Were you bored by Elayne's struggle for the throne?

[RAND AL THOR]

In the Great Hunt, Elayne tells Egwene that Min had a viewing of her- and told her that she would be queen one day.

 

While Elayne is struggling for the throne, it is highly likely that if she did not get it, she possibly never may do so after that. So, it was fairly obvious that she was going to succeed.

 

Did this bore you, while reading the books? I was most certainly not interested. There was far too much Elayne in the 11th book, IMO.

[Hybrid]

Elayne is easily my second-least favorite character in the series (my least favorite, I'm sure everyone can guess) for the obvious reasons (whiny, arrogant, obnoxious).  So regardless of the fact that we knew what the probable resolution of her story arc was, I would not have enjoyed it.  I found myself skimming through most of the sections, except the final scenes, which were actually kind of awesome.  IMO, the only interesting things about Elayne's story arc were Aviendha and Birgitte.  Guybon was pretty cool too.

[RAND AL THOR]

The final scenes were interesting, but I was seething in wrath at Elayne's lack of emotion. So many had died for her, including sisters, but she is far too non caring. I honestly want Min's viewing of her to miserably fail.

[Generic Aelfinn #2]

peopel actually liked the ending scenes?  that was the single most boring battle scene i've ever read(then again, the rest of that arc wasn't compelling in the least)

[Vassili]

to answer your question: yes

[Sabio]

She does dumb things all the time and needs rescuing.  A problem that seems to happen to most the main female characters in the book.  Min and Avi are the only sensible ones.  Sadly I find most the pages with her to be boring and yes its bad that all those people died becuase she did something dumb and they died from the result of it and she didn't seem to care.

 

peopel actually liked the ending scenes?  that was the single most boring battle scene i've ever read(then again, the rest of that arc wasn't compelling in the least)

 

At least there was a battle scene, it was better then Sammael's death or the battle that Semi gets captured.

[Tyrell]

Please. Balefire. These Chapters.

 

(With the Choedan Kal)

[Luckers]

Elayne is far from my favourite character, but i think those chapters fall short because they go on for so long. What RJ achieved in 20 chapters he should have done in 4. I get that he had time problems--he needed Elayne to not hold the throne chronologically till KoD, but he could have managed it.

 

There are interesting and fun moments there, i just think there's also way too much pointless fluff for this stage in the series.

[wvlr]

I agree with the general sentiments above.  Many of the characters in the books have gotten in trouble and on occasion I thought - Damn - what is the matter with XXXX character.    But it is believeable because people can get over confident or due to lack of information.   

 

But in KoD there are TWO such events that just went far beyond believeable and deep into the extreme annoying for me.  Elayne was obviously going to get the throne so it was not all that interesting but her attack on the BA was so poorly concieved, implemented and without emotions on her part that I do not enjoy the chapters nearly as much as I like the rest of the books.  Her Asedi sisters, the Warders and the soilders that all got killed because of her lack of preparation and then on top of that her lack of emotion and shame for her mistakes at the end was just too much.

 

  The other one is the Rand-Semi scene in KoD. 

[Werthead]

One of the most interesting things about rereading the series, as I am at the moment, is noting that whilst Nynaeve and Egwene change and grow as the series continues, Elayne doesn't. She's a whiny brat who expects everything to fall into her hands because of who her mother is at the start, and is pretty much the same at the end. One of RJ's biggest failures in the series is that at no point does Elayne or anyone around her seriously consider the point that Elayne abandoned Andor when it badly needed her, let it be pulled apart in war and civil war, and didn't return until she'd taken care of some Aes Sedai business. I think it's pretty clear that if Elayne's priorities weren't to put Andor first, she had no business becoming Queen. I suspect this conflict of interests is why no queen has also been Aes Sedai since well before the War of the Hundred Years.

[wvlr]

Wert,

 

I have mixed feelings on this.  To some extent I agree but by the same measure, I don't.    She went seeking the Bowl of the Winds.  Since the weather problems were effecting the entire world (Including Andor) I would say that a case could be made for her to be still addressing the needs of her realm.    After all, she was one of the two that actually saw the place in the dream world, so she was needed to help locate it in the real world.

 

But it was irritating to see how long it took them in Ebou Dar and in her POVs she seemed to not have a thought to - "Gee, I really need to get on with this so I can get to business back in Andor!"

[Majsju]

The mistake RJ did with Elaynes struggle to secure the throne is that he should have treated this the way he treated for example Mat when he was recovering from a broken leg in Ebou Dar. When nothing important happens, leave the caracter out of the spotlight for some time. Important and interesting things do happen in her story, but not so much that it motivates even half the amount of pages actually spent on that plot.

[RAND AL THOR]

I, for one, wish that the Sea Folk did not exist at all- or just remained in the sea. I don't want to see any more of them after Book 4.

[Hybrid]

I agree.  The majority of the chapters could be summed up as the following:

Elayne has tea and does nothing.

Elayne has a bath and does nothing.

Elayne is utterly confused about events and does nothing.

Elayne acts like an angsty teenager (oh wait, she is) and does nothing.

Elayne does something and messes up doing it.

[Dbob]

That's funny Hybrid, you just accompished in 5 lines the entire Elayne and the Throne storyline.

 

Though I would toss in a sixth line, to wit:

 

The Windfinders act like tools and push Elayne around and she does nothing.

 

I was never a big fan of Elayne so I wasn’t expecting to love this storyline, so no surprise there, it was tedious but not as tedious as rescuing Faile, so I'd be comment-less except for two things. First, here is where my cherished loathing of all things Seafolk took root and flourished, and the second, Elayne's incredible dash into the den of darkfriends, the single most idiotic command decision in the entire series, beating out even Morgase's thickwitted trek to the citadel of the whitecloaks. Perhaps it’s genetic.

 

[Hybrid]

Good point.  The Windfinders are like the Aiel, only minus the awesome factor. 

 

It could be genetic, or it could be just the typical idiocy of nobility.  Gawyn does some stupid stuff, too.  I agree, though, Elayne's jaunt into the Black Ajah stronghold was quite possibly one of the stupidest things that a character has ever done.  It ranks up there with Elayne and the other girls' jaunt through the Ways with Liandrin.  And Elayne and the other girls' jaunt down the shores of lawless Cairhien, which unfortunately did not end with Elayne's skull staying fractured.  Pity, that.

 

As least the Faile rescue included Faile getting tortured by Aiel.  To tell the truth, my respect for Faile was raised after her actions within the Shaido tents.  We shall see if it changed her.  It will take much to redeem her in my book.

[RAND AL THOR]

Also, Elayne spends her time blaming Rand for her pregnancy which is the one most annoying aspect that I note in her.

 

I lot of people comment that the world is too complex. RJ could have tried to do a little less, and all would have been resolved by now if he had. Having a huge plot is no good if the readers are not interested in it. Most people heavily detest the presence of the Shaido and Sea Folk. Some events take way too long. As some others pointed out- RJ wasted time and pages on events that could be hidden in the background.

 

I have heard one reader (who was thrilled with Books 1-6) call the Crown of Swords, "A Crown of Sucks." An honestly, I couldn't argue against him because I had to agree on several points that he proposed. This reader stopped halfway through Book 8, and then stopped the series. How many readers do that? The people on this forum are the ones who've managed all 11, but truly, the story branches out too much. You can write of course. You can write another dozen books, pulling in Shara and another long forgotten Atlantis under the sea, but it's important to keep the readers interested.

 

Most typical readers would be irritated if the plotline shifted away from the Main Characters, which they have been following from the beginning. The more or less extreme absence of the Main Character himself in the last two books is an appalling drawback to the WoT.

 

I feel that RJ could have wrapped up everything by now, if he'd been somewhat less ambitious. I have no right to wish for it- it is his world and work- but as a reader that is what I'd say.

[Tyrell]

I feel that RJ could have wrapped up everything by now, if he'd been somewhat less ambitious. I have no right to wish for it- it is his world and work- but as a reader that is what I'd say.

 

The thing is, the Elayne crap isn't even ambitious or complicated. There's less and political intrigue in her entire story line than half a chapter of Game of Thrones. She just wanders around, stamps her feet and plays at queen for SEVERAL HUNDRED PAGES. She she also blatantly lies to four seasoned monarchs, but somehow manages to get her way and come out of it thinking how cunning she is :/ She baths too. Oh, and she gets naked in front of Taim.

 

 

[RAND AL THOR]

She she also blatantly lies to four seasoned monarchs, but somehow manages to get her way and come out of it thinking how cunning she is :/

 

Who are they? I can't remember.

[Tyrell]

She she also blatantly lies to four seasoned monarchs, but somehow manages to get her way and come out of it thinking how cunning she is :/

 

Who are they? I can't remember.

 

Well, technically only three seasoned rulers, as Queen Tenobia of Saldaea isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the draw. The other three are King Easar of Shienar, King Paitar of Arafel and Queen Ethenielle of Kandor. None of whom we are either inexperienced or stupid.

[runner1]

I actually found the chapters on Elayne not too bad.

She's not my favorite character though, in fact, like everyone else here she is really annoying and I agree, arrogant and a brat (I understand Mat's annoyance with Elayne, "Those bloody nobles!"LOL). ;D

I think I hate the Sea Folk women more than any woman character in the series, even the Aes Sedai.

I really don't see the point in the Sea Folk, never did, they don't seem to do anything.

The only thing they helped out with was the weather.

[triadruid]

Elayne's Succession Story, as boring and drawn-out as it is, is not NEARLY as annoying to me as Elayne's Pregnancy Woes.

 

I get it. She's pregnant. She doesn't like it. She's completely useless now. I get it.

[Werthead]

I, for one, wish that the Sea Folk did not exist at all- or just remained in the sea. I don't want to see any more of them after Book 4.

 

I wanted to see the Sea Folk 'Sharkbrothers' who are bonded to sharks like Perrin is to wolves. Yeah, sharks. With lasers attached to their heads. That would be sweet.

[Dbob]

Part of the problem as I see it is that after about the midway point in the series, the central plotlines start losing focus. A lot of what takes center stage is really supporting cast/story to the main focus – The last battle, etc.

 

Plus you have groups like the windfinders, who have no actual purpose at all. The whole sea-folk thing is pretty superfluous from the get go, and making them easily the most abhorrent group of pushy, bullying harridans in a world full of pushy, bullying harridans didn’t help matters either.

 

In the first few novels the pushiness of the female characters by and large has a point, plus they aren’t incarnations of the same character. By book 11, it’s hard to distinguish where one old battleaxe ends and the other begins, and they seem to exist for the mere sake of having them exist.

 

[Jambo]

I, for one, wish that the Sea Folk did not exist at all- or just remained in the sea. I don't want to see any more of them after Book 4.

 

I wanted to see the Sea Folk 'Sharkbrothers' who are bonded to sharks like Perrin is to wolves. Yeah, sharks. With lasers attached to their heads. That would be sweet.

 

Don't you mean friggen sharks with friggen lasers on their heads :P

 

 

I have to agree with most ppl here, the Elayne stuff is brutal, but I think the Faile stuff ranks higher because at least different things are happening (such as traveling somewhere other than a palace). I dislike Faile but the only thing that bothers me with her storyline is her treatment of Perrin and the way Berelin acts. The only storylines I fully hate (by that I mean breifly skim over so as not to die of boredom)are Morgase's and Elaynes. SNORE...... Not only are they boring but those two act like dolts throughout the ENTIRE thing.