Slayer

[Guest Toad]

Is Slayer anyone in disguise, or just another character like Fain?

 

I don't remember any mention of him in the last few books except maybe in passing.  If there is a glaring weakness in this series, I'd say that major threads or at least somewhat important ones disappear for a book or more at a time.

[Bob T Dwarf]

He's always one of his primary selves.

 

How can the bad guy scare us by jumping out and hollering, "BOO!" if we're following him around all the time?

 

He and Fain will possibly be each other's dates for the big dance.

 

< not really, but it'd be a nice touch >

[Guest Dreadlord]

Slayer is what the Wolves called Isam in T'A'R. When people refer to Slayer on here it consists of Luc AND Isam, as they were merged into one. We did see Slayer change between Luc and Isam in T'A'R a couple of times.

 

How good would that be, if you could change into someone else? He really would be a brilliant spy.

[DemandredFO]

Toad; another thing with important characters disapearing is sometimes they aren't doing very much.  For example, Mat in PoD, he is recovering from a building falling on him.  He's not doing anything so therefore he dissapears.

[Snowy Dawn]

``For example, Mat in PoD, he is recovering from a building falling on him.  He's not doing anything so therefore he disappears.''

 

All the same, I don't see why we can't have a peek at him; at least part of a chapter. After all, he is not the only character of interest in Ebou Dar, there is also Tylin and Setalle Anan. We get a bit of a recounting when Mat reappears in <i>Winter's Heart</i>, but I see no reason why we could not have a scene or two. <i>The Path of Daggers</i> is the first volume in which we lose sight of one of the three ta'veren for a whole book, yes?

 

 

[Elwinn Taron]

Nope.  Perrin is AWOL in the Fires of Heaven.

[Guest Toad]

I don't buy that the character isn't doing anything interesting so we don't need to see them for a whole book.  Mat and Perrin are taveeren (or however you spell it).  If you can get through a 600 or 700 page book without main characters having several scenes - then why do you need them at all.  There were several books where Rand did next to nothing as well.

 

This isn't as frustrating when reading the series straight through, but I was reading all of them as released.  So it was very annoying to have a two year gap between books, and then when you finally get it, one of your favorite characters isn't even mentioned?  Just wait another two years...

 

And how do we know that Mat was recovering from a building falling on him if he isn't mentioned in the next book.  That's quite a cliffhanger.

[Bob T Dwarf]

Well, we see the building fall on him in one book.  Then he isn't mentioned again until the second succeeding book.  And when we next see him he's still hobbling around.

 

While, I agree, it was an interminable wait for those of us reading the books as they came out, if you check the timeline, the timeframe from the beginning of Lord of Chaos until the end of Knife of Dreams is only 218 days. 

 

Six books but only seven months of story time.

[Luckers]

You have too short an attention span mate. The most intriguing threads are those that slide along in the background--like the Too Young Sitters, or the link between Moridin and Rand....

[Guest Toad]

Perhaps I do.  But Mat, Perrin, and Rand are not background threads.  They are the main threads - makes sense to me that main threads would be getting most of the attention in all the books.  But then I'm not a best-selling author.  Just throwing an opinion out there.

[Luckers]

By the way, looking back, that sounded more snippy then i meant it.

 

 

[Guest Toad]

Not snippy at all, we're just having a discussion.  I'm just trying to feel out if other people feel the same way as me about certain stuff that doesn't make sense  - or at least doesn't make sense to me.

[Guest Dreadlord]

One thing Mat did off screen that I SOOOOOOO wish had been shown was him killing Couladin.

 

Why didnt we see it? It would have been a great scene, especially since we learned of Mats clever plan of luring Couladins army into not retreating by shouting "Protect the Lord Dragon!"

 

But with respect to Slayer, he would need to o things off screen for the suspense element. All bad guys do

[Guest Toad]

So true.  We don't see Couladin's demise, but we know how every room in the white tower is decorated and how old the furniture is.

[Hero of Satsuma]

``For example, Mat in PoD, he is recovering from a building falling on him.  He's not doing anything so therefore he disappears.''

 

All the same, I don't see why we can't have a peek at him; at least part of a chapter. After all, he is not the only character of interest in Ebou Dar, there is also Tylin and Setalle Anan. We get a bit of a recounting when Mat reappears in <i>Winter's Heart</i>, but I see no reason why we could not have a scene or two. <i>The Path of Daggers</i> is the first volume in which we lose sight of one of the three ta'veren for a whole book, yes?

 

I guess I don't understand what we are supposed to see in a peek of him.  He isn't doing anything related to the story.  

 

Are we supposed to have a chapter of him hobbling around looking for Olver, only to find him snuggling up to a buxom maid and listening to her tell him stories and having Mat wonder which of his "uncles" he learned that behavior from?

 

Are we going to see another scene with with Mat and Tylin with him muttering about having to wear lace and that HE is the one who is supposed to be chasing Tylin, and then Setalle Anan sniffs in the background?

 

What a waste of a chapter that would be.  Honestly, I would be more upset if that was the only chapter that I was able to read about him.  I would rather he have not been in the book, than been in the book and contributed absolutely nothing.

[Guest Toad]

``For example, Mat in PoD, he is recovering from a building falling on him.  He's not doing anything so therefore he disappears.''

 

All the same, I don't see why we can't have a peek at him; at least part of a chapter. After all, he is not the only character of interest in Ebou Dar, there is also Tylin and Setalle Anan. We get a bit of a recounting when Mat reappears in <i>Winter's Heart</i>, but I see no reason why we could not have a scene or two. <i>The Path of Daggers</i> is the first volume in which we lose sight of one of the three ta'veren for a whole book, yes?

 

I guess I don't understand what we are supposed to see in a peek of him.  He isn't doing anything related to the story.  

 

Are we supposed to have a chapter of him hobbling around looking for Olver, only to find him snuggling up to a buxom maid and listening to her tell him stories and having Mat wonder which of his "uncles" he learned that behavior from?

 

Are we going to see another scene with with Mat and Tylin with him muttering about having to wear lace and that HE is the one who is supposed to be chasing Tylin, and then Setalle Anan sniffs in the background?

 

What a waste of a chapter that would be.  Honestly, I would be more upset if that was the only chapter that I was able to read about him.  I would rather he have not been in the book, than been in the book and contributed absolutely nothing.

 

Not sure I understand your arguement.  All those nothing chapters about lace and pink ribbons were in the book - contributing absolutely nothing.  I'm just wondering why they weren't in the previous book - so that we at least know that Mat is alive and doing something - no matter how innane.

[Majsju]

One thing Mat did off screen that I SOOOOOOO wish had been shown was him killing Couladin.

 

Why didnt we see it? It would have been a great scene, especially since we learned of Mats clever plan of luring Couladins army into not retreating by shouting "Protect the Lord Dragon!"

 

But with respect to Slayer, he would need to o things off screen for the suspense element. All bad guys do

 

I am leaning both ways about that one. Of course, it would have been awesome to have a well written scene with Mat laying the smackdown on Couladin. But on the other hand, since the scene was not written, we have complete freedom to envision that fight. And as a reader, I for one prefer to not have everything spoonfed.

[Hero of Satsuma]

Not sure I understand your arguement.  All those nothing chapters about lace and pink ribbons were in the book - contributing absolutely nothing.  I'm just wondering why they weren't in the previous book - so that we at least know that Mat is alive and doing something - no matter how innane.

 

That is my argument.  Those sections contribute absolutely nothing.  I assume that RJ knew that was going to be covered in the following book (and IIRC they were in the previous book as well) and wanted to spare us re-reading the same scenes again and again.

[Guest Dreadlord]

QUOTE

I am leaning both ways about that one. Of course, it would have been awesome to have a well written scene with Mat laying the smackdown on Couladin. But on the other hand, since the scene was not written, we have complete freedom to envision that fight. And as a reader, I for one prefer to not have everything spoonfed

UNQUOTE

 

I'd rather have the fights spoonfed though, action is always good and judging how aggressive Couladin was it could have been a brilliant fight. I was building myself up to that fight when Mat was making his plans and when I found out it happened off screen I was abit gutted if Im honest.

[Guest Toad]

Not sure I understand your arguement.  All those nothing chapters about lace and pink ribbons were in the book - contributing absolutely nothing.  I'm just wondering why they weren't in the previous book - so that we at least know that Mat is alive and doing something - no matter how innane.

 

That is my argument.  Those sections contribute absolutely nothing.  I assume that RJ knew that was going to be covered in the following book (and IIRC they were in the previous book as well) and wanted to spare us re-reading the same scenes again and again.

 

That's what I don't get.  He doesn't have to repeat them.  Just put the scenes a book earlier.  Then the next book can be about his kidnapping of Tuon, etc...  Why delay what a main character is doing?  That's where I don't get what RJ was doing.

[Bob T Dwarf]

So true.  We don't see Couladin's demise, but we know how every room in the white tower is decorated and how old the furniture is.

;D :D ;D :D 8) 8) 8)

 

And, the color, texture, and cut of every dress.

 

Vital that we have those crucial details, donchaknow.

 

[D24g0n]

That's what I don't get.  He doesn't have to repeat them.  Just put the scenes a book earlier.  Then the next book can be about his kidnapping of Tuon, etc...  Why delay what a main character is doing?  That's where I don't get what RJ was doing.

I think it was so he could keep the time lines for every main character's action somewhat close together.  I guess we could see all he was doing up until he would meet up with another character in another plot line, but then we would have to wait even more for that other character to get there.  It wouldn't be good to have all the suspense build up around Mat heading towards TG, then all of a sudden go to another character just now preparing to set off.

 

I don't think I'm making any sense, even to myself, but I think my point is somewhere in there.