Renewed Vigour, and a few questions [possible spoilers]

[trakand_01]

I'm back, after months and months. I have found my enthusiasm again. A few months of lacklustre attempts to read more than a few pages at a time seem to have come to an end with the battle at the Manor House. I won't pretend I know which Lord it belonged to, but it was the battle after Loial married Erith, and before Nynaeve sent Lan off to the Borderlands.

 

By the way, I love the fact she put him 'as far away from Sheinar as it's possible to be and still be in the Borderlands'. Nyn isnt my favourite character but I have a feeling she's coming into her own now - she's Lan's wife alright. She's got a character, we've seen it right through the books and I think this might be the reason for her character - to drum up support for Lan.

 

I also love the Ogiers fighting. We dont see the specifics, but the image of Loial and Elder Haman running through the mansion shouting "Trollocs coming, up axes and clear the field!" will stay with me as surely as the image of Loial running with an injured Gaul in his arms, through the Trolloc-infested woods surrounding Emonds Field. I think there is something spine-tingling about a naturally peaceful people taking arms and fighting for something they believe in. I love Loial.

 

There is altogether too much Elayne in this book for my liking, but Mat and Rand will compensate, I'm sure.

 

I knew that Rand had an 'accident' with Semi in this book, but I am surprised RJ was so obvious with it. I know that Semi has revealed herself to Suroth, but RJ's revealing that 'The Daughter of the Nine Moons' will meet with Rand, and the meeting was arranged through Suroth is more obvious than I ever expected it to be. I had wondered how Semi would manage to supplant Tuon right under Mat's nose, but this is not quite what i'd expected.

 

I wanted to ask - what is 'Ishamael's trick' that whoever sent the Trollocs after Rand at the manor house has learnt? Rand specifically thinks that whoever sent them, had obviously learnt Ishamael's trick, but I'm not sure what that was? Something is tickling at my memory but I cannot remember.

 

I also had a thought. It came to me when Rand was telling Cadsuane what the Aelfinn had said to him "To Live, you must Die". What if they weren't talking to Rand, but to Lews Therin? I fail to believe that they couldnt see him within Rand's phsyche.

 

God I love these books. So much to think about, so much to puzzle over. I truly believe that RJ wrote them in such a way that whilst there may be set-in-stone answers to some things (for example, Who Killed Asmo, and Who is Demandred/Mesaana), there are other questions that can be answered in many different ways - we could all be right.

 

I'm not sure I like Logain completely, he's arrogant and too self-assured for my liking, but boy do I want to see him at Tarmon Gaidon. Whether I like him or not, he's a massive asset to Rand. I can hear people saying 'Rand is self assured and arrogant too' and yes, he is, but we see the other side of Rand also, the side that is completely insecure and frankly, terrified.

 

If you were Elayne or Aviendha, wouldnt you be seriously jealous at Min? Aviendha especially, although I think she comes 2nd to Min in terms of the actual relationship she has with  Rand - she's spent a fair amount of time in his company. Elayne on the other hand has the most 'obvious' and long-lasting ties with him of the three, but the shortest and most ... shallow ... relationship of the three, I think. Min quite obviously has the best all-round relationship with him but I'm sure dealing with his tempers and his fears isnt the most relaxing thing imaginable. She's probably also much more aware of his mortality and his 'issues' (for example we see when he is opening a doorway to take them into the Stone that she is aware of the nausea he experiences). I just want to see him reunite with Aviendha. She's missed out more than the others on the physical relationship and from what I gather, Rand is quite a physical guy.

 

Musings over, for now  :)

[Majsju]

I wanted to ask - what is 'Ishamael's trick' that whoever sent the Trollocs after Rand at the manor house has learnt? Rand specifically thinks that whoever sent them, had obviously learnt Ishamael's trick, but I'm not sure what that was? Something is tickling at my memory but I cannot remember.

 

Tracking ta'veren.

 

I also had a thought. It came to me when Rand was telling Cadsuane what the Aelfinn had said to him "To Live, you must Die". What if they weren't talking to Rand, but to Lews Therin? I fail to believe that they couldnt see him within Rand's phsyche.

 

I find that extremely unlikely.

 

[trakand_01]

Why?

[Majsju]

For starters, Rand is the one asking the question, so having the answer directed at LTT would make no sense whatsoever.

Also, there are so many other references to Rand dying. Having the death be LTTs, while Rand walked away into happilyeverafter...I hold RJ as quite a bit better writer than that.

[mb]

Like another poster told, Ishamael's trick is tracking taveren.

 

The Aelfinn talking to Lews Therin, I am not sure if that could happen since Lews Therin was/is in Rand's head.

 

[moroten]

I also mentioned the "Aelfinn talking to LTT" theory once but I remember Luckers explaining it to me...but I dont remember the answer :P, it was a long time ago.

 

 

[Luckers]

I wanted to ask - what is 'Ishamael's trick' that whoever sent the Trollocs after Rand at the manor house has learnt? Rand specifically thinks that whoever sent them, had obviously learnt Ishamael's trick, but I'm not sure what that was? Something is tickling at my memory but I cannot remember.

 

It is tracking ta'veren through the distortions they make in the pattern--Rand knows that both Lanfear and Ishamael knew it, and Graendal makes clear they all do in KoD--though she says it is not as easy as Ishamael makes out, and is even less so now with the pattern in such chaos. Which would be why Moridin hasn't used it himself.

 

I would also point out that Rand is probably wrong. There are others who know where Rand is--the Asha'men and Aes Sedai Rand sent to the Black Tower with Logain to command that Asha'men go to Illian and Arad Domon. Logain even says Taim was desperate to find out, and whilst Logain did not tell him, his men might have--or, as is more likely, the Aes Sedai who directly stated their intention to use the split between Logain and Taim to destroy the Black Tower probably did.

 

It should be noted this takes place around three days prior to the attack, around the same time it would take to send the army through the Ways.

 

I also mentioned the "Aelfinn talking to LTT" theory once but I remember Luckers explaining it to me...but I dont remember the answer , it was a long time ago.

 

The major problem is that LTT had not yet manifested. He was not hiding in the wings waiting to come out, not watching things from the sideline, he was not there are all. What he was was in the soul, contained as all previous incarnations are, but they are not there, not active, not aware.

 

Besides, Rand asked how he could win Tarmon Gai'don and survive. The Finn's answers can be criptic, but they are always specific to the question. Which is just another way to say what Maj already did--Rand asked the question.

[trakand_01]

So do you think it's more likely that Taim simply 'followed' Logain after he'd left? I'm making the assumption that Logain (being the character he is) travelled to Rand.

[Luckers]

Not at all--as i stated i think it likely that one of Logain's followers revealed where Rand was. Logain directly states that Taim was desperate to learn this from him. Specifically the Aes Sedai who stated their intention to use the split between Logain and Taim to destroy the Black Tower would be the obvious choice.