Prologue Through to the End of the Epilogue--Full Book Discussion.

[MarkDiLillo]

Egwene dying was almost CERTAINLY in the notes left by RJ.  How she died may have been up to Brandon.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way he had her go out - though I could have done without the cheesie anti-balefire weave thing.  Having her just pull a LTT and blowup everyone with herself would have been just as grand.

 

The most disappointing part of that whole scene was how he just dropped in the "oh and btw this particular sa'angreal also was not buffered to make you safe from OP overusage like Callandor".  Clearly an afterthought and a mistake on his part.  Also it was a bit strange how she suddenly has some miraclous revelation and tells them to break the seals only when they see the Light.  A dramatic moment, but it made no sense.

[Amandera]

She burned herself out.  One of the strongest and best female channelers of the age.  What she was doing was important.  But it was the last battle.  Every action was "important."  And she fries herself by channeling too much.  It just sort of seemed like BS was bowing to fan pressure to give Egwene her comeupance. 

Oh, come on. The way you make it sound, I'd think she was playing around with a ter'angreal and got burned out because she was stupid. She did NOT get burned out, she get Lews Therin'd. In one stroke, she killed the majority of enemy channelers, she killed one of the Forsaken, and she preserved the Pattern that is literally minutes away from being unraveled. Give me a death like that any day. She is immortal, she is going to be talked about for generations. In my mind, there is no happier ending.

 

Edit: By the way having to spend a big chunk of your life with Gawyn is definitely no happy ending. She's better off.

[nolirion]

 

But I am upset about the death of Egwene.  It was a cheap death.  I wanted her to grow as a person and accept Rand, and become a great leader.  Plus, with her gone, I really fear for the alliance of Channelers that she envisioned.  I wanted her, and all the original 5 Two Rivers kids, to have "happy" endings.  Frankly, I expect that.  I really hate it when authors kill off main characters just to prove they will or can or whatever.  These people gave to much to save the world.  Is it too much to ask that these people get some happy years after that?  No.  No it isn't.

Sorry, but how is it that saving the Pattern from imminent destruction is a cheap death? As for Rand and Egwene co-leading, it was never going to happen. For one thing, Rand has no interest in leading. He's always wanted a simple life while Egwene was the ambitious one. For another, they are like saidin and saidar. They work with and against each other, they always have. I would've liked Rand to go out in a blaze of glory, too. I'm glad for Egwene. I don't like her but it was a good end for her.

It was a great end for Egwene , it bring a tear to my eye each time I think about it , but I can't keep myself from wishing she had survived it , her and Gawyn ,him for both Elayne and Egwene , I wish to have seen her legacy as I wish to see the legacy of the other .

I don't think you are right on Rand or Egwene  , he did wish to lead , what he didn't liked was to be forced into leading by other , but he didn't seek leading for the sake of leading , neither did Egwene . While Rand were told by prophecy about his fate and put in front of the choice to become the dragon , Egwene was not , yet she choose to follow anyway and she embraced the fight . She was never ambitious , she had her pride .

[Yates_]

 

But I am upset about the death of Egwene.  It was a cheap death.  I wanted her to grow as a person and accept Rand, and become a great leader.  Plus, with her gone, I really fear for the alliance of Channelers that she envisioned.  I wanted her, and all the original 5 Two Rivers kids, to have "happy" endings.  Frankly, I expect that.  I really hate it when authors kill off main characters just to prove they will or can or whatever.  These people gave to much to save the world.  Is it too much to ask that these people get some happy years after that?  No.  No it isn't.

Sorry, but how is it that saving the Pattern from imminent destruction is a cheap death? As for Rand and Egwene co-leading, it was never going to happen. For one thing, Rand has no interest in leading. He's always wanted a simple life while Egwene was the ambitious one. For another, they are like saidin and saidar. They work with and against each other, they always have. I would've liked Rand to go out in a blaze of glory, too. I'm glad for Egwene. I don't like her but it was a good end for her.

She burned herself out.  One of the strongest and best female channelers of the age.  What she was doing was important.  But it was the last battle.  Every action was "important."  And she fries herself by channeling too much.  It just sort of seemed like BS was bowing to fan pressure to give Egwene her comeupance. 

 

Like I said, I really like happy endings.  I wanted to see (or picture) the meeting back in Emond's Field where 4 of the most powerful and influential people in the world were thrown back into the roles they had as kids.  Mat, Rand, Perrin, and Egwene getting bullied on the Gree as Egwene tried to explain her marriage and why she didn't wait the time or whatever.  Rand and his "marriage."  In my mind this whole thing ended with Rand dropping on on his boys and taking them for a brew half way across the world while their ladies complained about them.  Light hearted and what not.

 

 

Just read Brandon's latest blog and he confirms that the "ending" RJ wrote was only the Epilogue.  I'm sure he left much more in the way of notes, and Brandon does say he worked on some other scenes...but the rest was all Brandons writing.  That includes the DO vs Rand and their battle.

 

http://brandonsanderson.com/blog/1136/Its-finally-out

>>Well, its clear RJ wrote the entire last few chapters. It had his feel. Plus its been confirmed MANY times prior.

Last few chapters indeed. *chuckle*

 

 

 

Question: What about the outriggers? (The sequel trilogy to the Wheel of Time series that Robert Jordan had planned to write.)

Answer: It's not going to happen. Harriet and I are both firm on this. Robert Jordan wouldn't have wanted it to happen. He said that he wanted the series to be finished, but he did not want anything more. (He was even uncomfortable with the idea of someone like myself finishing the series.)

Anyone else find this weird? RJ had planned to write it, but they think he wouldn't have wanted it written. What's that about?

Not in the slightest. RJ was very clear that he was totally against any type of "shared world" scenario. It wasn't until the very end he even allowed the books to be finished. Added to that is the fact the the notes for AMoL were far less than originally thought. The notes for the Outriggers are not even a fraction of that. It would essentially be someone else creating stores in his world and would totally be against his wishes.

 

I get what you are saying, and what his widow said.  There is a cynical part of me that thinks Tor can write a big enough check to over come her reticence.  If not now, then in a few years, a decade, or whatever.  Look how long it took for Dune and LOTR to "expand."  At some point the rights to the series will pass to someone who will take the money.  JKR bascially alluded to this as the reason why she tied up her characters' futures.  A future divorce, or her childrens' inheritance, would give rise to more matierial.  There are a lot of credible rumors that Warner Bros wroter he a blank cleck to do more.  And I mean, they wrote a check out to her, signed it, and left the amt blank.  That existed. 

 

I can see WOT becoming an animated series, or being done via multi-platform Mini-Series.  Say 16 eps a year, with 1/2 the eps being devoted to one book.  It works with GMM, so why not.  Computer technology makes doing sci-fi fantasy cheaper every day.  If those are successful, and the follow up video games, etc, then there will be tremendous pressure by Tor, etc, to create more content to capitalize on the popularity.

 

This year they are shooting/completing Ender's Game.  Game of Thrones is hugely popular.  The Hobbit is being broken into THREE pictures.  They are already talking about rebooting the Twiglight franchise and breaking the books into multiple films.  There will soon be talk of doing this with HP. 

 

Media companies are desperate for content that either is really high quality, or that has a huge following, or both.  The first 6-7 books of WOT were fantastic with a global following, and the rest are merely pretty good, which makes them much better than almost everything else out there. 

 

I am not saying there will DEFINITELY be a sequel/outrigger.  What I am saying is that it is possible that the money will simply be too good to ignore at some point in the future.  Especially for a publisher that is dealing with an increasingly competitive and dwindling marketplace. 

[Amandera]

It was a great end for Egwene , it bring a tear to my eye each time I think about it , but I can't keep myself from wishing she had survived it , her and Gawyn ,him for both Elayne and Egwene , I wish to have seen her legacy as I wish to see the legacy of the other .

World is a better place without Gawyn.

 

I don't think you are right on Rand or Egwene  , he did wish to lead , what he didn't liked was to be forced into leading by other , but he didn't seek leading for the sake of leading , neither did Egwene . While Rand were told by prophecy about his fate and put in front of the choice to become the dragon , Egwene was not , yet she choose to follow anyway and she embraced the fight . She was never ambitious , she had her pride .

I disagree. He starts leading because he can't escape, he continues because it's his duty. At some point, he just wants to get it over with and die and rest. After VoG, he still does it for duty. He is the only one of  the five that left Two Rivers who wants to go back to his own life. Mat and Egwene already want to leave in the first place, Nynaeve and Perrin find something else in life and don't want to go back. But Rand is the one who wants to go back to being a sheepherder.

 

And Egwene was most definitely ambitious, from the very start, Ravens. I'm not saying that as a bad thing. You don't accomplish much without ambition.

[Yates_]

 

She burned herself out.  One of the strongest and best female channelers of the age.  What she was doing was important.  But it was the last battle.  Every action was "important."  And she fries herself by channeling too much.  It just sort of seemed like BS was bowing to fan pressure to give Egwene her comeupance. 

Oh, come on. The way you make it sound, I'd think she was playing around with a ter'angreal and got burned out because she was stupid. She did NOT get burned out, she get Lews Therin'd. In one stroke, she killed the majority of enemy channelers, she killed one of the Forsaken, and she preserved the Pattern that is literally minutes away from being unraveled. Give me a death like that any day. She is immortal, she is going to be talked about for generations. In my mind, there is no happier ending.

 

Edit: By the way having to spend a big chunk of your life with Gawyn is definitely no happy ending. She's better off.

Re: Gawyn, he made her happy.  I am not belittling her death or sacrifice.  I am angry that she died, and would have been angry no matter how it happened.  I wanted her to be happy, however that happened.  I wanted Rand to impart the wisdom and skill of the AOL, with the Women using a chained Graendal to bootstrap their own knowledge to an equal level.  That would have ended the Seanchan threat once and for all, etc etc.  I like happy endings.

 

Objectively, having Rand essentially be a living god would have been weird.  He can hide in obscurity now, and return in a few years to a world better prepared to deal with him in his reduced state.  Unless he is actually the creator, or at least the creator's avatar, now.  But him being a wanderer ina world he would be ideally suited to lead is a bummer for me.

[Yates_]

 

She burned herself out.  One of the strongest and best female channelers of the age.  What she was doing was important.  But it was the last battle.  Every action was "important."  And she fries herself by channeling too much.  It just sort of seemed like BS was bowing to fan pressure to give Egwene her comeupance. 

Oh, come on. The way you make it sound, I'd think she was playing around with a ter'angreal and got burned out because she was stupid. She did NOT get burned out, she get Lews Therin'd. In one stroke, she killed the majority of enemy channelers, she killed one of the Forsaken, and she preserved the Pattern that is literally minutes away from being unraveled. Give me a death like that any day. She is immortal, she is going to be talked about for generations. In my mind, there is no happier ending.

 

Edit: By the way having to spend a big chunk of your life with Gawyn is definitely no happy ending. She's better off.

Re: Gawyn, he made her happy.  I am not belittling her death or sacrifice.  I am angry that she died, and would have been angry no matter how it happened.  I wanted her to be happy, however that happened.  I wanted Rand to impart the wisdom and skill of the AOL, with the Women using a chained Graendal to bootstrap their own knowledge to an equal level.  That would have ended the Seanchan threat once and for all, etc etc.  I like happy endings.

 

Objectively, having Rand essentially be a living god would have been weird.  He can hide in obscurity now, and return in a few years to a world better prepared to deal with him in his reduced state.  Unless he is actually the creator, or at least the creator's avatar, now.  But him being a wanderer in a world he would be ideally suited to lead is a bummer for me.

[Terez]

Just read the entire book in one sitting so I'm a bit disoriented and unclear on some stuff towards the end but.

 

When Rand comes out of the cave carrying Moridin - is that still Rand as Rand, or Rand as Moridin?

 

I think it's deliberately unclear.

[Elan Tedronai]

 

 

 

Just read the entire book in one sitting so I'm a bit disoriented and unclear on some stuff towards the end but.

 

When Rand comes out of the cave carrying Moridin - is that still Rand as Rand, or Rand as Moridin?

 

I think it's deliberately unclear.

so terez tell me,

 

didnt they say there was going to be significant deaths in this book from the forces of light? i mean sanderson and co?

 

we got quantity of deaths but certainly no quality except for eggy.

 

it begs the question did rj dictate who died and who lived in his notes?

[nolirion]

World is a better place without Gawyn.

Gawyn made a lot of poor choice , a lot of error , they seem worst than other because he is not one of the main character and you or I do not empathize with him . His death look foolish and ill timed , but he was a good and brave man , I wish he had had more time to grow out of adolescence .

 

 

I disagree. He starts leading because he can't escape, he continues because it's his duty. At some point, he just wants to get it over with and die and rest. After VoG, he still does it for duty. He is the only one of  the five that left Two Rivers who wants to go back to his own life. Mat and Egwene already want to leave in the first place, Nynaeve and Perrin find something else in life and don't want to go back. But Rand is the one who wants to go back to being a sheepherder.

Well that's your right

I think Rand wanted first and foremost to protect his friend , his friend extended throughout the book too all the world , when he learned and accepted he was to fight the Do as the Dragon he decided he would not be lead by anyone else , not the forsaken and not the Aes'Sedai , he wanted to lead because he didn't want to be the product of another will , he said so himself . Sometime he longed for  the simple life of a shepherd , he had the right to , but given the choice he wouldn't have been one until the fight was done .

I must correct myself about Egwene she did was a bit ambitious , she wanted to become an Aes'Sedai fiercely and for herself before other , what I meant was that neither where power hungry , the achieved leading position because no one else was better suited for the Job .

[herid]

so was the Aiel woman who helped Rand at the very end in the tunnel Nakomi? I assume so but I'm not sure what that makes her. After the prologue I thought she was an Aiel Hero of the Horn but was afraid she might be a Jenn Aiel. Now I'm not sure what to think.

[Guest Chris Farber]

So..what's up with being able to light a pipe without touching the Source or the True Power? What does it mean that Rand can now light a pipe by "thinking" it lit?

[Terez]

So.....now that it's all over, how does all the theory fit into the ending?

 

Why did the DO not just kill Rand early on?  It seemed like that would ensure his win and not just provide a stalemate.

 

Similarly, why did the DO want to turn Rand to his side?  It seems like that would provide him with no advantage.

 

These are big questions that I am pretty upset were not somewhat clarified.

 

Another question: what was the point of the dagger to keep the Dark One from sensing Rand's presence? What exactly would he have done if he'd felt Rand coming? He clearly needed Rand to come. And if he didn't feel Rand coming, wtf was up with the cave?

 

 

 

 

 

Just read the entire book in one sitting so I'm a bit disoriented and unclear on some stuff towards the end but.

 

When Rand comes out of the cave carrying Moridin - is that still Rand as Rand, or Rand as Moridin?

 

I think it's deliberately unclear.

so terez tell me,

 

didnt they say there was going to be significant deaths in this book from the forces of light? i mean sanderson and co?

 

we got quantity of deaths but certainly no quality except for eggy.

 

it begs the question did rj dictate who died and who lived in his notes?

 

He did dictate that for the main characters, but I think once you get below Gawyn level, Brandon had more freedom. I'm not much into death tolls, but some people expected an even more modest body count than the one we got. I'm mostly pissed about the metaphorical deaths re: the prophecies.

[Ian Ohlander]

Re: Verin being tied to the horn.

 

Yes, Verin's role was amazing and she did bring down nearly the entire BA, or at least outed it so they couldn't manipulate behind the scenes anymore. I am not belittling any of that.

 

But she was BA for 70 years. We know what kind of actions were required from BA members. We have a good idea from the "vileness" that occurred right after Rand's birth. The BA basically started killing all males who were "lucky" in the hopes they'd get the Dragon Reborn. This includes Jurine Najima's husband and sons, including an infant named Jerid dying in a mysterious fire, all of the AS seekers that were sent out to find the dragon, Bukama, Iselle, Brys and 8 year old Diryk. These were done by multiple BA members. We know Temaile Kinderode enjoyed torturing people (Amathera, Liandrin and Jorin Arene.)

 

It is inconceivable that during 70 years of BA membership she did not take part in those things. She may not have enjoyed it, but then again, I'm sure there were some SS camp guards who didn't enjoy what they did and took part in but still did it.

 

What I am trying to say is that while her motives were good (though she herself admits that self-preservation also played a role when she was given the choice to join), the fact is that the things she would have been required to do as well as to not raise any suspicion about her true loyalties are really pretty bad. They had to be. The BA was (and DF's in general were) as cutthroat as the the forsaken ((cf: Hadnan Kadere, Liandrin or Chesmal Emory), with only Ishamael's appointments having real protection- and even then only as long as he was not angry at them . For her to have survived that long without being offed or suspected gives us a glimpse of what the last 70 years was like for her

 

I have a hard time seeing how she could have been considered a hero of the horn, after a life like that, whatever her motives.  

[Terez]

Re: Verin being tied to the horn.

 

Yes, Verin's role was amazing and she did bring down nearly the entire BA, or at least outed it so they couldn't manipulate behind the scenes anymore. I am not belittling any of that.

 

But she was BA for 70 years....

 

I have a hard time seeing how she could have been considered a hero of the horn, after a life like that, whatever her motives. 

 

Hawkwing was under the influence of Ishamael during crucial years of his life. Farstrider was under Compulsion for almost half his life, and hinted he'd done some dark deeds. The Dragon soul has turned to the Shadow before. All heroes. They don't always live virtuous lives.

[nolirion]

Another question: what was the point of the dagger to keep the Dark One from sensing Rand's presence? What exactly would he have done if he'd felt Rand coming? He clearly needed Rand to come. And if he didn't feel Rand coming, wtf was up with the cave?

To force the forsaken to split up and be active on the battlefield , probably to keep slayer from killing Rand before he entered the cave too. That kept them  from knowing where Rand was until it was already engaged in the battle , allowing the 4 front war and the stand a Merrilor . Once Rand was in the cave the Do might have been too busy fighting Rand to call is minion .

[Yamezt]

I generally enjoyed the last book.

 

Would have loved to see an epilogue that starts far into the next age where the last battle has turned into a myth, though I guess that would have been hard.

[Viperswhip]

 

Re: Verin being tied to the horn.

 

Yes, Verin's role was amazing and she did bring down nearly the entire BA, or at least outed it so they couldn't manipulate behind the scenes anymore. I am not belittling any of that.

 

But she was BA for 70 years....

 

I have a hard time seeing how she could have been considered a hero of the horn, after a life like that, whatever her motives. 

 

 

Hawkwing was under the influence of Ishamael during crucial years of his life. Farstrider was under Compulsion for almost half his life, and hinted he'd done some dark deeds. The Dragon soul has turned to the Shadow before. All heroes. They don't always live virtuous lives.

Not too mention, she probably was totally gleeful and nasty when hurting bad people. To evil people that looks nasty and evil, while to Verin it may have been, okay, I can show off with this guy because he deserves it.

 

She may have been involved in the vileness but that was largely a red/black operation I thought. I am not saying she never hurt any innocent people, but we can't really know.

[Chesus]

_{I'd say there were plenty of significant deaths in this book. Especially the latter half where people start dropping like flies. Sure the main three and their significant others come out the other side, but plenty of characters that have had big roles in this series don't make it.}

[Guest mrfox27]

I was never a big fan of Mordeth (Padan Fain), but I thought his end was a little anti-climactic.  His death was more like an afterthought that had to be fit in the final chapters somewhere.  After all the buildup in the earlier books, I found his death a little disappointing.

[mgns]

so terez tell me,

 

didnt they say there was going to be significant deaths in this book from the forces of light? i mean sanderson and co?

 

we got quantity of deaths but certainly no quality except for eggy.

 

it begs the question did rj dictate who died and who lived in his notes?

 

I was seriously annoyed with how Siuan got the brush-off. It was positively Martinesque. BAM there goes a main POV character since book 4 see ya wouldn't wanna be ya! Uncool.

 

For a long time I figured it would be Mat who would die. When the McGuffin of Valere returned on the page I thought 'somehow they won't get it to him in time and he'll have to go to his death to let someone else sound it and turn the tide.' It would have been rather fitting, going all in at the end, even knowing he would lose. Especially considering the question Siuan herself asked of him after his being healed. "Will you be there when the flames are high?"

 

Egwene also always went all in, no matter what. And it was very fitting, somehow, that she chose to do as she did. But I would rather have had her live on, I think. The question she asked Rand, if he would deny her the right to be a hero, could very well have been asked her by someone else in turn. Egwene often stood on the front lines, and seemed to almost revel in risking the full measure of devotion, as it were, from herself at all possible times.

 

She fought so hard to become what she became, and to live as she wanted. She fought so hard to be able to make that sacrifice. So hard that I wished her reward would have been a long and happy life, even though I sure she would have seen the result of that sacrifice as reward enough. Maybe it's that I'm not nineteen years old myself anymore, but Egwene dying seemed like a waste. Completely in line with her person, but still a waste. Maybe it's RJ's own experience as a veteran that is behind it, some are so brave they simply aren't able to live on.

 

I really liked Egwene throughout the series, her being chosen as Amyrlin was completely improbable but her character is great. Her term as a captive is one of my favorite character arcs, maybe the best one of them all. I think I'll be very sad whenever I pick these books up for a re-read, and read about the innkeeper's daughter who never gave up no matter what, knowing how it will end. And that's something you can't say about any character in any book. Well done, there, RJ and BS.

[NitroS]

I also loved the moghedian becoming demandred then getting snatched and greandal endings.

[NitroS]

The one thing im glad of is the things most people are complaining about are robert jordans fault and not brandon so we wont just see years of hate to come. RJ wrote out the endings for characters like demandred, egwene etc with the duels. One thing that annoyed me was lack of deaths at the start i think the first person i noticed of any real importance dead was romanda and that was halfway through.

[Ian Ohlander]

 

Re: Verin being tied to the horn.

 

Yes, Verin's role was amazing and she did bring down nearly the entire BA, or at least outed it so they couldn't manipulate behind the scenes anymore. I am not belittling any of that.

 

But she was BA for 70 years....

 

I have a hard time seeing how she could have been considered a hero of the horn, after a life like that, whatever her motives. 

 

 

Hawkwing was under the influence of Ishamael during crucial years of his life. Farstrider was under Compulsion for almost half his life, and hinted he'd done some dark deeds. The Dragon soul has turned to the Shadow before. All heroes. They don't always live virtuous lives.

Out of the 3 examples you give you also give an explanation for their actions: compulsion. Like the 13x13'd, they are not really responsible for their actions while under compulsion. And I am talking about serving the shadow, not as in Hawkwings case, being a ruler with all the wars and conquest that brought him to that point. (For Card fans, I would refer to Emperor Mikal in Songbird.)

 

I really (really) dislike the concept of the dragonsoul serving the DO, though. I know RJ said it, but the thing is, if that were the case, why did the DO not win when that happened? Isn't the dragonsoul spun out the face the DO? If so, then wouldn't his serving the DO mean that the DO will win? As we just saw, all it really needed was for the dragonsoul to acquiesce to the DO's plan? Really doesn't make sense to me. But he said it, so I guess it doesn't have to.

 

That being said, their is one crucial difference to the dragonsoul and some of the others. Per Hawkwing's words to Hurin in TGH, sometimes their number is added to. In which case, there is a core group (no way to know how many or whether or not it is a majority or a small subset) who began life as hero souls. That being the case, then behavior during one's particular iteration would not necessarily have anything to do with one's being part of the the hero-souls, or at least affect it greatly. And it would stand to reason that among that group, the Creator's champion dragonsoul would be one of them.

 

But then again, I can see what you are saying. But what I am saying is that I can't believe Verin would be chosen for hero-soul status merely because of her actions this go around. She even mentioned that part of her choosing the BA was merely her curiosity and then being given a choice of join or die. Self preservation played a major role. I don't know that she joined at the beginning simply to be double agent. I think her conscience made her become a double agent, allowing her some meaning despite all the bad things she had do to survive. And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. She made the best of a bad situation, I suppose, and in the end it really helped. (Though others in this world and that one, no doubt, have been given similar choices and decided to do what is right rather than merely survive. Those are usually people we look up to.) Now maybe it's possible she was already a hero and was spun out for this very purpose and aid in the fight for the light. The pattern being about balance rather than good or evil, that could be a real possibility.

 

Really (and hopefully) looking forward to no more RAFO's on stuff. After 20 years of it, I'd just like more answers. Well, unless they do it for the Encyclopedia. But I really don't see the point of dragging things out for a reference work.

[skalors3]

 

 

 

But I am upset about the death of Egwene. It was a cheap death. I wanted her to grow as a person and accept Rand, and become a great leader. Plus, with her gone, I really fear for the alliance of Channelers that she envisioned. I wanted her, and all the original 5 Two Rivers kids, to have "happy" endings. Frankly, I expect that. I really hate it when authors kill off main characters just to prove they will or can or whatever. These people gave to much to save the world. Is it too much to ask that these people get some happy years after that? No. No it isn't.

Sorry, but how is it that saving the Pattern from imminent destruction is a cheap death? As for Rand and Egwene co-leading, it was never going to happen. For one thing, Rand has no interest in leading. He's always wanted a simple life while Egwene was the ambitious one. For another, they are like saidin and saidar. They work with and against each other, they always have. I would've liked Rand to go out in a blaze of glory, too. I'm glad for Egwene. I don't like her but it was a good end for her.

She burned herself out. One of the strongest and best female channelers of the age. What she was doing was important. But it was the last battle. Every action was "important." And she fries herself by channeling too much. It just sort of seemed like BS was bowing to fan pressure to give Egwene her comeupance.

 

Like I said, I really like happy endings. I wanted to see (or picture) the meeting back in Emond's Field where 4 of the most powerful and influential people in the world were thrown back into the roles they had as kids. Mat, Rand, Perrin, and Egwene getting bullied on the Gree as Egwene tried to explain her marriage and why she didn't wait the time or whatever. Rand and his "marriage." In my mind this whole thing ended with Rand dropping on on his boys and taking them for a brew half way across the world while their ladies complained about them. Light hearted and what not.

I am fairly certain that RJ killed Egwene.