Mistakes in the Books

[Padraic_Seebrr]

Reading through the books I noticed a few mistakes, plot holes, character behavior things etc. I know there are alot more that I missed though and was wondering if anyone else has been noticing them.

Like in KoD when Perrin is talking about the Maldin's defenses he says "Galina wasn't sure about numbers" or something to that effect. But he doesn't know that Galina's real name is Galina, because she was introduced to him as Alyse. Never did anyone tell him that her name was really Galina. Also when Faile is being rescued by Perrin they talk about Galina and he says Alyse there so was a one time slip up lol.

[Mr Ares]

Some things like that were corrected in later printings. There was one occasion of Lan sharpening his sword. His Power wrought sword that never needs sharpening.

[The Doctor]

There's also something about the conversation Perrin had with Min in TDR about if he had a sister somehow contradicting what is revealed to us about how much family he had when we read TSR. I Don't remember details, and I believe it was corrected in later printings.

[Thanatos]

I may be nitpicking here but there were lots of typoes in the later books.  Not quite so many in the early books, but it always bothered me.  I understand the books are 800-1000 pages long and all, but hasn't anyone ever heard of proof-reading?

[dholm]

You'll almost never catch all typos, Thanatos. In 300,000 words, that's not very surprising.

 

You can see the factual errors on the Encyclopaedia WoT, more specifically here: http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/main/errata.html

[Vassili]

This is slightly off topic, but I noticed Moiraine was very often wrong when she gave her imfamous lectures about what is or is not possible. Examples include how she tells Rand after the trolloc attack on the Stone that it could not have been Sammael becuase there is no way despite his strength that he could channel his way to Tear and back to Illian within the timeframe of the attack. And yet, she already knew about Traveling since she mentioned it in the book before. Is she meant to be intentionally wrong or was this an error? Another example is she tells Rand not to channel in Falme because the damane might sense him. But women cannot sense a man channeling. Surely the Aes Sedai confronted enough men who could channel in their efforts to gentle them that they would know that they cant tell when a man is channeling. So why does she say that? Can she lie?

[Charlz Fel]

This is slightly off topic, but I noticed Moiraine was very often wrong when she gave her imfamous lectures about what is or is not possible. Examples include how she tells Rand after the trolloc attack on the Stone that it could not have been Sammael becuase there is no way despite his strength that he could channel his way to Tear and back to Illian within the timeframe of the attack. And yet, she already knew about Traveling since she mentioned it in the book before. Is she meant to be intentionally wrong or was this an error? Another example is she tells Rand not to channel in Falme because the damane might sense him. But women cannot sense a man channeling. Surely the Aes Sedai confronted enough men who could channel in their efforts to gentle them that they would know that they cant tell when a man is channeling. So why does she say that? Can she lie?

 

Concerning the first point, Aes Sedai knowledge is imperfect, especially concerning long-lost Talents like Traveling; Moiraine may have assumed that Traveling took more time than it does.  [incidentally, I don't remember this comment at all; a quote might be helpful.]  Concerning the second point, I don't think Jordan had completely worked out the details of the channeling system yet.  Notice that, in Nyneave's Accepted Test in the same book (TGH), she is able to feel something of what Aginor is doing--not much, but far more than female channelers can detect later in the series.  [Minor point--it was Verin, not Moiraine, who told Rand this.]

[CUBAREY]

This is slightly off topic, but I noticed Moiraine was very often wrong when she gave her imfamous lectures about what is or is not possible. Examples include how she tells Rand after the trolloc attack on the Stone that it could not have been Sammael becuase there is no way despite his strength that he could channel his way to Tear and back to Illian within the timeframe of the attack. And yet, she already knew about Traveling since she mentioned it in the book before. Is she meant to be intentionally wrong or was this an error? Another example is she tells Rand not to channel in Falme because the damane might sense him. But women cannot sense a man channeling. Surely the Aes Sedai confronted enough men who could channel in their efforts to gentle them that they would know that they cant tell when a man is channeling. So why does she say that? Can she lie?

 

Concerning the first point, Aes Sedai knowledge is imperfect, especially concerning long-lost Talents like Traveling; Moiraine may have assumed that Traveling took more time than it does.  [incidentally, I don't remember this comment at all; a quote might be helpful.]  Concerning the second point, I don't think Jordan had completely worked out the details of the channeling system yet.  Notice that, in Nyneave's Accepted Test in the same book (TGH), she is able to feel something of what Aginor is doing--not much, but far more than female channelers can detect later in the series.  [Minor point--it was Verin, not Moiraine, who told Rand this.]

 

We should remember that although female channelers can not feel male channelers using the power they can detect the residue of the power afterwards, its the way that Red's hunt down male channelers.

[Sylvia]

I may be nitpicking here but there were lots of typoes in the later books.  Not quite so many in the early books, but it always bothered me.  I understand the books are 800-1000 pages long and all, but hasn't anyone ever heard of proof-reading?

 

All the typos are one of the reasons I wanted to become a copywrite editor. I don't remember what book it was, or if it was even a WOT book, but I once saw a 2 in the middle of a word. I thought it was hilarious.

[Mr Ares]

Notice that, in Nyneave's Accepted Test in the same book (TGH), she is able to feel something of what Aginor is doing--not much, but far more than female channelers can detect later in the series.

Or maybe it's just a case of the rules being a bit different there, as it's not in the real world. Much the same way as Egwene is Ageless without having sworn on the OR in her test.

[Charlz Fel]

Notice that, in Nyneave's Accepted Test in the same book (TGH), she is able to feel something of what Aginor is doing--not much, but far more than female channelers can detect later in the series.

Or maybe it's just a case of the rules being a bit different there, as it's not in the real world. Much the same way as Egwene is Ageless without having sworn on the OR in her test.

Or maybe the connection between the Oath Rod and the Ageless look is another aspect that Jordan added later on.  Note that Amys is described as having "something very close to Aes Sedai agelessness," in spite of the fact that Wise Ones rarely use the Power.  However, when we meet the Kin, we find that they simply look middle-aged.

[Charlz Fel]

Another point: the Aes Sedai we see in Rand's journey through the Aiel history have the ageless look, even though this was probably before the founding of the White Tower.

[Mr Ares]

Or maybe the connection between the Oath Rod and the Ageless look is another aspect that Jordan added later on.

Perhaps, but we know the Accepted test is not a precise indicator of past, present or future events.

[MatsLuck]

One thing I just noticed while listening to the audiobooks, and I can't believe I never thought of it before...When Mat is hung in Rhuidean I always thought it was fishy as far as him dying and living again. Later in the Caemlyn balefire incident my suspicion was confirmed. And recently I read (somewhere here I believe) that RJ said in Rhuidean he was as close as you can get without being dead. So, what's my point? They were in Rhuidean for 7 days. There was no time distortion in the Finnland in Tear sooo...Mat hung for 7 days? Anyone know anything about this?

[Arath Faringal]

I remember a section in book ... 4 I think, maybe 5, where Rand channels Saidar.  It's mentioned repeatedly over the course of 2-3 chapters.

[NCWT]

One mistake I found when reading TGH was when Verin was in the Ogier Stedding and they were showing the party an Ogier who went into the ways, the Ogier Elder asked Verin to lay her hands on the Ogier and Verin said that the Ogier was "empty".

 

The mistake I see is that if an Aes Sedai cannot channel in a Stedding, what was the point of asking Verin to lay her hands on the Ogier, and how did she know he was "empty". :)

 

Any thoughts?

[Padraic_Seebrr]

I think thats been addressed in another thread, I'm pretty sure she has a Well ter'angreal.

[Mr Ares]

One mistake I found when reading TGH was when Verin was in the Ogier Stedding and they were showing the party an Ogier who went into the ways, the Ogier Elder asked Verin to lay her hands on the Ogier and Verin said that the Ogier was "empty".

 

The mistake I see is that if an Aes Sedai cannot channel in a Stedding, what was the point of asking Verin to lay her hands on the Ogier, and how did she know he was "empty". :)

 

Any thoughts?

She didn't channel. She just touched him. The magic power of touch, which still works in stedding. We see the same in WH 5, after Perrin goes too deep into the wolf dream. He felt cold to the touch.

[ClubCaved]

Another point: the Aes Sedai we see in Rand's journey through the Aiel history have the ageless look, even though this was probably before the founding of the White Tower.

 

True, this was before the founding of the White Tower, but I think swearing the oath against making a weapon for one man to harm another (and possibly the self-defense/against Shadowspawn oath about using the power, as well) were started very early during the Breaking. The "speak no word that is not true" didn't come until the Trolloc Wars.

[The Doctor]

I think Amys' similarity to the ageless look stemmed from her youthful appearance and her white hair.

[Padraic_Seebrr]

In The Eye of the World, Moirane gives Rand, Mat, and Perrin coins that allow her to find them wherever they are. Sounds a lot like what Elayne did to that man in KoD with a belt buckle so that she could find him even if he ran away. But it says that Elayne learned the weave from Moghedien and it was a "discovery" for the Aes Sedai, so was this just another tidbit that Moirane knew and didn't share, or was it a mistake?

[The Doctor]

Moiraine knew an awful lot that she didn't share.

[DukeBob]

Elayne even commented in Salidar that some Sisters learned newly discovered weaves much quicker than expected implying that it was something that they already knew but were keeping back.

[Mr. Dragon]

This is slightly off topic, but I noticed Moiraine was very often wrong when she gave her imfamous lectures about what is or is not possible. Examples include how she tells Rand after the trolloc attack on the Stone that it could not have been Sammael becuase there is no way despite his strength that he could channel his way to Tear and back to Illian within the timeframe of the attack. And yet, she already knew about Traveling since she mentioned it in the book before. Is she meant to be intentionally wrong or was this an error?

 

I beleive Moiraine said that he couldn't channel from Illian to Tear in the sense that the weaves wouldn't reach that far, Travelling is different as the weave joining gateways doesn't cross normal space. So while he could Travel to Tear and attack Rand, he couldn't attack him from Illian.

[Padraic_Seebrr]

Also in TEOTW, Moraine says "There hasn't been an Aes Sedai powerful enough to travel since the Time of Madness". General ignorance of Traveling or mistake?