Towers of Midnight Speculation Thread (Spoilers for tGS)

[mb]

I recall Sanderson telling that Towers of Midnight would have a broader scope than Gathering Storm and that there would be more of Mat & Perrin.

 

The general theme I think might be various places becoming darker (since midnight is generally dark).

 

Since some portion of Mat's scenes would be in Caemlyn, Elayne's scenes before his arrival likely might be in the book.  Hopefully Moiraine's rescue would happen; and hopefully Verin's letter would be opened.

Perrin, probably at least his trip to the sword statue; and likely his encounter with Galad.  Galad's scenes before encountering Perrin might also be in the book.

Some Shaido scenes might be in the book; and maybe also Aviendha's trip.

The borderlanders reaction to what Rand told Hurin might also be in the book.

Black Tower scenes might be in the book.

I recall Sanderson promise that Fain would be in the book.  Perhaps we would see Fain influencing people.  If Fain dies, it also might be in the book.

 

Since Crown of Swords, each book has overlapped the previous one to some degree.  I imagine that Towers of Midnight would have a higher percentage of such scenes since much is unresolved.

 

[Yates_]

When will we find out about the last Forsaken?  Specifically, that Latra Posae Decume woman who lead the faction that opposed Lews Therin's plan.  She was obviously working for the shadow.

 

I think in ToM the TRUTH will come out.  The taint on Saidin was not the fault of the Male Aes Sedai, but rather the Female Aes Sedai.  Had they gone, the plan to seal the bore would have worked. 

 

After the Breaking, or During, Latra Posae gained great fame and the name Shadar Nor, or cutter of the shadow.  That can be taken a few ways.  Either she cut the shadow as she fought them back, or the people realized that she was a Cuttor FOR the shadow. Specifically, she divided, or cut apart, the Male and Female Aes Sedai.

 

I can see that the Female Aes Sedai would bury this knowledge.  After all, the men were insane, so the knowledge did them no good in vindication.  And the women, even though they were to blame, (and the women not admitting they are wrong is a continuing thread in the series), were the only remaining sane channelers.  They were trying to hold the world together, and the knowledge that they had been manipulated by the shadow, and were culpable in the males going insane, would completely undermine their authority.  So they buried the info so deep that it was forgotten.  Siuan has continually made reference to areas of the library being secret and forbidden.  I think that by the end of the ToM the Aes Sedai will be united under Rand, with the women being forced to accept their due blame for the Breaking. 

 

Also, I am begining to think that Tam is Jain Farstrider.  The Horse, Bela, is such a perfect fit for Jeadean, who could always find her way home.  Maybe that guy with Mat is Jain.  But, Jain Defeated the guy who betrayed Malkier, and you know he was a blademaster, which could explain the genesis of Tam's sword.  Tam knows too much, and is too comfortable arround Aes Sedai for him to have been a simple Captain of the Companions. 

[aunt_pol]

 

I'm fairly sure it's stated somewhere that Jain did disappear under shadow after defeating Cowin, I think the name was? Noal has same name, has memory blanks consistent with Compulsion. No way was Tam ever under Shadow influence.

 

I can't really formulate my response to your theory about Lara Posae, smells wrong though...

[saidarisnowtainted]

When will we find out about the last Forsaken?  Specifically, that Latra Posae Decume woman who lead the faction that opposed Lews Therin's plan.  She was obviously working for the shadow.

 

I think in ToM the TRUTH will come out.  The taint on Saidin was not the fault of the Male Aes Sedai, but rather the Female Aes Sedai.  Had they gone, the plan to seal the bore would have worked. 

 

After the Breaking, or During, Latra Posae gained great fame and the name Shadar Nor, or cutter of the shadow.  That can be taken a few ways.  Either she cut the shadow as she fought them back, or the people realized that she was a Cuttor FOR the shadow. Specifically, she divided, or cut apart, the Male and Female Aes Sedai.

 

I can see that the Female Aes Sedai would bury this knowledge.  After all, the men were insane, so the knowledge did them no good in vindication.  And the women, even though they were to blame, (and the women not admitting they are wrong is a continuing thread in the series), were the only remaining sane channelers.  They were trying to hold the world together, and the knowledge that they had been manipulated by the shadow, and were culpable in the males going insane, would completely undermine their authority.  So they buried the info so deep that it was forgotten.  Siuan has continually made reference to areas of the library being secret and forbidden.  I think that by the end of the ToM the Aes Sedai will be united under Rand, with the women being forced to accept their due blame for the Breaking. 

 

Also, I am begining to think that Tam is Jain Farstrider.  The Horse, Bela, is such a perfect fit for Jeadean, who could always find her way home.  Maybe that guy with Mat is Jain.  But, Jain Defeated the guy who betrayed Malkier, and you know he was a blademaster, which could explain the genesis of Tam's sword.  Tam knows too much, and is too comfortable arround Aes Sedai for him to have been a simple Captain of the Companions. 

 

interesting thoughts.  i came up with the wacky idea that the CK weakened the TS and upset the balance btwn the TS and TP, causing the chaos that began with the strike at SG and continued exponentially through present leading to TG.  I brought it up in "Nature of Angreal" post.  it's a silly, baseless and just fiction based on fiction but i it's my idea for the day.

 

[Crael123]

When will we find out about the last Forsaken?   Specifically, that Latra Posae Decume woman who lead the faction that opposed Lews Therin's plan.  She was obviously working for the shadow.

 

I think in ToM the TRUTH will come out.  The taint on Saidin was not the fault of the Male Aes Sedai, but rather the Female Aes Sedai.  Had they gone, the plan to seal the bore would have worked. 

 

After the Breaking, or During, Latra Posae gained great fame and the name Shadar Nor, or cutter of the shadow.  That can be taken a few ways.  Either she cut the shadow as she fought them back, or the people realized that she was a Cuttor FOR the shadow. Specifically, she divided, or cut apart, the Male and Female Aes Sedai.

 

 

 

A house divided against itself can not stand.

[mb]

Latra Posae, she seemed to want to fight against the Shadow.

 

Noal would more probably be Jain Farstrider than anyone else if Jain Farstrider is still alive.  Partly because of his knowledge of Shara.

 

[saidarisnowtainted]

Noal could be anyone if he isnt whe he says he is.  Heck, he can even be Demandred guys.  what about that??  please attack this idea b/c i have the silly thought that it may be a good one!

 

and by the way, with the mask of mirrors -- i think its a weak argument to say a person couldnt be maskerading as someone who looks very different from them--the similarity just makes it easier to do--doesnt render it impossible by any means.

 

That arg is proven weak by virtue of our firecracker for brains Lanfear posing as a huge fatso for quite some time (time being days/weeks rather than brief interludes)--this proves that a Forsaken can sustain a MoM that varies widely from their true appearance -- it just isnt that easy to pull off.

[Ashaman Kovan]

Heck, he can even be Demandred guys.   

 

Well...No. He couldn't be.

[Tigraine]

Heck, he can even be Demandred guys.   

 

Well...No. He couldn't be.

 

lol...way to prove him wrong Asha'man  :D :-*

[Ashaman Kovan]

Heck, he can even be Demandred guys.   

 

Well...No. He couldn't be.

 

lol...way to prove him wrong Asha'man  :D :-*

 

That's how I roll. Straight to the "Attack". Lol.

[mb]

Like another poster told, Noal cannot be Demandred.

 

Robert Jordan told that Demandred's alter ego has not been seen before Crossroads of Twilight.

 

Also, Noal was seen with Mat before and during the Cleansing.

 

[Knobs Mahoney]

When will we find out about the last Forsaken?   Specifically, that Latra Posae Decume woman who lead the faction that opposed Lews Therin's plan.  She was obviously working for the shadow.

 

I think in ToM the TRUTH will come out.  The taint on Saidin was not the fault of the Male Aes Sedai, but rather the Female Aes Sedai.  Had they gone, the plan to seal the bore would have worked. 

 

 

Nice idea, except RJ himself said that had both Saidin and Saidar been used in the Strike on Shayol Ghul then both powers would have been tainted. Forgive me, I don't have the exact quote from him...I'm sure someone here can dig it up.

[thewalrus777]

When will we find out about the last Forsaken?   Specifically, that Latra Posae Decume woman who lead the faction that opposed Lews Therin's plan.  She was obviously working for the shadow.

 

I think in ToM the TRUTH will come out.  The taint on Saidin was not the fault of the Male Aes Sedai, but rather the Female Aes Sedai.  Had they gone, the plan to seal the bore would have worked. 

 

 

Nice idea, except RJ himself said that had both Saidin and Saidar been used in the Strike on Shayol Ghul then both powers would have been tainted. Forgive me, I don't have the exact quote from him...I'm sure someone here can dig it up.

 

He did say, it did  not matter if the female Aes Sedai were there at the sealing. Both halves of the True Source would have touched the DO and both would have been tainted. Something has to touch the DO in order for a complete seal to happen and it CANNOT be the OP. It would just get tainted again.

[Seniri]

I recall Sanderson telling that Towers of Midnight would have a broader scope than Gathering Storm and that there would be more of Mat & Perrin.

 

Hoping for more of Mat, I'm curious what was in Verin's letter, and I want whatever that was to be done with so they can go to the tower. Also, sick of Perrin after three books of "Oh, my Faile's been TAKEN ;_;!" then FINALLY resolving that plotline and having him act the way he is.

 

The general theme I think might be various places becoming darker (since midnight is generally dark).

 

1) Midnight is actually the brightest part of night just so you know.

2) "The Towers of Midnight form a fortress complex located within the city of Imfaral, located on the northern landmass of the Seanchan continent. There are thirteen towers in the fortress. The Towers of Midnight are first noted in history as the place where Deain, the creator of the a'dam, was imprisoned after being betrayed by Luthair Paendrag Mondwin during the Conquest.

 

The Towers of Midnight and the city of Imfaral were captured early during Luthair's invasion, and were the primary base of operations for the invaders before they took Seandar later in the war." (taken from WoT.Wikia.com)

 

In my opinion Towers of Midnight will include an assault on Seanchan, specifically on the Towers of Midnight. I have nothing to back this up, it's just my feeling. I sincerely hope it would be an Aes Sedai raid in response to what they did to the tower, and maybe to try to recover some prisoners.

[charis sedai]

^ sorry, but RJ told us that we would never see the main continent of Seanchan. I wisj that was true, but its a no-go.

[Ashaman Kovan]

^ sorry, but RJ told us that we would never see the main continent of Seanchan. I wisj that was true, but its a no-go.

 

I was just about to say that. Not the part about wishing it were true though. :)

[Seniri]

I was just about to say that. Not the part about wishing it were true though. :)

 

Yeah I don't like the idea of Aes Sedai attacking anything other than Dreadlords at Tarmon Gai'don but somebody needs to put the Seanchan in their place (without using Balefire, Rand >:[.) If not outright wipe them out or use them for something they won't return from, Rand needs to change the way they treat women who can channel.

[CUBAREY]

Yeah I don't like the idea of Aes Sedai attacking anything other than Dreadlords at Tarmon Gai'don but somebody needs to put the Seanchan in their place (without using Balefire, Rand >:[.) If not outright wipe them out or use them for something they won't return from, Rand needs to change the way they treat women who can channel.

 

Well since we know RJ planned a three book outrigger centered on Tuon and Mat retaking the Seanchen mainland what you suggest is highly unlikely to take place in the remaining part of the main series.

[Ashaman Kovan]

centered on Tuon and Mat retaking the Seanchen mainland

 

Was that actually specified? I know they were supposed to be about Mat and Tuon. But I didn't know them taking control of Seanchan had been specified as the main plot.

[thewalrus777]

centered on Tuon and Mat retaking the Seanchen mainland

 

Was that actually specified? I know they were supposed to be about Mat and Tuon. But I didn't know them taking control of Seanchan had been specified as the main plot.

 

I would imagine it would be about them taking back Seanchan, due to Tuon proclaiming herself Emperess. I would imagine once TG is done she would want her homeland back under her control.

[Nightstrike]

Was that actually specified? I know they were supposed to be about Mat and Tuon. But I didn't know them taking control of Seanchan had been specified as the main plot.

I had the impression that I read it somewhere. Can't find it, though. But it seems very likely, indeed, based on the following:

 

Barnes and Noble chat 11 November 1997

 

Kate from State College PA: In a previous statement I believe you had basically said that the action of the series would take place in the Lands known to Rand and his friends i.e. not Shara or Seanchan and yet the new book has alot of stuff about those lands--have you changed your mind? Is action in either of these two lands a possibility now?

RJ: No. Except for the possible occasional divergence, except for Rand's excursions to Seanchan when he chased after Aviendha. I was willing to put as much as I did into the the guide because I will not be using those things in the books in the same way that I used Kandor or Saldaea.

 

RJ's blog;

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2005

I’ve said frequently that I wouldn’t write in this universe again once tWoT was done unless I had a really great idea.  I may – I say again, may — have had such an idea.  I have to poke at it for a year or two to see whether it’s strong enough.  If it is, I’ll do two or three “outrigger” novels following some of the characters on another story arc.  If it isn’t strong enough, then I’ll let it die a quiet death.

 

Friday, January 20th, 2006

For various folk, I will write the two additional prequel novels eventually, but I can’t say exactly when.  If the idea I have for the outrigger novels proves strong enough to actually do those, I’ll probably do them first if for no other reason than they would be more complex and thus, to me, more interesting.

 

Friday, March 31st, 2006

A few people seem confused over what I mean by saying that I need thirty years to complete the books in my head. That entails a lot more than The Wheel of Time. There is A Memory of Light, of course, the last main sequence novel of WoT, plus two more short prequel novels. Then there are, possibly, three “outrigger” novels set in the WoT universe. There are the two trilogies of Infinity of Heaven, set in quite another universe. Plus there are several other novels and a handful of novellas that are set in neither universe. A few of them are actually set in our own universe, though not always without a twist. So there are a fair number, even to spread out over 30 years.

 

Thursday, July 6th, 2006

True, I want to move on to the Infinity of Heaven books, not to mention some other books, but there are two more prequel novels to come, and maybe a set of three outrigger novels.

 

Wednesday, November 8th, 2006

So there you have it. Oh, finishing A Memory of Light, of course, and getting started on Mat and Tuon, and some others, five to ten years after the Last Battle.

 

 

[charis sedai]

I love the thought of the Outriggers and prequels, but how likely is it that they will get written now? Is that project still a go? Will Brandon write them?

[Crael123]

I love the thought of the Outriggers and prequels, but how likely is it that they will get written now? Is that project still a go? Will Brandon write them?

 

he said probably not  :(

[Morsker]

I heard the "probably not" on the Outriggers, but I thought the prequels still had more of a chance?

[Nightstrike]

During the TGS tour:

When asked about the outriggers, Harriet responded with the famous line from Kenny Rogers: “Know when to hold-em, know when to fold-em.” It is something they will get into once the A Memory of Light is in the bag, but the tone of their replies seemed to suggest that is was not even close to a done deal.

:(

 

Q: After Knife of Dreams came out, Robert Jordan had said he was writing two more prequels…will you [brandon] do them and what’s the status on them now?

A: There are notes for two prequels, one based around Tam’s story, and the other about Moiraine and Lan before they went to the Two Rivers. There are also notes for three additional books, Outriggers, which take place in the Wheel of Time world. Brandon equates being handed the Wheel of Time series with being handed the One Ring – the longer you hold onto it, the harder it gets to let go. He doesn’t want to ruin Robert Jordan’s world; Robert Jordan and the series deserve to be allowed to rest. However, Tom Doherty wants them to be written, though the decision is ultimately up to Harriet – if she decides they should be written, he’ll do it, but his gut says ‘no’, they won’t be. At this, he was met with an “aaawwww!” from the fans, and nodding, he said that it is with a heavy heart but he feels it would be best. The last he heard, Harriet was leaning towards ‘no’. If he does write them though, he feels there should be no more after this, “it would be nice to have a will” so no more can be made. He admitted that this is a half answer, but concluded with “Robert Jordan’s legacy is more important.”

 

Before the tour:

http://www.dragonmount.com/News/?p=615

 

This probably means that we won't see much of Seanchan, if it isn't in the Encyclopaedia.