DRAGONMOUNT

With the release of A Memory of Light upon us, the podcasters take a moment to tie up some loose ends, and talk about their predictions for some of the minor characters. Spoiler Warning In this episode, the Podcasters talk about books 1-13, as well as the promotional chapters previously released for AMOL. If you haven't read all the pre-released bits of this last book, you may wish to hold off on listening to this until you have. Of course, at that point, you'll have probably read the book already, and can laugh when we get everything absolutely wrong. In this episode, Andrew, Virginia and Spencer are joined by Richard. Download the podcast here

A Memory of Light, the final book in The Wheel of Time series, is just days away! Almost exactly 23 years have passed since the original publication of The Eye of the World. On January 8th, the grandest saga of modern literature will be complete. Are you ready? We are! Here's a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about the AMOL release. Where to get it AMOL will be released in hardcover and audiobook on January 8th. (The ebook will be available on April 9th) First and foremost, please support your local bookseller. As a community of readers and book lovers, we encourage you to support the fundamental ideas of having brick-and-mortar booksellers in your community. If you prefer to order online, please consider ordering through these Amazon.com links, as a small portion of the sale will go to support our website. http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=DF1B12&t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0765325950" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">   http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=FF1800&t=dragonmount-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0765325950" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">   http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=FF2400&t=dragonmount-20&o=15&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0765325950" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> The Book Tour Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal will be going on Book Tour. You can attend the events below and meet them in person. Harriet will sign any book written by Robert Jordan, and Brandon will sign his books, including the 3 WoT books he wrote. Some of the events will also have other guests such as Alan and Maria from Team Jordan, myself, Jennifer Liang, Matt Hatch (from Theoryland.com), and others. Each event will also have a team of "Memory Keepers"--volunteer fans who help organize the event and will be conducting games and handing out promotional materials. Tour dates and locations: 1/7/13: Provo, UT (pre-release Q&A) - Provo High School auditorium @ 8:00 p.m. / w Harriet 1/8/13: Provo, UT (midnight signing) – BYU Bookstore / w Jason Denzel (For" rel="external nofollow">http://brandonsanderson.com/book/A-Memory-of-Light/page/68/">For information about signed books at this event, be sure to read Brandon's blog post) 1/8/13: Minneapolis (Roseville), MN -- B&N @ 7pm / w Harriet 1/9/13: Chicago (Skokie), IL -- B&N @ 7pm / w Harriet 1/10/13: Dayton, OH -- Books & Co @ 7pm / w Harriet 1/11/13: Lexington, KY -- Joseph-Beth Booksellers @ 7pm / w Harriet 1/12/13: Charleston, SC -- B&N @ 2pm (off-site @ Addlestone Library/ College of Charleston) / w Harriet and Jennifer Liang 2/1/13: Salt Lake City, UT -- Weller Book Works 2/6/13: San Diego, CA -- Mysterious Galaxy @ 7pm 2/7/13: Los Angeles (Huntington Beach), CA – B&N @7pm 2/8/13: Sacramento (Citrus Heights), CA -- B&N @ 7pm / w Jason Denzel 2/9/13: San Francisco, CA – Borderlands @ 3pm 2/11/13: Portland, OR -- Powell's (Beaverton store) @ 7pm 2/12/13: Seattle, WA -- University Books @ 7pm (off-site; University Temple United Methodist Church) 2/13/13: Vancouver, Canada –*To be confirmed 2/14/13: Calgary, Canada –*To be confirmed 2/15/13: Toronto, Canada— *To be confirmed 2/16/13: Milford, NH The Toadstool Bookshop @ 2pm (off-site; The Amato Center for the Performing Arts) 2/18/13: Baltimore (Hanover), MD -- Books-A-Million @ 7pm / w Harriet 2/19/13: Philadelphia, PA -- Free Library @ 7:30pm / w Harriet 2/20/13: Raleigh, NC – Quail Ridge Books @ 7:30pm / w Harriet 2/21/13: Atlanta, (Norcross), GA -- Eagle Eye Books @ 7:15pm (off-site; Norcross Cultural Arts Center in conjunction with the Gwinnett County Library system) / w Harriet and Jennifer Liang 2/22/13: Birmingham, AL -- Books-A-Million @ 7pm / w Harriet and Jennifer Liang Preview Chapters At this point, the entire prologue, and parts of chapters 1, 2, 3, and 11 have been released: Purchase the prologue and support our website Read the opening portion of the AMOL prologue for free. Read the opening portion of Chapter 1 for free. Listen" rel="external nofollow">http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/10/audioslice-a-memory-of-light-chapter-2-qthe-choice-of-an-ajahq">Listen to Chapter 2 for free. (Tor.com) Read" rel="external nofollow">http://www.npr.org/2012/12/29/168075551/exclusive-first-read-a-memory-of-light-by-robert-jordan-and-brandon-sanderson">Read the opening portion of Chapter 3 for free. (NPR.org) Read the opening portion of Chapter 11 for free. Early Reviews Jason Denzel's spoiler-free response of the book Leigh" rel="external nofollow">http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/12/the-wheel-of-time-a-memory-of-light-spoiler-free-review">Leigh Butler's spoiler-free response (Tor.com) Promotional Videos Tor Books released several promotional videos for A Memory of Light. Please share them around! http://www.youtube.com/embed/YOJiyFf8gW4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> http://www.youtube.com/embed/XrfUoR4Z9Ig" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> http://www.youtube.com/embed/ja3QAV_t3vs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> Discuss the Book Dragonmount features a wide variety of ways to discuss AMOL. Visit our complete AMOL info page. Discuss A Memory of Light on our forums. (No spoilers) A Memory of Light SPOILER FORUM. (BEWARE!) Follow" rel="external nofollow">http://twitter.com/dragonmount">Follow us on Twitter or %22Like%22" rel="external nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/dragonmount">"Like" us on Facebook.

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. As you all know, A Memory of Light is just one week away. In preparation for its release, this blog will contain a few of my predictions. But, before we begin:   Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.   Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 11, or Tor's daily previews. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light pre-release spoiler discussion board can be found here. The A Memory of Light full spoiler discussion board is here.   I just finished my Towers of Midnight re-read, and I spent a lot of time thinking about many events that happened in that book; namely, Aviendha's second trip through the glass-column ter'angreal, and Moiraine's rescue from the Finns. We already know Moiraine has important information—after all, Mat gave up his eye "to save the world" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 15, "Into the Doorway"; Towers of Midnight, Chapter 54, "The Light of the World"). But what of Aviendha's visions of the future—or possible future? Will the knowledge she has arm the Aiel for what is to come?   We've talked about the actual visions before and most everyone agreed they showed a possible future, not the future. Honestly, I'm still torn. I could see it going both ways. Obviously, I hope it's only a possibility. I respect the Aiel culture and would hate to see their honor lost so drastically. But the important fact is that Aviendha saw each step that took them down that path. She saw three key events that can be fixed, if she can convince the Aiel to bend a bit of their pride.   The Aiel have been left out of the Dragon's Peace, meaning they were not sworn to peace, a reward for their service to Rand. However, this lack of being included leads the Aiel down a very dark road. This is the first part of them going to war against the Seanchan. This part may be easily fixed, if Aviendha convinces Rand to include the Aiel.   The next major dispute between the Aiel and the Seanchan is the leashed Wise Ones. This hatred for the Seanchan festers inside the Aiel, growing into something so consuming they are unable to break away from it. Ladalin thinks that, "Her hatred of the invaders ran deep…Perhaps that hatred had destroyed the Aiel" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun"). In that same chapter, Aviendha reflects:   This may be a bit harder to fix. The Aiel are a proud people. They have so much honor and feel such shame when it is insulted. The Seanchan have insulted them by not letting the Wise Ones go after their year and a day of gai'shain service is up. So, to make peace with the Seanchan, the Aiel will need to let the collared Wise Ones go. They will need to let the insult go, let their hatred go. That won't be very easy for Aviendha to convince the Aiel to do.   On top of that, the Aiel still consider battle to bring honor.   Padra wants to start a war out of her desire to be like Aviendha. That's terribly ironic.   One last thing that Aviendha might try to prevent is Rand bowing to the Seanchan Empress. Oncala's vision shows this exchange between Hehyal, chief of the Taardad, and Talana, Queen of Andor:   From this Aviendha knows that if Rand bows before the Empress, the Aiel—and perhaps the other citizens of Randland as well—see him as weaker than the Empress. I think Rand's in a state of mind where he will willingly bow to Tuon, for the greater good, but look at how much harm comes from it later. But how will Rand make an alliance with them without bowing?   Here's my crazy theory on this one: Aviendha and the Aiel will bow before the Empress in Rand's place. She knows that so much harm comes from their hatred, their war, their unwillingness to surrender to the Seanchan. She will see that they need to submit. It will be the only way for the Aiel to survive as a people, avoiding the awful visions she saw.   And if that's unlikely to happen, here's another possible way to avoid that future: Aviendha will not have Rand's children. Now, before you start getting angry and saying "Min's viewings are always right," remember that Robert Jordan said, "The viewings and prophecies that occurred before the loosening of the Pattern are very valid. But those that occurred at, or after, the loosening have a higher chance of not coming true." Since he said this, I think we will have at least one instance when Min's viewing is wrong. Perhaps more than one. I think it would be very interesting if Elayne winds up with twin girls, instead of a boy and a girl—which would prove Min to be wrong—and Aviendha would then make sure she didn't get pregnant. I think she is strong enough to make that sacrifice for her people, since it is her line that leads to so much trouble.   That, mixed with the Aiel surrendering to the Seanchan, can make lasting peace.   Moving on…   Moiraine had three requests to make of the Eelfinn. She says that one of the requests was to keep the angreal that she and Lanfear brought into their world. What were the other two? She knew she wouldn't be allowed to escape since the doorway melted, so it's unlikely that she asked for that. Could she have asked for her Bond with Lan to be broken? It was necessary for everyone to think she died. If Lan's Bond with her still existed, he would have gone into the other doorway ter'angreal or into the Tower to get her out. That would have resulted in his and her death. She couldn't let that happen, so she needed the Bond annulled. Or did the Bond break because the doorway was destroyed? There were still other connections to the Finns' worlds, so I don't think that could have broken their Bond. I think it's much more likely Moiraine asked for it to be broken as one of her requests.   No doubt her last request was for specific knowledge. She has to come out of there with the key to victory because she will somehow save the world. I thought it would be her return that made Rand turn away from the Shadow inside him. But since he had his epiphany without her, her information must be something different. Perhaps she learned how to Heal the Bore? Perhaps she learned what the Dark One's real purpose is—since Verin says Rand's understanding isn't correct? Questions/requests related to the Shadow can have harsh consequences, but she's clever enough to phrase it the right way, I'm sure.   Okay, here's a few final predictions.   Deaths:   While I understand some of our main characters might die, I can't predict a single one. There is too much foreshadowing of events that take place past the Last Battle. The most popular character to die, I think, will be Birgitte. After that, I can see Gawyn dying, but I still think it unlikely.   I think the Aiel will suffer very heavy casualties. They have a prophecy that says, "He shall spill out the blood of those who call themselves Aiel as water on sand, and he shall break them as dried twigs, yet the remnant of a remnant shall he save, and they shall live" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn"). Remember one of Min's first visions of Rand? She says she sees, "you [Rand] pouring water on sand" (The Eye of the World, Chapter 15, "Strangers and Friends"). Notice the similar wording? Perhaps that's a metaphor for the Aiel and their sacrifice in the Last Battle. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if every major Aiel character (Amys, Rhuarc, Sorilea, Bair, etc.) all die. Melaine will have her babies—unless that vision fails as well—so she might be safe until after the battle.   All the Forsaken will die. Even if one does wind up returning to the Light, it will be done in a sacrificial way, giving up their life for the Light to win. Out of all those who can turn, I think it likely to be Moridin.   Slayer and Fain will die. Slayer by Perrin. Fain by Rand. There's too much buildup between those pairs, too much narrative debt.   I think Cadsuane will die. She thinks in The Gathering Storm, that, "Over two centuries ago, she'd sworn to herself that she'd live to attend the Last Battle, no matter how long that took" (Chapter 5, "A Tale of Blood"). Notice how she never swears to live after the battle. I think that could be an ironic way of handling the situation. She lives to attend the Last Battle, but dies during it.   Other resolutions:   Perrin and Faile will take over the throne of Saldaea.   Mat and Tuon will settle the Seanchan around Altara; after the Dragon's Peace, they will not seek to conquer any more land this side of the ocean. Perhaps Setalle Anan can help with this; if she is Healed and is Aes Sedai again, Tuon will see that Aes Sedai are not evil creatures. Tuon will keep the damane they currently have, but not capture any more.   Nynaeve will become Elayne's Aes Sedai advisor ("If she had her way, Nynaeve al’Meara was going to be the Aes Sedai advisor to the next Queen of Andor" (Winter's Heart, Prologue)). Malkier is beyond saving, so she and Lan will live in Andor instead.   Egwene will continue as Amyrlin.   Galad will merge the Whitecloaks into Mayene's forces, becoming an independent group, but still tied to the Winged Guards. Galad and Berelain will get married and become good friends with Faile and Perrin. Galad's blood relationship to Rand won't play any part during or after the battle.   As mentioned above, the Aiel will bow their pride, accept the collared Wise Ones as lost, refrain from devotion to battle—not necessarily take up the Way of the Leaf, but become more peaceful—and live in the Wetlands. With their toh met, they can mold their culture into something better than what they were before. They won't be Aiel anymore, or even Jenn Aiel. As the prophecy said, only a "remnant of a remnant" would be saved (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn"); only a few will stick to their warrior ways, most likely the Shaido hiding in the Waste. Though their losses during the Last Battle will be great, those who live will adapt to their new life. There's also several mentions in the prophecies of the Dragon's blood saving men from the Shadow. Though the word "blood" is never capitalized, it could still be used metaphorically. Could it also be a reference to the Aiel? In Aviendha's trip through the glass columns, one of the visions talks of "Dragon Blooded" Aiel (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun") which seem to be male channelers, from the context.   Though I'm not a huge fan of it, I think the body-swap theory will most likely be the reason why Rand will survive. He and Moridin will flip bodies—perhaps Moridin doing so willingly, giving up his life for the Light to win. Rand's body will die; his soul living on in Moridin. That is the reason Aviendha's children can have dark hair "after their wetlander side" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun"). Rand is Andoran royal blood and Aiel blood—both of which have red-gold hair. Moridin, however, has "hair black as night" (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 41, "A Crown of Swords"). With Rand's physical body dead, and his literal blood falling on the ground, he can complete whatever task he needs to seal up the Dark One for good. Everyone will think him dead—that way he can live on in peace with his three women. He will settle in Caemlyn; Aviendha and Min will live there too. But maybe Moridin's body is too tainted by the True Power by this point, so his life won't last that much longer.   I really hope all our main characters have lives that are somewhat happy after the Last Battle. As much as they've given to the world, I'd like to see them receive something back. Rand has sacrificed so much for others—the Wheel and the Pattern need to acknowledge how much he's done and give him some happiness.   One more week, and we'll know.   Thanks for reading, everyone. We won't have any new theory blogs until March of 2013. But when we come back, we'll have full A Memory of Light spoilers! Hope to see you then!

We've got less than ten days until the eagerly anticipated release of A Memory of Light! Due to the upcoming release, things will be operating a little differently here on the front page during the book tour. We'll put the regular blog features on hiatus during the signings since we will be posting the Memory Keeper signing reports during that time. This means that starting next week, we'll be starting the hiatus. This hiatus will be in effect until the beginning of March. However, if my bloggers get bored, they may have some (non-spoiler) blogs for you during the book tour gap in late January.   We have created a new board for all the A Memory of Light spoiler discussions. If you have read the book and wish to discuss any part of it, you will need to restrict the spoilers to the A Memory of Light Full Spoiler Discussion forum. If you have read any of the pre-release materials, such as Chapters 1 and 2, but not the rest of the book, you may continue to discuss those in the A Memory of Light Pre-Release Spoiler Material Discussion forum.   How did your Christmas shopping go this year? Your family and friends may be hard to shop for, but would you find it harder or easier to shop for your favorite Wheel of Time characters? Join this interesting thought experiment from our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum and let us know what you might buy for Egwene, Rand, and other favorite characters.   Celebrate the New Year with the Green Ajah at the White Tower & Warders Social Group! Their annual Festival of Lights offers games, contests, and discussions galore. Be sure to stop by this forum to participate.   That's it for now. Happy reading next week!

Dragonmount is pleased to announce the "Memory Keepers" for the A Memory of Light signing tour that will take place in just a few weeks. These volunteers will be at each event handing out promotional materials, assisting Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal and taking notes for the official signing reports to be posted here. We had a large number of extremely qualified applications. Jason and I had to make some very difficult decisions. We wish we could have picked everyone!   Atlanta, GA Betsy A Austin C Ross N Mack P Stephaine G James A Levi G Liz H Jennifer L James L   Baltimore, MD Allen S Joshua S Kristen B David D Melody S Eric M Maureen S Renee F Robert M Cassy E   Birmingham, AL Raymond L Jay D Randy W Seth L Lee C Amanda R Janice M Jennifer L James L   Charleston, SC Christine D Katelyn H Billie Jo S Brandie H Suzanne H Meagan R Perry M Jennifer L James L   Chicago, IL Michael E David W Anne C Ismail K Kelly G Jeffrey N Leonid V   Dayton, OH Nicholas B Mikayla B Cassie C Erin R Duchess M Chuck E Michelle I   Lexington, KY Andrew C Lara C Billie S Richard F Lydia K Tyler F Jennifer D   Los Angeles, CA Katherine P Rob H Joe S Rebecca G Kenneth E Nathan B Kyle O   Midnight Release - Provo, UT Jody C Shannon M Jared W Jeff E Tracie P Andrew G Joelene K Kristy L Luke J Matt H   Milford, NH Frank G Peter B Daniel B Curt H Greg S Albert S Kalyani P   Minneapolis, MN Kaitlin G Grant C Amber K Sarah F Benjamin L Chris B Vicky W   Philadephia, PA Andrew C Bob S Sara-Jane R Phillip M Paul R Aishwarya S Robert B   Portland, OR Andy D Sara G Brittany Y Tyler J Anna H Christine C   Raleigh, NC Joel A Kerri C Gary K William T Oliver G Gary S Jaimie K Thomas B   Sacramento (Citrus Heights), CA Deanna B Adam M Julianna K Jason R Jeff W Danny S Jim F   Salt Lake City, UT Brigitte R Marc T Taylor O Michael W Deborah N Christopher W Charlotte C   San Diego, CA Lyndsey B Tim C Justin L Eric H Manue C Alexei P Christopher H Chris C   San Francisco, CA Matthew B Anthony A Shivam B Molly W Evan K Ashley K Amie C   Seattle, WA Emilie N Eric P Alice A Wendell P Jeffrey S James B Jeffrey J   Toronto Paul L Alex H Elizabeth O Praan M Rebecca L Karen C Alexander A   Vancouver Michael K Alex R Dawn F Stefan R   Not a Memory Keeper? You can still let us know if you plan to be at a signing by RSVPing to one of our Facebook events. The more accurate the number, the easier it will be for the Memory Keepers and venue staff to plan.

The official Wheel of Time playing cards you have eagerly anticipated are finally here! Our pals at Ta'veren Tees have these cards, plus a lovely "Tarmon Gai'don" poster for sale. Both the cards and the poster feature the spectacular artwork of Ariel Burgess. Check out the press release below for complete information: _____________________________________________________ “3 Editions of Wheel of Time Playing Cards Decks now available for Pre-Order and never before seen ‘Tarmon Gai’don’ Poster by Ariel Burgess” Ta’veren Tees is excited to announce the “Wheel of Time Playing Cards Decks”, featuring the artwork of Ariel Burgess, are available as of December 25 for pre-order at www.TaverenTees.com/novelties. For The Wheel of Time®, Robert Jordan created thousands of unforgettable characters – both good and evil – that fans have come to know and love. The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards bring over 60 characters to life through the breathtaking art of Ariel Burgess and are an essential addition to any WoT fan’s collection. Every card features a different character or characters from the series. A portion of the proceeds from each edition sold will be donated to Mayo Clinic to fund research on Amyloidosis, the rare blood disease that claimed Robert Jordan’s life in 2007. A complete list of characters included in the deck can be found at www.TaverenTees.com/cardlist Pre-orders begin shipping January 10th, 2013. All items purchased in the same order as the “Wheel of Time Playing Card Decks” will be held and shipped at the same time. Ta’veren Tees is pleased to offer 3 Editions of the Wheel of Time playing cards. ___________________________________________________________________________ Standard Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Card” The “Standard Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards” contains 54 cards, including two jokers, in a single deck box. ________________________________________________________________________ “Collector's Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards” The “Collector's Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards” comes in a double deck box, with a character list and two individually wrapped 54-card decks, so you can play with one and display the other! The Collector’s Edition is limited to 500 units. _______________________________________________________________________ “Limited Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards” The “Limited Edition: The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards” includes: · 1 Standard Edition single deck box. · 1 Collector’s Edition double deck box (with two 54-card decks and a character list) · 1 Autographed 11 X 17 one of a kind character portrait. The autographed character portraits are not available for sale except with the “Limited Edition:The Wheel of Time® Playing Cards.” Each of the 54 cards in the deck has been made into an 11 x 17 character portrait. There are exactly 54 of these portraits created and all have been signed by: 1. Ariel Burgess, Artist 2. Harriet McDougal Rigney, Robert Jordan's editor and widow 3. Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk, Robert Jordan's assistants Robert Jordan was a poker enthusiast, and in the spirit of poker, when you order a “Limited Edition” version of the playing cards, one of the 54 posters will be randomly selected and shipped to you separate from the rest of your order. You cannot specify which character you receive. The Limited Edition is limited to 54 units. _________________________________________________________________ "Tarmon Gai'don" by Ariel Burgess. Just in time for the Last Battle, Ta'veren Tees is excited to provide this stunning piece of new, NEVER-BEFORE-RELEASED artwork by Ariel Burgess titled “Tarmon Gai’don”. This 16" x 20" poster features Perrin, Rand and Mat as they are before A Memory of Light and the Last Battle. Add it to your art collection today! To read more about Ariel Burgess, visit our Guest Artist page. Ta’veren Tees is an officially licensed creator of Wheel of Time® merchandise. Find them online at www.TaverenTees.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/taverentees, and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/taverentees.

This is the last of our pre-AMOL audiobook giveaways, so be sure to enter if you'd still like to win something! Here are the rules again for those who aren't familiar with them:         This week, we will be giving away a copy of New Spring. I haven't received an audio clip from Macmillan, but will add it here if/when I do.   This giveaway's question is: How do you feel about the Wheel of Time series coming to an end on January 8th? You have until Wednesday, December 26th to answer in the comments section. Good luck!

Tor Books has released their third promotional video for A Memory of Light. This video, called "The Final Chapter", is a telling of the familiar story many fans know: how, shortly after Robert Jordan's death, Harriet selected Brandon Sanderson to complete the Wheel of Time series. As with the first two videos, this one features interviews with Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, and Tor publisher Tom Doherty. Here's the video: Please pass this video on to your friends and family. This is a great way to share the phenomenon of the Wheel of Time with a wider audience. About A Memory of Light Dragonmount features complete coverage of AMOL. Check back regularly for updates! Visit our complete AMOL info page. Read our spoiler-free review of the book. Leigh Butler's spoiler-free review of the book (Tor.com) Purchase the prologue and support our website Read the opening portion of the AMOL prologue for free. Read the opening portion of Chapter 1 for free. Listen to Chapter 2 for free. (Tor.com) Read the opening portion of Chapter 11 for free. Book Tour dates and locations Get daily AMOL quotes emailed to you (Tor.com) Discuss A Memory of Light on our forums. Follow us on Twitter or "Like" us on Facebook.

'Twas a time of recov'ry, the Breaking now past The Dark One lay dormant, though 'twas sure not to last Strong new watch posts were set by the Blight with great care, In fear that Ba'alzamon soon would appear.   Ten nations, in vigilance, lay cross the land, Backed up by Tar Valon, where the Tower did stand My Aes Sedai in her shawl, and I with my sword Had just been dispatched north for the passes to ward   Oh, young fool was I then, for action did I long When from out of the mountains, an army did throng. The guardsmen did tremble, the watch posts did yield All our forces were pushed back, Trollocs took the field   Then Barsine was destroyed as more towns were then crushed Ten nations were rallied to plug where it gushed, But once poor Aramaelle had lost the day The foul Trollocs' dark leader then entered the fray   With a crash of loud thunder, our terror so stark, I knew in a moment 'twas the Heart of the Dark. On a steed made of smoke, laughing like a madman, He did curse them, and shouted, and drove them by clan!   Now, Al'ghol! now, Ahf'frait! now, Ghar'gheal and Ghob'hlin! On, Gho'hlem! on, Ko'bal! on, Dha'vol and Ghraem'lan! To the lands of the south! Past the Borderlands' wall! Now clash away! Bash away! Smash away all!   As all things must before the wild hurricane go, When they met with a foe, they did deal a deathblow. Down to Manetheren, past Aridhol they flew, With a couple of Draghkar, and some Myrddraal too.   He was dressed all in black, from his head to his toe, And his mouth and his eyes had an infernal glow. A bundle of Dreadlords around him did stand, All ready and waiting to fulfill his command   His eyes--how they smoldered! they sparked and did fume! His face was all ashen, so inspiring of doom! His foul little mouth then drew up in a sneer, And I knew what it was then to be seized by fear   The hilt of a sword he raised high in his hand, And black smoke encircled his head like a band. His voice shook like thunder when he gave the order And quite caught off guard this frightened young Warder!   He was evil and vile, a right troubling beast, And given a chance, on this world he would feast! With a glare from his eyes and a tilt of his head, I learned all to know that I could about dread.   He spoke so few words, just went straight to the fight, it turned the whole battle, a dark day for the Light. but as quick as he came the dark lord did abscond, and I hope that he stays there, where'er he spawned!   His forces now routed, thanks to the Amyrlin But the kingdoms were failing, much to our chagrin And Ba'alzamon's last words in my ears did burn "Let the Lord of Chaos rule, for I shall return!"

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to "WoT If?". This week's topic will be the former damane, Alivia.   Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.   Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 11, or Tor's daily previews. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.   To me, Alivia has been one of the biggest mysteries in the series. There aren't too many theories about her, at least that I could find. I think that is so intriguing. It seems that everyone just accepts her—readers and characters alike. Ever since she was first introduced, I've had a hard time understanding the characters' acceptance of her. She's always stood out to me as being out of place with Rand's inner circle. So, let's look a bit closer at her and see if we can find out what she's hiding.   Alivia is first introduced—though not mentioned by name—in The Path of Daggers, Chapter 23, "Fog of War, Storm of Battle." She is one of five damane captured by Rand during his fight against the Seanchan. It's in Winter's Heart when we first hear anything about her, though. And the things we learn are that she was collared at age thirteen or fourteen, has been a damane for more than four hundred years, and she hates sul'dam (Chapter 8, "Sea Folk and Kin"). A leashed woman for over 400 years and she hates sul'dam? How unlikely is that? Damane are broken. It would take so much effort for one to want to be free of the collar.   In fact, the other two Seanchan damane don't want to be let off their leashes. Why would Alivia? The Randland damane want to be free, but they are still very beaten down; Reanna says, "I doubt either one could stand up to a sul’dam. I think if a sul’dam ordered either to help her escape, she would, and I fear she might not fight too hard if the sul’dam tried to collar her again." Yet Reanna says Alivia, "hates all the sul’dam, and she certainly makes a good show of it, snarling at them and cursing them, but…". How is it possible for women used to freedom to be cowed by the sul'dam but not a woman—a Seanchan woman—who has been leashed for 400 years? This should be a huge red flag to readers because of the impossibility of it.   So, after Alivia is let out of the a'dam, she is supposed to have a Kinswoman with her at all times, but rarely does. No one appears to do anything about it. Nynaeve tells her, "You aren’t supposed to go anywhere without an escort!" and then later, "You won’t let me see you without two or three Kinswomen again, if you know what’s good for you" (Winter's Heart, Chapter 11, "Ideas of Importance"). But, that very same day, Nynaeve takes Alivia with her when she leaves with Rand. Why?   This is just outrageous, the way she is instantly trusted and taken into the group. I can see a bit of reasoning on Nynaeve's part, though. She has been struggling with keeping to the Aes Sedai hierarchy—which is based on strength. She has used her own strength as a tool to get what she wants from others, so she would need to follow the rule as well. Alivia is stronger than Nynaeve, so it would be only Aes Sedai politics, maybe even subconsciously on Nynaeve's part.   Even so, how did Alivia even discover Nynaeve was leaving? Or did Nynaeve go and seek out the ex-damane? That seems even more unlikely since Nynaeve is obviously uncomfortable around the woman.   After leaving the Palace in Caemlyn, the party goes to Far Madding. It's here that Min has a viewing of Alivia:   Finally, we have someone who is suspicious of Alivia, though it makes Rand trust her more, for some reason. But the woman continues to be in their group. Why don't they interrogate her? Why don't they do something to find out her reasoning for hating sul'dam and wanting to help Rand? The fact that this is accepted without any explanation is mind boggling, to me.   Because of Min's viewing, even Nynaeve won't trust Alivia—though why she trusted her in the first place is a mystery. Nynaeve and Lan discuss it briefly:   This exchange can go both ways. A popular theme in the series is women knowing what's best, and another is women not understanding when they think they do. So, this could be foreshadowing either way, but I thought I'd point it out.   So, Alivia wanders free, not being taught by the Aes Sedai, but paying attention to their weaves. She is able to learn something just by seeing it done once (Knife of Dreams, Chapter 20, "The Golden Crane"). That means any channeling she sees, she can duplicate. This includes all the secret weaves that Sisters don't even pay attention to. Perhaps even secret weaves used to keep a wooden box—with the Domination Band inside—safe?   This leads me to my ultimate conclusion. Though there's very little evidence, I'm going to speculate anyway. I think Alivia was ordered by a sul'dam to gather information about their captors. They were captured by Rand, the Dragon Reborn, so the sul'dam could have told her to spy on him by any means possible. I think that's one of the only explanations for why Alivia was so eager to get the collar off: she was ordered to. Surely a damane would only be willing to be uncollared if she was ordered to. I think this is proved by the other Seanchan damane's insistence that they need to remain collared.   Either that, or there's another explanation: she is a Darkfriend. There is a certain sense of foreboding around Alivia, in the things I pointed out and other places. Perhaps she used Compulsion on Nynaeve to get to go along with the group? I did hint that she might have been the one who helped Elza get the Domination Band out of Cadsuane's room. Let's look at that a bit closer.   Cadsuane has the Domination Band in a document box in her quarters (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 14, "A Box Opens"). She disarms the box (which has inverted weaves on it that capture a person with Air, makes sounds like trumpets blasting, and has flashing lights) and shows the contents to Sorilea and Bair. Later, when the box had been opened, the wards didn't go off (Chapter 23, "A Warp in the Air"). Rand says servants searched Cadsuane's room; they would have mentioned if anyone was stuck floating with weaves of Air.   Sorilea saw the box disarmed, and likely armed, though it's not mentioned. But Cadsuane showed Sorilea the weaves she used on Semirhage, so it seems likely. Now, there have been a few theories that Bair might be a Darkfriend, but she can't channel, so she couldn't disarm the box. Sorilea as a Darkfriend is unlikely. But, what if Sorilea practices the weaves and Alivia happens to see? The next time we see Alivia, Rand thinks: "To the side, Alivia watched her [Min] go with curiosity. The former damane had stayed aloof recently, as if biding her time, waiting until she could fulfill her destiny in helping Rand die" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 29, "Into Bandar Eban"). No other time has the damane been "aloof" in personality. If anything, she's overbearing. Why would Alivia suddenly be aloof? Because she's afraid of drawing the eye since her involvement with the Forsaken.   I think Alivia is working on one of those two sides. And her "helping Rand die" will not be for his own good, like he believes.   That's all for this edition. We have a break next week for the holidays, but the week after will be my last minute predictions for A Memory of Light. Thanks for reading!