Chapter Two, "Questions of Leadership"

[Luckers]

Can be listened to here.

 

 

Discuss.

[DPT24]

Okay, it sounds like all three Ta'Varen are stopping or slowing the Dark One's touch, because Perrin says his food's not spoiling randomly. A bit disappointing it wasn't Rand meeting Egwene... but oh well... just a few weeks to go until the book comes out.

[Naffy]

Okay, it sounds like all three Ta'Varen are stopping or slowing the Dark One's touch, because Perrin says his food's not spoiling randomly. A bit disappointing it wasn't Rand meeting Egwene... but oh well... just a few weeks to go until the book comes out.

Agreed. I also love that this shows that Mat is the reason the sky is clear over Caemlyn, not a time line issue. In your face Sanderson bashers!

[Luckers]

So far the chapter reads as 'here are the reasons we're all still here despite Travelling' Faile just rocked up, lets see if things change.

[Naffy]

So far the chapter reads as 'here are the reasons we're all still here despite Travelling' Faile just rocked up, lets see if things change.

The pattern is not allowing Perrin to implement his plan, which is to use a gateway to disperse his group. The pattern is forcing Perrin to become the leader of an army/nation. Even Faile gets it. Why can't Perrin?

[ghoullio]

Yay, another chapter of the grumpy blacksmith who has been denying his destiny for 20 years. He is described as slow witted by some, but this is pushing it. Cmon, Perrin! Embrace your badassness!

 

I found it odd that the bubble of evil seemed to have targeted the channelers in his party. Is it the will of the DO or is the pattern keeping Perrin stuck in the mud?

[Luckers]

Yeah--i get Perrin's concerned about his single mindedness in persuing Faile, but he still seems to have taken a step back.

[Naffy]

Yay, another chapter of the grumpy blacksmith who has been denying his destiny for 20 years. He is described as slow witted by some, but this is pushing it. Cmon, Perrin! Embrace your badassness!

 

I found it odd that the bubble of evil seemed to have targeted the channelers in his party. Is it the will of the DO or is the pattern keeping Perrin stuck in the mud?

I think we may be seeing proof that the "bubbles of evil" are the work of the pattern. Another case is the one in tear. This turned Perrin's axe against him, made Berelain quite pursuing Rand (so she could pursue Perrin), and stop the nobles from hanging with Mat which kind of led to Mat hitting the doorway. Maybe Moiraine was wrong and it is the pattern. Hopefully we will find out.

[Luckers]

Also, anyone else feel that this scene made the prologue scene for Galad completely pointless. 'Oh no he's been captured by Asunawa' 'Nope, it's fine--all is resolved, and off screen too so don't worry about it'.

[Slick Mongoose]

Also, anyone else feel that this scene made the prologue scene for Galad completely pointless. 'Oh no he's been captured by Asunawa' 'Nope, it's fine--all is resolved, and off screen too so don't worry about it'.

 

I don't mind pointlessness, as long as it's fun, but I would have liked more drama. At least show us the fight.

[The Dirty Landry]

Its the Pattern, forcing him to his destiny.

 

I enjoyed Galad's POV, and I am extremely happy I don't have to read about that a**hat Asunawa anymore. Its going to be interesting reading about how Perrin and Galad meet up.

 

From Perrin's POV, it appears that Rand is still at the manor house in Arad Doman right? Is Rand about 2 months from his revelation in VoG? IIRC, Rand knows that Perrin and Galad are together when he enters Bandar Eban, correct? So they should be meeting up in the next chapter or two.

 

Any thoughts on what the Aiel wanted Perrin to see? I really have no clue, what is making them concerned.

[Naffy]

Also, anyone else feel that this scene made the prologue scene for Galad completely pointless. 'Oh no he's been captured by Asunawa' 'Nope, it's fine--all is resolved, and off screen too so don't worry about it'.

I agree, but I think these two POVs really let us see how Galad ticks(and makes him extremely likeable), which is important because he is gaining importance in the story.

[martianblues]

Arrrg!! Too short! But thank you to Tor anyway for giving us teasers.

 

Yeah I think ideally it would have been better to have left us hanging for a while on Galad, but there is probably just too much going on in this book. I look forward to seeing what Galad does with control of the Whitecloaks tho.

[The Dirty Landry]

Also, anyone else feel that this scene made the prologue scene for Galad completely pointless. 'Oh no he's been captured by Asunawa' 'Nope, it's fine--all is resolved, and off screen too so don't worry about it'.

Right now I don't think there's enough pages left to deal with a lot of secondary plot drama. BS just needed a situation in which Galad is able to take over the WC's. It would have made no sense for the Lord Captain's to come to him and be like, "Oh we heard about your awesomeness, you're now our leader." The capture was just a means to show how great a leader Galad is, after all only a good leader would give himself up for his men's lives. I think the evolution of the "mini plot" was perfectly fine.

[b3arz3rg3r]

first time I've heard of Maidens riding anywhere

 

I hope our guesses of Perrin getting his moment of awesome are right, because his part in the story to me just reinforced the things I hate about his character.

[ghoullio]

It seems to me at if Perrin gets his way, Camelyn will be the center of the final battle. Mat is there, Perrin iis on his way there, im sure Galad will make his way home...i guess we'll have to see if who wins out, the Pattern or the Taveren.

 

I'm also waiting to see how the DO plans on using the Children. Galad is completely gullible in that he follows his honor, which could be distorted through Demandred or one of the other Forsaken. They cant be the only organization not to be infested with Dakrkfriends...

 

I took Rand standing beside a burning building to be the WT, or at least entering Tar Valon. If Perrin is keeping the food from spoiling and Mat is clearing the sky, then surely Rand has already had his come to Jesus moment.

[Naffy]

I took Rand standing beside a burning building to be the WT, or at least entering Tar Valon. If Perrin is keeping the food from spoiling and Mat is clearing the sky, then surely Rand has already had his come to Jesus moment.

Its the manor house in Arad Domon and the burning is the fire tha Avi put out by channeling the stream at it. Rand has not epiphanied yet, but Mat and Perrin are positive taveren anyway. Plus, their affect is obviously much less.

[Luckers]

I noticed the 'riding' maidens as well.

 

My general problems with this are, respectively, that Perrin's scene is the same as his last three scenes--he's worried about his single mindedness in persuing Faile, and what it means about his ability to lead, and something messed up is going on with his dreams. And fair enough, but it only needed one scene to show. Why have him in tGS at all if we're gonna get a 'Last Time on the Wheel of Time...'. The whole thing reads like 'I need Perrin to still be present, but I don't have anything to do with him, and he can't progress too far'. Under that note I frankly would have preferred he be absent until his storyline was necessary.

 

And Galad, inversely, needed more. If this plot had begun in tGS, with maybe one scene of Asunawa torturing him and him holding up, then the Lords Captain turning to him would have had time to develop and have weight. As it is this feels cheap--one chapter between capture and capitulation? It reads like RJ's notes stated that Asunawa captured Galad, but Brandon didn't have the space to develop it (which I sympathise with). In fact this might be a place where Brandon needed to actually cut something that RJ had scripted because it wouldn't work.

[b3arz3rg3r]

I forgot to say Galad was really cool though. I'm really starting to like that guy even if he is the epitome of square.

 

Oh and someone tell that it's winter, she doesn't want to have her frozen nipples pierce through those low-cut dresses of hers, does she?

[JenniferL]

So far the chapter reads as 'here are the reasons we're all still here despite Travelling' Faile just rocked up, lets see if things change.

 

Faile is pretty awesome all around in this book. Even my husband, who despised her, revised his opinion to "can't be completely awful" after I told him what happens in this book.

[Naffy]

So far the chapter reads as 'here are the reasons we're all still here despite Travelling' Faile just rocked up, lets see if things change.

 

Faile is pretty awesome all around in this book. Even my husband, who despised her, revised his opinion to "can't be completely awful" after I told him what happens in this book.

So she kills Perrin, takes his place in the tri-pod and has a steamy affair with Berelain?

[fisher80]

geez since when did galad become my 2nd fav character. ill give a one word hint to who my favorite is: "dice"! ha! not very original i know.

 

i'm glad they didnt drag out the anasuwa/galad confrontation. galad already dressed him down in the prologue. BS has got to keep things moving now you guys. the real tension moment will be when perrin's and galad's armies meet up.

 

you think they will have to fight the trolloc army in the south together? maybe that is how they come to understand each other and work together, b/c they are forced too?

 

peace.

[waffle]

I very much dislike the... erm reader? I don´t know what the term is. The man voices everyone as if they have a dagger stuck in the gut or something.

 

 

Soldiers flocking to my fav character - cool. Food not spoiling near my fav character - cool. The former gaishain getting ready for fighting so my fav character has a big army - cool. My fav character whining - damn it.

 

 

The Galad vs Asunwa thing getting wrapped up quickly was a good thing in my opinion. Leaves more room for other plotlines. Like Perrin brooding. And Elayne taking a bath.

[JenniferL]

You also have to realize that Jordan didn't always show us everything. We didn't see Bair's wedding, which is something I wanted to see. We just got a conversation between Rand and Avi about it later. And we also didn't see Mat fighting Couladin. We just see Mat getting stitched up afterwards and thinking about how he nearly died. Considering the length of the series, I think we can be forgiving if the authors want to keep some stuff off screen.

[Sentinel78]

Egwene's Dream from tDR:

 

“Perrin stepping willingly over the edge of a towering cliff while saying, "It must be done. I must learn to fly before I reach the bottom."”

 

I guess this is foreshadowing Perrin's upcoming epiphany moment. I like Galad now, but from a military standpoint, how relevant are the Whitecloaks really? A 13000-strong non-channeling army doesn't seem very impressive nowadays?