Just finished "Crossroads Of Twilight".

[Stanley the Bugman]

Well, I finished it, and I'm still interested in the series, yay!

 

Heh, all in all it really wasn't too bad of a book. Yeah, there wasn't really much action, but it sets up for a lot of potentially awesome scenarios for me to look forward to in the next book. I was pleased to see Loial return, as he was absent from the last two or three books, and it seems like he's going to be taking on more of an important role than he has in a while, and I was also glad to see Egwene back as well, since she really wasn't mentioned too much in Winter's Heart.

 

Here's a few of the highlights that I enjoyed:

 

1. Mat's courting of Tuon. This was just really funny, he doesn't seem to have any idea as to what her true motives are, wether she actually loves him, or if she thinks he's just being a fool.

2. As stated above, Loial's return. I can't wait to see what kind of role he plays in the next book. (He's definately one of my favorite characters.)

3. A few scenes with Perrin, I thought the scene where he threw his axe and left was kind of prolific, and when he interrigates the Shaido. It's one of the reasons he's still one of my favorite characters, because, unlike Rand, he still has a lot of the same personality traits he has had since the first book. (Saying he's just a blacksmith, and doing things he absolutely hates doing but is forced to do because he has to) I also liked the scene where he's in So Harbor, definately creepy. (ZOMBIES!?!?)

4. The last scene with Egwene. (WHO BETRAYED YOU?!?!?)

[JenniferL]

I read the bit with Perrin and the axe this morning while I was getting ready for work. It nearly made me late. =)

 

Anyways, I agree. CoT doesn't really stand on its own as a book. It's very much a middle chapter in a longer story. If you can go right into KoD when you're done, it shouldn't be a problem for you. There really is alot that happens in this book, as well as the generally creepy mood set by many of the scenes. This book feels like the low point for Our Heroes to me.

[BeckeyLee]

The scene with Perrin and that Shaido, then throwing away his axe, is one of my favorite scenes in the series. Very chilling and emotional.

[TheBeerPatriot]

I read the bit with Perrin and the axe this morning while I was getting ready for work. It nearly made me late. =)

 

Anyways, I agree. CoT doesn't really stand on its own as a book. It's very much a middle chapter in a longer story. If you can go right into KoD when you're done, it shouldn't be a problem for you. There really is alot that happens in this book, as well as the generally creepy mood set by many of the scenes. This book feels like the low point for Our Heroes to me.

 

I'm going to start re-reading WoT once I'm done with my current book (Jim Butcher's Storm Front).  When I read CoT as a standalone I hated it, but I keep hearing that it does flow nicely with the rest of the series.  While I don't necessarily agree with the concept, I'm curious to see how CoT holds up when read within the series.

[Stanley the Bugman]

I read the bit with Perrin and the axe this morning while I was getting ready for work. It nearly made me late. =)

 

Anyways, I agree. CoT doesn't really stand on its own as a book. It's very much a middle chapter in a longer story. If you can go right into KoD when you're done, it shouldn't be a problem for you. There really is alot that happens in this book, as well as the generally creepy mood set by many of the scenes. This book feels like the low point for Our Heroes to me.

 

I've started Knife Of Dreams already, I'm only about halfway through the prologue, and already I'm starting to think it's going to be better. Galad's fight with Valda was awesome. The thing that most stuck out to me about that fight though, was that he used the Oneness, which is what Rand used to find the source... I'm interested in seeing if my theory that maybe he can learn to channel is correct. I also liked the part with Suroth, quite a few surprises there too. I can't wait to get into the book more. In fact, what the hell am I doing here?

 

*Starts reading.*

[argh crash]

the oneness isnt just used with saidin.

 

Tam taught it to rand, i think Lan talks about it too. its more a state of being.

 

sorry to wee on your chips. . . :P

[OptimusPrime]

Yeah the oneness is a trick for concentration

[Malruhn]

The scene with Perrin interrogating the Shaido was, in my mind, the most profound scene in the book - even moreso than the scene when Rand claimed Callendor and proclaimed himself the DR.

 

The idea that all these VERY hardened warriors and AS were gathered around, and his, "I'm gonna carve you up like so much meat" speech that shocked them all to the core, just sends shivers down my spine.

 

Bravo, RJ!! Bravo!!

[Stanley the Bugman]

Yeah the oneness is a trick for concentration

 

Yeah, I knew that. I just thought maybe it was Jordan's foreshadowing future events. I also thought it would be quite ironic that Galad, a Child Of The Light, could learn the ability to channel. Oh well, I'll have to read on I guess.

[OptimusPrime]

Its not a bad theory. I think rheres been the possibility of a man with the ability to learn but not the spark and Galad is as interesting a candidate as anyone. One thing though, I hope his current skill with the sword hasnt been influenced by embracing saidin in the Void. That way he'll be even better if/when he learns. Rand is good, but he has the unfair advantage of embracing the Source most of the time. If anyone else were to get that advantage, Id probably pick Galad as well.

 

I actually like Galad and I always have. When he first joined the Children I thought it would be interesting giving his morals and relations, weighed against the current Whitecloak frame of mind. Ive always hoped that Galad would have his own proper development arc. Being Rands brother will be a nice reveal for him, being related to the Dragon Reborn would be for anyone, and learning that he could channel if he learned would be another good addition I think.

 

If Gawyn is the one that instead of Galad I will sacrifice several pigeons.

 

PS I was sweating while writing this post

[bronnt]

I still can't stand the book.  I might be biased since I was actually following series back in 2000, so I had to wait 2 and a half years for that book to be published, and then another 2 and a half years for the next book.  It really did anger me that I had all that waiting, and essentially nothing happened with the plot.  There's not even really much character development outside of the Mat storyline-everyone else stayed pretty static.

 

Once I got to that point, I started to realize that the Perrin storyline was just a huge plot hole.  There's no reason for him to avoid asking Rand for help at this point.  Rand asked him to keep a low profile so that the Forsaken wouldn't know what Perrin was doing, but then he starts flying the flag of Manetheren and intentionally drawing attention to himself.  Rand asked him to retrieve Masema, and he does, and he doesn't send an Ash'Man out to find Rand.  He finds the big army of Shaido that Rand had been hunting, and he doesn't think to send anyone to ask Rand to send an Aiel army and a few hundred Asha'Man to help break them.  There's no real explanation for any of this.

 

I understand that he ultimately wanted to force Perrin into working with Seanchan for the purposes of the larger plot, but Perrin's actions, and those of people with him, make no sense in the overall picture.  What's he accomplishing at this point by remaining completely isolated from the bigger plot?  It's almost silly that he using his Asha'Man to Travel to So Harbor.  If they're going to Travel, they could have just as well have gone to the huge stockpiles in Tear or Cairhien, and they'd have been able to get news of the rest of the plotline.  Instead, RJ is keeping them in forced isolation from the rest of the storyline, and it gets old because Perrin used to be one of my favorite characters.

 

So I still have a lot of problems with CoT, obviously.  I suspect, along with several others, that it and Knife of Dreams were originally one volume, and both grew so long that they became split seperately.  Considering that there's several complete plot threads in KoD that were left hanging in CoT, it makes a lot of sense.  But it still gives me a headache when I think that Perrin essentially entered plot hell because he was running a quick errand.

[TheBeerPatriot]

I still can't stand the book.  I might be biased since I was actually following series back in 2000, so I had to wait 2 and a half years for that book to be published, and then another 2 and a half years for the next book.  It really did anger me that I had all that waiting, and essentially nothing happened with the plot.  There's not even really much character development outside of the Mat storyline-everyone else stayed pretty static.

 

Once I got to that point, I started to realize that the Perrin storyline was just a huge plot hole.  There's no reason for him to avoid asking Rand for help at this point.  Rand asked him to keep a low profile so that the Forsaken wouldn't know what Perrin was doing, but then he starts flying the flag of Manetheren and intentionally drawing attention to himself.  Rand asked him to retrieve Masema, and he does, and he doesn't send an Ash'Man out to find Rand.  He finds the big army of Shaido that Rand had been hunting, and he doesn't think to send anyone to ask Rand to send an Aiel army and a few hundred Asha'Man to help break them.  There's no real explanation for any of this.

 

I understand that he ultimately wanted to force Perrin into working with Seanchan for the purposes of the larger plot, but Perrin's actions, and those of people with him, make no sense in the overall picture.  What's he accomplishing at this point by remaining completely isolated from the bigger plot?  It's almost silly that he using his Asha'Man to Travel to So Harbor.  If they're going to Travel, they could have just as well have gone to the huge stockpiles in Tear or Cairhien, and they'd have been able to get news of the rest of the plotline.  Instead, RJ is keeping them in forced isolation from the rest of the storyline, and it gets old because Perrin used to be one of my favorite characters.

 

So I still have a lot of problems with CoT, obviously.  I suspect, along with several others, that it and Knife of Dreams were originally one volume, and both grew so long that they became split seperately.  Considering that there's several complete plot threads in KoD that were left hanging in CoT, it makes a lot of sense.  But it still gives me a headache when I think that Perrin essentially entered plot hell because he was running a quick errand.

Agreed on Perrin.  It wasn't just his plot line that suffered, it was Elayne's as well.  Starting with TPoD, both Perrin and Elayne's plots really bogged down and didn't move forward until KoD.

 

EDIT: Elayne did have some development in her relationships with Rand and Aviendha.  However, with the larger plot arc (throne of Andor) it really bogged down, along with Perrin's larger plot arc.

[JenniferL]

Agreed on Perrin accomplishing nothing in his storyline. Well, not nothing because he did resolve the Shaido eventually and he did advance the whole "Let's make a deal with the Seanchan" thing a bit. But the goals he's supposed to do? Total fail. I actually forgot that he was supposed to be bringing Masema back to Rand until I did my re-read this summer. He gets so sidetracked by Faile's capture that he just grinds to a halt. Which is a totally Perrin thing to do, but I can see how it aggravates.

[bronnt]

Agreed on Perrin accomplishing nothing in his storyline. Well, not nothing because he did resolve the Shaido eventually and he did advance the whole "Let's make a deal with the Seanchan" thing a bit. But the goals he's supposed to do? Total fail. I actually forgot that he was supposed to be bringing Masema back to Rand until I did my re-read this summer. He gets so sidetracked by Faile's capture that he just grinds to a halt. Which is a totally Perrin thing to do, but I can see how it aggravates.

 

It makes sense that Perrin ignores everything to focus on rescuing Faile, but every time I read the part where he's wondering how he could ever defeat that Shaido army, my first thought is "Well that's not a problem-the Dragon Reborn is a close friend with huge nations and an entire army of male channelers."

 

I think I'd have had no problem at all with the Perrin storyline and the Faile rescue plot if he had traveled to Cairhien, or at least sent someone there, and started looking for Rand.  Right at the start of the book, when he sees the Shaido encampment, immediately after the cleansing of the Source, is when it made perfect sense.  He would likely have arrived just in time to meet Loial, Bashere, and Logain, and could have gotten into the Tear at the same time as they.  Rand would then have learned the situation with Masema, and have learned where the rest of the Shaido are.  Even if Rand is too cynical and self-involved at that point to care about saving Faile, he'd have cared about taking out Sevanna.  And maybe he'd have thought it worthwhile to secure Ghealdan's support in the process.