Spoilers! Chapter One - Eastwards the Winds Blew is up on Tor

[TootThatHorn]

The most interesting point was Rand considering whether a more permanent solution to the Dark One could be found. The possibility of the Dark One being not only sealed but killed off for good has now been raised in-series.

 

I didn't read it as a possibility to kill the Dark One. I read it that a completely out of the box solution might be the real answer (almost certainly is or that phrase wouldnt be there).

 

One answer kept coming to Rand. A dangerous answer. One that Lews Therin hadn’t considered.

What if the answer wasn’t to seal the Dark One away again? What if the answer, the final answer, was something else? Something more permanent.

Yes, Rand thought to himself for the hundredth time. But is it possible?

 

I'd say killing the Dark One would be pretty permanent and out of the box, but we'll have to wait and see I suppose.

 

A distinct possibility that has been alluded to before via Rand; or something that involves himself. He knows his soul is destined to be reborn again and again to battle the DO so he could be thinking of a way to incoporate his soul so as to break the cycle.

[SuperFade]

There's also RJ's own philosophy that mankind's greatest achievement was the acknowledgement that time is linear rather than circular.

[MarkDiLillo]

The series is the wheel of time guys...the entire thing is based on a circular cycle of time with ages repeating. I find it really unlikely that RJ would demolish that with his ending. One thing we can count on is that there will be another age with a Dragon and a Dark One battling.

[TootThatHorn]

I'm not counting on anything till I hit that last word of the book.

[Terez]

I am one of those who thinks Laman's sword will end up with Gawyn. Also, a post I made on TL:

 

Wait for the Light

[mjasghar786]

RJ said only details change but themes of each age stay same ie wheel will stay

[Terez]

Is it just me or is your avatar deliberately phallic?

[elmis]

We didn't really need another showing of Nyns super healing powers, it would have made for a better scene had they carried the dead body of Talmanes into the camp. I kept imagining how awsome it would be when Mat blew the Horn and he had been added to the Hero crew.

[Terez]

Which was never going to happen...because of all the billions of souls the Wheel can spin out, only about 1-200 are heroes of the horn. "It takes more than bravery..."

[Wheel of Thyme]

Nice post at Theoryland, Terez. Regarding Balwer, I see no reason why offscreen, Balwer could not have confessed to either Rand or Perrin who he TRULY was, and that was how Rand knew of his prowess as a spymaster. It makes some sense, Morgase was disguised, I can see Faile demanding to know who the others REALLY were.

[SonOfBattles20]

Blood and ashes! Half of what I just read (mostly the dialogue) made me feel like a multilegged nachi trapped in a dried-up tidal pool, waiting desperately for the water to return while watching a group of children work their way down the beach with buckets, gathering anything that looked tasty...

 

Though I am still excited as heck to read the final installment of one of the few fantasy series I have ever cared to complete

 

Hopefully Tor keeps the excerpts coming, even if it only makes me more impatient (and sometimes disappointed) :p

[yoniy0]

What's Elayne's position on breaking the seals changing all the time for no reason? When Egwene first told her about it, she was ambivalent. At the end of Tom she was all "It's a big mistake, Rand must'be stopped", with no explanation why she changed her mind. Here at the start, about a day later:

 

"Perhaps we should simply let him do as he wishes.”

“Break the seals?” Egwene asked. “Release the Dark One?”

“Why not?”

I'm not going to go over 10 pages, but of what I've seen of the first couple of pages, this is HILARIOUS. Why not, might be fun. You were always such a prude, Egwene, loosen up a bit....

[MasterAblar]

What's Elayne's position on breaking the seals changing all the time for no reason? When Egwene first told her about it, she was ambivalent. At the end of Tom she was all "It's a big mistake, Rand must'be stopped", with no explanation why she changed her mind. Here at the start, about a day later:

 

"Perhaps we should simply let him do as he wishes.”

“Break the seals?” Egwene asked. “Release the Dark One?”

“Why not?”

I'm not going to go over 10 pages, but of what I've seen of the first couple of pages, this is HILARIOUS. Why not, might be fun. You were always such a prude, Egwene, loosen up a bit....

 

Yoniy0, I say this with kindness, but you have twisted mind sir.

[What's a Seawolf?]

Absolutely loved this chapter, without a doubt one of the very best in the entire series.

 

It reminds me a lot of the scenes in Return of the Jedi on board the rebel flagship. Friends seeing each other for the first time in a long time, knowing tat they might never see each other again.

 

Haha that's a great way to put it!

 

Absolutely loved this chapter (and prologue,) almost had chills while reading.

[mjasghar786]

Was that avatar comment for me? Lol it's a close up of the 40k book path of the outcast

Btw I may have mentioned it already but interesting that was demandred that studied a art of war manual in aol and that roedran gave mat or talmanes a very similar work - roedred!

Of course that means demandred may have had the chance to weave compulsion on some of the band or even talmanes

[Suttree]

Of course that means demandred may have had the chance to weave compulsion on some of the band or even talmanes

 

Or he placed a finder weave on the pipe Talmanes received just like Moiraine did to the coins given to the groms in EotW.

[Hotncold]

Really? This is so typical Brandon, just write the book as fast as you possibly can. No need to re-read the series, no fact check, just put out pulp. Much like everything Brandon has written this is really not good.

 

Wow, I'm amazed that Tor allowed this to be published. I'm really amazed that Harriett allowed this to be published.

 

Is it too late to start over with a new author? What's Stephen King doing these days? Is JK Rowlings busy these days? What about Jon Lennon? Oh wait I remember he's turning over in his grave as I'm sure RJ is too.

 

Brandon's style is to write a book as fast as he can. No wait, he's always got like three books going on at the same time so he gets confused on which one he's working on.

[yoniy0]

Yoniy0, I say this with kindness, but you have twisted mind sir.

Why, you flatter me, dear sir.

 

EDIT: Hotncold, that's very harsh, and not entirely fair (some mistakes have been made, but that doesn't mean that no effort was made to correct them).

[herid]

I am one of those who thinks Laman's sword will end up with Gawyn. Also, a post I made on TL:

 

Wait for the Light

Regarding your "Wait for the light" post on TL. Lots of interesting stuff to digest but let me just ask about one thing.

You quote the TOM prophecy

 

In that day, when the One-Eyed Fool travels the halls of mourning, and the First Among Vermin lifts his hand to bring freedom to Him who will Destroy, the last days of the Fallen Blacksmith's pride shall come. Yea, and the Broken Wolf, the one whom Death has known, shall fall and be consumed by the Midnight Towers. And his destruction shall bring fear and sorrow to the hearts of men, and shall shake their very will itself.

 

And then, shall the Lord of the Evening come. And He shall take our eyes, for our souls shall bow before Him, and He shall take our skin, for our flesh shall serve Him, and He shall take our lips, for only Him will we praise. And the Lord of the Evening shall face the Broken Champion, and shall spill his blood and bring us the Darkness so beautiful. Let the screams begin, O followers of the Shadow. Beg for your destruction!

 

In that post you suggest that tomorrow Rand goes to Shayol Ghul, his blood is spilled there and this brings the 3 days darkness. This is out of sequence with the above prophecy if we assume your other theory that the Broken Wolf is Rand (or have you changed your mind on that one?). According to the prophecy first the Broken Wolf dies, and then the DO faces the Broken Champion, spills his blood and brings the darkness.

[yoniy0]

Just to be clear, I don't like what Hotncold posted. It just (very-)narrowly avoided being a personal attack of Sanderson. This, however, doesn't mean you can reply by attacking him. If you should, you know why I'm saying this here.

[Tiinker]

The whole chapter didn't seem very convincing to me. Maybe it's because I haven't read the series since TofM but the characters seem a bit weak. I'll just wait for the rest of it.

[GB]

weird to see rand wearing Laman's sword and not Justice?

 

Laman's sword was more a reminder of Aviendha, she hasn't been with him in awhile, and she personally gave him the sword. Remember, he was shocked to sense Aviendha suddenly in the camp.

 

thanks :)

[herid]

Just to be clear, I don't like what Hotncold posted. It just (very-)narrowly avoided being a personal attack of Sanderson. This, however, doesn't mean you can reply by attacking him. If you should, you know why I'm saying this here.

amen to that. But while I agree that Hotncold's post was way too harsh and I certainly don't agree with Luckers that chapter 1 is appalling, it isn't terribly good either. In fact, nothing that has been published so far from aMoL is very good from literary point of view IMO. Certainly the prologue of aMoL is WAY weaker than the prologue of TOM in my opinion. That one actually had some of my favorite scenes - Apples first and the Borderlander Tower (of course it's possible that RJ wrote them). I find nothing comparable in the aMoL prologue. Also, I share Hotncold's disappointment that BS didn't do a reread of the series before starting on aMoL. He didn't do a reread before ToM (he did before tGS) which led to a number of problems. I stopped following him last year when it became clear that he wouldn't do a reread before aMoL either. He did a reared of the first few books but then gave up on that and starting writing.

[The Fisher King]

Herid - In fairness, I really enjoyed the Slayer/Isam/Town section of AMOL's prologue. In fact, I GREATLY enjoyed that.

 

 

Fish

[yoniy0]

Fish, unfortunately that only serves to strengthen herid's point, with which I happen to agree.