A Question of Age and Sex

[tonofthorns]

38-female

My favorite charactors are Nynaeve, Cadsuane, Mat.

Nynaeve- She's fiesty and her charactor grows and she cares

Cadsuane- just wants to make sure Rand makes is to TG

Mat- He is a fun charactor

 

Don't know that I really dislike any charactors. Elaida, Elayne, and Egwene are just annoying at times.

[makaveli422]

32 and Male. My likes and dislikes have changed over the years. One example is Eggy. used to hate her since GS and TOM I like her again. When I was younger I didn't like Nynaeve but as I have gotten older I understand her better. It also helps that she has really grown as a character too.

 

So here goes, likes Mat, Perrin, Tuon, Brigette, Sammael, Fain.

 

Dislikes, Elayne, Faile, and most Aes Sedai, plus most nobility this includes Gawyn.

 

Those are the characters that I have not changed my mind on through several rereads over the last 16 years.

[Mr Ares]

Male, and old enough to know better.

I like most of the characters, but my favourites would have to include: Nynaeve, Rand, Moiraine, Cadsuane, Faile, Elayne, Thom, Moridin and Asmo.

[Lacanos]

20M.

The only character I sometimes don't enjoy reading is Perrin, simply because I find he seems to confront the same problem repeatedly coming up with slightly different takes on essentially the same issue.

[nerdysickgirl]

32 female

 

Favorites:

Egwene. Aside from her ever-growing AS arrogance, I think she's one of the toughest of all the characters.

Nynaeve. Also a tough chick, and I enjoy her tantrums just as much as watching her mature.

Logain. I think he's decent and honest. I'm really looking forward to seeing what his role will be in the final book.

Moiraine. So happy she's back!!

Also Lan, Verin, Birgitte, Rand, Siuan, Leann, Bashere, etc.....lol

 

Dislikes:

Fain. Seriously, why can't this guy just die already?

Galad, What a stick in the mud he is. I always get a sense of impending doom when his chapters come up.

Berelain. Gold-digging, power hungry tramp.

Taim, self explanatory.

Elaida. She's a nasty one. What a beast.

[Maleshub]

I don't understand how people can hate Cadsuane. She is never being "Aes Sedai" just for the sake of being one she has always been herself and without apology. Plus, who didn't love when she spanked Semirhage?!

 

Brandon.

I don't understand how people can hate Cadsuane. She is never being "Aes Sedai" just for the sake of being one she has always been herself and without apology. Plus, who didn't love when she spanked Semirhage?!

 

Indeed. Radrian have you ever seen RJ's notes detailing how awesome she is.

 

http://www.theorylan...vmain.php?i=652

 

There are very few people on the side of the light that have been more successful than she.

 

It takes a good drink to swallow her "mind your manners, boy" and her face-slapping and pinching techniques. While acknowledging that Rand needed people who didn't grovel to him to give him perspective and advise him, he didn't need to be bullied and put under additional strain.

 

But in the end, she cannot be blamed at all since the Taint, LTT, frustration, agony, and despair, as well as the weight of responsibility and skewed philosophy, and finally the TP drove Rand to the edge. He needed divine intervention to bring him back from the brink!

 

38-female

My favorite charactors are Nynaeve, Cadsuane, Mat.

Nynaeve- She's fiesty and her charactor grows and she cares

Cadsuane- just wants to make sure Rand makes is to TG

Mat- He is a fun charactor

 

Don't know that I really dislike any charactors. Elaida, Elayne, and Egwene are just annoying at times.

 

Lol ... you seem to dislike any Aes Sedai whose name starts with an "E."

 

As to my favorites, they are the couples, especially when both are strong-willed and act as equals. My favorite couples are in the following order:

- Rand and Aviendha

- Mat and Tuon

- Nynaeve and Lan

- Siuan and Gareth

- Moiraine and Thom

- Morgase and Tallanvor

- Berelain and Galad

- Gaul and Chiad

 

My least favorite couples are:

- Perrin and Faile

- Egwene and Gawyn

 

I would love to see the following couplings:

- Karede and Selucia

- Joline and Talmanes

- Tam and Alliandre

[Sharaman]

Age 50, male. Don't really like any of the characters - read WoT for the intricate plotting and the brilliant world building.

[Morsker]

34 Male

 

Like: Nynaeve. I used to like Elayne when she was Nynaeve's sidekick, and Rand before he spent all the time crying and making bad decisions.

 

Nynaeve, Min, Aviendha - They're always trying their best to solve problems, and to accomplish things bigger than themselves.

 

Moghedian - She's my favorite villain because she acts like a real person. She's cautious, and knows she isn't invincible.

 

 

Dislike: Most of the Aes Sedai, especially Cadsuane. But I put the blame on author bias more than the characters. He wanted to write strong women, but he was bad at it, and he wrote highschool bullies instead.

 

Egwene and Elayne - Mary Sues. I'd love them if they were real; who wouldn't love Mary Sue! But in a story, they feel like cheats because they never suffer the disappointments the other characters do. They're never forced to change.

 

Rand - Spent too long making stupid mistakes, and generally being off-camera doing nothing.

 

Perrin - Had no personality for 12 entire books.

 

Tuon and the Seanchen - I have no patience for the author's agenda regarding slavery. He thinks it's complicated; I don't. I'll add that he has to resort to prophecy to force everyone to accept Tuon and the Seanchen: deus ex machina. Bleh.

 

edit: Oh, I'll reply to this Cadsuane stuff:

I don't understand how people can hate Cadsuane. She is never being "Aes Sedai" just for the sake of being one she has always been herself and without apology. Plus, who didn't love when she spanked Semirhage?!

 

Indeed. Radrian have you ever seen RJ's notes detailing how awesome she is.

 

http://www.theorylan...vmain.php?i=652

 

There are very few people on the side of the light that have been more successful than she.

I didn't love when she spanked Semirhage, because I thought it was just more of the same theme, that Cadsuane's cruelty makes people stronger, and cruelty is a good way of teaching respect and discipline. So of course this is going to culminate in Cadsuane doing something amazing with spanking, right? The character all but exists to spank people. If anything, the spanking scene just gives hindsight that makes all the preceeding Cadsuane scenes even more ridiculous, since we know what they're building up to. (I see an amusing contrast to Terry Goodkind in the spanking scene. Goodkind loves rape and torture, but here in WoT-land, we love spanking and hazing and slavery instead. WoT is just as fond of its sadomasochstic relationships, only it leaves the sex out of them and thereby escapes criticism.)

 

The backstory only annoyed me, because I viewed it as propaganda telling me I was supposed to like the character. And that's really all of the problem with Cadsuane, not that she exists and is sometimes annoying, but that the story deifies her. If Cadsuane were presented as a normal human being, like Siuan or Sheriam, someone who could be biased or wrong, there might not be a problem at all.

[Radrian]

@Morsker

 

This is fantasy... "larger than life" characters should be expected. I think you read into the spanking thing in an odd light. The point was to humiliate the Forsaken to get information not for people to make a strange analysis of RJ's repressed sexual fantasies. (even though the spanking I'm talking about was written by Sanderson)

 

I would accept "Cadsuane as a normal person" thing if she hadn't lived for 100's of years and had reason to be set in her ways. Mainly because her ways produced results.

 

If anything the Aiel made the least sense to me. Their "honor system" was annoying to me. Maybe in my re-read I'll appreciate them more.

 

The Seanchan and their slavery should be aggravating because they are enemies in the story.

[Luckers]

I didn't love when she spanked Semirhage, because I thought it was just more of the same theme, that Cadsuane's cruelty makes people stronger, and cruelty is a good way of teaching respect and discipline. So of course this is going to culminate in Cadsuane doing something amazing with spanking, right? The character all but exists to spank people. If anything, the spanking scene just gives hindsight that makes all the preceeding Cadsuane scenes even more ridiculous, since we know what they're building up to. (I see an amusing contrast to Terry Goodkind in the spanking scene. Goodkind loves rape and torture, but here in WoT-land, we love spanking and hazing and slavery instead. WoT is just as fond of its sadomasochstic relationships, only it leaves the sex out of them and thereby escapes criticism.)

 

I agree. I thought it was poorly and bluntly written, and it didn't pay the weight of Semirhage breaking.

 

I would accept "Cadsuane as a normal person" thing if she hadn't lived for 100's of years and had reason to be set in her ways. Mainly because her ways produced results.

 

According to RJ's notes on Cadsuane, she's remarkably adaptable, and though many sisters think she is set in her ways, she is in fact the complete opposite, which I think shows through in the earlier books--you need only see the way she reacts to Verin for proof of that.

 

That being said, I agree the depicition in the spanking scene--and all of tGS and TofM, is of a arrogant old woman who is set in her ways.

[Perringirl26]

23 Female,

 

I love Nynaeve, I feel very empathetic towards her, and Lan. I also love Loial, and his story. I'm only on the 4th book btw so I don't know a lot of character yet, but so far so good. I like Thom and his little woman before she got killed, I feel bad for Thom for all the love he's lost. I don't really like Moiraine very much, I do like Faile so far and I like Perrin. I like all the Far Dareis Mai, I think they are cool, and I like the wise ones, and the Tel aran rhiod I know thats not a character but I like those parts. I hate all the white cloaks!!!

[Guest zenger419]

Like: Lan, Logain, Rand (later books), Moraine, Siuane, Mat.

 

No nonsense straight to the point bad asses

 

Dislike: Egwene Elayne Faile Cadsuane Perrin

 

Weak characters malleable schemers think too much

 

28 male, read once a while ago need a reread but not sure I can bring myself to suffer through books 8-11 again

 

tapp tapp tapp tappatalk

[Adam L Fuqua]

Age 39 Male

 

My favorite character overall was (is) Verin. I liked her from the start in tGH. I suspected that she would turn out to be important from her conversation with Suain and Moraine. After her are the usual suspects, Rand, Matt, Thom, Moraine, Lan, Nyn, Avienda, Min. I actually like most of the female characters more than the male ones. I do like Cadsuane as well becasue she does not put the tower above what is right.

 

I wish that they would have spent more time with Tam.

 

My least favorite characters are Egwene/Galad and it mostly has to do with how they were written. Egwene because she has become a fanantic when it comes to the Aes Sedai. She has bought into the supremacy of the tower despite having experienced their mistakes and evils. She has lost herself. Galad because of his irrational behavior as well. His hatred of Rand could have been solved simply by Egwene telling him that she was there when they all learned of Morgases death and Rands decision to attack Rahvin for it. I think that they would have been more enjoyable characters if their stories had been handled better.

[Maleshub]

Age 39 Male

 

My least favorite characters are Egwene/Galad and it mostly has to do with how they were written.

 

You are referring to Gawyn Trakand, Egwene's warder, right?

[Suttree]

Egwene because she has become a fanantic when it comes to the Aes Sedai. She has bought into the supremacy of the tower despite having experienced their mistakes and evils.

 

Actually she has called them fools and done more to reform the WT than any other Amrylin in thousands of years. She quite clearly in the text says it must change and has been working to bring that about.

 

ToM

"The world as it was cannot be ours any longer," Egwene said softly, not wanting the Wise Ones to overhear. "Was it ever? The Black Tower bonds Aes Sedai, the Aiel no longer revere us, the Windfinders have hidden their best channelers from us for centuries and are becoming increasingly belligerent. If we try to hold too tightly to all of this, we will either become tyrants or fools, depending upon how successful we are. I accept neither title.

[Maleshub]

Egwene because she has become a fanantic when it comes to the Aes Sedai. She has bought into the supremacy of the tower despite having experienced their mistakes and evils.

 

Actually she has called them fools and done more to reform the WT than any other Amrylin in thousands of years. She quite clearly in the text says it must change and has been working to bring that about.

 

ToM

"The world as it was cannot be ours any longer," Egwene said softly, not wanting the Wise Ones to overhear. "Was it ever? The Black Tower bonds Aes Sedai, the Aiel no longer revere us, the Windfinders have hidden their best channelers from us for centuries and are becoming increasingly belligerent. If we try to hold too tightly to all of this, we will either become tyrants or fools, depending upon how successful we are. I accept neither title.

 

simply: +1

[wcbrooks]

33 Male

 

Like - most of the Asha'man because of unlike the Aes Sedai they are exploring their power and finding there Talents eg Flinn a talent towards Healing, Androl with his gateways, Naeff strong in Air.

Dobraine hes just good at what he does. I think everyone likes the main characters give or take a few - I like them all through there faults and good side - as with all people.

 

Dislike - Fain started out great and with potential now nothing much happening (but he has been doing stuff just we do not have his POV) and I hope he is not like Gollum :)

[Daniel Al'Thor]

24 male

 

I like all the all the characters but there are some that get on my nerves more than other.

 

Egwene starting in towers of midnight: She's written very well, politicians just tend to annoy me.

 

Elayne: Seems like an adolescent trying to be a grown up the whole book. She's constantly doing irrational often fruitless things to get herself captured and other people hurt or killed. She's a pushy and annoying political figure.

 

Most Aes Sedai: There a bunch of squabbling hens that don't get anything done. Accurate description?

 

Perrin in towers of midnight: I feel like a good majority of this book was Perrins chapter and frankly I was just sick of chapter after chapter being Perrin chapters when I just wanted to kind of read about how Rand was being a bad ass.

 

 

 

My favorite character through out the series was Rand. I don't think I really need to explain my reasoning, he's just a bad ass out to save the universe.

[Aulduron]

Elayne IS an adolescent trying to be a grown up the whole book.

[Xeratul]

24 Male.

 

Mat and Thom are my two favorites by a country mile. I also really like Moirane and Nynaeve. The reason why I can't talk about all of the ones I like is because there are too many. I loved Bayle Domon until he became submissive to the Seanchan woman, and I still really like him. There are just too many really likable minor characters.

 

I can't stand Egwene and Elayne. They are really everything that is wrong with most Aes Sedai. Both feel they have a god given right to dominate others because they were born with great power (political as well as magical in Elayne's case.) You'd think they'd grow as people, but they never do. Egwene somehow thinks women born with the one power deserve inherent respect while men should be reviled. I mean come on you grew up with the Dragon Reborn... I actually like Tuon, though she has similar characteristics, because she had to earn her position in the cut throat world that is the Seanchan imperial family.

 

I still like Perrin's character, but I shudder to think about reading his plot line at this point. He just chased Faile for far too long.

 

Faile- I just want to address, because everyone seems to hate her. I don't particularly like her, and I would never want to be romanticaly involved with a woman similar to her. BUT I think she is a great complement to Perrin. She shores up all of his weaknesses when it comes to governance and the wielding of power.

[GB]

guess i will add my two cents too :p

 

23 Male

 

like: Nynaeve, Mat, Moiraine, Lan, Min, Rand, Lanfear, Moridin (gotta love the crazy ones), Egwene,

 

dislike: Katerine, Egeanin, Joline, Sammael

 

[Alric]

31, male.

 

Like: Siuan, Min, Moiraine, Rand, Mat, Nynaeve, Thom, Lanfear, Verin.

 

Dislike: I don't really hate anyone, very few are badly written. But some gets on my nerves (which they are supposed to, so I guess that's not really bad). I can't think of anyone that I dislike that I'm not obviously supposed to dislike.

 

 

Myself in 1997 (age 16) to the best of my recollection:

 

Like: Siuan, Moiraine, Rand, Mat, Thom, Verin, Elayne.

 

Dislike: Berelain, Elaida, Alviarin, Faile.

 

 

I think I've come to grow fonder of the people who are not always sympathetic but are for the most part doing their best to help the Light despite their personal flaws and personality traits. And I've come to notice some subtleties that shows the worse sides of (still) good people that just went over my head before.

[Wandering Channeler]

I am not going to do another count, because the results are pretty much the same as before. Nice to see a little more variance in the age/gender responses. However, the results were still very similar.

 

The most interesting part I've seen is how differently people see Cadsuane. A lot of people really like her and a lot of people really do not like her. It is interesting that such a unique character causes such a stir of emotions. And I realize all of the characters are unique, but with Cadsuane you have (in my opinion) a woman that is the embodiment of aes sedai yet she is the farthest from aes sedai.

 

Also a cool note is that most people are not fond of aes sedai (not a surprise), but the aes sedai without a doube that has the highest approval rating is Verin.