Another ReRead Topic!

[Starla Yilmaz]

Maybe a third of the way through FoH and surprised at how I remember everything except Rand in this one lol. The things I did remember I didn't realize were all in this book, though. Like I thought we didn't join the circus until later, but I guess it makes sense because there are loads of things that I know are going to happen, and I only read through book 10 all those years ago. And I am looking forward to circus shenanigans. I remember finding them fun.

 

It's funny how it's like I had some pieces to a thousand-piece puzzle, but no idea that I was missing so many of them. And I am loving this world (and Rand surprisingly). I want to stay here with him and Nyneave forever. It's easy to say that now I guess...

[Starla Yilmaz]

Finished!

 

Why was I thinking that Egwene was the one who figured out how to make ter'angreal, not Elayne? That was a fun surprise lol. I also couldn't remember how Nyneave had captured Moghedien, so that whole scene was me going "ohssmegohfudgeOHDAAAAM". Luckily, my husband was taking a shower, so I didn't have to attempt to explain anything.

[Starla Yilmaz]

Just started Lord of Chaos. Honestly, I don't want to see Rand in a box, so I squeezed in two books before cracking LoC open. Just read through the Prologue and...60 pages? For a prologue? Pick one POV and call it a Prologue, the rest can have proper chapters or something. And some condensing/cutting/editing. Yes, some details are necessary to create suspense, like Sevanna having the cube, but did we really need Demandred in Shayol Ghul and then a meeting with the other Forsaken with Demandred telling them his orders from Shayol Ghul? Those two scenes could easily have been turned into one.

 

This is actually something I see happen to a lot of writers with long series (**cough Dresden Files**). Their first book gets lots of editing while it's being shopped around, then it gets picked up. Great! Now you don't have the same amount of time to spend on developmental editing, which is fine, overediting is a thing, but then the series becomes POPULAR. Suddenly, you need to pump books out as fast as you can because $$$, so what falls by the wayside? Editing, and you get lots of issues that would have been ironed out if there had been just another developmental round.

 

 

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

Actually, according to Jordan the publisher picked up his pitch for a story that would be five-six books and he was given six and told if it was five he could just write something else for the sixth. Because "he liked the way [Jordan] writes". 

 

Not that I disagree that editing could very well be a lower priority as books progress and the story gets more locked in and the power of the author increases. Didn't Rowling sack her editors? Maybe that is just a malicious rumour I heard. 

[Starla Yilmaz]

Rowling fired her first agent, but I haven't heard anything about editors. She wouldn't have had the power to do so anyway because they are/were employees of the publishing house.

 

I will say that there is a give-and-take relationship with an editor. My tarot deck originally had a different name, but the publisher wanted to change it. Initially, they wanted something with the word 'healing' in it, which I strongly opposed. We went back and forth for a while before marketing (not me) decided it would be called The Butterfly Wisdom Tarot. When we were doing edits for the guidebook, they told me there were certain sections that needed to be rewritten, and because I had pushed back so hard on the title, I didn't have much of a choice but to do the rewrites since I would like to publish a follow up title with them and I don't want the team to think I'm a difficult author to work with or anything like that. (Good news, my editor said she did like working with me and hopes she can work on my next project).

 

However, if I were JK Rowling's level...Then I could have just said "nope, it's perfect," and they would have gone to print since they know it would sell a bajillion copies.

 

I know RJ's eventual wife was his at-home editor for a long time,  but I can only imagine how sticky that could get after a while. And, of course, the speed pressure/issue of needing to get the books out as quickly as possible...it's not surprising and a shame.

 

[Starla Yilmaz]

Finished LoC!

 

Ended this one really disliking Elayne. She's pissed at Rand that instead of him sitting on the Andor and Cairhein throne that he conquered, he is going to give them to her? Not that she can be bothered to assume that responsibility, of course. She's doing other things. I get it, she's enjoying being Aes Sedai and living life for herself, but Mother Night, Morgase raised her to be a better ruler than that.

 

Nyneave continues to be my favorite character, and I love her as the FMC. You can argue with Egwene or whoever, but Nyneave's POV is the only female POV in EotW. Anyway, that's another tangent. It's so telling when she and Theodrin are talking, and Theodrin asks her what her 'trick' is, and Nyneave is just like, healing people, while Theodrin goes, "I made boys kiss me". I love Nyneave for many reasons, but she's also the only one with power who legitimately is not interested in using it for her own benefit. I love that she's portrayed as a prickly 'B' because it's a good dichotomy to the fact that while the rest of the Aes Sedai are 'nicer', she's the only one who would Heal anyone just because they were injured. There are reasons Rand forever trusts her even when he can't trust any other Aes Sedai.

 

The box...T.T T.T T.T I procrastinated reading this one a lot because I didn't want to read about Rand in the box again. Luckily, it took up less page time than I remembered, but still...

 

I did have a giant question mark, though. After the Salidar Aes Sedai scare Rand to Cairhein, he's there for ten days...doing what? That is plenty of time to meet with the Sea Folk. I remember being so confused as to why they were upset with him, but now I get it. Not only does he ghost them, but he also completely ignores them. It seems like one of those forced plot points that Rand insults the Sea Folk, because I don't see it actually happening like that.

 

I do like that I can voice my possibly unpopular opinions about things in this series. In other fandoms, if you suggest criticism, you are 'bad', unintelligent, or not a true fan. I think part of the appeal of WoT is that it isn't perfect, and we love it anyway.

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

From what I have seen, absolutely everyone hates something about the books. And every time you think you have found one thing that everyone agrees was weak, you'll find someone popping claiming that is their favourite bit of the book bar none. 

 

It is one of the appeals of the books and the community, I think.

[Mailman]

16 hours ago, Starla Yilmaz said:

I love Nyneave for many reasons, but she's also the only one with power who legitimately is not interested in using it for her own benefit.

I am not sure this is accurate Nyneave originally largely wanted to learn to use the power so that she could use it against Moiraine and a large component of this was so that she could win Lan. That can hardly be called selfless.

 

Siuan, Moiraine and Perrin are more altruistic than Nyneave IMO.

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

1 minute ago, Mailman said:

I am not sure this is accurate Nyneave originally largely wanted to learn to use the power so that she could use it against Moiraine and a large component of this was so that she could win Lan. That can hardly be called selfless.

 

Siuan, Moiraine and Perrin are more altruistic than Nyneave IMO.

As I remember it, she originally left the Two Rivers and then chose to pursue the One Power solely because of her desire to protect the Emond's Fielders who were her responsibility. 

 

Lan was a later and much more secondary reason for her rivalry with Moiraine. It may have provided her with additional motivation for learning to channel, but it wasn't why she ripped up her life, nor was it why she enrolled in the Tower. 

 

As I remember it anyway. 

[Mailman]

17 minutes ago, HeavyHalfMoonBlade said:

As I remember it, she originally left the Two Rivers and then chose to pursue the One Power solely because of her desire to protect the Emond's Fielders who were her responsibility. 

 

Lan was a later and much more secondary reason for her rivalry with Moiraine. It may have provided her with additional motivation for learning to channel, but it wasn't why she ripped up her life, nor was it why she enrolled in the Tower. 

 

As I remember it anyway. 

She has a PoV outside Shadar Logoth immediately after Moiraine reveals that she can channel where she thinks that she can learn to channel and that she can therefore use the power against Moiraine.

 

They have another confrontation where Moiraine directly states to Nynaeve  that without training how will she challenge her (cannot remember the exact point early book 2 I think?).

 

It is not till much later after Moiraine is thought dead that she relents on this.

 

Not saying she does not eventually overcome this or that she would fall largely into being selfish but to claim that she is completely unmoored from self-interest is wrong and claiming that she is the only one or even the best example of this altruistic nature is even further from correct.