DRAGONMOUNT

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  We are continuing our reread of The Eye of the World, with chapters 22 and 23.    Synopsis: Chapter 22, "A Path Chosen"   Perrin wakes up and it takes a moment for him to remember where he is and what happened the night before.  He decides that if Egwene made it across the river, she would be further down than Perrin.  He sets off to see if he can find her.  He finds hoof prints with Master Luhhan's signature double crossbar, and knows that Bela made it across okay.  He finds Egwene and Bela inside a small clearing—a fire lit in front of them. Egwene has him sit down and dry off.  They discuss what to do; Egwene wants to wait for Moiraine to find them, Perrin insists that they should keep moving.  Perrin's plan is to cut across the wilderness and bypass Whitebridge, meeting the others in Caemlyn.  Egwene agrees, though Perrin does wonder what will happen if the Aes Sedai isn't in Caemlyn.  They might have to go to Tar Valon on their own.   Egwene has most of her supplies still, so they eat quickly, then begin to walk.   Chapter 23, "Wolfbrother" As they walk, Perrin struggles with who is the leader between the two of them.  Sometimes, Egwene is ready for him to make the decisions, other times she won't listen.  They travel through the wilderness, not seeing anyone or anything.  They run out of food quickly, and have to resort to hunting.   Perrin catches a rabbit, while Egwene is supposed to light the fire.  When he comes back, the fire isn't lit and he realizes that Egwene was trying to use the Power.  He asks her to stop using it, but she refuses.     They travel for a few miserable days when they smell smoke in the air.  Perrin goes to investigate and finds a man who is roasting rabbits.  Perrin calls for Egwene and they are both allowed to eat.  The man is Elyas Machera, and he has golden eyes.  Elyas chats with them for awhile before warning them to be still, that his friends are coming.  His friends turn out to be four wolves: Dapple, Hopper, Burn, and Wind.  Elyas says he can talk with them, and that Perrin can talk to them too.   Elyas asks them what they are doing out in the middle of nowhere, and Perrin and Egwene quickly launch into a rehearsed story about being from Saldaea and running away from home.  Elyas knows it all lies, and what's worse, the wolves sensed Trollocs and Halfmen in their thoughts as they told the story.  Elyas demands the truth, hoping they aren't Darkfriends.  The wolves growl threateningly, so Perrin tells the whole story.   After he's finished, Elyas talks about his dislike of Aes Sedai, and how the Red Ajah tried to gentle him—he had to kill a few Warders to escape.  But, he invites Perrin and Egwene to stay with him.  They refuse, but he agrees to travel with them for a while.     When their plans are settled, Burn angrily stares at Dapple, then runs off into the night.  Elyas says that Burn thinks they are wasting time with Perrin and Egwene, but Dapple runs the pack and she will go with Elyas and the Two Rivers folk.  As Burn leaves, Perrin can feel him go.   My take: Only a few chapters this time, but I think there's enough her to look at.  Namely, Perrin and his Wolfbrother abilities.  We get a very detailed description of Elyas' gradual awareness of the wolves:     From the sound of this, it was very gradual.  And when we hear of Noam later (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 8, "Jarra"), his transformation also seems to have happened slowly.  Yet, here is Perrin, being told he can talk to wolves, and after just an hour or two, he can feel the wolves.  He also puts a name to Hopper, and then wonders how he did it.   But, maybe it didn't happen so quickly.  What if the wolves had been tracking Perrin for a while?  In chapter 1, we learned that there are more wolves in the Two Rivers than before.      Those wolves might have been able to sense Perrin already.  We have no contextual proof, but they could have been lurking near Perrin.  Perrin might have been exposed to the Wolfbrother bonds already.  I am certain that if Perrin hadn't left the Two Rivers, he still would have been turned into a Wolfbrother—probably just not as quickly.   There's also a phrase Perrin uses, when we get his first point-of-view chapter.  When he see's Master Luhhan's double crossbar horseshoe tracks, he is able to follow the trail using his "sharp vision."  However, later in the book, Rand wonders about Perrin's vision:     So, Perrin thinks of his eyes as sharp, but Rand thinks of Perrin's eyes as weak.  Or, had the transformation already taken place before they left the Two Rivers, and Rand had never been around to see it?  He's been on the farm for a while—only coming to Emond's Field rarely—so Perrin's abilities could have increased without Rand noticing.  In fact, as quiet as Perrin seems to be, it's not something he would likely tell others about, or maybe he didn't even notice it himself.   Of course, the other explanation is that Perrin's ta'veren nature sped up the Wolfbrother skills.  This is likely, as well, but too much of a convenience.  I'd like to think that not everything in the story happens because of the ta'veren.  But, it's possible.    Another thing about Perrin is that he already balks at being the leader.  Many readers complain about how he drags his feet when he's put in charge of the Mayeners and the Ghealdanin, but it was in his character all along.  That was the way Perrin would have acted—we can see the beginnings of it here.     Also, why are so many Talents (including Wolfbrother abilities) connected to the sealing of the Bore?  Elyas says:     With the weakening of the Seals, all these Talents come back.  It isn't a link to the Dark One, right?  It's more that the world will need these abilities for the hard times ahead.  Or is it that since the Dark One was locked up, the Pattern, to compensate for the loss of so much evil, had to remove some of the forces of good?   And what other Talents has the world lost?  Hurin's sniffer abilities?  Min's viewings?  These do seem to be forces of the Light, which would need to increase as the Shadow's influence was increasing as well.  I think that's what makes the most sense.   I did get a bit sidetracked on the talk of Talents and Seals, but it's all in good fun.  I think we'll have to stop there.  Next time, we'll get to see Rand and Mat sneaking downriver on The Spray.  Thanks for reading!

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   Have you ever wants to punch somebody in the face as hard as you can? Wait, no... that came out wrong.   If you, like many of us here on Dragonmount, have ever taken part in some sort of sparring exercise, be it martial arts or self defense or some form of armed combat, you will have come across a very common problem. You always get to the point where you wonder how you can truly test your abilities in a "friendly" combat, where you have to pull your punches or otherwise take care not to cause injury. Unless, of course, you take part in some form of actual combat sport like MMA or boxing. However, for most of us it's more of a hobby, particularly something like sword fighting, and the limitations can become very frustrating.   Well, look no further. Technology is, of course, always advancing, and the next in the kind of "gadgets I absolutely must sell my other kidney to have" is the Lorica, an armored suit also equipped with an array of sensors to monitor what is happening to it. The idea? You can be smacked about--or preferably, can smack someone else about--without fear of injury. I particularly relish the prospect of live steel sword fighting in this thing.     If you want to know more, check out the links below.   CNN had an article on it with a few pictures and a lot of information, and Singularity Hub has an article with several videos.   What do you think? I want two at least for the Warders Guild here on Dragonmount!   That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

I am calling for applications for one person to join my staff of bloggers. Applications for this position will be open until Wednesday, April 2nd.   Description of the Job Position:   The open position is for a Wheel of Time Humor Blogger. This blog is a regular feature on Wednesdays. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column featuring a combination of existing WoT humor from around the Internet (e.g. Mat's Inbox, the WoT lightbulb jokes, the WoT Lolcats) and creating their own WoT humor content.   Job Duties for Both Front Page Blogger Positions:   1. Bloggers are expected to produce content in their respective areas for the front page once per week. They must be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner.   2. Bloggers occasionally will be called upon to assist the Front Page Admin with brainstorming new ideas for features.   3. Bloggers are expected to dedicate time each week to the Front Page Bloggers Staff Board and the DM Staff Board. As members of DM Staff, they act as representatives of the members of DM and their input is vital in the decision making process. Bloggers should be actively engaged in discussions on staff boards.   4. Bloggers must be able to give at least a 6 month commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. LOAs will come up, of course.   Anyone who thinks they can fulfill the requirements may apply. Strong candidates are people who possess the following qualities: efficiency, writing ability, organizational skills, creativity, maturity, and the ability to work well with others.   The Application Process:   If you are interested, please send an email to frontpage@dragonmount.com.   In your application, please include:   * Your DM Handle. * Some details about who you are in real life, including anything you think will have prepared you for leadership (including past online leadership experience). * A sample of your writing consisting of at least three short paragraphs. This can be in the form of a brief essay, a blog, a school paper, a newspaper article, a forum post, a short story, or a role play. You do not have to write something new for this application; in fact, many of you already have forum posts that are long enough to count. I mainly want to get an idea of your writing style. * Anything else that you think would set you apart from other applicants.  Why are you the best candidate?   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.   ~Mashiara

Ta'veren Tees is releasing a new "Moiraine and Lan" shirt design, featuring the artwork of Paul Bielaczyc.       

Hello Dragonmount! The Wheel has spun, and now it’s time for a new edition of Dragonmount’s Weekly Roundup! March is well underway. We’ve survived Pi day, the Ides of March, and now it is St. Patrick’s Day!   The Wolfkin monthly discussion about music and the monthly game, an acronym game, is well under way. It’s not too late to join the discussion or play with the Wolfkin in their home!   Aiel monthly activities include a Movies by the Alphabet game and a discussion of Art and inspiration.   Are you planning on going to Jordancon 2014? Talk about your travel plans!   Roleplayers: Are you interested in joining the Children of the Light? The new guidelines are available. Even if you don’t have an interest in the Children, but are generally interested in our Roleplaying boards, check the thread out, since it has some valuable information on getting started.   And don't forget, Hugo nominations are due on March 31st, so remember to submit your top picks.  Check out this article if you need inspiration or suggestions. Finally, an up date from Dragomnount’s Twitter account:   Remember, you can get daily updates about Wheel of Time, and other related subjects from our Twitter and Facebook pages.     That wraps up this week’s Weekly Roundup. See you next week!

[slight spoilers of The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance will follow.]   Brandon Sanderson's latest epic book, Words of Radiance, was released earlier this month.  At over 1,000 pages long, it took me a week and a half to make it through.  Not from lack of wanting to, only from lack of time.  I finished it on Friday morning, which was my goal, because Friday evening was Brandon's signing in Scottsdale, Arizona (the bookstore livestreamed the event; you can watch it here).   The book looks intimidating.  It's really, really big.  I think that could put many readers off.  But, if you can stick with it, the story is well worth the effort.   It picks up where The Way of Kings left off.  Kaladin and his Bridge Four gang have been taken in by Dalinar.  Dalinar is still experiencing his visions from the Almighty, trying to put them together for a plan to save the world.  Shallan—despite her betrayal of Jasnah—has been embraced as a full ward of the heretic, and helps research the Voidbringers.   The world is heading towards destruction, but all our heroes fight towards the goal of salvation.   Shallan's storyline was the most interesting.  Brandon has said that each book within the Stormlight Archive will be one person's story—The Way of Kings was Kaladin's book, sharing his past through flashbacks.  This was Shallan's book, and we were finally shown her whole story.  It was fascinating to see how she transformed from the timid girl of Jah Keved to the ward and confidant of one of the most powerful women in the world.  She finds her inner strength and grows into a very strong character.   This is helped by her bonding of a Spren.  We saw Kaladin make on bond with Syl, the Windspren, in The Way of Kings, and Shallan's bond with her Spren is similar.  Pattern, a Liespren (or Cryptic), helps Shallan build her powers.  With different typed Spren, though, come different powers.  Shallan's abilities are very unlike Kaladin's.  She is able to Lightweave, forming illusions.   Kaladin, though not the main focus of the book, still has a great story arc.  After being rescued from Sadeas, Kaladin and his bridgemen take the employ of Dalinar as personal bodyguards.  Kaladin soon finds himself protecting the whole Kholin clan, including the King.  Knowing his duty is the right thing to do, he is still torn at the prospect of protecting Lighteyes—people who think themselves raised above him.    Throughout the novel, Kaladin battles with himself over these mixed feelings.  He respects Dalinar, but can't seem to take that final leap in trusting him completely.  He is unable to confide his abilities to Dalinar, even though he knows he should.  Kaladin does a lot of regression in this book—going back to hating the world and the people around him.  It makes an interesting parallel to Shallan's story because they share experiences of overwhelming grief in their past.    Dalinar doubles his efforts to find Radiants.  He is convinced that the mythical figures will begin appearing to help save the people from the Desolation that is coming.  Sadeas still undermines Dalinar's beliefs and the Kingdom is nearly torn in half between the two Highprinces.   Still, Dalinar pushes on, despite the ridicule of the other Highprinces.  He is so firm in his beliefs that he doesn't let anything deter him from his duty.   He is such a great character.  He's strong of will and mind, and he is able to put aside his shame and focus on the bigger picture.  His goals are very ambitions, but he does everything in his power to make them come to fruition.    The book is divided into five parts, with interludes in between.  These interludes feature characters that are minor, or out of the way, but still offer insight to the state of the world.  The most interesting of the interludes was from the point of view of a Parshendi Shardbearer, Eshonai.  She wants to make peace with Dalinar and the Alethi people, and takes steps to meet with them.  However, something happens to the Parshendi, a transformation that changes Eshonai's intentions drastically.  We also see other people who have made bonds with Spren.  This is just a taste of all the abilities—all the Orders with the Radiants—that we will see as the series continues.    Exciting and captivating, this book is wonderfully paced—the interludes giving needed breaks from the thick intrigue of the main storyline.  It is humorous and sad, light and dark, hopeful and depressing.  Brandon has done a great job of making a world and characters that are realistic.   The rest of Brandon's tour dates are listed on his website.  The event was very well attended—not everyone could fit inside the bookstore!  He also had prizes to hand out, with Shardhunt codes—which will unlock goodies on Brandon's website if enough of them are activated.  My sister and I were given codes because we dressed up—we both wore our Aes Sedai shawls.  If he's stopping in a town that's near you, I really suggest trying to see him.

Hello again my lovelies! It's Friday, and that means it's time for fan art! Except, this week I don't have fan art to show you. Curious, yes?   This week I want to show you art that has made me think of Wheel of Time. I think you all will see why! Now let's dig right in, shall we?     Wanderlust by FoxFires   I will admit, basically any painting of gypsies could be seen as a depiction of the Tinkers. But this one just speaks to me so much. The brilliant colors, the peaceful atmosphere, and the relationship between the girl and the fox. The Tinkers had large wolfhounds after all, so a close relationship with a fox seems very fitting! I can almost hear the music, it looks like she's looking over at the musicians, watching others dance, and enjoying the comfortable warmth of her home.     Character Portrait IV - edit by Jinxiedoodle   Bad-ass Aiel girl, straight up. Okay, her hair is too long for how the Maidens wear it. Maybe she has given up the spear now? That defiant gaze, the red hair, the scars, this character is simply made to be an Aiel.     Blue By Fragmented   This is Logain, just like I see him in my head! Dark, menacing, but handsome. You can see this guy declaring himself to be the Dragon, can't you? The clothing is too modern of course, but it is a black coat!     Ethiopian Beauty by Dark-Adon   No doubt about this one, is there? This is Tuon, of course. She is perfect, just like she is described; an almost too full mouth, big eyes, heartshaped face, and a face that can look boyish at first glance, but when you look again, undeniably female. If I ever learn how to make paintings like these, I could never make Tuon, because this is my ultimate Tuon.       Opale by Melanie Delon   Moiraine, of course. She's truly ageless; she could be 20, she could be 40. Her eyes hold her age and you can see she knows too much, she's seen too much. Blue eyes, dark curly hair, and the blue kesiera. The only "flaw" is that the chain on the kesiera is silver, not gold. Melanie Delon is one of my favorite digital artists, and this is the image that made me find her. It's so beautiful.     That's it for this week! Next week I'll have another batch of art that could have been Wheel of Time-artwork to show you! As always, tell me in the comment what you think. Have a great weekend!

Is there Hope for "Hopper"?     (source)

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  Sorry for the long delay, but we are getting back to the story now, reading chapters 19 - 21 of The Eye of the World.    Synopsis: Chapter 19, "Shadow's Waiting"   The group enters Shadar Logoth, a city full of ruins.  They pick out a building and make a place to rest inside, with the horses being stabled in a back room.  Thom, Rand, Mat, and Perrin take the horses and brush and feed them.  Thom goes to smoke his pipe, and Mat convinces Rand and Perrin to go exploring.   In their wanderings, a man calls out to them from the shadows of a building.  He says his name is Mordeth and he asks the boys to help him carry treasure.  Mat rushes after the man, and Perrin and Rand reluctantly follow.  Inside the building is a big pile of gold.  They mention that the others could come help and Mordeth questions them.  When Mat answers that they are going to Tar Valon, Mordeth grows angry.  Rand suddenly realizes that Mordeth doesn't have a shadow.  Mordeth inflates, cutting off half the room.  Mordeth shrieks and curses the boys, then stretching out like smoke, he disappears into a hole in the wall.   The boys run from the room, out of the building, and into the fading sunlight.  From the shadows around them, they feel watching eyes.  They rush back to Moiraine and the others.  Nynaeve scolds them, but Moiraine asks them what happened.  They explain about Mordeth.  Moiraine hisses and makes sure that Mordeth didn't touch them, and that they didn't take anything from him.  Rand says they didn't. Moiraine explains that Mordeth was an advisor to the king of Aridhol during the Trolloc Wars.  Mordeth corrupted the king with his words, and soon the whole city was using means as evil as the Shadow to hunt the Shadow.  Everyone in Aridhol was consumed and Mashadar—the evil power born of their hate and suspicion—was born.  Mashadar still lurks in the city, and Mordeth too.   They all try to sleep.  Sometime later, Lan returns from scouting and tells Moiraine that Trollocs and Myrddraal are in the city.  He wonders what could have forced the Myrddraal in.  The group decides to leave and make for the river—hoping for a boat to give them passage.   Chapter 20, "Dust on the Wind" The group heads out on their horses.  Rand notices he and the others are falling behind the Warder and Aes Sedai.  He quickens his step, but Moiraine tells him to stop.  A think tendril of Mashadar has blocked the path.  Moiraine tells them to follow the red star east and meet up at the river.  Rand is the first to move, so everyone follows him.   Rand and company run into a group of Trollocs and everyone scatters.  Rand runs through the streets alone, pursued by Trollocs and a Fade.  The Shadowspawn get caught by Mashadar, and Rand continues on.  He runs into Mat and they leave through a city gate.  Outside the walls, Thom rides by and yells them to run.  Rand does, but worries about Egwene.   Perrin sits by a city gate, weighing his options.  Egwene appears on the other end of the square and they leave together.  Outside, a Trolloc horn sounds behind them, and they race ahead.  Bela is slowing down, and Perrin yells at her to hurry.  Suddenly, he and his horse fall off a cliff into the river.  He takes off his cloak to keep from being pulled under, but won't take off his axe.  He finally makes it to the opposite shore.   Rand, Mat, and Thom are trying to find the red star to lead them to the river.  When they finally spot it, they head off in that direction.  Trollocs appears behind them and Mat kills some with arrows.  Thom kills some with his throwing knives.  As they approach the river, they see a lantern on a boat.  With more Trollocs behind them, they board the boat quickly.    As they do so, Rand accidently steps on Floran Gelb, the night watchman on the ship.  A Trolloc manages to knock Rand down and get aboard the ship.  As Rand thinks his luck is up, a boom comes loose and throws the Trolloc overboard.   The captain of the ship, Bayle Domon, appears and demands to know what happened. Gelb says that Rand attacked him, and that Rand was in league with the Shadowspawn.  Domon disagrees, saying that the Trollocs have followed him.  The captain takes Rand, Mat, and Thom below and wants to know how they came to be in Shadar Logoth.  Thom tells a fanciful story, which Domon seems to believe.  They arrange a price for their passage—Rand and Mat giving away the coins Moiraine gave them.  Thom asks Domon about the Trollocs following him, and Domon says they've chased the boat since Saldaea.   After leaving the captain's cabin, Thom berates the boys for giving away so much money.  He says he could have given them songs and entertainment as their fee.  Mat doesn't think so, and Rand is only worried about Egwene.   Chapter 21, "Listen to the Wind" Nynaeve wakes up alone.  She and her horse head down river, trying to read the tracks, but she is unable to read them clearly.  She remembers that the night before Trollocs had chased her, but when they caught her scent, they stopped.  They knew the smells of those they want.   She smells fire, and tying her horse up, sneaks close to the camp.  It's Lan and Moiraine.  She listens to their conversation.  Lan wonders how so many Trollocs came there so quickly, and where they all went to—only a small group heads towards Whitebridge.  Moiraine tells him that one boy is alive across the river, and the other two had given away their coins.  Lan wonders if the Shadowspawn heading towards Whitebridge had them, and Moiriane refuses to accept that.  She will expect opposition from other Aes Sedai, and the Amyrlin, but—she realizes Nynaeve is hiding in the bushes and calls her out.   Nynaeve demands to know what she is scheming.  Instead of answering, Moiraine says that Nynaeve can learn to channel.  Moiraine goes into detail about the experiences Nynaeve had when she first touched the Source, and that she must have Healed either Egwene or Perrin.  Nynaeve tires to deny it, but the evidence is too strong.  She asks Moiraine not to repeat any of this.  Nynaeve still demands to know what Moiraine wants with the boys.  Moiraine says that she will not let the Dark One have what he wants.   Nynaeve says she will come with, and Lan goes off to fetch her horse.  Nynaeve questions Moiraine about which boys they are going after, and why they don't try to find Egwene.  Moiraine says the boys are the most important at the moment.  Nynaeve is filled with sorrow, thinking that she is forced to pick between which of the children to rescue.  Lan comes back with her horse, and she gets angry at him for seeing her cry.  They set off, and Nynaeve realizes that if she can channel, she can use the Power against Moiraine.   My Take: I think this will be a Nynaeve heavy post.  I've made no attempt to hide my love for Nynaeve, though I know others don't find her nearly as enduring.  Despite her annoying tendencies, she is a strong and capable woman, with a big heart and a desire to help and heal everyone.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  We'll get into more about Nynaeve in just a bit.   First, I want to look at what Thom says about Mat's speaking of the Old Tongue.  He tells the boys that the "dead can be reborn, or take a human body, and it is not something to speak of lightly."  This is curious to me, because we know all people are reborn in the Pattern, but we don't yet know about the Dark One's abilities to put a dead person back into a human body.  In fact, I don't think the Dark One has had the access to the world to do that in a very long time.  How would Thom know about this dreadful power?  Just through old stories passed down?  Very curious.   I'm also a little fuzzy on the connection—at this point in time—between Mordeth and Mashadar.  Mordeth was a corrupt man, who bewitched the King of Aridhol into using evil methods.  For this corruption, Mashadar was formed.  Yet the two are separate beings.  Mordeth has some of the same abilities, like the tendrils of smoke, but Mashadar is a mindless parasite (almost like the Machin Shin).  But Mordeth must have some unnatural powers from Mashadar, or else how could he still be alive to haunt the ruins of Shadar Logoth?  So is there a connection at all?    Doing a search on Theoryland's wonderful interview database doesn't pull up a single question asking about the two of them together.  There's Mashadar and Fain, and there's Mordeth and Fain, but not Mashadar and Mordeth.  This is very odd to me.  It seems they would logically be grouped together, both being the last citizens of a dead city.  We'll find out more about the connection with Fain later, but I'm still left wondering about other two.  Perhaps one rules the days and the other the nights?   And when Rand, Mat, and Perrin come back from their encounter with Mordeth, Nynaeve scolds them so fiercely, stating that, "Lan is out looking for you now, and you'll be luckier than you deserve if he does not pound some sense into the lot of you when he gets back."  All I can hear when she says this is, "Wait until your father gets home!"  They're not married yet, but Nynaeve sure acts like it.  This makes me giggle each time I read it.   And so we move onto the Nynaeve bits.  I think Moiraine confronting her about her channeling is one of the best-written scenes in the series.  It seems so inconsequential at the time, at least to us.  For Nynaeve, it's a life changer.  She goes from being a respect woman, to having a terrible secret, one she never wants anyone to find out.  This changes her drastically.  We learn a lot of her personality here.  When Moiraine is describing the first unconscious channeling, she says, that there was something that Nynaeve "wanted more than anything else in the world."  And what was that?  Healing Egwene.  We see later that Moiraine's first channeling was to eavesdrop.  Most Wilders in the Tower had similarly selfish desires.  Nynaeve only wanted Egwene to get better.    And before you argue that Rand used his first channeling to save Egwene too, look at the details between them.  Rand has believed for the past six or eight years that he's going to marry Egwene.  Nynaeve just babysat her on occasion.  Rand has a deep love for Egwene at this point.  Nynaeve had no special connection, probably no more than to any of the other village children.  That takes someone with a very pure and noble heart to have that be their top concern.  She didn't want a pretty dress, or her father to buy her things, she only wanted people to get better.   This scene is also wonderful in the way it parallels Rand's own channeling experiences.  This is the work of master storyteller Robert Jordan once again.  We are so caught up in the experience as it relates to Nynaeve that we overlook the same things happening to Rand.  It's so simple, and staring us straight in the face, but it's easy to overlook.  It's clever and really gives a great reveal at the end when we are able to put all the pieces together.   It's interesting that we meet Bayle Domon so early in the series.  He's so easy to dismiss, but he does wind up playing a more important role later.  And it's not obvious now, but we do learn later that the Trollocs actually are following him because he has one of the Seals to the Dark One's prison.  Too bad Rand didn't know more about his true self and his goals by this time.  It might have saved him some trouble.   And there's one last thing I question about these three chapters, why does Moiraine expect opposition from the Amyrlin?  She says, "Opposition from within the White Tower, even from the Amyrlin Seat, I accept. There are always Aes Sedai who will accept only one solution."  The one solution is Gentling Rand, and I do believe many Aes Sedai insisted on that course—even Verin hints towards that in The Great Hunt.  And other Aes Sedai do doubt her, and fight her.  But why would Siuan?  They've been plotting this for the past twenty years.  There's no way Siuan would go against her in any fashion.  The only answer I have is that she suspects that Siuan won't be Amyrlin for much longer.   That's all I've got for today.  With this first switch in point-of-views, the story really picks up the pace!  Join us next time for the next few chapters of The Eye of the World.  Thanks for reading!

A Memory of Light, the fourteenth and final book in the Wheel of Time series is on the Long List for the David Gemmell Legend award. This award honors the best of fantasy fiction each year and is named in honor of the late David Gemmell. Gemmell was a prolific British fantasy author, with thirty novels published in his career. After his death, this award was established both to recognize the best works of fantasy fiction each year and to honor Gemmell's legacy.   The Long List is selected by an international slate of professionals in the field each year, while the Short List is determined via internet poll. If you'd like to see A Memory of Light on the Short List, you have until April 13th to vote. In addition to the recognition this award bestows, the prize itself takes the form of a wicked cool battle axe. Brandon Sanderson won this award in 2011 for The Way of Kings, the first book in his The Stormlight Archive series.   The link to vote is here.   Also, as a reminder the nomination period for the Hugo Awards is still open until the end of the month. We believe the entire Wheel of Time series is eligible for an award based on the current rules regarding serialized works. If you joined this year's WorldCon by January 31st, you are eligible to nominate. This is Robert Jordan's final opportunity to receive either of these awards, so if you feel strongly about this, be sure to participate!