"Best"/"Favourite" Moments in the Book

[78WARLOCK]

All of them listed are awsome.I must add my own, some of them have already been mentioned...but here they are.

 

1: "I had long wondered," lan said to Tam. "About the man who had given Rand a heron-marked blade.I had wondered if he had truly earned it.Now I know."Lan raised his own sword in salute.  Very powerful scene for me. Tam, a soldier who learned not to like it but never forgot.

 

 2: "That one you have tried to kill many times,Rand said, that one who lost his kingdom, that one from whom you took everything...."

        That man,Rand shouted. That man still fights. Another scene that made me stop reading and re-gather some sense of control. I asked Brandon at the Milford,NH signing if Rand brought back Lan, certain he had died. He smiled and said," that's a really good question.There really is no answer.What do you think ?" My response was "Yes he did." So much had been taken from his ( Rands ) friends, he was not willing to let his friend go without knowing true peace. Not willing to let Nyn suffer the heart ache. Lan died,but he battled Shai'tan for his friends life and WON.

 

3: "I am Birgitte Silverbow," Loved the " Elayne blinked,looking up at him.Something silvery jutted from the front of Mellar's chest.It looked like.....an arrowhead.

         Come on,that was awsome!!!

 

4: CHAPTER 38 !! All of it !!!

 

5: Cornered and alone, a boy huddled.......

       Terrified,crying bloodied,the boy raised a golden horn to his lips.

   This still makes me shiver and the eyes water.

 

There are many,many more. Oliver laughing while riding with Noal. Mat sending Hawkwing to talk to Tuon.

 

Just so many....

[Aulduron]

I really wanted to see Matt and his dad reunited, but hearing Abel say "That's my boy!" was pretty good.

[RestlessSpirit]

Everyone has mentioned my favorites but I have to add one more involving our beloved Lan (paraphrasing here):

 

My arm will be the sword ...

My breast itself a shield ...

To defend the Seven Towers ...

To hold back the darkness ...

I will stand when all others fall.

Al Chalidholara Malkier."

[hobohunter23]

The last few pages with Rand.

[Guest RolandTower]

Yes this!

 

Egwene's death and subsequent conversation with Rand, and on through to Olver blowing the Horn and up to "That man...That man still fights!" basically forms the emotional climax of the entire series. 

[gingermaya]

My favourite moment was hands down when Aviendha jumps at Graendal at the end and makes the fire spear in her fist, with the rocks exploding under her. EPIC

[Guest Jade]

I feel like no one else has mentioned this, which is sad, but...

 

"Mat felt a chill as he saw in the light of bonfires a lone horseman on a black stallion charge into the right flank of the Trolloc horde."

 

The fires, the darkness, the utter despair of this scene. Lan actually fighting Demandred was amazing enough, but to gallop alone up onto Polov Heights in the middle of the Last Battle, totally not caring about the danger between him and his goal... Easily the most dramatic cinematic moment in the book. 

 

Basically every single thing Lan did in this book was perfect. 

[mellojoe]

Matt and Olver on the Raken flying trying to reach Rand.  Matt, the warrior, the gambler, the one who has seen the world, is scared sh*tless, while little Olver is having the time of his life.

 

Just that scene with Matt freaking out and holding on for dear life, and he looks over and sees Olver grinning from ear to ear ... i litterally laughed out loud.  My wife came over to see what was so funny.

[mellojoe]

I was reading this scene while sitting on the couch while my wife was reading her own book cuddled up next to me.  Androl not only compared Pevara to old leather, but then said she was older than the trees.

 

I looked at my wife and just died laughing. I knew right then and there that Androl would never live long enough to make up for that moment.  For the rest of his life, Pevara would hold those words over his head.  She would lovingly torture him for days, years, decades, centuries to come that he had compared her to old leather and old trees.  And she'd probably do it with a smile on her face, promting a sheepish grin on his.

 

 

I loved when Pevara asked Androl if he'd just compared her to old leather.

[Paul H]

Some of my favorites:

 

• All of the Talmanes scenes from the prologue.  I actually think it would have been even more powerful, from the perspective of the story, if Talmanes had not survived.  But still, this was really awesome stuff, especially the very end where they turn the dragons around and blow a hole in the city wall.
• Olver blowing the Horn of Valere
• Just about any scene with Mat in it.  Brandon did a terrific job writing Mat's viewpoints in AMoL.
• Fortuona's discovery that Min is a "doomseer"
• After we are led to believe that Vanin and Harnan might truly be darkfriends, we discover that they were simply after Mat's tabac 
• The sudden entrance of the Sharan army through the enormous gateway
• Rand's sword practice session with Tam
• The appearance of the Heroes of the Horn, especially Noal/Jain and Birgitte
• Lan killing Demandred

 

I have probably forgotten a few scenes, but those are the ones that come to mind.  Unfortunately, for me, none of these scenes measured up to the best scenes from the previous two books -- e.g., rescuing Moiraine, the battle at Malden (both before and after Rand's arrival), the battle against the Black Ajah in Tel'aran'rhiod, Rand's capture by Semirhage, Verin's revelations, and Egwene's selection as Amyrlin Seat by the White Tower faction of the Aes Sedai.

 

 

EDIT:  One more great AMoL scene that I originally forgot: 

 

• Mat getting dressed in his fancy Seanchan general's clothes, but keeping his hat.

[Arran]

Another thing that I liked about this book was the sense of desperation it gave me all the way through. There have always been desperate moments throughout the whole series, such as Rand being kept captive in LoC and Moiraine's totally selfless act of throwing herself through the gateway with Lanfear, but I've never felt that feeling of desperation through an entire book before!

[jack of shadows]

@paul h,

you probably meant the battle of maradon,not malden,rand was nowhere near malden.

[Paul H]

@paul h,

you probably meant the battle of maradon,not malden,rand was nowhere near malden.

 

Yes, I believe you're right.  Thanks. 

[RugbyPlayingAshaman]

1) Egwene was an MVP in this book. I loved her first appearance on the battlefield, where she essentially told the Aes Sedai to do the same thing that Taim did to the Ashaman way back in Dumai Wells. Their complete destruction of an entire Trolloc army was great. I did wonder why she didn't go from battlefield to battlefield, using the weapon and armor destroying weave to thin out the Trolloc ranks. Her last appearance with the 'You defend, I'll attack!' and 'I thought I taught (Taim) to run, already.' lines were also HWIC-worthy.

 

2) Aviendha's defeat of Graendal (my favorite Forsaken). I loved how she sacrificed one of the attributes that made her a maiden of the spear (running and athleticism) to plunge a fire spear into Graendal, and then essentially made a Forsaken into gaishain, gaining herself one of the ultimate warrior honor her society recognized. I also liked the 'counting coup' aspect, where she got close enough to directly wound Graendal with a melee attack, despite being wounded.

 

3) Androl and Pevara's teamwork. I especially liked Pevara showing what a Red Ajah Sister could do against multiple opponents and then Androl dumping lava unto the Trollocs near Cairhien. I wanted to see more of those uber gateways, and I actually thought the Lightside would make short work of the conventional armies before all hell break loose. 

[Hybrid]

1) Lan taking out Demandred by once again demonstrating his understanding of sacrifice.  Though I was not a fan of the lead up with the whole one-on-one dueling thing.  That did not feel like an RJ type thing (unless he was demonstrating the stupidity of the tactic) and it was hard to believe that Mat had not tried to plan an attack on the most dangerous being on the battlefield.

 

2) Graendal messing with the Great Captains.  Not because I like the forces of Light losing, but because it made complete sense.  And it was one of the few plot threads in the book that I felt was brilliantly done.

 

3) Hanlon/Mellar going after Elayne.  Again, not because I enjoyed the prospect, but because I felt it was well done.  Elayne has spent a good portion of the series talking about how she was safe due to Min's viewing . . . and then that cruel bit of irony.  (On a side note, you have to feel bad for her at this point.  She's basically spent the entire series as the Shadow's punching bag.)

 

4) Rand's comment to Roedran.  "I was sure that you were him" or some such.  I chuckled at that.

 

5) Androl and Pevara.  I enjoyed their POVs and teamwork, for the most part.

 

6) Mat killing Fain right after Fain finishes doing nothing of consequence.  But only from a reader/fan perspective (I hate Fain).  From a writing perspective -- why was he in the book?  He could have been killed off in ACOS right after wounding Rand and it would not have changed the story.  At all.

 

7) Rand's ending.  I didn't love it -- didn't like the turning his back on friends and family bit even if it was necessary, didn't like the total lack of closure between him and his three girls -- but I did really like the bit about how he just wanted to see the world as himself.  That just felt right.

[Guest Amaentes]

Galad realizing or thinking to himself that he is watching the Game of Houses being played on the battlefield.

 

However, i did wish there were more concrete examples of Mat's tactical talent instead of just people saying how good he is(demandred,elayne etc.)

or not yet understanding the intentions behind his orders. I feel like i didnt see enough "proof" of his military genius or: that the writer tries to escape

having to give actual examples by letting the characters think highly of Mat's tactics (without letting the reader witness the cause for it).

The battle at Cairhien was more explicit. Also, i thought the Seanchans would be used in a more "ambushy" way.

It seemed like Mat & Tuon faked an arguement to fish out the spy or making her pass wrong info.

But after it happened M&T were both not sure about what the other would do ._. would've been nicer if they had planned something.

 

Having said that, the last battle was AWESOME anyway.

 

The sentences that went right into the soul were :

 

Birgitte saying : I get to be with him again. 

 

Tam thinking : You did well. My boy . . . you did so well.

[Paul H]

However, i did wish there were more concrete examples of Mat's tactical talent instead of just people saying how good he is(demandred,elayne etc.)

or not yet understanding the intentions behind his orders. I feel like i didnt see enough "proof" of his military genius or: that the writer tries to escape

having to give actual examples by letting the characters think highly of Mat's tactics (without letting the reader witness the cause for it).

The battle at Cairhien was more explicit. Also, i thought the Seanchans would be used in a more "ambushy" way.

It seemed like Mat & Tuon faked an arguement to fish out the spy or making her pass wrong info.

But after it happened M&T were both not sure about what the other would do ._. would've been nicer if they had planned something.

 

Apart from the ending (and by the ending, I mean more than just the epilogue), this is probably my biggest complaint about AMoL.  Ever since Mat first took command in battle in book 5 (or was it book 6?), we have seen several examples of Mat's great tactical ability, as well as several characters stating that Mat is a great battle commander and strategist.  In AMoL, we again have much praise for Mat's battlefield tactics, but Mat's actions in AMoL tell a very different story -- they make him look competent (or at least mostly competent), but no more. 

 

For example, you mentioned Mat and Tuon's fake argument.  I initially thought that the fake argument was a clever move.  But it ended up meaning that a huge chunk of Mat's forces (the Seanchan) sat out several critical hours of the battle, which arguably was a major contributing factor to Mat's forces nearly losing.  This was one example of many where Mat just didn't come across as looking like a great battle commander.

[Hybrid]

 

However, i did wish there were more concrete examples of Mat's tactical talent instead of just people saying how good he is(demandred,elayne etc.)

or not yet understanding the intentions behind his orders. I feel like i didnt see enough "proof" of his military genius or: that the writer tries to escape

having to give actual examples by letting the characters think highly of Mat's tactics (without letting the reader witness the cause for it).

The battle at Cairhien was more explicit. Also, i thought the Seanchans would be used in a more "ambushy" way.

It seemed like Mat & Tuon faked an arguement to fish out the spy or making her pass wrong info.

But after it happened M&T were both not sure about what the other would do ._. would've been nicer if they had planned something.

 

Apart from the ending (and by the ending, I mean more than just the epilogue), this is probably my biggest complaint about AMoL.  Ever since Mat first took command in battle in book 5 (or was it book 6?), we have seen several examples of Mat's great tactical ability, as well as several characters stating that Mat is a great battle commander and strategist.  In AMoL, we again have much praise for Mat's battlefield tactics, but Mat's actions in AMoL tell a very different story -- they make him look competent (or at least mostly competent), but no more. 

 

For example, you mentioned Mat and Tuon's fake argument.  I initially thought that the fake argument was a clever move.  But it ended up meaning that a huge chunk of Mat's forces (the Seanchan) sat out several critical hours of the battle, which arguably was a major contributing factor to Mat's forces nearly losing.  This was one example of many where Mat just didn't come across as looking like a great battle commander.

 

BS unfortunately tends to "tell, don't show" rather than "show, don't tell."

 

However, this particular case is more understandable when you compare what we know of their backgrounds.  RJ was a war veteran and a history buff, which gave him a deep understanding of warfare on both a personal and an objective level.  BS doesn't have that experience to draw from.

[Faber]

Logain's arc- absolutely brilliant.

The chapter 'Those Who Fight'- best and most moving for me.

Lan reciting poetry.

Olver blowing the horn, but only since I predicted it.

[Pinzarn]

I feel like no one else has mentioned this, which is sad, but...

 

"Mat felt a chill as he saw in the light of bonfires a lone horseman on a black stallion charge into the right flank of the Trolloc horde."

 

The fires, the darkness, the utter despair of this scene. Lan actually fighting Demandred was amazing enough, but to gallop alone up onto Polov Heights in the middle of the Last Battle, totally not caring about the danger between him and his goal... Easily the most dramatic cinematic moment in the book. 

 

Basically every single thing Lan did in this book was perfect. 

 

The icing on the cake for Lan's charge through the Trolloc horde was the Two River's longbows plucking off Trollocs and lighting the way. 

[Vambram]

 

I feel like no one else has mentioned this, which is sad, but...

 

"Mat felt a chill as he saw in the light of bonfires a lone horseman on a black stallion charge into the right flank of the Trolloc horde."

 

The fires, the darkness, the utter despair of this scene. Lan actually fighting Demandred was amazing enough, but to gallop alone up onto Polov Heights in the middle of the Last Battle, totally not caring about the danger between him and his goal... Easily the most dramatic cinematic moment in the book. 

 

Basically every single thing Lan did in this book was perfect. 

 

The icing on the cake for Lan's charge through the Trolloc horde was the Two River's longbows plucking off Trollocs and lighting the way. 

 

I totally loved that scene, too. I was literally smiling and quietly cheering where I sat the first time I read that scene.

[Suttree]

 

I feel like no one else has mentioned this, which is sad, but...

 

"Mat felt a chill as he saw in the light of bonfires a lone horseman on a black stallion charge into the right flank of the Trolloc horde."

 

The fires, the darkness, the utter despair of this scene. Lan actually fighting Demandred was amazing enough, but to gallop alone up onto Polov Heights in the middle of the Last Battle, totally not caring about the danger between him and his goal... Easily the most dramatic cinematic moment in the book. 

 

Basically every single thing Lan did in this book was perfect. 

 

The icing on the cake for Lan's charge through the Trolloc horde was the Two River's longbows plucking off Trollocs and lighting the way. 

Somewhat surprised that this one has been getting any love. Leaving aside the three(two too many) "about to die, whoops just kidding!" moments for Lan over the last few books, Mr Ares had a good summary as to why the scene was handled poorly.

 

Mr Ares

If you want Demandred to die in a sword fight, you need to set things up so he either willing to enter into a sword fight, or simply unable to avoid it. You need a plausible reason for his killer to get close (as opposed to "magic arrows kill everything in Lan's path and no-one just shoots him because oh look, a squirrel"). Lan killing Demandred could have worked better had it been handled differently. We don't need three progressively better swordsmen dueling Demandred, we don't need the monologuing. We also don't need Sheathing the Sword to be further diluted....

Both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson are capable of having epic moments that make sense in character. This wasn't one. The problem is, not everyone is left thinking about how awesome and epic it is - some are left thinking things like how did Lan get to him, why is Demandred's security so bad, why are all the Sharan archers so rubbish, are we really supposed to be believe that Two Rivers archers are clinically incapable of missing their target, why is Demandred engaging in a sword fight anyway? Now, Lan killing Demandred in a sword fight is not an unworkable idea, but you need to set it up right, and you need to execute it right.

Anyone care to break down why they thought it was handled well?

[Vambram]

It just so happens that there are readers who disagree with you and Mr Ares about whether or not that scene was handled poorly. You and Ares have subjective opinions about this, while those of us who enjoyed that scene have subjective opinions in favor of that scene in AMOL as written by Sanderson.

[BFG]

Please keep this on-topic guys.

[Suttree]

It just so happens that there are readers who disagree with you and Mr Ares about whether or not that scene was handled poorly. You and Ares have subjective opinions about this, while those of us who enjoyed that scene have subjective opinions in favor of that scene in AMOL as written by Sanderson.

 Yup...people have stated that they like it. That is why the question was...

 

Anyone care to break down why they thought it was handled well?

 

 

Want to take a shot? Hoping to hear perspective from the other side if anyone is interested in the discussion.