If you could ask Brandon ANY 3 Questions ... but HERE are the RULES!!!

[Byzantine279]

My first, and only, for now:

 

Assuming the light wins, does the future Avi. saw have to come to pass, or is it merely a possible future like those told by Dreams?

[Owayn The Traveller]

1. Any chance you could split the last book in three? So much has to happen and I don't want a feeling of it being rushed or skipped over and most importantly when its over what do I do now?

 

2. Could you make Taim turn out to be Demandred after all? Now that's a turnip for the books.

 

3. Could you name the newly invented train that runs from Cahirien Thomas? He could be a very helpful engine in the last battle.

[Terez]

TOM was copy-edited by Maria and Peter and a few others after Brandon made the corrections based on beta readers' suggestions. It was just all too rushed, as a delay would have caused the book to come out months later (as books don't come out between December and February at all). All involved parties have publicly declared that the state of TOM from a copy-editor's perspective was just plain bad. They've apologized for it, and they've promised it won't happen again. Nuff said.

 

If you read TWOK you'll notice it suffers from the same problem in the first edition.

[The Fisher King]

1. Any chance you could split the last book in three? So much has to happen and I don't want a feeling of it being rushed or skipped over and most importantly when its over what do I do now?

 

2. Could you make Taim turn out to be Demandred after all? Now that's a turnip for the books.

 

3. Could you name the newly invented train that runs from Cahirien Thomas? He could be a very helpful engine in the last battle.

 

OTT Old Buddy, I am SERIOUSLY hoping that your Number 1 was ALL Tongue In Cheek ... Youre not forgetting, I presume, that AMOL has ALREADY been split into three books, are you, lol??? ;-)

 

(TGS, TOM AMOL)

 

 

- Fish

[SethBaker]

Maybe you got a first edition of Towers of Midnight, or maybe there are not nearly as many errors in it that you think there are.

I was a straight A student in English in high school and college, and I am certain that The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight were both edited very well and did not have enough grammatical and continuity mistakes to cause the editor's ability to be so disrespected.

 

I guess I got a first edition, as I owned it before the appearance of a 12 page thread listing typos and errata. And for all you eggshell walkers out there: This is The Wheel of Time. One of the most acclaimed fantasy series ever written, that ensured the author a place in the annals of history and thrust his family into the top 1% of wealth owners in the world. Personally I've contributed at least $300 over the years to that wealth solely in book purchases. I've given WoT a constant five years of my life (7 re-reads, 3 Leigh Butler FAQ re-reads, and countless hours forum trolling). It is not unreasonable to expect the high standard of editing to be maintained. Anyway I'm weighing out of this now.

 

Anyway another question: How has the secret of gunpowder been kept excusively by the Illuminators when every society and sect contains darkfriends that interract with eachother frequently and pool all their resources/secrets?

 

Maintain? There have been significant errors in many books in the series. Compare the beginning of Chapter 31 of the Eye of the World with the middle of Chapter 33.

 

A farmer, a long-faced man with creases in his cheeks from worry.

 

...

 

"I don't know what you're running from," he had said with an anxious frown, "and I don't want to . You understand? My family." Abruptly the farmer had two long scarves out of his coat pocket and pushed the tangle of wool at them. "It's not much, but here. Belong to my boys. They have others. You don't know me, understand? It's hard times."

 

Alpert Mull, a stolid man, with a square face and square hands, both worn and grooved from hard work and worry...

 

He hardly looked at Rand or Mat, but when he let them down by the narrow, rail-lined track that led off to his farm, he hesitated, then said, almost as if to himself, "I don't know what you're running from, and I don't want to. I have a wife and children. You understand? My family..."

 

...

 

"I don't know what you're running from, and I don't want to. You understand? My family." Suddenly he pulled two long, woolen scarves, dark and thick, out of his coat pocket. "It's not much, but here. Belong to my boys. They have others. You don't know me, understand? It's hard times."

 

These kind of errors have been in the series from the beginning. I don't think it's a big deal.

[Terez]

lol. Emma would just DIE if she knew you compared us like that.

 

I'm sure if I knew either of you i'd think that was funny too, LOL!!!

Emma and I fight a lot. It all started with Lews Therin years ago, but now we just fight on principle. We've even fought here before, in the pre-release TGS spoiler thread (we didn't allow any spoilers at Theoryland) - about Lews Therin of course. I'd read half the book, and she'd read the whole thing, and she was going on about how the real'ers were proved right after all (which of course most Theorylanders disagreed with in the end, and most Dragonmounters too). So she was lording it over me cause I'd only gotten to read half the book in a bookstore (I harassed an employee), but then I got Deadsy to give me a quote from Veins of Gold, which was the bit that's in my sig at Theoryland: 'He knew—somehow—that he would never again hear Lews Therin's voice in his head. For they were not two men, and never had been.' So then we argued about that. I seem to recall Jenn breaking it up.

 

Some things that Brandon said caused me to doubt Verin=Nakomi. That was on the TOM tour, so I haven't been defending the theory much since it was posted. Some think it is disproved by timeline, but there are arguments around that. It might still be true, but there are a couple of other options that seem believable to me. Really only one - that it was something to do with the weakening Pattern. Perhaps it was the ghost of Aviendha's grandmother, or something like that. I don't buy the Jenn Aiel thing because there are too many things about it that don't make sense IMO. I could also see it being Lanfear, but that seems less likely than the weakening Pattern for a few reasons.

[ShenAnCalhar]

 

4 In TOM, when Rand goes off against the Trolloc army in Maradon, we see the scene through the POV of ITULRADE, - how can HE be describing ''Deathgates''??? He wasn't there in KOD when Rand described Deathgates the one and only time they have been shown in the series?

 

 

I hear this one a lot, and I think it could easily be answered. Rand was in a room full of people when he described deathgates, including Logain. It's not a far stretch of the imagination to believe that off-screen, Rand and/or Logain told other Asha'man what they were called ("what the hell were those things we made?"), and word spread. Rodel is one of the great captains, so you would imagine he would thoroughly drill his Asha'man about their capabilities.

 

That said, I may bend your rules a bit, and would also ask stuff that I don't think will be answered in AMoL.

 

1. I have to second the "how did Rand suddenly get ridiculously powerful and omniscient?" I don't think re-integrating with LTT fully explains it, but maybe it does. Strolling into the White Tower without a care in the world, destroying Shadowspawn on a previously unseen scale without a sa'angreal, etc.

 

2. Explain how Moiraine is not able to escape from the Eelfin with her three demands. I know she said she saw nothing in the rings about being able to escape (implying that she saw every single possible permutation, which seems unlikely as well), but how hard should it be escape with 3 demands, especially knowing the dangers and difficulties as she did?

 

3. More about the Aelfin/Eelfin - where do they exist, and what is their place in the pattern?

 

Bonus:

 

If you were given the opportunity to bitch-slap one character in the series, who would it be and why?

 

Why doesn't Moridin quit whining and just balefire himself?

[Terez]

RJ said that the 'Finns exist in a parallel world (not a Mirror World).

[Pinzarn]

If you were given the opportunity to bitch-slap one character in the series, who would it be and why?

 

Faile

[Terez]

Brandon would probably say Cadsuane.

[herid]

 

Bonus:

 

If you were given the opportunity to bitch-slap one character in the series, who would it be and why?

 

Tuon. For being unbelievably arrogant, as blind as a bat and as obstinate as a donkey.

[ryanphlp2002]

I think the editing and proof reading is pretty good compared to many fantasy series (poor Gemmell's was terrible!) though she should have wielded a Perrin size axe at "Crossroads of Twilight"

[SethBaker]

That "which character in the series would you bitchslap?" deserves its own thread.

 

What the heck is weiled?

[ryanphlp2002]

Lol! weiled AKA Wielded! I confess now rather than just edit sneakily...blame it on the ouzo....

[Grig]

 

Maintain? There have been significant errors in many books in the series. Compare the beginning of Chapter 31 of the Eye of the World with the middle of Chapter 33.

 

<snip>

 

These kind of errors have been in the series from the beginning. I don't think it's a big deal.

 

http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/2_nondark/2.7_generalities/2.7.7_scarves.html

 

I never really saw it as an error, although it was a bit disorienting. Not to say there are not some errors in earlier books, but they're not as bad as some contemporaries.

[The Fisher King]

 

Maintain? There have been significant errors in many books in the series. Compare the beginning of Chapter 31 of the Eye of the World with the middle of Chapter 33.

 

<snip>

 

These kind of errors have been in the series from the beginning. I don't think it's a big deal.

 

http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/2_nondark/2.7_generalities/2.7.7_scarves.html

 

I never really saw it as an error, although it was a bit disorienting. Not to say there are not some errors in earlier books, but they're not as bad as some contemporaries.

 

 

You could arguably say that RJ ''erred'' in the way that he went about EXECUTING that particular section/flashback ;-)

 

 

- Fish

[Grig]

You could arguably say that RJ ''erred'' in the way that he went about EXECUTING that particular section/flashback ;-)

 

No more than you can say CoT was an "error". I actually enjoyed it (yea, even the first time reading it after waiting a couple years for it!), but it didn't work for a lot of people.

[Kestrel]

My three questions for Brandon:

 

1. If you could rewrite the storylines of any major character(s) the way you'd like, rather than the way RJ intended, what would you change?

 

2. Are you a member / lurker on the Theoryland or Dragonmount forums? (If so, I suppose it would probably be asking too much to have you reveal your avatar name.....)

 

3. Which currently popular fan theories should be abandoned as ridiculous or outrageous?

[Shalon Casbin]

1. How was Nynaeve able to retrieve Lan's bond while the BT was under a dream spike's effect? Grady couldn't travel etc.

 

2. Is Birgittes wearing of a sword an omen?

 

3. Avie's vision in the Pillars, will we see a conclusion so that the Power remains in play within the WoT world, post-Last Battle without the Seanchan ruling them? More to the point, Will we see an aversion to the outcome she sees (the Whiter Tower falling, and Aiel dieing)

[Sleeper]

1. How was Nynaeve able to retrieve Lan's bond while the BT was under a dream spike's effect? Grady couldn't travel etc.

2. Is Birgittes wearing of a sword an omen?

 

3. Avie's vision in the Pillars, will we see a conclusion so that the Power remains in play within the WoT world, post-Last Battle without the Seanchan ruling them? More to the point, Will we see an aversion to the outcome she sees (the Whiter Tower falling, and Aiel dieing)

Oh wow, is she wearing a sword now? If she is, that's definitely a bad omen for her.

[Tiinker]

1. Where has Demandred been all this time..

2. Is AMoL going to end up as a very kitch happy ever after where everyone survives or is going to a major bloodbath where 95% of the main characters get killed?

3. What kind of role will the Tinkers and Ogier have in TG?

[Sleeper]

1. Where has Demandred been all this time..

2. Is AMoL going to end up as a very kitch happy ever after where everyone survives or is going to a major bloodbath where 95% of the main characters get killed?

3. What kind of role will the Tinkers and Ogier have in TG?

I think I remember hearing somewhere that Brandon was shocked at the death list that RJ left behind, so rest assured that TG will probably be bloody as hell.

[Terez]

He said on the TGS that there were a surprising number of deaths in the notes, and that he got to play headsman. There were a few semi-important ones in TOM - Farstrider, Nicola, Katerine, etc. - but I expect most of them to be in AMOL.

[Mr Ares]

2. Are you a member / lurker on the Theoryland or Dragonmount forums? (If so, I suppose it would probably be asking too much to have you reveal your avatar name.....)

He's a member on here.

[SethBaker]

 

Maintain? There have been significant errors in many books in the series. Compare the beginning of Chapter 31 of the Eye of the World with the middle of Chapter 33.

 

<snip>

 

These kind of errors have been in the series from the beginning. I don't think it's a big deal.

 

http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/2_nondark/2.7_generalities/2.7.7_scarves.html

 

I never really saw it as an error, although it was a bit disorienting. Not to say there are not some errors in earlier books, but they're not as bad as some contemporaries.

 

If that clusterfuck is accurate, I think that's several nails in the coffin holding the idea that Jordan was a good writer.