The gasp event in knife of dreams

[phoenix]

Yeah, so before Knife of Dreams was released, RJ said that there would be a moment to make the audience gasp, and that it would pertain to the consequences of an event from an earlier book. What was it?

 

Phoenix

(previously known as Guardian Ian)

[Kadere]

It is believed to be in the chapter "To Make an Anchor Weep", when we find out that the Amayar are all dead or dying because the age of illusions is over.

[Cam]

i remember that part...but who the hell are the amayar (i know it was explained, but why were they never mentioned before?)

[Silver]

yeah... i never considred that part the gasp moment either. don't know about them, don't care about them (cept intellectually knowing it's bad)

[JenniferL]

They had been mentioned a few times before.

[Kadere]

"East the wind blew across Tremalking, where the fair-skinned Amayar farmed their fields, and made fine glass and porcelain, and followed the Water Way. The Amayar ignored the world beyond their scattered islands, for the Water Way taught that this world was only illusion, a mirrored reflection of belief, yet some watched the wind carry dust and deep summer heat where cold winter rains should be falling, and they remembered tales heard by the Atha'an Miere. Tales of the world beyond, and what prophecy said was to come. Some looked to a hill where a massive stone hand rose from the earth, holding a clear crystal sphere larger than many houses. The Amayar had their own prophecies, and some of those spoke of the hand and the sphere. And the end of illusions."- Chapter 1, To Keep the Bargain, The Path of Daggers

 

This is the first real mention of the Amayer, and gives you all the information you need. They are also mentioned in Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, and of course Knife of Dreams.

[Silver]

still not enough info to get emotionally attached to them

[Kocisz]

What made me "gasp" was Tuon's announcement that Mat is her husband. I knew it was coming, but had no idea that it's gonna turn out this way.

[Moric]

Gotta go with that. I didn't GASP, but certainly made a little jump there (swedish expressions doesn't translate well without losing their meanings, but that one's fairly obvious, eh?). Nice one. ;)

 

Moric of the Singing Wind sept of the Miagoma Aiel

[Guest Majsju]

Do you really need to be emotionally attached to someone to find it horrible that they die in such a way???

 

Where is the world going these days...?

[Cam]

i guess....i knew they would get married cuz it is too much to fit into the last book...the last batt AND them gettin hitched...but there was no gasp.

i know it wasnt a gasp, but when rand loses his hand i was pretty pissed, seems as if RJ is killing him bit by bit...

[Moric]

I didn't gasp for the Amayar, I mourned. It was indeed a thing to make an anchor weep. Very sad, but not surprising or shocking. I kinda saw that one coming.

 

Moric of the Singing Wind Miagoma

[rizzo]

I think its pretty obvious that the gasping moment in KoD was when Rand lost his LEFT ARM? have u forgotten that already!?

[Moric]

Nooo... That was more like a SHUDDER... Hehe...

 

Or rather: haven't forgotten. Just didn't gasp over it.

 

Moric

[SinisterDeath]

he lost his hand, not his entire arm....

[Moric]

The point was valid, in any case.

 

M

[crash]

i think it was when aram tried to kill perrin

[Guest cwestervelt]

RJ has implied in his blog that the Amayar mass suicide was the event. That it was an event you were supposed to have cheared that triggered it almost immediately rules out Perrin killing Aram, and other similar incidents. Or do people considered Trollocs slaughtering Tinkers to have been an event worthy of cheering?

 

For Kamanile, I didn't put the whole onus for failing to see the gasp moment on the fans. If you read my post, I said that either I had failed completely in making you have the same sense of realness in the books that I do when writing or else.... I do think there is a hardening to many people, though, through being inundated with images of hurricane victims, tsunami victims, people starving because of famines, suicide bombing sites etc. There was a time that the splattered blood of a suicide bomb site would have been considered too graphic and violent for the evening news. Now, it is an appropriate thing to show while people are having dinner. It won't spoil too many appetites. <sigh> I noticed one or two posts of comments to spoiler reviews where the gasp moment was revealed and some people seemed to find it funny. That's somebody who probably makes Darfur jokes.

[Jellybelly]

In addition to that, RJ said that the gasp moment would be a consequence of something we had seen happen in an earlier book. The loss of Rand's hand is not a consequence of an earlier event.

[Moric]

Very true... And I'd like to know who would think that shadowspawn slaughtering Lost Ones is worth cheering. *readies his spears*

 

Moric of the Singing Wind Miagoma

[avalon]

But if the 'gasp moment' is the discovery that the Amayar are dying out cos the age of illusion is over, then why is that as a result of something which we thot was gd in a previous book?

It's been a while since I've read KoD and even longer since I read the rest (I'm planning on a marathon re-read this summer :lol: ) but I don't remember feeling like the end of the age of illusion was a gd thing, in fact I don't remember being told about it before so if someone could possibly jog my memory.....hehe. Also, I rly feel like there was something else in KoD that was more significant but its keeps slipping away from me, although I think it has to do with Aes Sedai... sorry for the vagueness but if someone could help

[Guest Majsju]

But if the 'gasp moment' is the discovery that the Amayar are dying out cos the age of illusion is over' date=' then why is that as a result of something which we thot was gd in a previous book?

It's been a while since I've read KoD and even longer since I read the rest (I'm planning on a marathon re-read this summer :lol: ) but I don't remember feeling like the end of the age of illusion was a gd thing, in fact I don't remember being told about it before so if someone could possibly jog my memory.....hehe. Also, I rly feel like there was something else in KoD that was more significant but its keeps slipping away from me, although I think it has to do with Aes Sedai... sorry for the vagueness but if someone could help[/quote']

 

The Amayar thought that it was the end of Illusion when the giant hand with the sphere (the female Choedan Kal) melted. It melted because it was used in the Cleansing. The Cleansing was most definitly an event worth cheering.

[avalon]

ohhhhh ok its all flooding back to me now. cool thanks :)

[Guest cwestervelt]

But if the 'gasp moment' is the discovery that the Amayar are dying out cos the age of illusion is over' date=' then why is that as a result of something which we thot was gd in a previous book?

It's been a while since I've read KoD and even longer since I read the rest (I'm planning on a marathon re-read this summer :lol: ) but I don't remember feeling like the end of the age of illusion was a gd thing, in fact I don't remember being told about it before so if someone could possibly jog my memory.....hehe. Also, I rly feel like there was something else in KoD that was more significant but its keeps slipping away from me, although I think it has to do with Aes Sedai... sorry for the vagueness but if someone could help[/quote']

 

It is from "With the Chodan Kal" in Winter's Heart There is a 3 paragraph section that starts on page 640 of the Tor first printing hardcover. This is one of the few times we get mention of the Amayar, and I think it is the only time where we get a PoV from one of them. It coincides with the Cleansing of the Taint. It's another one of the many points were the first few times reading the books, you have no idea why it is included. After KoD, you do.

 

The last 2 paragraphs are:

Suddenly the one unplowed hill caught her eye. A great stone hand stuck out of the ground clasping a clear sphere as large as a house. And that sphere was shining like a glorious summer sun.

 

All thoughts of the Atha'an Miere gone, Timna gathered her cloak and sat down on the ground, smiling to thing that she might see the fulfillment of prophecy and the end of Illusion.

[Paxam]

I really can't see the Amayar dying being the gasp moment, and if it was what RJ was referring to (which seems sadly likely), then if he expected us to gasp, why not have mentioned these people more than a handful of times before, and those times as more of an afterthought to just put in a funny word?

 

Really, we don't know anything about these people. They have no place or purpose in the story as of yet. They are irrelevant.

 

I think Aram's going to the dark side with the Prophet is more of a "gasp" event. More related to the actual story.