New reader questions

[Brytac]

Hi all.

 

Finally got round to reading the first book after being advised to read it about....20 years ago hehe.

 

I enjoyed the book a lot and I am going to post a few points which may seem like I am trying to be ultra critical, I am not but I do not understand a large portion of the ending of Eye of the World.  For reference, I will certainly go on and read book 2.

 

Ok, my confusion comes from the book being a detailed story of a long adventure, then all of a sudden as they go back outside at the eye of the world, it kinda feels like the writer runs out of energy?

 

All of a sudden Rand vanishes and appears in a battle (is this the battle of Tarwins Gap?...but didnt they say they didnt fight later in the book?)  It just felt like he had run out of pages so 'Rand just appeared' there.

 

Then to cap it off, boom, he appears with Bealzemon (spelling) and also fights with him out of nowhere?

 

 

Can anyone explain a bit more, did I read it right and not quite catch something?(perfectly possible).  

 

Thanks for any clarification/opinion and apologies if its been cover a thousand times.

 

 

[qlorin]

1 hour ago, Brytac said:

All of a sudden Rand vanishes and appears in a battle (is this the battle of Tarwins Gap?...but didnt they say they didnt fight later in the book?)  It just felt like he had run out of pages so 'Rand just appeared' there

Yes it is the battle of Tarvin Gap. They did fight in a sense. Lord Agelmar says they exchange some blows but not started the full battle. The forces of the dark one in that battlfield is immense so one charge will broke the Shienar lines. At that moment "Rand just appeared" there. It is weird it is sudden and unexpected. All those are true but "how" and "why" are spoilers. (Or we can say "Wheel weaves as the wheel wills." ? )

First issue is this is the first book of 14 books you musnt expect some big long battle or some big explained reveal. They just began the journey and this is the first stop. Not even a major stop.

Second issue is we see most of the events from 3 uneducated young man. We as readers dont know anything more than those farmboys. We will learn much more with every book. After you finish all books and look back to those last chapters of the first book. Oh my god. Lots of thigs happening lots of reveals lots of theories. It is sudden but maybe there are more things in those 50 pages than rest of the first book. But like Rand like other emonds fielders you dont have the knowledge to understand those events. 

Third issue is looking the big picture. After meeting in Caemlyn there is a big urgency on the group. They need to be at "eye of the world" as soon as possible. They rush to the ways risking insanity and death. They rest just one night and runnig again to the blight which is like heart of the dark ones rule. You must look all those rush as one big event. If you look that way this is a long final for the first book. 

Basicly what i am saying is this is Robert Jordan s style in the end. As you read you will get used to it i hope. 

[Pembie]

Still there’s random points in story that just happen I find and I think that was odd and I’m on book six lol

 

It’s starting to build now though so it’s getting better 

[Cigma]

If Jordan had taken 5 % from Rand and Mat's singing for their supper, and allocated it toward the ending push, it would have made a significant difference. I'm on my second reread of the series and while I do see some very deep foreshadowings, the ending pacing is definitely jarring compared the the leisurely and flowery descriptions for much the book.

 

And it does feel like Jordan ran up against a deadline or page limit... and didn't want to, or it wasn't feasible, or he lacked the experience and skill at the time, or didn't have a clear picture enough direction, to revise it properly.

 

I used to compete in weekly writing contests, and sometimes I'd start off amazing, then get stuck or busy, and then would have to finish the piece in 2 hours. 

[Pembie]

I do wish there weren’t so many characters whitecloaks and Mogase is she working with them or been caught by them I’m bit confused 

[Pembie]

I find it quite odd that Susians assembled group of Aeal sedi wouldn’t support Rand anyway without seeking out a strange bowl that can change whether it’s all very baffling Surely it’s better to support Rand than Edith sorry about the spelling of names

 

I don’t know what to think of this story still but I will carry on 

[Agitel]

The EotW is a bit of an avalanche at the end, and Rand himself doesn't understand exactly what's happening or what he's doing, so it's all very vague. It'll be easier to go back and explain after you read a few more books, which I know is not a small ask. I will say Jordan's writing steps up a notch for the second book, and he's still settling into this massive world he's constructing. Also, the first three books were originally envisioned as just being the first book of a trilogy. It expanded in the telling.

 

If you want a breakdown of what he's doing, we can provide it, but he's doing things intuitively that will get more explanation later. Let me know and I'll explain a few technical details.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Agitel

[Pembie]

13 hours ago, Agitel said:

The EotW is a bit of an avalanche at the end, and Rand himself doesn't understand exactly what's happening or what he's doing, so it's all very vague. It'll be easier to go back and explain after you read a few more books, which I know is not a small ask. I will say Jordan's writing steps up a notch for the second book, and he's still settling into this massive world he's constructing. Also, the first three books were originally envisioned as just being the first book of a trilogy. It expanded in the telling.

 

If you want a breakdown of what he's doing, we can provide it, but he's doing things intuitively that will get more explanation later. Let me know and I'll explain a few technical details.

Thanks for your help So Egwene she’s a dreamwalker meaning she can enter into anyone’s dream or tell someone’s future is that right where Nyeve and Eylane can enter the dream world but can only walk around and tansfer to different places is that right

[Kat_152]

On 9/27/2021 at 9:20 PM, Pembie said:

Thanks for your help So Egwene she’s a dreamwalker meaning she can enter into anyone’s dream or tell someone’s future is that right where Nyeve and Eylane can enter the dream world but can only walk around and tansfer to different places is that right

Yes, but Egwene can only tell whatever future she sees in her dreams, and those are not always clear.  Nyneave and Elayne can only enter the dream world with ter'angeal.  Egwene can also view/enter other peoples dreams.

[DeadRabbit23]

I don't know if that bothered me as so much as the fact they kept name-dropping this "Eye of the World" and just wondering: "but what is it?" About halfway through I was plucking my stubble and by the end was grateful just to find out what it was. When the two Forsaken showed up, I was so interested in the Eye is was just like "Oh, okay, bad guys."

[Andra]

On 1/3/2022 at 7:50 PM, DeadRabbit23 said:

I don't know if that bothered me as so much as the fact they kept name-dropping this "Eye of the World" and just wondering: "but what is it?" About halfway through I was plucking my stubble and by the end was grateful just to find out what it was. When the two Forsaken showed up, I was so interested in the Eye is was just like "Oh, okay, bad guys."

Part of the story was that the Eye was something of legend, that people had heard of (at least vaguely) but no one knew what it was.  Moiraine knew, because she had already been there.

But even she (as in a few other things) appears to have been wrong about what it was actually for.

 

The Eye was a hole in the ground full of pure, untainted Saidin.  That bit she knew.

But there wasn't enough of it to make a huge difference to anything, if that's what it was for.  Rand (and a couple Forsaken) expended it all having a fight that used a whole lot less Power than fights we see later.

 

It appears that its true purpose was to hide the objects that were submerged in it, until someone who could use all that power came by and took it away.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Andra

[Pembie]

Winter’s heart is said too be part of the slog but I am enjoying it some important plot points finally start to happen I think the only parts I didn’t like were with Egeanin they were  very confusing but I guess it’s all tying together to be important 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Pembie

[EmreY]

Winter's Heart is remarkable for placing equal emphasis, perhaps more, on Elayne's politicking and Mat's flirting as it does on the cleansing of saidin. which almost seems an afterthought.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I was nearing the end of my patience.

[Pembie]

I thought it was quite good some of the plot threads seem to be finally happening Matts story especially I find Perrin quite pointless to story he never seems to have much too do I do think there are too many characters though the white cloaks are very pointless and I don’t fully understand all the stuff with the sea fork and their bargin to Rand and why they have gone to Far Maddening or Luc I remember he was slayer or something in a wolf dream I find parts very confusing and bit boring

[Andra]

On 1/17/2022 at 12:56 PM, Pembie said:

I thought it was quite good some of the plot threads seem to be finally happening Matts story especially I find Perrin quite pointless to story he never seems to have much too do I do think there are too many characters though the white cloaks are very pointless and I don’t fully understand all the stuff with the sea fork and their bargin to Rand and why they have gone to Far Maddening or Luc I remember he was slayer or something in a wolf dream I find parts very confusing and bit boring

Rand had his personal reasons for going to Far Madding, both for justice against turncoat Ash'aman and to further his research into his future actions.  We receive confirmation there about something previously just suspected - that Luc and Slayer are in some way the same person.

But I do agree that Far Madding seems generally irrelevant to the story, given that pretty much everything that was gained there could have been gained anywhere.

The point to Perrin's arc become clear in later books, and is actually quite significant.  And the Whitecloaks are a part of that arc.

And to be clear, Mat's arc and Perrin's arc never really come back together until the very end.

[BookLover]

I have not read this thread, but I too am new to series and currently in the middle on book four. It took fifty pages of book one to hook me. Wow! Being an armchair historian, cultural studies person, AND trying to make sense of known ages, these books so far have been compelling. There are characters that annoy me as well as those that I embrace. I look forward to completing the book series before season two of the TV series. However, due to the depth of these novels, they have hard choices to make due to budgetary constraints. At least with the books, I can reread and probably see things differently as opposed to the TV series. I do like the visual aesthetics in the TV series. I would have a difficult time visualizing The Blight.

Edited January 27, 2022 by BookLover
Added a word.