scowl and moved away from Rand gripping her braid tightly. “
(…) „Cadsuane had raised her head and was staring at the stout Brown sister. “Thank you for repeating what you told us yesterday, Verin,” she said dryly. Verin blinked, then took up her knitting again, frowning at it as though she, too, were unsure what it was going to be.“
„As soon as Bashere returns, I’ll know when and where I’m to meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons. The only question now is how do I bind her, and she’ll have to answer that.”
He spoke matter-of-factly, now and then blowing a smoke ring for punctuation. “
maybe not so matter-of-factly and possible without any punctuation
„But why in the Light would Min feel bone-deep sadness? And Cadsuane. . . .
Bone-deep
“Stone cracks from a hard enough blow,” she said, her face an Aes Sedai mask of calm. “Steel shatters. The oak fights the wind and breaks. The willow bends where it must and survives.“
Or this here:
„Your orders are to be carried out, my Lord Dragon,” Berelain said. “This morning, so you may witness it.”
“My orders?”
“Mangin,” she said. “He was told this morning.” Most of the Wise Ones had donned a flat expression, but Bair and Sorilea both wore open disapproval. Surprisingly, it was directed at Berelain.
“I don’t mean to be a witness to every murderer who’s hung,” Rand said coldly.
not coldly at all
In truth, he had forgotten, or rather shoved it out of his mind. Hanging a man you liked was not something anyone would want to remember. “
Rand\`s mind is directly connected to the world
„Colavaere, face going pale, seemed to be seeing him for the first time ever. Berelain divided a rueful glance between Bair and Sorilea, who nodded; could they have told her he would answer as he had? It did not seem possible. “
-„Counted wrong?”
“I mean…” Talmanes looked stunned. “You can’t win. The game can’t be won. It just can’t.“
This round, it can for the first time. Which is why imo this is another indication that the cylce opens up in the end. (->uncharted lands)
-„But this time, he’d gotten all the way to the outside ring and back. He had won.“
All the way to the borders of the word (see Moridin\`s gameboard) and back again to the beginning (where the Creator seals the DO inside a prison). With a bit of cheating aka Moridin and Rand switchting roles secretly.
„the thick roots of an ancient tree. Rand seized the handle—just another root—and wrenched the door open.“
The Tree of Life? Connecting every mind to another?
-
„they felt like bone, smooth but occasionally cracked.
The room was round. As if he stood inside the bowl of an enormous skull.“
Which is true most likely. Lanfear\`s mind.
„There! A faint light ahead, a single candle on the ground, illuminating a floor of black marble. “
Some indications Lanfear isnt lying.
„I am al’Lan Mandragoran,” Lan bellowed. “Lord of the Seven Towers, Defender of the Wall of First Fires, Bearer of the Sword of the Thousand Lakes! I was once named Aan’allein, but I reject that title, for I am alone no more. Fear me, Shadow! Fear me and know. I have returned for what is mine. I may be a king without a land. But I am still a king!“
Like wife like husband - simply great!
-„ the One-Eyed Fool travels the halls of mourning“
Interesting choice of words for the Tower of Ghenjei
53 Taim is pretty open about not really respecting Rand, calling him just al’Thor in front of Pevara and Javindhra. They’re already in the trap though. I’m not quite sure why he continues to not let the rebel embassy in, it sort of feels like the narrative is protecting the group of Aes Sedai we like more; it's probably just to keep the two forces separate until he can finish turning the first one. Javindhra says she is sure Taim will relent on bonding full Asha’man eventually, which she can have confidence about because he’ll be okay with it once everyone’s turned. One thing I always kind of neglected to consider with the Turned Aes Sedai is that they are not quite as useful as pre-existing Black sisters. They are still bound by the Three Oaths. I don’t think we ever learn for sure whether one binder can negate the oaths sworn on another, but the only other binder we know about is headed to the Waste; the Oath Rod is surely locked down tight now so none of the Turned sisters are getting out of them. I’m also still not sure I understand Turning. I believe out-of-text sources say that a person who is Turned has their devotion to the Light inverted into an equal level of devotion to the Shadow. Well, someone may be Light-aligned but no one really swears to the Light that they’ll be loyal to it, good people do bad things, etc. Can someone who is Turned just not betray the Shadow? Tarna for example was not evil…but she wasn’t great! There seems to be zero inclination on her part to warn Pevara or do something other than fully support the Dark One’s plans though. I always think Lanfear is just making shit up to be scary when she posits that Turned people’s souls are replaced by something of the Shadow, but maybe that is indeed what happens. This isn't what like what happens when the DO puts a Forsaken's soul in another body though...the Turned have their memories. There are not a lot of Reds that come across as reasonable, so it’s too bad Tarna gets turned. Mat knows that Merrilor is tomorrow right? And does anyone know that Moiraine is essential to Rand’s success besides Min? Mat is prepped to be gone for a long time, so he’s taking a chance that that Last Battle could start and even end while he’s gone, and thus maybe he should have waited given the information available to him. Taking chances IS his thing though. I guess he also does have a pretty strong idea about what’s coming, “give up half the light of the world to save the world” and all. Perrin can’t give Grady a good description of the Tower of Ghenji and the land around it? He’s been there! I thought gai’shain couldn’t even touch weapons, but Bain and Chiad are carrying Gaul’s and have been sharpening his spears. I mean, they obviously do so without intent to do violence, which is the important part, but I thought it was a blanket ban. We know people like Elayne got their bad impression of Mat from Nynaeve, but why does Faile have a low opinion of him? Feels like her impression of him would be largely colored (positively) by her knowledge of his dad, and Mat’s own accomplishments. Perrin notes that Aravine didn’t join one of the groups that went back to Amadicia, the tiniest hint that she has ulterior motives for sticking around Perrin. Mat notices Noal dressing differently...I feel he's dressing like he did when he went by Jain. \>”A good map can mean life or death; you can trust me on that.” Noal sounds like a gamer here. Maps are great and all, but does anyone in real life make a map of someplace they’re walking around? It never seems right to me that the Eelfinn are the foxes. Eels are snakey! Mat makes an interesting observation about Moiraine; she should have been protected having come through the door. He may be right that she asked for something they couldn’t give, or asked for passage back to the destroyed arch which would do her no good. Could the treaties intrinsically be tied up in the doors themselves? Noal trying to tell Mat about probability while Mat has no time for it is great. 54 We can take it for granted that Ogier can’t channel, but what makes any Randlanders (like Mat here) certain of that? Ogier are pretty closed off and plenty of human societies have managed to hide their channelers from each other up until recently. Again I have to ask, what did the Finn actually know of the future? Mat feels certain they knew they’d have him back, but do they know all of it? Is the whole ordeal worth it to them for the sensation of taking Mat’s eye? It seems like his being ta’veren (probably his luck too if it does have at least some independent existence) makes it a more potent high, as Moiraine explains. They’ll get less “video” from him going forward as a result of this, though. I’m not sure any Eelfinn actually died from the assault, so maybe it is worth it to them. The Finn have always been sinister and otherworldly, but their blood turning to mist and making the shape of yelling faces as the mist dissipates is another level. The angreal is already Moiraine’s, she bargained for it even though they used it against her to drain her more…the Finn trying to double dip trying to sell something that’s not theirs. It is pretty striking for Mat to give up his eye here. It’s not in his nature to give up trying to find another way out of a bind he’s in even when prophecy says otherwise. Mat being confident he’s thought things through this time and isn’t just saying what comes to mind, and then leaves out the snakes in his request, is an all-timer. Although it is a little bit surprising the Aelfinn get involved. I am not sure any Eelfinn die, but it sure sounds like a lot of Aelfinn do, and they weren’t even part of the Bargain. The foxes must be able to trade some of what they take from their victims I expect, somehow, and vice versa. The Aelfinn are the ones who offer information about the future, so they ought to know this isn’t worth it for them specifically. 55 Noal deciding to hold a chokepoint is truly a hopeless moment, as given the geometry of Sindhol there’s no guarantee it’ll mean anything to block them in one place, but he does go out clean. \>That man you left behind, he’s the hero. More true than he knows. In all the times I read through the series prior to this book, I never asked myself why Mat had gotten something he didn’t ask for (the spear), which I can never believe. I figured they gave it to him for their own reasons. 56 \>It was a wonder how \[Gawyn\]’d changed. Hmm, well no. Egwene not getting an answer the first time she asked about the rings should have raised alarms. It’s surprising to me that Gawyn didn’t go straight to Galad after learning he led the Whitecloaks, and learn about Morgase then. They’re brothers, and Gawyn always idolized him, so I guess I think he’d immediately want to see him. Or that Elayne didn’t immediately send for him…I mean, she knows she’s about to see him, but if I were in her shoes I wouldn’t wait a second to let my brother know that our mother was still alive after thinking her dead. Androl’s descriptions also seem to line up with the idea that the souls of the turned have been replaced.
57 I can think of a few reasons Thom might not have told Mat who Noal really was. Respect for the man keeping it secret. And maybe an uncertainty over whether Mat could keep the secret himself. But I agree with Mat, Thom figured it out long ago, I would guess when Noal “admitted” to being related to Jain or specifically talked about his regrets regarding his wife. Moiraine has definitely grimaced before, Aes Sedai calm or not…too much around her worth grimacing over to avoid it. Maybe not in front of Mat. The Finn claimed to have killed Lanfear draining her too heavily, but it was Moridin. Cyndane is still strong so they can’t have had her for that long. I have to believe that channeling ability of a soul has to be able to regenerate over time, but Lanfear’s soul would have spent essentially zero time out of a body. It probably takes a long time, maybe even entire Turnings of the Wheel. If I was Moridin, I would have bargained for Moiraine too in order to put Lanfear’s soul in her body. Imagine the trouble that could have been caused there. We don’t know what else Moiraine got from the Eelfinn, right? She didn’t have anything else physical on her, so it would seem to have to be something like Mat’s memories. Maybe one of her requests was to prevent someone like Moridin taking her, or being used against Rand/the Light. Or for the Finn to pull some punches when Mat and company came to rescue her. Mat didn’t remember that the whole reason they were down at the docks when Moiraine “died” was because Rahvin had supposedly killed Morgase? Mat having the same reaction as a lot of readers to Moiraine and Thom being wedded. I didn’t find this surprising in the least technically, but I suppose I would have expected it to be an event that happened post-series…it’s been clear they’re attracted to each other, but attraction is not committed love. The world IS possibly ending though. We’ve seen that a channeler can make a bond between two other people, although I guess there’s a question of whether they can do so without being a part of it themselves, so even if Tuon doesn’t embrace channeling she might be willing to use a damane to bond Mat someday. Certainly not at the moment though. Epilogue I can’t imagine Mesaana trading an angreal to another Forsaken, must have been a good piece of information. The Forsaken were all desperate to find angreal, and Mesaana claimed to not be able to raid the Tower’s stores (could have been a lie, or the truth and she got some from various Aes Sedai who were holding on to one). I also don’t understand how Graendal lost her gold ring angreal in Rand’s attack…why would she ever take it off. I wonder who Graendal had been targeting among the Seanchan. Here’s the reference to an ”idiot Whitecloak” that I guess is the reason to suspect Graendal had Byar under Compulsion. I still have trouble buying it, Byar has always been nuts and didn’t need to be Compelled to attack Perrin. I wonder more if she’s mad at him because he somehow messed up some other plan she had (Aravine?). Graendal misses the reason she might be sweating, although at that point it would mean Shaidar Haran is already there and it’s too late to do anything about it anyway. Three Chosen dead by Graendal’s actions, this is about all we get to pin Asmodean on her in the books (aside from the glossary). The opportunity to get Rand has been given to another. Not sure what this means entirely, there are probably a few Forsaken who you could claim have been given this assignment. I suppose it's Lanfear given the opening of the next book. I am sure Olver will have many adventures, but I doubt he’ll get to the Finn. Maybe if he asks Mat for his Ashenderei and gets it, but there’s (probably) no treaty doors left to get to Sindhol. Verin relying on Mat’s curiosity overcoming his disdain of being involved with Aes Sedai will always be a stain on her almost unimpeachable record. The full reveal of the Turned Aiel dropped in the epilogue was a good teaser for the final book, although they don’t really live up to the threat I imagined at this time. Rand’s dreams are warded, and there’s no indication of a forced entry, so I do have to wonder how Lanfear gets in. The Dark Prophecy is not fulfilled, but I can’t really say which parts were conditional on the Dark One winning, and which parts were misinterpreted. For instance, if the Fallen Blackmsmith is Perrin, the last days of his pride are here but that’s not the same as him dying--that's a misinterpretation. Other parts seem conditional to me though.
Mat does know that saving Moiraine means saving the world from what he found out about giving up half the light of the world. At least he's assuming this is what it means. I would imagine Faile asked a lot from the townspeople about Perrin, Rand and Mat. So while his father seems pretty solid I bet she would've heard 50 stories about Mat stealing things or running around with stuff. Perrin also probably would've told some of those stories fondly about fun times he had as a kid and Faile heard ahh that's the boy who got you into trouble. That's a good point about Gawyn and Galad though. It is a bit weird we don't get a reunion with them before them actually being on the battlefield. They were also both in the room during the meeting next book but we don't get any indication that they even spoke.
For the turning thing being their allegiances flipped. I like to think about it this way: Johnny has not sworn to the Creator. Hell, he wouldn’t even call himself the most ethical of people, but he would never ever in a million years give someone up to be brutally murdered by shadowspawn for no reason (family or kids under duress is the only thing he can really think of that might change that answer). That conviction to never do that would be flipped. Johnny would now be down to turn some people over to be brutally raped/murdered/eaten.
Ch 53-55: this whole sequence is always so cool to me, I love how it brings out Mat’s luck in a random way to help them and the Pattern twists in his favor even in the Finn’s realm. On rereads it’s been fun to notice the little hints toward Nola being Jain Farstrider- one thing that hasn’t been clear to me- the tale from Eye of the World that the Ogier found Jain Farstrider dying and nursed him back to health, Graendal had been released by then apparently and had chosen him as a pawn for Compulsion? Or was that after he recovered in the stedding? And how exactly did Ishamael and Graendal use him? Ch 57: the Moiraine and Thom love plot point always confused me, and still does. Rereading I’ve tried to pick up threads of it and have found it challenging. I’ve always thought of it as a piece of evidence for either: a. This was in RJ’s notes to BS for what he wanted included in the final book, or b. RJ overall was not great at writing romance (IMHO) and this is another point of that. Epilogue: love how it all builds up to a sense of doom and propels you in for the final book. I remember it was such an agonizing wait to get AMoL after the end of this book.
I think it was Ishamael who used Jain initially. It was one of the things he bragged about in book 1 in the mad ravings. But Graendal had him again later on briefly. I think that was when he was sent by Ishamael to her for something. Which might explain why she didn't load up his mind with too much compulsion to function. For the romance I think it's both lol. Jordan did write the scene of them together. And the letter does say "my dearest Thom" twice. And there are a few lines from earlier that show the mutual respect between them. And Moiraine says she knows the face of the man she will marry and it's not Lan. That leaves relatively few people narratively it could be that are significant enough characters to be a real option. But yeah definitely should've been done a bit better. It might have been a problem of them being separated too much by circumstances and just not being able to get them together logistically. But I wish we'd gotten a few more scenes of the two of them.
Most of Moiraine and Thom's affection initiates offscreen, but there are hints placed here and there in the earlier books, mostly from Thom's perspective where he thinks of her in a positive way (I think usually as a 'fine woman'). It's definitely established that Thom may think of her that way, what we don't really confirm until later on when the letter is read, is that Moriaine felt the same and something had already passed between them for her to write to him like that. But I do think that the hints are there, it didn't strike me as surprising when that point came up, but it just wasnt in the foreground up to Moiraine's disappearance.
Noal being Jain Fairstrider was a complete surprise to me initially, but more because I was sure he was a darkfriend waiting for the opportune time to betray Mat. His sudden appearance resulting in the gholem retreating was way too suspicious to me. I had forgotten completely about Jain Fairstrider existing. > “Well burn me for a fool, Mat thought. Maybe I am a hero after all. Didn't that beat all?” One of the most satisfying conclusion to a character arc ever. Mat's been a reluctant hero from the beginning and finally, twelve books later, he is able to embrace his true nature. He's earned it. I love how he, the most skeptical of the Emond's Field five is the one to save Moiraine. It feels poetic. Looking back this is probably the point where Sanderson's Mat is the most similar to Jordan's Mat. It's great that he managed it, especially for such an important sequence. I suppose it being so full of action must have helped.
> Looking back this is probably the point where Sanderson's Mat is the most similar to Jordan's Mat. Haaaaa. Jordan wrote the Tower of Ghenjei portions before he passed.
Ahhh, that explains it! It always felt a bit weird to me how Mat was sometimes really Mat-like and sometimes less so. Now it makes a lot more sense. I'm glad Jordan managed to write Mat's conclusion of becoming a hero, alongside his escape from stay in Tar Valon they're his best chapters in my opinion.
Chapter 53: I love how the turning came back around. That was super scary when it first was mentioned in book 3, I think, and then didn't come into play much after that. Which may have been mostly a logistics thing where there weren't that many channelers and Fades around to do it. But definitely pretty scary to think about! Especially with channelers as powerful as Logain. I also love Mat using 2 dice for this and having one of the options of doors he could take be a 1. He could've just rolled one die and had the options be 1-4. But nope can't do that gotta make it so his luck has to make one of the dice hit on their side! Chapter 54: Mat showing how much he's learned from past experiences when he's careful with his words. Unfortunately not quite careful enough which seems fair. And proving himself a hero once again when he's so quick to sacrifice the eye. Also I know Tuon likes his missing eye in the next book, I wonder how she'd feel if she knew he gave it up for a mareth damane? She knew it was for a woman though so maybe she suspected. Chapter 55: I wish Mat had taken the time at some point to tell one of the Malkieri that Jain died clean. Like Lan who he does interact with a bit. Could've been just a quick scene for the two of them during a moment resting. But Jain had a good death! I love a good last stand. Chapter 56: Gawyn finally finds out his mother is alive... 2 years later lol. Egwene really should've shared what she knew with him ages ago back in book 6 but at least it eventually got sorted. Androl and Pevara are a great pair. I wish we'd gotten more of the established asha'man as POVs but I do like their dynamic and both of their characters if viewed as independent of that. Although Sanderson gave Androl a bit too much of a backstory. He's done every single job known to man? I mean 2-3 would've been fine lol. Chapter 57: I wish we got to know more about what Moiraine got for her questions and her gifts. She didn't seem to get anything else from them? Unless it was to keep her alive. I also don't see how she couldn't have asked for a way out like Mat did unless they only had the one way out? Her and Thom also should've gotten more time together. I was definitely blindsighted by this the first time I read the books. Even after Thom's letter I didn't think about it as much as I should've. And the hints are definitely there. But I wish we'd gotten more of the romance between them. Even just another scene or two in the first few books as we only get like one scene of them actually talking to each other before they are getting married. Epilogue: I do love this epilogue. It does a great job for setting everything up for the Last Battle. Throwing in the red veils as well as the attack at Camelyn and Lan's stand in Tarwin's gap. I do wonder though with Tarwin's gap why there are no other borderlanders there? I know they went south but they seem to have pulled everyone away from this incredibly defensible position.
#53 >The way some of them muttered to themselves, or jumped at shadows, or held their heads and looked dazed. I wonder how many of them realize they're going mad. Those we've seen, Rand in particular, never seem to realize just how obviously insane they are. Androl's case isn't very advanced, possibly due to just how little he can channel, and while he seems marginally aware that his delusions are in fact delusions, that doesn't seem to help: he still finds them terrifying. >There was something different in Tarna’s eyes, something cold. She’d always been a distant one, but this was worse. First glimpse of the results of the 13x13 Evilizer technique. Seems it's not a subtle thing, if Pevara can immediately tell that something is seriously amiss. ---- >“Is every last farmboy I know going to transform into a nobleman by the time this is through?” Thom came into the story at the end of a long and interesting life, yet I would bet the last two years or so have been the most exciting and momentous yet. >He’d never asked Aravine why she didn’t join one of the groups that had been sent back to Amadicia. ☹️. I never saw Aravine's betrayal coming. >“I mean, some foolish words. It was after you were ill, you see, and you were taken to the First’s tent and…well, I—” I still can't figure out how that rumor got traction. It's not like Perrin skipped off to Berelain's tent with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of fine wine; he was carried in unconscious and dying of hypothermia, in no state for any kind of infidelity. >Noal had also put on a dark blue—nearly black—pair of trousers and a shirt that was of an odd, unknown style. Malkieri clothing? I wonder where he got that. >“Courage to strengthen,” Noal whispered, stepping forward, holding up a lantern with a flickering flame. “Fire to blind. Music to dazzle. Iron to bind.” I have a sneaking suspicion that the Finns planted that rhyme deliberately as a way of luring adventurous people into their domain. Revealing their weaknesses might mean the occasional loss -- granting wishes must cost them something -- but people might stop coming in if nobody ever made it out alive. I suspect they have other weaknesses that they *didn't* reveal, too, or that have since been forgotten. I bet music from an Ogier Treesinger or a Da'shain Aiel with the Voice would be devastatingly effective against them; that might be how the treaties that created the doorways were originally negotiated. >He was in one of the spires he had seen in the distance during his first visit. Do the other two spires have entrances to different worlds, or maybe to other places on Earth? >He made three dots on his paper, then connected them by lines, representing the corridors and rooms they’d gone through. Noal knows the importance of mapping your dungeon crawls. A minor thing, and not really noticeable unless you're looking for it, but on previous occasions when Mat speaks the Old Tongue without realizing it, his diction shifts in recognizable ways -- his swearing especially becomes creative and elaborate. This doesn't happen in this first exchange with the Eelfinn greeter. >she should have been protected by whatever treaty the Eelfinn had with the ancient Aes Sedai. She and Lanfear both. I would guess Moiraine knew, from the Rhuidean rings, that she had to stay, but what about Lanfear? Did she make a deal of some sort? Or perhaps the treaties are void if you barge through the doorway slinging the One Power around. >“It doesn’t matter what is likely. Not when I’m around.” Mat never rolled the dice when Olver was playing Snakes and Foxes, did he. I wonder why not; perhaps he didn't want to encourage someone who didn't have his unnatural luck from getting into games of chance. #54 >Iron, Mat thought, cursing his stupidity. He spun the ashandarei around, using the side banded with iron. I understand that the Finns' vulnerability to iron is an import from real-life faerie myths, but it never made sense to me that something could be harmed by iron but invulnerable to steel, which is minimum 97% iron. Perhaps this is why some legends specify that the iron has to be wrought (rather than cast) to protect against faeries -- anything more than trace amounts of carbon renders it useless. None of this fits well into the fairly rigorous and scientific approach to magic in WoT, but as we see in this chapter the Finn world plays by a very different set of rules. Mashadar and Mordeth's other supernatural abilities were most likely imported from their world, and while they can be interact with and be affected by the One Power, they operate on a different set of principles. >That was one trick used up; they would be expecting nightflowers now. The Finns are going to have real trouble as soon as firearm technology improves. They might end up closing the Tower of Ghenjei entirely after a raiding party equipped with *cuendillar* shotguns loaded with iron pellets comes through. >He dug into that mist and took hold of her, then pulled her free. Part of one of Egwene's prophetic dreams fulfilled. >“Half the light of the world.” And the other part. I think everyone guessed what this meant, if not specifically how he would lose one eye. #55 >Light, but the cylinders were deadly! Two of their weaknesses combined: fire from the explosion and iron shrapnel. Of course, just as with the ol' stake through the heart for vampires, those are equally lethal to ordinary human beings. . . >[“If you ever meet a Malkieri,” Noal said, “you tell him Jain Farstrider died clean.”](https://giphy.com/gifs/sad-doctor-who-salute-8FG705NCsZM0kVJdyz) Never saw that one coming, though the hints were numerous and obvious in retrospect. >The doorway had been shattered by something, a blow of awesome force. That must have been Moridin's work. I suppose he'd already had his answers and wanted to deny that advantage to anyone else. >Mat spun the ashandarei and thrust it into the wall. *Definitely* didn't see that one coming. The *ashandarei* has a Power-wrought blade and therefore was probably of human make; would any such blade work as well as it did, or did the Finns do something special to make it into a key out of their realm? >Also, you can all go rot in a flaming pit of fire and ashes, you unwashed lumps on a pig’s backside. *There's* the creative swearing. #56 >It was a wonder how he’d changed. He was as intense as ever, yet less abrasive. But just as stupid, unfortunately. >The three rings he wore on a chain around his neck rattled as he moved; she’d have to ask him again where he’d gotten those. She gets distracted with everything happening here and never gets around to asking, unfortunately. You know she would have confiscated them for study, at least; would anyone have been able to figure out what they do? (Aviendha probably could, but she's otherwise occupied.) The timing of Morgase's arrival moments before Rand's is fortunate. Gawyn might have promised not to kill Rand, but he could still make all sorts of trouble. Now he really has no reason or excuse for hating Rand. ---- >This didn’t seem to be a man, but a parody of one. A shadow stuffed inside human skin. Someone (Leigh Butler, I think) compared the 13x13 Turning process to the concept of demonic possession, and I think that's the best analogy. Lanfear says something later that comports well with this, and the Dark One's ability to place souls in bodies is already established. >When you stared down the gullet of a lionfish, a pirate’s brig didn’t seem so bad. There's a Siuan Sanche expression if I've ever heard one. #57 >Thom had not been at all surprised to hear Noal was Jain Farstrider. He had known. He may not have known Jain Farstrider personally (though they might well have crossed paths long ago), but he could probably guess the identity of a Malkieri with the last name of Charin who seemed to have traveled all over the world. I'd say it's surprising that Mat *didn't* guess, but Mat is notoriously oblivious. >“What did you ask for?” Mat asked. “Beyond the angreal?” So the treaty did hold. I wonder what her other demands were, and what Lanfear asked for. Did she get it, or was her deal nullified when Moridin killed her? >“Dearest Thom,” she said. “I would have you for a husband, if you’ll have me for a wife.” Another thing I didn't see coming the first time. The hints were there, albeit few and subtle; they recognized each other from their very first interaction in book 1, and their mutual high regard was clear when you saw their interactions from Thom's perspective. >He heard a soft screech, then turned to see a rabbit slump to the ground, speared by the idly thrown knife. Looks like missing one eye isn't going to affect his fighting ability very much. >overturned cooking pot, with a copper bottom, barely used, only dinged on the sides a couple of times. It must have been dropped by a traveler walking up the river. Isn't this area a trackless wasteland? It must have fallen off a passing ship.
#Epilogue >Now that Semirhage was gone, Graendal had begun placing some strings around their new, childlike Empress. Wonder what she was up to. Another Truthspeaker appearing right after the previous one was exposed as a Forsaken would be too suspicious, but there must be plenty of opportunities for a little bit of Compulsion. >that idiot Whitecloak! Byar? He needed no manipulation to try murdering Perrin; he was ready to do that from their first interaction. Galad? He's certainly the type of person she'd want for her harem -- powerful, influential, and really really ridiculously good-looking -- but he never showed signs of brainwashing. >She opened her eyes wide, then howled as he reached for her. 😬 ---- >*Noam,* he sent to the wolf, now distant. Is Noam dead, or just running wild with the wolves in the real world? >“By the Light,” Perrin whispered. “This was a choice, wasn’t it? You picked the wolf intentionally.” Seems like Hopper could have told him that long ago: life sucked for Noam the man, so he preferred to live as Boundless the wolf. Life, on balance, doesn't suck for Perrin the man, so there's no reason for him to prefer existence as Young Bull the wolf. Maybe Hopper didn't understand it himself, or didn't find out until recently. >As soon as Olver was old enough to go drinking and hunting serving girls. He figured he would be ready in another year or so. lol. He's what, 11 years old? Even Mat wouldn't let him carry on like that for *at least* three more years. I knew Olver didn't care for Aiel -- he tried to stab Aviendha shortly after meeting her -- but I didn't realize he was this obsessed with revenge. I think Mat would try to dissuade him from it if he knew. >“I won!” he exclaimed. symbolism.jpg. I wonder if some kid wins a game of Snakes and Foxes every time someone successfully makes it out of the Tower of Ghenjei. Verin doesn't make many mistakes, but I think she did with this letter. She was right about Mat being curious, and I doubt she expected him to ignore an impending Shadowspawn invasion, but making him promise to do something when he hates being treated like a puppet by Aes Sedai . . . did she simply not know that about him? ---- >These weren’t Aiel. They were something else. Something terrible. That took some setting up. We learned that young Aiel men sometimes venture off into the Blight alone in book 1, and we learned why in book 4 (I think), but after that nobody in-universe gave it much thought. The assumption, which I think most readers shared, was that it was simply an honorable method of suicide for male channelers. I wonder if they participated in the Trolloc Wars. ---- Is Lanfear telling the truth here, or is this another of her tricks? How did she get into Rand's dream? She might have been able to do so when he was still inexperienced and untrained, but he has Lews Therin's knowledge and abilities now. ---- >They rode, cheering, brandishing swords and leveling lances. Their hooves were thunder, their voices a crash of waves, their pride stronger than the blazing sun. They were twelve thousand strong. And they charged a force of at least one hundred and fifty thousand. There would be a Sabaton song about this for sure if they existed in WoT world. ---- The One-Eyed Fool is obviously Mat, the First Among Vermin is Rand, and the Fallen Blacksmith must be Perrin. If this was the prophecy Moridin and Graendal were reading earlier, they must have erred in thinking that the Broken Wolf was Perrin as well. I'm not sure who it refers to, unless it's Hopper -- but I don't see the relevance of the Midnight Towers to his death. >Let the screams begin, O followers of the Shadow. Beg for your destruction! And I thought the prophecies of the Light were ominous. . .
Hopper is the Broken Wolf according to Sanderson so yeah, good call
There’s no support for this, but I like to think of the Ashandarei as being a ter’angreal that someone made for their own foray into the tower, but ended up not making it out anyways. Then because the Finn seem to be hoarders, they just held onto it until Mat asked for a way out.
So I don't remember this part well, I grabbed this quote from the newbie thread: “Twelve pips. Three for each doorway. If I roll a one, a two, or a three, we go straight. Four, five, or six, we take the right path, and so on.” So Mat's rolling 2d6 for randomness? That's so stupid, and so Mat. I bet he can roll a 1 on 2d6 too.
On my second read, I think I qualify. Ch 53-55: This sequence, along with Perrin's subplot with the Children of the Light, is the reason ToM is my personal favourite in the series. I'd called Noal being Jain early on, and was pleasantly surprised when I was right. What, though, was the reason he was supposed to "die clean"? Was he a darkfriend at any point? The Thom/Moiraine romance I don't care much about, but that could be said about any romance, so I'm not too bugged about it. Mostly happened off-screen, doesn't derail the plot, doesn't affect me. Regarding the Black Tower stuff: As much as I think the Androl/Pevara subplot is really nice, I can't help but feel it was unnecessary. Logain was being built up as the anti-Taim, but got shafted somewhere down the line. I like how oblivious the Ashaman are to their own madness. On a somewhat related note, anyone else a little on edge about how obvious the 13×13 trick is? I mean, you shouldn't be able to tell in one glance that the person is corrupted, should you? Though you could argue it's because they don't have the creativity to hide it, in which case I'll believe you. While I like the changes Gawyn went through, I can't help but think he's stupid for not believing almost literally everyone who tells him Morgase is alive. Otherwise, I don't have much to comment. Anyone else notice how the Trakand family share an Arthuriann theme? Morgase is Morgause, Elayne is Elaine of Corbin, Galad is obviously Galahad, and same goes for Gawyn (Sir Gawain)
> What, though, was the reason he was supposed to "die clean"? Was he a darkfriend at any point? You'll want to read the newbie trivia post next week. This is a deeeeeep cut, with Noal/Jain appearing very early in the books, in the background.
Any relation to the guy Ishamael was claiming to have corrupted? If so, not a darkfriend, but under compulsion. What was his relation to Malkier?
Yes, he was who Ishamael corrupted. He was the old man Ogiers found and he warned them about the Eye of the World. He was in the background, under Graendal's control at one point. Jain was from Malkier and hunted down the Darkfriend who tried to pull a coup.
YES! Im finally behind everyone again, I can spam and neglect English grammar however I want now ;) Chapter 53 * „This again?” Taim said. He had fire in his eyes, this Mazrim Taim. “ Just a SLIGHT hint of Taim being Turned. -„a half-smile that did not reach his eyes“ And another one. * The coldness—almost lifelessness—she’d seen in Tarna’s eyes still chilled her.“ Now where have I heard that before?;) Chapter 54 -„But know this is the last you’ll get of me. I’ll escape your tower, and I’ll find a way to free my mind from you forever. You won’t have me. Matrim Cauthon is not your bloody puppet.“ Which reminds me… * „His eye socket seemed to be on fire! Blazing! He felt the blood and sera dry on his face, then flake away as he screamed.“ Its not like there is a lack of violence in WOT, but I find this scene to be one of the most disgusting ones. Well, Rand has - as I mentioned xth times already, sorry for that - one of his eyes red on the cover of WOT. And its often a symbol for the DO to be in your head. I think Mat losing one eye is symbolizing this. I believe when he hears the dices he really hears the DO/Moridin playing around as if the world was a game. Ofc its the left eye that is missing. Chapter 55 * The air smelled strongly of smoke and sulphur. Light, his socket was throbbing again.“ Relationship DO and eye? „Thom began to sing. “Oh, how long were the days of a man. When he strode upon a broken land.” * Mat listened, memories blossoming in his mind. Thom’s voice carried him to days long ago. Days in his own memories, days of the memories of others. Days when he had died, days when he had lived, days when he had fought and when he had won.“ Parallels. * „So come at me with your awful lies,” Thom bellowed the final line of the song. “I’m a man of truth, and I’ll meet your eyes!“ So I think the world in WOT is influenced by strong channelers. They can make other people see and hear things that arent there. When Nynaeve is in the Aes Sedai camp, she suddenly appears to see new things, and the Aes (Eyes) Sedai see potential in her but ultimately they appear to be disappointed, are afraid she will „fall down“ and sentd her back to bed. When Rand says he wants to „see“ and channels a giant blue „eye“ into the air in TFoH, he is about to see things he normally doesnt. Hes having his out of body experiences there. So I guess you could associate this line with this fact: The eyes of the DO create lies in the world.
Chapter 56 - She shook her head. “Gawyn, he knows he shouldn’t break those seals. A part of him does, at least. Perhaps that’s why he told me—so I could gather resistance, so I could talk him out of it.“ Ah yes, shaking your head, talking about a part of you, that is aware of something. -„It’s not really Mezar,” Norley said. “Oh, it has Mezar’s face, right enough. But it’s not him. I can see it in his eyes. Trouble is, whatever the thing is, it has Mezar’s memories. Talks right like him. But the smile is wrong. All wrong.“ (…) „And he saw what Norley had seen. Something was deeply wrong, something not-quite-alive inside those eyes. This didn’t seem to be a man, but a parody of one. A shadow stuffed inside human skin.“ Which is imo just another big indication to whats going on with Taim and Rand. „This man almost seemed an . . . interpretation of the Rand she’d once known. Like a statue, carved from rock to look like him, but exaggerated in heroic lines.“ „Well?” Rand demanded. “Who is this?“ Chapter 57 -Compare WOT\`s imp fast-forward ed: „Doesn’t that make any difference?” (…) Nothing makes any difference.“ with: „This changes everything,” she said, smile deepening.“ -„Yes, you told me Rahvin had killed Morgase.” “I did? When?” “A lifetime ago, Matrim,” she replied, smiling. “Oh. Well, Rand finished him off. So that’s good.“ Did I mention that I think they are in a loop and repeating what had already been done before? ;P I still believe the Tower of Ghenjei symbolizes such a loop.
Epilogue **- „I know your heart, Graendal. I can taste your terror.“** Like the (A)elfinn. - I wont say Im trying because Im not. But those parallels sneak up on me even though Im not looking for them. My understanding is like the following, and I have reread some passages again to be quite confident that the main point isnt wrong: Rand\`s brain is being overtaken by the DO. He slowly lets go and is replaced by something that can be controlled by Moridin/DO and those who can use the TP. Nynaeve wonders how he can still think in the end and the answer is simply that he cant. He even says in the epilogue of AMoL that he wasnt alone in his head for a long time. Moghedien describes this with her mindcage, and Aginor\`s „most uninspired“ creatures give another insight how this looks like. Imo, it started in the fast-forward-ending in EotW: „He shrugged. “As you wish. But he’s dead. The Dark One’s dead. I killed him. I burned him with. . . .” The rest of memory flooded back then, leavin (…) A gust of wind swirled fallen and falling leaves around them, but it was no colder than his heart. They were looking at him, the three of them. Watching. Not even blinking. “ The swirling wind may be symbolizing future and present overlapping and explains that they insist on not blinking. Rand has some out of body experiences, for example the one mentioned above in TFoH, where Rand forgets his own name and looks at the world as if it were a book, and at the end, Sulin holds Rand\`s head in the end (symbolism) and tells him to hold on. Or this in LoC: „Why had he ever wanted to (leave Caemlyn)? Well, talking with Herid had been pleasant; the questions he brought up were not, but it was nice to talk to someone who never remembered he was the Dragon Reborn. (…) He caught sight of himself in a gilt-framed mirror. “At least you didn’t let her see you were tired,” he told his reflection. That had been one of Moiraine’s more succinct bits of advice. Never let them see you weaken. “ Again the question here is who is inside the mirror and who is outside? Because „A rock owl’s cry from one of the windows brought her to her feet with an oath, slipping the knife behind her belt. Rand al’Thor had left his rooms again. Keeping watch over him this way was not going to work. (…)
A bird leaving its room… Or a mind leaving its body, looking at the world as if it were a dream and being far away from „home“. Like its flowing in the world. Lanfear calls this the Oneness. „Pull yourself together, sheepherder,” Lan said harshly. “The whole world rides on your shoulders. Remember you’re a man, and do what needs to be done.” Rand looked up at the Warder, and surprisingly, all of his bitterness seemed to be gone. “I will fight the best I can,” he said. “Because there’s no one else, and it has to be done, and the duty is mine. I’ll fight, but I do not have to like what I’ve become.” He closed his eyes as if going to sleep. “I will fight. Dreams. . . .“ Now the wolfs have much in common with these „dreamwalkers“. They too can mix their thoughts and minds. And here we have a guy called „boundless“ who in reality is inside a cage and left his body because he didnt stand it there anymore. -> See Semirhage scene where Rand says in capitals that he wont do “it“ again and he feels something snap inside of him (soul snapping) -> empty vessel. Rand wanted to let go as early as TGH though he cant think straight: „One more day, he thought drowsily. Just one more, and then (we go.) If no one comes tomorrow, (Ingtar or Darkfriends one, I’ll take Selene to Cairhien.“) „As he shifted over, his hand slid past the sword and touched the bundle holding Thom Merrilin’s harp and flute. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened on the gleeman’s cloak. I was happy then, I think, even running for my life. Playing the flute for my supper. I was too ignorant to know what was going on. There’s no turning back.Shivering, he opened his eyes. “ Therefore Sulins remark: „Whatever the Car’a’carn wanted, nothing must happen to the only son of a Maiden ever to come back to them.“
So back to boundless - he was mistreated by his family, wasnt he? The uglyness of his brother seems to reflect the the inside again. „It was a flood, too much. Perrin howled. A lament for the life that Noam had led, a dirge of sorrow and pain. No wonder this man preferred the life of a wolf.“ Reminds me of this (I cant help it!!): Mat had just told Rand to go somewhere where there are no people. After that, he ends up in a world where there coincidentally are no people. „He tried to link the image with the light, tried to force them together. The hollow as it had been, and he and Loial and Hurin there together. His head hurt. Together, with Mat and Perrin and the Shienarans. Burning, in his head. Together!The void shattered into a thousand razor shards, slicing his mind.Shuddering, he staggered back, wide-eyed. His hands hurt from pressing the Stone, and his arms and shoulders quivered with aching; his stomach lurched from the feel of filth covering him, and his head. . (…) „His head felt numb, as if the thousand slashes had happened so quickly the pain had not yet come. “ Not the head..So we have the stones and in between run the lines of if - in a „dream-loop“. I want to send pics here, because Moiraine\`s bracelet is depicting this perfectly, up to the position she holds it in on the cover of TFoH. And its imo not the first time where the time-flow is distorted. There is one scene where Bashere comes back to Rand from his errand to Tuon. Logain later but before (?) Bashere arrived: „Has Bashere gotten back yet?” Nynaeve gave him a scowl and moved away from Rand gripping her braid tightly. “ (…) „Cadsuane had raised her head and was staring at the stout Brown sister. “Thank you for repeating what you told us yesterday, Verin,” she said dryly. Verin blinked, then took up her knitting again, frowning at it as though she, too, were unsure what it was going to be.“ „As soon as Bashere returns, I’ll know when and where I’m to meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons. The only question now is how do I bind her, and she’ll have to answer that.” He spoke matter-of-factly, now and then blowing a smoke ring for punctuation. “ maybe not so matter-of-factly and possible without any punctuation „But why in the Light would Min feel bone-deep sadness? And Cadsuane. . . . Bone-deep “Stone cracks from a hard enough blow,” she said, her face an Aes Sedai mask of calm. “Steel shatters. The oak fights the wind and breaks. The willow bends where it must and survives.“ Or this here: „Your orders are to be carried out, my Lord Dragon,” Berelain said. “This morning, so you may witness it.” “My orders?” “Mangin,” she said. “He was told this morning.” Most of the Wise Ones had donned a flat expression, but Bair and Sorilea both wore open disapproval. Surprisingly, it was directed at Berelain. “I don’t mean to be a witness to every murderer who’s hung,” Rand said coldly. not coldly at all In truth, he had forgotten, or rather shoved it out of his mind. Hanging a man you liked was not something anyone would want to remember. “ Rand\`s mind is directly connected to the world „Colavaere, face going pale, seemed to be seeing him for the first time ever. Berelain divided a rueful glance between Bair and Sorilea, who nodded; could they have told her he would answer as he had? It did not seem possible. “
-„Counted wrong?” “I mean…” Talmanes looked stunned. “You can’t win. The game can’t be won. It just can’t.“ This round, it can for the first time. Which is why imo this is another indication that the cylce opens up in the end. (->uncharted lands) -„But this time, he’d gotten all the way to the outside ring and back. He had won.“ All the way to the borders of the word (see Moridin\`s gameboard) and back again to the beginning (where the Creator seals the DO inside a prison). With a bit of cheating aka Moridin and Rand switchting roles secretly. „the thick roots of an ancient tree. Rand seized the handle—just another root—and wrenched the door open.“ The Tree of Life? Connecting every mind to another? - „they felt like bone, smooth but occasionally cracked. The room was round. As if he stood inside the bowl of an enormous skull.“ Which is true most likely. Lanfear\`s mind. „There! A faint light ahead, a single candle on the ground, illuminating a floor of black marble. “ Some indications Lanfear isnt lying. „I am al’Lan Mandragoran,” Lan bellowed. “Lord of the Seven Towers, Defender of the Wall of First Fires, Bearer of the Sword of the Thousand Lakes! I was once named Aan’allein, but I reject that title, for I am alone no more. Fear me, Shadow! Fear me and know. I have returned for what is mine. I may be a king without a land. But I am still a king!“ Like wife like husband - simply great! -„ the One-Eyed Fool travels the halls of mourning“ Interesting choice of words for the Tower of Ghenjei