AMOL Prologue Spoiler Discussion

[JenniferL]

http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php/News/amol/amolprologue

 

This is the same as what Harriet read at JordanCon this past weekend. Let's keep all discussion here to give our poor moderators a break.

[he who comes with a bong]

great stuff gave me shivers in antcipation

[Darkenmal]

The way how fragile the world is, I think the last battle is fairly early in the book. I could be wrong though.

[Tyzack]

That was interesting

[TheBeerPatriot]

Quite a foreboding tone in this section, I love how Jarid's descent into madness is opposed by the clarity of Bayrd's action to create a spearhead. One of the best singular POV's in the WOT series, IMHO.

[Suttree]

Overall I enjoyed it very much. Prose continues to be clunky at times however.

 

He felt chilled, as if he’d spent an entire night in a cold cellar.

His stomach growled. Again.

 

Ouch.

[David Selig]

Very nice, but Sanderson to be pretty terrible with names. Lord Davies? Seriously?

[lordofsoup]

I assume the names are from the charity contest he held earlier this year.

 

All the knives turning into leather was great.

[randsc]

I found it pretty under-whealming, to be honest.

[Dreggs Morlock]

Overall I enjoyed it very much. Prose continues to be clunky at times however.

 

He felt chilled, as if he’d spent an entire night in a cold cellar.

His stomach growled. Again.

 

Ouch.

His prose might not be perfect, but the tone is. BS has grown in his ability to tell the story of the children of the Two Rivers, and though it isn't Jordan, it IS the same feeling. I can almost believe that these events happened, and RJ was the original historian, and was replaced by BS. The words might be different, how they explain the events might change in POVs... but they saw the SAME world, and are describing the same events.

 

The "hope in a hopeless situation" feel RJ had the ability to describe is very evident in BS.

[Suttree]

His prose might not be perfect, but the tone is.

 

Not sure about perfect but it was very good as I mentioned in my post. Brandon has admitted that prose is not one of his strengths, still quotes like the above can be fairly jarring. As a lit major it is really hard to get past that sort of thing. Fingers crossed for the best in aMoL.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Not sure about perfect but it was very good as I mentioned in my post. Brandon has admitted that prose is not one of his strengths, still quotes like the above can be fairly jarring. As a lit major it is really hard to get past that sort of thing. Fingers crossed for the best in aMoL.

 

Lit major eh? Yeah, I was doing that as a major for 2 years, i got sick of it though, but I know what you mean, it does sound a bit jarring.

 

The passage I found more interesting than the report on it. The scene itself seemed pretty ordianary (well, compared to what COULD have been read, like a Forsaken chapter or something) but I think it has a lot of potential Forshadowing.

 

Alot of interesting stuff musing about the DO, and how concentrating on his work made it seem Lighter, that he thinks this was the way to fight the DO.

 

Also the whole bit about him being tied to the "stones of Andor", I take it to just be showing the cultural side of his upbringing, but still interesting, since the metal melted (and although Maria has confirmed that it was a localized event, it could still happen in wider proportions later on in the book) and the stressing of importance of stone.

 

Also all the shadowy shapes that people seem to see could be ghosts which can do some damage (like when Mat sees the peddler die) or they could be something related to the Shadow. I was going to say Shadowspawn, but Trollocs would most likely have just attacked not mess around in the shadows.

 

Edit: Just remembered the DO is Lord of the Grave, could have some control over the ghosts.

 

Also, the paranoia Jarid displays along with the shadows and such looks like Fain's work as well. Specially with the mention of Two Rivers (although not really anything, since High Lords would know Andor) but just the fact he thought of going to Two Rivers sounds like Fain's influence. Not recently, since Fain has obviously otherwise occupied, but something like Elaida's paranoia.

[Suttree]

The passage I found more interesting than the report on it. The scene itself seemed pretty ordianary (well, compared to what COULD have been read, like a Forsaken chapter or something) but I think it has a lot of potential Forshadowing.

 

Alot of interesting stuff musing about the DO, and how concentrating on his work made it seem Lighter, that he thinks this was the way to fight the DO.

 

I found that interesting as well. Almost as if the act of creating something helped push the DO's effect back to some extent. "Belief and order give strength"?

[Barid Bel Medar]

Alot of interesting stuff musing about the DO, and how concentrating on his work made it seem Lighter, that he thinks this was the way to fight the DO.

 

I found that interesting as well. Almost as if the act of creating something helped push the DO's effect back to some extent. "Belief and order give strength"?

 

Yeah, I thought of that passage as well. As the opposite "Light Side" slogan to "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule". I could see those two being the mottos of either side.

[Maleshub]

Are the remnants of Sarand's army the group of farmers that showed up at the Field of Merrilor?

[Barid Bel Medar]

Are the remnants of Sarand's army the group of farmers that showed up at the Field of Merrilor?

 

I would say no. Sarand seems to have a pretty decent bunch of soliders. I wouldn't think they would be mistaken for "farmers". It is possible that some of their group is in there, but I would say it is made up of a heap of different people.

 

I am going for it being a group of Darkfriends or under Forsaken influence though. Ready to mess up FoM meeting.

[Maleshub]

Are the remnants of Sarand's army the group of farmers that showed up at the Field of Merrilor?

 

I would say no. Sarand seems to have a pretty decent bunch of soliders. I wouldn't think they would be mistaken for "farmers". It is possible that some of their group is in there, but I would say it is made up of a heap of different people.

 

I am going for it being a group of Darkfriends or under Forsaken influence though. Ready to mess up FoM meeting.

 

But Sarand's soldiers lost all their metal (weaponry and armor); and have had to make stone-tipped weapons or pick up whatever pitchforks and stuff they could along the way. They wouldn't look like professional soldiers anymore. Going by appearance alone wouldn't give a definitive answer.

 

This is their description:

"They came on their own," Gawyn said. "Farmers, mostly. Not really a true army; most don't have swords. Pitchforks, wood axes, quarterstaffs. I assume al'Thor sent them. They started wandering in yesterday."

 

"Curious," Egwene said. They seemed a varied bunch, with mismatched tents and little understanding of how to set up an army camp. But there did seem to be some five or ten thousand of them. "Have some scouts keep an eye on them."

 

Their inability to set up a proper camp might indicate they aren't Sarand's remnants. But if they picked up farmers along the way and they're a mixed lot, then they wouldn't be able to set up camp.

[Owayn The Traveller]

Was doing so well in not posting here and getting impatient for the book. Then that snippet of the prologue came out and it was excellent.

The sense of the world slipping away and the primal feel to the whole stone shaping. Flint!

The banging of the stones as the time is slipping away.

[aross]

I can't, for the life of me, understand the complaints. The passage is a perfect stage setter, just as opening POVs have been in previous books.

 

@Barid Bel Medar - Darkfriends? Team Jordan hasn't jumped the shark and neither should you. The farmers are not the danger at the Field of Merrilor. Oh, I won't deny that there are likely to be Darkfriends there, still hidden, and that we'll get some reveals. But those Darkfriends will be in places of influence, trying to sow chaos and split the alliance before it can form.

 

Is this what happens when there's two years between books? Crazy darkfriend theories to relieve the boredom? If so, then I propose we set oddsmakers to create betting lines. For instance:

 

Taim: 1 to 1

Javindra: 6 to 5

Sorilea: 11 to 5

Covril: 5 to 2

King Roedran (possibly a Forsaken in disguise): 3 to 1

Galgan: 5 to 1

Davram Bashere: 20 to 1

Edarra: 25 to 1

Cadsuane: 75 to 1

Amys, Rhuarc, Melaine: 100 to 1

Gawyn or Galad: 1000000 to 1

Egwene: STFU!

[Chesus]

I just assumed that it was either the apple orchard guy and people he gathered along the way or the farmer guy from TGS prologue. Either would fit here, though the man with the apples actually met Rand (twice) so I'd be more inclined to think it was him.

[randsc]

The farmers at Merilor are just that. Farmers, who are at Merilor. They are people like the Borderland smith, who have been drawn to where the Dragon needs them. They are not Darkfriends, and are far more likely to save things at Merilor, rather than "mess them up", since they will be supremely unconcerned with political discussions.

 

Sarand's people are responding to exactly the same imperative. I am willing to bet that hundreds of thousands are. Those 5,000 are just the first on scene. Certain of our main characters have mistaken rallying a few leaders for rallying actual support. The difference will shortly be made clear.

[Barid Bel Medar]

The farmers at Merilor are just that. Farmers, who are at Merilor. They are people like the Borderland smith, who have been drawn to where the Dragon needs them. They are not Darkfriends, and are far more likely to save things at Merilor, rather than "mess them up", since they will be supremely unconcerned with political discussions.

 

 

Oh I see, I did not know you were also had access to aMoL and RJ's notes. I should have realised....

[randsc]

Well, we'll just see, won't we?

 

There is zero, absolutely zero, textual evidence for them being Darkfriends. There is significant textual evidence that ordinary people are feeling drawn to the Dragon, and moving en mass.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Edit: I won't say "problem" since it wasn't a big deal, just the reason I was replying to, not what you were saying. I was being facetious

 

It is speculation, not a contest, you don't earn any prizes. That is the whole point of these threads.

 

We have certainly seen bigger twists, and Darkfriends are currently rallying behind Cyndane and Moggy and the Shadow will no doubt jump at the chance to interfere.

 

All of the Farmers we have seen are heading north to the Borderlands, not to the Dragon.

 

Do you have some problem with farmers= Darkfriends?

 

It is speculation, not a competition, no need to be so serious.

[MasterAblar]

My problem was with your communication, not what you were saying. I was being facetious

 

It is speculation, not a contest, you don't earn any prizes. That is the whole point of these threads.

 

We have certainly seen bigger twists, and Darkfriends are currently rallying behind Cyndane and Moggy and the Shadow will no doubt jump at the chance to interfere.

 

All of the Farmers we have seen are heading north to the Borderlands, not to the Dragon.

 

Do you have some problem with farmers= Darkfriends?

 

It is speculation, not a competition, no need to be so serious.

 

What would be the point? The Shadow would be better served by keeping the darkfriends intergrated within the various armies so that they can do damage from the inside. 5000 darkfriends gathered together as an army of farmers is not going to do much damage.