Halima – Dab of Darkness Book Reviews

Knife of Dreams, Part V

Welcome everyone to Book 11 of The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. You can find the schedule to Knife of Dreams over HERE. Everyone is welcome to join us!

This week, Eivind, our WoT encyclopedia, is our host and can be found in the comments. Check out Sue’s post at Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers and Liesel’s at Musings on Fantasia, cool non-spoilery fan art.

This week, we covered Chapters 19-23. Spoilers run rampant for this section and all previous books below!

1. Our favorite Origer bachelor is finally married. Any wise words for the newlyweds? The Ogier are torn on whether to leave this world or help humanity out. Do you think Loial will be able to sway them?

My wise (ass) words to Erith would be to keep Loial stocked in good traveling clothes and scribing materials and to perhaps travel often with Loial just to avoid regular conflict with her mother-in-law. Of course my words of wisdom to Loial would be to let Erith think all the traveling is her idea.

Once again, I am reminded of Tolkien’s Ents, and their Entmoot where they take a very long time deciding on whether or not to help out the hasty humans, elves, dwarves, and humans. Knowing how that turned out, and also suspecting that the Dark One won’t leave the Steadings & Ogier alone, I think the Ogier will eventually fight evil rather than flee.

And I hope that Loial will be able to sway them sooner rather than simply walk away to join Rand at the Last Battle and have Ogier decide that is much more exciting than any Ogier business and join him later. Though I suspect that Covril or Erith may have a hand in persuading the Ogier, even if it means shaming them into caring about this world.

2. It’s been a while since the last surprise trolloc attack. Who could have been behind this one? Why now, and why so incredibly many? Lews Therin took control of Rand’s channeling. Will we see that again, and what kind of consequences might it have?

I wasn’t expecting a massive trolloc attack on the heals of an Ogier wedding!

Since the Dark One and Moridin want to keep Rand alive for now, I don’t think they were behind this attack. No, my eye turned toward Mazrim Taim. After all, if Rand, Logain, and a bunch of their closest followers fell in a trolloc attack, he could reign supreme (at least until the Dark One had him bale fired). Of course, this would mean that he has a hotline into a Forsaken who wants Rand dead now (as I don’t think Taim has been given command of so many myrrdraal). Taim would guesstimate that it would take oodles of myrrdraal and oodles X 20 to take out both Rand and Logain. Good for him that he miscalculated.

In this case, it was a very good thing that Lews took over the channeling and saved the day. But Lews isn’t the most stable Channeler out there, so I can see him losing it in a moment of disturbed surprise or intense anger and wiping out half of Rand’s army. Rand seriously needs to lock that shit down. Perhaps this is what Cadsuane needs to teach Rand, but first he would need to trust her enough to 1) confide in her about Lews and 2) Allow her to guide him, perhaps even entering his dreams or thoughts for a short time to do so. Good thing she is such a snuggable motherly type woman that Rand could so easily learn to trust. Not!

3. Lan departs to fight his own war, but Nynaeve won’t let him do it alone. Any thoughts on the actions of either? Any chills during the scene in the inn?

And yet for the third time during 1 reading session, I was surprised! I know that Lan has had a death wish since he learned he was the last Malkiri King, and that it intensified when Moiraine disappeared through that door angreal, but he really is a dense idiot sometimes. First, he can’t hold some pass in the north against hordes of trollocs and myrrdraal BY HIMSELF, no matter how good he is, no matter the terrain. So wrapping his suicidal inclinations up in honor and duty and heroics isn’t going to fool anyone in that scenario. Two, thinking that Nynaeve would simply let him do so is silly. She owns him now. Yep. You can put the love spin on it if you wish (and I do believe she does love him), but she is very, very possessive too. His life is now hers and she won’t be tossing it away.

And I was a bit surprised that Nynaeve was grown up enough to let Lan go and do his duty. I was also quite pleased to see her spreading the word near and far, calling in men to join Lan. Essentially, it’s like organizing a big party on sheep butchering day back in Two Rivers. Nynaeve is definitely the one to organize such an affair.

4. Rand again works his ta’veren magic and the rebellion in Tear is no more. Darlin, who was a rebel not four books ago, is king. Do you think he has sufficiently demonstrated his loyalty, or are you worried? Rand is focusing on Arad Doman. What do you think his plan there is?

We just saw Rand and his entourage take out thousands of trollocs and several dozen to a few hundred myrrdraal. If Darlin hasn’t heard about that yet, he will soon. So if he is planning any kind of subterfuge now, he will probably reconsider upon hearing that tale. So, no I am not particularly worried. Plus, he also was privy to seeing Cadsuane call Rand on his rude manners, so he knows he can be both pushed and reigned in without exploding. So it is unlikely that Darlin will decide to rebel ‘for the sake of the realm and to save his people from the mad Dragon reborn’.

I don’t know what Rand is planning in Arad Doman. Would he be leaving certain Waygates open to kind of channel where the trollocs turn up?

I think Eivind mentioned this in the last two weeks, that Robert Jordan had only planned 12 books and so he was trying to wind up some things in this book so that all could be tied off in the next book, right? But for us, we could have to wait to Book 14 to find out what goes down in Arad Doman.

5. The Sea Folk have chosen a new Mistress of the Ships and are being conscripted for the Arad Doman plan. Meanwhile, a whole race of islanders commit suicide! Where on Earth did that come from? Will it have any impact at all or is it just one of those… things?

I think the mass suicide was balance that Rand was contemplating earlier when he rode through town and the man fell out of a balcony onto his feet instead of his head, etc. Min says that for every evil, there is a good, while Rand takes the pessimistic opposite. Perhaps this mass suicide was the balance for all those who escaped Ebou Dar.

I expect it will sadden Rand when he hears of it, but I don’t expect any major ripples from it. I think it will just be another of those things that Jordan throws in to give the world depth.

6. An important sitting is called and the rebel Aes Sedai finally learn some important news (Saidin is clean, and they’ve been harboring a Saidin-channeling female forsaken for six books). Are you happy that Halima was rooted out? Sad that they weren’t caught? Will they rethink their Asha’man policy now?

There was a lot of great stuff in this section. Being carried around in Ramanda’s head was interesting (romance adventure novels! prudish about ankles and boobs! set in her ways despite evidence to the contrary, especially concerning the new elderly novices, etc.).

I have been taken an impish glee in shocking the Aes Sedai. And I expect I am not alone in this. I really enjoyed the reactions to the Asha’man, and the announcements about bonding, both the offering up of Asha’men to be bonded and the fact that silly Sisters were already bonded to Asha’men.

I was surprised that Ramanda put it together first and called out Halima. Since Halima is a Forsaken in disguise, I figured that she wouldn’t be caught yet. Though I think it might have been pretty spectacular to have her fight an entire encampment of Aes Sedai.

Some of the Sisters are already moving along and not living in the past (cool with getting rid of the age limit on entering the Tower, etc.), and I think most of them will come to treat the Asha’men as equals in time. However, we will always have some sticklers like Ramanda and they will make it that much harder to prep for and win the Last Battle.

Other Tidbits:

That was a swift, simple wedding and I totally didn’t expect it. I wonder what does happen when you fondle an Ogier ear? And if they pierce their ears, is that the same as in humans piercing their nipples?

Lews Therin is starting to make some sense to me and I think I like the chap well enough to buy him a pint of beer: Only those who trust no one are truly insane (paraphrased).

Is it just me or is Nynaeve becoming some sort of a prude in her ‘old’ married life? What was that interesting dress she wore in the circus in which she met Masema?

I loved watching Logain stroll in and chat with the Sea Folk, calling them to pay service to the Dragon Reborn. And with the end of the world just around the corner, I think he is right to hold them to it even in their grief.

Knife of Dreams, Part II

Welcome everyone to Book 11 of The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. You can find the schedule to Knife of Dreams over HERE. Everyone is welcome to join us!

This week, I am your host. Make sure to catch Eivind in the comments. Make sure to swing by Liesel’s Musings on Fantasia for cool non-spoilery fan art and hop on over to Sue’s Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers for some great deductive reasoning skills in calculating how things will fall out with the plot.

For the second week in a row, I am a bit late posting. This week, I blame a sinus infection that has me in a frustrating amount of pain. the headache is killer!

This week, we covered Chapters 2-7. Spoilers run rampant for this section and all previous books below!

1) Beonin, Ashmanaille, & Phaedrine chat about theories on who the channeling male murderer is. Did you enjoy Beonin’s logic? Do you think other Aes Sedai are drawing the same conclusions? Will such assumptions and conclusions hinder Rand’s plans in preparing for the Last Battle?

The Aes Sedai seem pretty bent on laying these murders at Rand’s feet. In the end, I fear this will allow Halima to go undetected for a great length of time and allow him/her to wreak some major havoc later on.

And why do none of these Aes Sedai think outside the box? Has the traditional White Tower ruined the collective thinking power of a whole generation of Aes Sedai?

And of course, I do fear that these assumptions will come to hinder Rand’s plans, like he needs any more hindering with the constant war her has going on inside himself.

2) Elaida had thought to show the world her power by snatching a monarch in the night and she plans to show even greater power by putting that monarch back on his royal seat. Do you think Mattin Stepaneos, king of Illian, will be cooperative? What other setbacks to Elaida’s plan can you predict?

I expect Mattin to be cooperative to a point – like that point in which he once again sits a throne. Then I expect he will throw it back in Elaida’s teeth and the White Tower will take another hit in reputation. Egwene is going to have tons of community outreach to do once she takes over.

And of course I expect many other rulers will no longer welcome Aes Sedai to their throne rooms after this, expecting (or fearing) such blatant betrayal of all common courtesy. People won’t cower before Elaida; instead, they will be hiring hitmen to take her out.

3) Once again the Forsaken get together for a tickle and tell dinner party. We saw some new technology on display. Do you think we will see further advanced tech and in more prominent use as the series continues? Do you think Moiridin can keep them all in line?

For several books now, there have been hints and some small demonstrations of advanced tech. However, I expect Jordan will keep that low key for the entire series, as this is primarily a fantasy series, not scifi/fantasy. While genre boundaries don’t matter as much these days (thank goodness), they were in full use when this series started. Hence, due to fan base expectations, I doubt the publisher would be OK with a storyline veering away from the core fantasy genre.

Some of the Forsaken are already plotting to kill Moiridin. The Forsaken have not struck me as particularly bright, but I think that can also be said of Moiridin (who is brutal and a bit crazy). So I doubt he will be able to get them all to do everything he requires of them and he may even be taken out by the Forsaken.

4) Perrin meets with the Seanchan. Were you impressed with his display of martial capability? What about that sulfur stench? Even if this plan goes off without a hitch, do you see continued friendly relationships between Perrin’s forces and the Seanchan?

I loved Perrin’s simple yet elegant display of martial capability. Obviously, the Seanchan came to a swift appreciation for the Two Rivers longbow.

What is up with the Hell Hounds (the source of the sulfur stench)? They seem to be keeping tabs on Perrin, or someone in his group. Like scouts seeking out the target and then reporting back. Of course this has me concerned as no one enjoys tangling with a Hell Hound, let alone a pack of them.

Yes, I expect the Seanchan will continue friendly negotiations with Perrin after Faile is safely back home. For one thing, Perrin is a straight shooter and the Seanchan will learn quickly that they can deal with him openly and honestly. Second, it shoulnd’t be long before the Seanchan in Randland start hearing about the calamity that has struck their homeland; they will need allies.

5) Faile has a lot of decisions to make, and soon. She is determined to escape before Perrin can attempt a rescue; she has the Oath Rod; Galina appears near breaking; and Rolan is still putting flowers in her hair. Will her actions muck up Perrin’s rescue? Will Galina’s duplicity be undone? Will Rolan get even one romantic night, one which will never be spoken of again?

Oh es! I totally expect Faile to muck up Perrin’s plans, potentially getting people injured or killed. I can’t blame her for wanting to escape, but her unhealthy attitude of showing up Perrin is juvenile.

Uh….perhaps I have mentioned before how ridiculous I find Faile’s character?

I am SO looking forward to Galina’s duplicity being caught. But knowing the Aes Sedai, she could very well sneak off in all the mayhem and she won’t have to pay for her actions.

You know, I would be OK with Rolan being granted one night of Faile sexytimes. I think this would mellow Faile considerably towards the women who pursue Perrin. At least, she wouldn’t be able to give Perrin any more shit. Not justly, anyways. Perrin seems to be the kind of guy who would take it for a lifetime.

6) Mat has bought a new horse, razor breed, and given Tuon a pet name (Precious) to counter her little pet name for him (Toy). And then we learn that Noal is related to Jain Farstrider! Guesses as to why Noal has such strong feelings on the adventures of his cousin?

I am guessing that Noal may be Jain Farstrider and decided to dissemble a bit by saying he was his cousin. Noal sure did speak vehemently about Jain going of on adventure and leaving his wife to die alone. Sounds like Noal has major regrets. I can see him being a good guiding force in Mat’s life, if Mat can stop thinking of him as an old harmless idiot.

7) Mat’s little ter’angreal secret is out and the Aes Sedai traveling with the circus are VERY curious. Do you think this will cause a problem later? Bethamin, a former sul’dam, channeled some powerful weave, to her great distress. Could she turn out to be a powerful Aes Sedai in the future?

Once again, I expect the Aes Sedai to pester or outright ‘borrow’ Mat’s ter’angreal for study. And of course, in the very long run, I expect some baddie to eventually hear of this extra protection Mat has and instead of channeling like a good channeler, just go for the throat (which, unfortunately, may actually work).

Yes, I think some of the sul’dam wil prove to be as powerful as the top ranking Aes Sedai, much to the Aes Sedais’ distress. 😉

Other Tidbits:

Beonin spilled all to Elaida! This is a problem. A big one. I feel sorry for Beonin’s Warder who was left in the dark about this one.

Some of the Shaido gai’shain have sought protection in the beds of their captors. I believe there was one brief mention of a woman gai’shain seeking out her female captor’s bed. I truly appreciate the diversity Jordan built in to this series, in so many ways.

Crossroads of Twilight, Part VI

And the WoT Quad returns with Book 10, Crossroads of Twilight! If any of you silent stalkers want to join us, you are always welcome to. You can leave me a comment or email me (nrlymrtl [at] gmail [dot] com) to get on the weekly email of the discussion questions. Check out the schedule.

Sorry for posting late this week. The pain of my donkey-squished foot has been sapping my energy, and I have been doing plenty of weekend activities. Plus farm life. Anyway, I hope to be better this week.

This week, your host is Liesel at Musings on Fantasia who has the cool fanart. Eivind, our keeper of esoteric WoT knowledge, can be found in the comments over at Liesel’s .Make sure to catch Sue and her often insightful answers over at Coffee, Cookies, and Chili Peppers.

This week, we cover Chapters 17-20. Spoilers for this section run free below!

1) Nicola and Areina are still around causing trouble. Do you think they’ll stay around? Reveal Egwene’s secrets? Get sent home?

Perhaps one or the other will end up dead and Egwene will save the other from certain doom? Then she would have a fateful follower forever, and quite frankly, she could use a few of those. But most likely these two idiots will keep pushing the boundaries of Egwene’s benevolence and eventually one or both will be sent on long rambling necessary but yet not important missions. Or Egwene will wrap their heads in flows of power and suffocate them.

2) What do you think Egwene is planning with the newly-rediscovered method of making Cuendillar?

I have to say I was VERY surprised by this turn of events. I think Egwene is planning to have new seals and/or weapons (or shields) made of the stuff. But first, folks must practice and get good at it. Hence, all the trinkets. But she is wise to have so many, even the trainees, practicing. If she is going to have them make weapons or shields later on, the more who know how to do it, the more that will survive.

3) Siuan has discovered a strange trend of sisters too young to be Sitters being made Sitters. What do you think it means? Who or what is behind it?

Well, we know that some of the Aes Sedai voted Egwene in as Amyrlin because they thought she was young and malleable. Perhaps the same idiots are hopeful that young Sitters will be the same way and will give them more control.

4) There is talk in Egwene’s camp of taking the Red Ajah out of her stole entirely. Given that the Red’s main purpose had to do with controlling men who can channel, and now things have changed, both because of Rand and because saidin has been cleansed, do you think the Red Ajah has become obsolete? Will they disappear completely?

I think there will always be a small and precautionary need for Red Ajah. Say, after Rand saves the world, and we have Asha’men and Aes Sedai working together and having kids together, there could always be some male channeler that goes rogue and wants to rule the world (imagine Masema channeling!). So the Red Ajah would have the knowledge and skill to at least bring the rogue under control. The other side of the coin is that the Black Tower will eventually have their own form of Ajahs and they will have an Ajah with the skill to bring rogue Aes Sedai under control.

5) Egwene’s Hall is arguing about a possible agreement with the Black Tower. It’s based on bad information (or just a lack of info, I suppose) but it sounds like it might happen. Do you think this is a good or bad thing? What will it lead to? What form will it take?

I think it is a good thing because I as a reader have all this other knowledge. I know that Logain is planning something, probably involving going head to head with Taim. We need that jerk out of there and probably without a head. I also know that Asha’men and Aes Sedai have started working together here and there and the Aes Sedai haven’t fainted dead away or turned into geese from the experience. And I also know that Rand has cleansed saidar, which takes a lot of the wind out of the sails for those arguing against it.

But of course, our rogue White Tower doesn’t know all this. So, they will make a bungle out of it and I expect the Black Tower will come out on top of any deal.

Eventually there will be mating between Asha’men and Aes Sedai and then we will have all these geeky, socially inept channelers running around.

6) Egwene dreams both of a Seanchan woman who will save her, and of the Seanchan attacking the Tower. What do you think these dreams mean?

I think Egwene is going to have a very, very hard time accepting help from the Seanchan. But eventually, she will, and together they will take out the White Tower. Perhaps Mat and Tuon will work out their thing and then Tuon will order Seanchan assistance to Egwene.

7) Who do you think killed Anaiya and her warder, and why? What was she doing on the outskirts of the camp in the middle of the night?

I think Halima the Evil lured Anaiya out there and then killed them. I am just not sure why yet. Perhaps Anaiya is working against Egwene (like for an opposing Sitter) and hoped to get some juicy intel from Halima.

Other Tidbits

I think the rainbow stole looks better with a bit of red in it. It’s not a true rainbow without red, so the Browns would argue that a rainbow stole without red would need a new name. That would spark a very tedious discussion.

During this section, Egwene commented on Elayne’s pregnancy outside of marriage, how things were different from the Two Rivers, and then on Halima’s light skirts. I found it interesting that in passing (mostly just Egwene’s thoughts), Jordan covered this range of what is socially acceptable for a woman, or not, depending on circumstances and culture.

A Crown of Swords Read Along Part III

Welcome back everyone! This week Eivind our Awesome Commenter is our host, and you can catch his discussion below in the comments. You can find cool fanart of the non-spoiery kind over at Liesel’s Musing on Fantasia and don’t miss Sue’s intellectual take over at Coffee, Cookies, and Chili Peppers.

This week we covered Chapters 9-12. Spoilers Below!!!

1. Nicola and Areina are trying to blackmail both Egwene and Myrelle. What do you think of their motivations? Did Egwene do the right thing in rejecting them? Could this damage her for real?

I thought these two were idiots. I wonder if someone talked them into it to muddy the waters for Egwene. First, several of the Salidar Aes Sedai know that Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve were ordered by the Amyrlin (Siuan) to go off and pretend to be full Aes Sedai to accomplish their mission. So, would it damage Egwene if that got out? Well, Egwene already has dissenters, so those idiots would grasp at that straw and try to make a big deal out of it, but then I think it would fade away, especially with Egwene being as strong as she is.

2. Egwene has lots of dreams, about Gawyn, Mat, Logain and herself. Any comments or crazy theories?

I think some of it is her concerns, but some of it may be spot on. Robert Jordan has used dreams to point the readers in a certain direction before, or to motivate certain characters into doing some action or taking some path. Her vision of Mat catching hold of a fireworks and from that men dying seems significant. Mat, with all his memories of other battle generals, could be thinking about weaponizing fireworks. Of course, he would need a team of Illuminators willing to give it a go.

Logain stepping over Rand’s body could be a worry, or he could be protecting Rand. Only further reading will answer that one.

The golden hawk, female, being tied to Egwene in some fashion could be an ally that she hasn’t met yet.

3. Egwene’s circle of trust is growing, with Faolain, Theodrin and Myrelle, soon also to include the rest of the Salidar six it seems. While not sitters, these are some powerful names. Will this finally be the tipping point, or do you expect she will need something more?

She’ll need something more. There will be some momentous decision, or some great show of saidin strength. I personnaly wouldn’t mind seeing Egwene kick some trolloc ass, or make a myrrdraal dance a jig, or unmask Halima and turn her/him over to the rest of the Aes Sedai for questioning and then stilling or execution.

4. It looks like Lan will meet Nynaeve pretty soon, and in Ebou Dar no less. This is growing into quite the mishmash of characters. What sort of amusing scenarios do you see in the future? Lan is no longer a King (sort of)… could he be the key to finding the bowl?

Haha! Well, I definitely look forward to this mix. Mat and Nynaeve and Elayne are already sort of at odds. I mean, Elayne absolutely believes she has a right to Mat’s medallion. Mat thinks they are all daft. Nynaeve is constantly ill-tempered and once Lan gets there, I expect her moods will sway back and forth even more than now. We have Aviendha and Birgitte too. Lan will get there and have to contend with a bunch of ill-tempered, stubborn ladies. Without manhandling them. Lan and Mat can’t simply throw the ladies over their shoulders and walk away from danger with them.

5. Halima/Aran’gar/Balthamel is earning Egwene’s trust. Do you think the headaches are her design? Are they just headaches or something more sinister? Compulsion? With her channeling saidin and Logain gone, how could she ever be found out?

Even if Halima is not causing the headaches, she is still bad news. I hope Egwene or another soon discovers Halima’s nature and she either has to flee or is caught by the Aes Sedai. the headaches could be caused by someone slipping something into her regular tea. This would be the easiest thing, and Egwene has no lack of evil-wishers. If Egwene is brought low by headches and can’t function as Amrylin, it would be reason to depose her and elect another. So I wouldn’t suspect Halima only. While I like Chesa, she could be putting on a good face while doing a naughty deed. Also, there is Selame. They both have access to Egwene in private moments, and her tea, food, etc.

Other Tidbits:

OK folks, time for me to confess. I think I missed something. What is an Aes Sedai Sitter again? What is her significance?

Siuan apologized to Egwene! Is this a sign of respect? Egwene must be doing something right.

Siuan insisting she has to work off her debt to Garyth Bryne, even when Egwene offers to pay it off. Very telling. I think someone has a crush.

I enjoyed Egwene’s gentle message to Nynaeve in dream land, and Egwene remembering the time she accidentally barged into a rather steamy and private dream Nynaeve was having. Haha! Oops, a hazard of dream walking.

Lan’s apology to Egwene, for ever helping her leave the Two Rivers, was very touching. Ah, Lan. Don’t you know that the ladies would have gotten into trouble with or without you?

We have seen a few variations of multiple ladies to one man (Rand, the Aiel), and now with Myrelle we seen a few men to one lady. But we get only the outsider’s viewpoint, like Egwene and Siuan, who feel that this is a highly inappropriate thing. If they can be accepting of 1 man to 3 ladies, why not 1 lady to 2-3 men? Though I will say in Lan’s case, this might not have been the wisest course Myrelle could have chosen.

Lord of Chaos Read Along Part VIII

Welcome all! This week the WoT Quad and it’s fans are gathering over at Musings on Fantasia. So make sure to swing by there to see what everyone else thinks of this week’s section.

We covered Chapters 39-45 this week. Spoilers lurk below!

1. Egwene wants to send Mat to Ebou Dar with Elayne and Nynaeve. Because of his promise to Rand, he goes. What do you think of this situation? Good idea? Bad idea? Where do you think the plot will go–for Mat or the girls–from here?

Mat treats the ladies like they are juvenile idiot lasses with stuck up noses on the public green. The ladies treat Mat like he is some prankster jackass with an errant, and somewhat pissed off, badger. All of these characters have grown since leaving Two Rivers, but they haven’t been with each other to see the changes. So, I expect that they will treat each other as they did back in Two Rivers and I will laugh quite a bit at this. Then they will get into some nasty little fight, perhaps Trollocs or a Myrrdraal, and then they will see what each other now brings to the table.

2. Aviendha and Elayne finally have a…ahem…heart to heart. What did you think of each of their reactions, Elayne’s refusal to “meet toh” and the fact that Aviendha later ended up in a frilly dress?

Well, first just let me get this out of my system. I am still finding it difficult to believe Rand gets 3 women, and that they turn out to be OK with it. After all, they are each headstrong in their own ways, rather possessive, etc.

OK, thanks. Now, setting that disbelief aside, I think Elayne showed remarkable restraint. But I think this was, in part, because Aviendha was so straight forward about the matter, and because she offered up her flesh in payment for her ‘transgression’. Aviendha’s actions were in keeping with her character and I found that believable.

Part of me is amused that the ladies are treating Rand as an object, as if he has no say in how they divvy him up. *eye rolling*

3. Min comes to Rand. She’s obviously trying to win him. What do you think of her methods and his reaction to her? I know in my own (Liesel Hill’s) writing, whenever I try to make a character as clueless as Rand seems to be about Min’s feelings, I always get criticized for it. How does Jordan pull it off? Or does he?

I’m not trying to be all negative this week….but I am not trying real hard to be all positive either. Perhaps I am just an imp.

Anyhoo, Min was not acting according to the character we know and is well established after 6.5 books. So, that was the main problem I had with this section. Faile did this squirming on a man’s lap thing, I could see Elayne doing so in private, but not Aveindha. I am looking for character consistency and that was not present in this scene.

As for Rand, well he was way more friendly and inviting to Min than he has been to any of his friends, confidantes, guards, advisers, horse, cooks, pillow fluffers than he has been since Thom Merrilyn way back in….Book 3? So, again, this seemed a bit out of character. Plus, Min and Rand have not spent much time together at all, so why Rand views her with such open affection was odd.

As for him being clueless at first, that made sense. Again, they have not had much time together. But then he caught on and let her rest on his lap and later even pulled her back down when they were interrupted. As for what he will do with these new found affections – probably try to shove them in a little box and ignore them for next 5 books.

4. The formation of the Black Tower. What do you think of it? The name, the different levels of asha’man? When Rand put the pins on Taim’s lapel and proclaimed him second only to Rand, Taim seemed angry. What do you think he was so mad about?

I, like Rand, am uncomfortable with the name ‘Black tower’, but it fits so well with the themes – good versus evil, the ancient aes sedai symbol on the seals, and of course, the White Tower. I am sure some of Rand’s opposers will see the ‘Black’ in Black Tower and proclaim it evil without looking deeper.

I do like the different levels of asha’man as it gives structure to Rand’s little empowered army, and gives the men something to strive for. So, smart thinking on Rand’s part with that.

I would guess that Taim feels he is equal or superior to Rand, so to be publicly proclaimed a ‘second’ was infuriating to him. Perhaps Taim is also starting to lose his grip on sanity here and there, and it starts with his ego. Hence, this impingement on his ‘command’ struck his ego, his sanity slipped a little, and Rand caught a glimpse of the anger, ego, and insanity that lurks beneath.

5. At the end of chapter 43, we see several of the Caemlyn Aes Sedai manipulating Andoran nobles. And then there was Egwene’s manipulation of Mat. Apparently she wanted to get him away from the Band and keep his soldiers close to her. What do you think everyone’s plans are and how will they play out?

Well, no one’s plans are going to work out as planned. You notice that Jordan in general doesn’t allow plans that lack mutual respect to work out? Whereas those that are a true cooperative act actually stand a chance of happening?

Egwene doesn’t respect Mat’s authority, few respect Rand’s authority, the Aes Sedai are losing authority left and right, and the Andoran nobles are in a jumble. So, yeah, things will not go according to anyone’s plans, and I will thoroughly enjoy reading how things DO turn out.

6. Halima dances with Mat and then tries to channel at him, though Mat comes to the conclusion it wasn’t her. What do you think s/he was trying to do? Can you think of something else significant we learned in this exchange?

I think Halima was trying to Warder Mat. Then she would have some significant intel and perhaps control over a ta’veren and a close friend of Rand’s. Oh yeah, that would make her pretty powerful right there. I am so glad that Mat’s charm flummoxed her.

Well, we learned that Halima is a bad dancer – probably because she is more use to leading than being led.

Then we learned that Mat’s powers of observation are lacking – asking Siuan to dance! Then being snatched up by Leane! I found this amusing. All these forward, powerful-willed women were so off-putting to Mat.

7. Hooray! Perrin is back! What impressions did you get of his and Rand’s reunion? How about the introduction of Faile and Min?

It was predictable that the men got to talk of marriage and war and the ladies got to sort out who was top dog and who had a crush on who. Though I did find it funny that Perrin’s nose told him what state Faile was in, and yet he had a hard time figuring out why Faile went from jealous to bonding towards Min so quickly.

Other Tidbits:

I am looking forward to Faile’s reunion with her father….and her introducing him to Perrin.

Anyone else find Min’s embroidered pants and little ringlets too cute?