About to start my first reread, any heads up?

[brown_hound]

G'day all.

 

I'm very much excitedly anticipating my first reread of what is undoubtedly the best fantasy series ever written!

 

Without realising the sheer immensity and complexity of the series as a whole, I, like many people, jumped head first into the books, and during my first read of the series passed over many a detail without notice.

 

My question is this:

 

Any little bits and pieces I should keep my eye out for? I know there's literally hundreds, but any little nuances or hard to see tidbits for a noob like myself will help me along a great way!

 

I'm particularly looking forward to books 4-6 which according to

 

[Mr Ares]

Just keep your eyes open for everything.

[Luckers]

Pretty much what Ares said--I'm doing--must be my 30th re-read by now, and I'm still noticing new stuff.

[Thanatos]

Yeah.  These two definitely got it right.  I am on re-read #10 right now, and all I can say is slow down, and let every word and sentence register in you mind.  You will pick up so much more that way.

 

Also, enjoy all the foreshadowing you will undoubtedly notice this time through that you never noticed the first read because you didn't know what was going to happen.

[OptimusPrime]

Rand is a Dreamer, there are signs of it all over the place in the first few books.

[Kadere]

Look out for trollocs. They'll eat ya.

 

Also if you want a resource you can read along with that will help make some of those connections and point out things you might have missed check out http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/.

[Hunter]

Rand is a Dreamer, there are signs of it all over the place in the first few books.

 

A lot of people would disagree with you on this, but I agree 100%.

 

I've re-read different books, a different number of times. Some as many 10 I would think, others 2-3. I find something new every time though.

[acerbus80]

Like Thantos said...foreshadowing.  You'll begin noticing this within the first several chapters of the tEotW.

[Luckers]

A whole bunch of wierd stuff was going on with Rand's dreams in the first few books, its true--but I very much doubt Rand is a dreamer. Consider, even when these things were occuring he never enters, leaves or manipulates the dream in the way any of the other dreamers do--not those that go in the flesh, not the more solid wolfdreamers, and not what actual dreamers do either. Egwene and Perrin on their first touchings of the Dreamworld had more control than he ever did even after learning it was a dream.

 

From there, yes, we have people like Egwene and Perrin running into him in the Dreamworld--seemingly in his dreams, which of course defies everything we later learn about entering a persons dreams. It could simply be that RJ hadn't yet worked out exactly how that worked (it wouldn't be the only off thing about TAR in those books--for instance why would Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne and Perrin all seperately dream themselves into those grasslands when no where else in the series are they referenced in TAR. And what the hell was up with Perrin's inn adventures?).

 

Alternatively it could be something to do with what Moiraine suggested--people strong in Spirit have dreams which infect those around them. Possibly they leech into the dreamworld as well, which is how Perrin and Egwene were able to so easily enter his dreams. Certainly we know its possible to casually do this, lacking strength in Spirit--with it...?

 

The final possibility is that it was Ishamael's doing--we know he was playing with Rand's dreams, sending facimilies of his family, and constructing shadowspawn to attack Rand. It's possible he was pulling Rand into TAR each night.

 

Whatever is occuring there, I very much doubt that Rand is a dreamer. We would have seen continued signs--prophetic dreams at the very least--and the original manifestations would have been different.

 

[OptimusPrime]

A whole bunch of wierd stuff was going on with Rand's dreams in the first few books, its true--but I very much doubt Rand is a dreamer. Consider, even when these things were occuring he never enters, leaves or manipulates the dream in the way any of the other dreamers do--not those that go in the flesh, not the more solid wolfdreamers, and not what actual dreamers do either. Egwene and Perrin on their first touchings of the Dreamworld had more control than he ever did even after learning it was a dream.

 

From there, yes, we have people like Egwene and Perrin running into him in the Dreamworld--seemingly in his dreams, which of course defies everything we later learn about entering a persons dreams. It could simply be that RJ hadn't yet worked out exactly how that worked (it wouldn't be the only off thing about TAR in those books--for instance why would Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne and Perrin all seperately dream themselves into those grasslands when no where else in the series are they referenced in TAR. And what the hell was up with Perrin's inn adventures?).

 

Alternatively it could be something to do with what Moiraine suggested--people strong in Spirit have dreams which infect those around them. Possibly they leech into the dreamworld as well, which is how Perrin and Egwene were able to so easily enter his dreams. Certainly we know its possible to casually do this, lacking strength in Spirit--with it...?

 

The final possibility is that it was Ishamael's doing--we know he was playing with Rand's dreams, sending facimilies of his family, and constructing shadowspawn to attack Rand. It's possible he was pulling Rand into TAR each night.

 

Whatever is occuring there, I very much doubt that Rand is a dreamer. We would have seen continued signs--prophetic dreams at the very least--and the original manifestations would have been different.

 

 

What about the time Rand dreams of being in Tar Valon, and in that dream people worry when he strays from the path to the White Tower, but stop worrying when he heads for it? In the same dream, as he walks on, people begin to bow and he wonders why, then in an instant he stops worrying because they SHOULD be bowing. Foreshadowing?

 

And then theres the time where Rand attacks the woman and her companions at his campfire because he had a dream that they were Darkfriends.

 

The stuff with Ishamael doesnt have anything to do with it, I know Ishamael was messing with Rands dreams.

[mb]

A way to make sure you get more this time through might be to read again scenes that you skipped and scenes you might have skipped.

 

[Liet-Kynes]

Min's vision's and Rand tapping into the one power without knowing it. I thought these two situations were pretty cool on my re-read of TeOtW.

[OptimusPrime]

I wish there was a thread like this in the TGS forum.

 

Anyway, another thing to look out for is the earlier signs of Darkfriend Ashaman. I remember thinking from the start that Rochaid was a Darkfriend, because a lot of the time when Rand turned up at the Black Tower Taim would share discreet signals with a few of the Ashaman and Rochaid and Kisman were the most obvious ones. But when Rands amnesty kicks in, I would pay particular attention to the Ashaman recruits. Although the first few I dont recall other than Flynn and Narishma.