DRAGONMOUNT

Last week, I introduced the amazing art on the Facebook page "Screw you all, I love Wheel of Time." Assuming you weren't so inspired by my post that you looked up the rest of the art yourself, I'm featuring another handful of favorites from the page this week.   Art by Cyndi Crews     1. Rand al'Thor by Madeleine Gusdal (Epilogue gallery, Elfwood gallery)       2. Selene by Madeleine Gusdal       3. Tinker Women by Cicely Combs   Cicely Combs' unique and fascinating style has become more sophisticated in the years since she painted these pieces. I highly recommend checking out her professional gallery!       4. The Rebel Amyrlin by Cicely Combs       5. Tinker Woman Dancing the Tiganza by Jon Foster   According to the Wheel of Time Wiki, this was created for the Wheel of Time roleplaying game. Jon Foster is an incredible professional artist with impressive vision--please check out his gallery if you have time. You won't regret it!       6. Rand by Meghan Waters   I love this one! I've never seen it anywhere else!       7. Rand al'Thor Pumpkin, Light Version by =joh-wee (pattern by ~TamIsMyFather)   Happy Halloween!  

It's time to find the most sinister pumpkin patch and get ready for   "It's the Great Dark One, Myrddraal Bah'roun"   Reunite with the gang as they get together for this yearly tradition of fun, traveling from house to house slaughtering all and gaining the spoils of victory.   Trolloc one: "I got a pig." Trolloc two: "I grabbed someone for the Trolloc pot." Myrddraal Bah'roun "I got a rock."   Watch as Ishamael teaches young Lanfear about the Great Dark One. "Each year, the Great Dark One rises out of the pumpkin patch he thinks is the most sinister, bringing his most loyal followers candy and the title of Nae'blis."   Yes, it's fun all around for the gang in this heart warming over a fire tale.   Darkfriend one: "I took a sack full of gold." Darkfriend two: "I nicked this nice bow." Myrddraal Bah'roun "I got a rock." Moghedien: "You Blockhead."   Watch as Snoopy battles the Dragon Reborn!   (Sequence of Snoopy fighting Rand in the skies above Falme)   "Myrddraal Bah'roun, what kind of costume is that?" "I had a little trouble with my sword." "Why did you think you even needed eyeholes?"   Yes, tune in this Tarmon Gai'don for:     "It's the Great Dark One, Myrddraal Bah'roun"

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. With the release of A Memory of Light quickly approaching, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at whether some characters will survive or perish during the Last Battle. We'll take just a few people at a time and look at foreshadowing, among other things, that point to life or death after the series.   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, or Chapter 11. 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.   A few weeks ago, we touched upon the subject of Birgitte, but only in regards to her connection to the Horn. I'd like to expand on that a bit, seeing if she's a prime candidate for death before, or during, the Last Battle.   I'll start with the evidence saying she won't die. There's less of this, I believe.   As discussed two weeks ago, Min sees Birgitte bound to a man who is "older" and "much younger," but is the same man (Winter's Heart, Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter"). If Birgitte dies and is reborn right away, she will be younger than Gaidal Cain, like normal. Alternately, she could die and not be reborn, but I think the results would be the same. The next time around, he would be born first and she would be born later. For Gaidal to be the younger of the pair, I'd say that she has to live through this life.   That's the only logic I can find that points to her surviving. Now for reasons she will die.   Birgitte is a tragic character, one of the most tragic in the series. Her greatest fear comes from losing her memories, which would make her forget Gaidal Cain. She begins to drink heavily to drown her sorrows. She also hates people knowing her past and that she is a Hero. She feels like that title is undeserved in this life because she hasn't done anything to deserve it. In the past, she only did what she had to, and the pressure of living up to her fame is too much for her to handle. She doesn't like the titles Elayne has forced on her, and though Birgitte cares for Elayne greatly, their relationship doesn't bring the comfort it should. In short, Birgitte doesn't have much to live for.   One thing Robert Jordan said points to Birgitte's death:     In all honesty, I think this means that Birgitte might die before the Horn is sounded again. When asked something along the same lines, Brandon Sanderson gives a straightforward answer.     The same would be true about Birgitte. Even if she hasn't been "spun out" in the traditional sense, her soul isn't in Tel'aran'rhiod to come to the call of the Horn. And if she died, I think her soul would go to the "waiting place" before going to Tel'aran'rhiod (which is also the reason I don't think Rand will be ripped out of Tel'aran'rhiod after his death). Of course, there are some things Robert Jordan RAFO'ed that Brandon Sanderson has answered, so perhaps that's not the best proof.   So here's something better. First, Elayne thinks about how Birgitte is unable to use a sword.     Next, Elayne comments on how Birgitte refuses to use a sword.     And finally, Birgitte is wearing a sword.     This, my friends, is foreshadowing. And notice how it's dropped in so casually; there's no extra attention given to it. That's good foreshadowing. In fact, when Towers of Midnight first came out, many people questioned this part in the book. It seemed so out of place with Birgitte's earlier insistence that she won't touch a sword. I think a lot of people thought it was a mistake of sorts, but I'm sure it's just a hint of things to come, trying to sneak below our radar. As a student of literature, I feel these little signs are meant to be important clues to later plotlines.   One last thing Min saw around Elayne might point to a tragic event with Birgitte:     Perhaps it's Birgitte stabbing herself, cutting off her own hand by accident? Or maybe something not so accidental? Maybe it will be some sort of sacrifice, Birgitte giving up her life to save Elayne's?   I think Birgitte is going to be the most important character to die during the final book. I honestly believe all of our "main" characters will live. We'll go into some of the possibilities of that sometime later. That's all for this week. For next time, I want to speculate a bit on the connection between the three ta'veren. Thanks for reading!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I know it's not for a couple more days, but I'm already excited. I hope those of you who celebrate it have a fantastic time.   Chapter 2 of A Memory of Light was recently released in audio format. If you'd like to discuss it, head to this thread in our A Memory of Light Spoiler Discussion forum. Remember, this forum has rules, so please read them before posting.   Have you recently played an addictive video game and want everyone else to play too? Are you looking for something new and interesting to try? Visit the "I Just Played" thread in the Movies and Games Discussion forum to give and receive recommendations.   The Aiel Social Group is celebrating Halloween with a twist--it's Aiel Hallow's Eve! They've got ghost stories, a pumpkin carving contest, and more. Check out the thread I linked above for a guide to the week's events.   Speaking of Halloween, the Ogier are throwing a Halloween party! Head here to join the festivities.   Have a great week!

A while back, my friend Sam pointed me to the Facebook page "Screw you all, I love Wheel of Time." Besides being another great place to get your daily Wheel of Time fix (if Dragonmount just isn't enough for you), it also has a diverse and impressive collection of art I haven't seen anywhere else.* Here are some of my favorite fan works from the page. Tune in next week for more!   Art by Cyndi Crews     1. Book Jackets by Tim Cottrell Go here to see the full project. Here are his covers for books 4-11.       2. Cold Rocks Hold by Jared Magneson (~lordstormdragon)       3. False Rose (Liandrin) by Lipták László       4. Rand al'Thor by Hamilton Cline (*hamdiggy)       5. al'Lan Mandragoran by Hamilton Cline       *Unfortunately, a lot of the art posted to the Facebook page is uncredited. I can't tell you how common it is to see uncredited fan art, or how disappointing. We fan artists put a lot of heart into our art, and we love to share it with you. If you value our work, please do us the honor of giving us credit for it!   In case you don't know, this is the etiquette for sharing art: Ask permission before reposting, if possible. You should also inform the artist that you have reposted their work and provide them a link to the page (again, if possible). At the very least, provide the artist's name when you repost and include a link to their gallery page, if they have one.

For my latest Wheel of Time confessional, I'd like to cover Verin. Please note that there will be discussion of events from the entire series up to the end of Towers of Midnight.   I'm sure we all know how awesome Verin turned out to be, but how many of us expected that of her when we were reading through the books for the first time? When we first met Verin, she seemed very unremarkable, always lost in thought or taking notes in a notebook. She was the typical Brown Aes Sedai. Throughout the series, we get very subtle hints that there might be more to Verin than we realize.   Early in the series, we get that statement from Verin that is later contradicted by Moiraine. If I'm remembering correctly, we do not know the fact of the oaths being able to be broken by the Black. So, at the time, we probably all shrugged it off as a continuity error. Later in the Aiel camp in Cairhien, we see from Verin's point of view and the things she was saying and doing to the Aes Sedai that were captured after Dumai's Wells, along with the things she was thinking to herself. The thoughts were the most ominous part about it. Later in Far Madding when Verin gives a false name, her thoughts about why she gave her false name really start to make you suspect Verin of being of the Black. That makes you go back and question why Verin had given the dream ring ter'angreal to Egwene. I never could make the facts mesh. Later, we see Verin again when Mat finds her asking after Perrin and him with the charcoal drawings that she said a Darkfriend had given her. She gives Mat a sealed letter and makes him promise to do what the letter says if he opens it. The next time we see Verin after that, she is in Egwene's room and we learn the full truth of everything. Verin was a member of the Black Ajah, but to spy on them for the side of the Light, and she effectively listed almost every Black Ajah member in her notebook that she handed over to Egwene. Verin single-handedly outed almost the entire Black Ajah and warned that Mesaana was in the Tower without ever being suspected by the other members of the Shadow.   When we learned the truth about Verin, it was one of the biggest WTF moments I had ever seen in a book. I had to read the whole section a second time to make sure I read it right. Verin is probably my second most favorite Aes Sedai in the series just for how awesome she is, and for actually being an intelligent Aes Sedai instead of one of the squabblers.

Macmillan Audio, in conjunction with Tor.com, has released Chapter 2 of A Memory of Light, entitled "The Choice of an Ajah." The chapter is available as a free audio download only. You can listen to chapter 2 on Tor.com's website. A Memory of Light will be published on January 8, 2013 in hardcover and audiobook formats. It will be published as an eBook on April 9th. In addition, if you are one of the first 2,000 people to pre-order the audiobook on CD, you will receive a limited edition AMOL case for your iPhone. Details are available on Macmillan's website. 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. 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. Discuss A Memory of Light on our forums. Follow us on Twitter or "Like" us on Facebook. Please consider pre-ordering the full book through one of our international Amazon affiliates, and help support our website.       

SCENE 3. HORN OF VALERE   MUSIC: (BRIDGE) MELODIC THEME, FADE UNDER   Narrator   When last we left our intrepid hero, he was planning to meet an unknown man and woman at a pub for a job. But just who were these mysterious people, and what was this job that they were needing him for?     (PUB BACKGROUND NOISES) Lan   Your friend is late. Are you sure this is the best of ideas?   Moiriane   I was going to ask that professor we normally hire, but he was already out on a job. Besides, I didn't hear you come up with anything better.   Lan   What is it with you and guys that wear hats, anyway? At least this kid doesn't carry a whip.   Moiriane   Hush, here comes Mr. Cauthon now.   Lan:   And the older man with him?   Moiraine   I suppose we'll find out shortly, won't we.   (CHAIRS MOVING, PEOPLE SITTING DOWN WITH DRINKS) Mat   Well, mister, I take it you're the one I'm looking for?   Moiraine   Actually, Mr. Cauthon, I'm the one that has the job for you. My associate is only here for security, as I assume your friend is as well?   Mat   In a fashion. Just consider us a team of professionals. There are two more of us outside, in case you're thinking of pulling something funny. Now, you went to the trouble of finding us, so I take it that you have a problem that no one else can help with?   Moiraine   In a fashion. I'm looking for an artifact. It's been missing for a long time, but I've come across a clue as to where it might be.   Mat   You want to hire us for a treasure hunt?   Moiraine   The challenge is in not just the hunt, but in who else may be looking for it. I want to hire you for travel to Tar Valon. Myself, my compatriot, our two horses, and no questions asked until we get there.   Thom   You in some sort of local trouble?   Moiraine   Let's just say that we'd like to avoid any unnecessary entanglements.   Mat   Well, that's the trick then, isn't it. It's going to cost you. Let's say 50 crowns now, and 50 when we get to Tar Valon.   Lan   A hundred crowns? We could hire a regiment for that.   Mat   But who will you get to lead them? You?   Lan   I'm not that bad of a captain.   Moiraine   I'll agree to the price, but 25 up front, 25 when we get to Tar Valon, and the rest when we reach our final goal.   Mat   Deal. When do we leave?   Moiraine   Tonight would be best. I'd hate to dally only to find it's been wiped off the face of the Pattern.   Mat   Thom, gather the others and have them meet us at the stables.       (FADE OUT ALL SOUND)   MUSIC: (BRIDGE) MELODIC THEME, FADE UNDER     Narrator   And so the journey begins. Join us again in two weeks when our intrepid heroes reach the gates of Tar Valon, and find out just what they've gotten themselves into.

In August, I wrote a three part series on the conclusion of The Eye of the World. For this week, I want to do something similar with The Great Hunt. There aren't nearly as many questions for The Great Hunt, but there are some. And one thing I really enjoy about The Wheel of Time series is looking deep into these specific scenes and finding unanswered questions. But, before we start:   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, or Chapter 11. 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.   The ending of The Great Hunt begins, in my opinion, at chapter 47, "The Grave is no Bar to My Call." To refresh your memory, Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Hurin just left Falme; Ingtar stayed behind to try to cleanse himself of the evil he had done. As they leave the town, the Seanchan army advances from behind them, and a Whitecloak army advances from ahead. They are stuck in the middle with nowhere to go.   The interesting thing during this scene is that Rand knows he has to "go back" to Falme. This is one of the first examples of the Pattern forcing the characters to do its will. And later, Hawkwing confirms that this moment was destined by the Pattern.     We discussed this a bit when we talked about Perrin possibly going against the Pattern, but I'm going to point it out again. Hawkwing, who has been summoned by the Horn of Valere, who has more knowledge than any living man, says the Heroes will only follow the Dragon. This is the complete opposite of Moiraine's insistence that the Horn could be sounded by Darkfriends and used for the Shadow's side. Robert Jordan had this to say on the matter:     First off, this confirms, I think, that Moiraine was incorrect about the Horn being used by the Shadow, at least in this instance. Since Ingtar wanted to change sides, if he had blown it, the results would have been the same (likewise for Verin). However, if another Darkfriend had sounded it, a rift in the Pattern would have formed. No Darkfriend, with the intent to use it for the Shadow, could have sounded it at this precise moment. The Pattern wouldn't have accepted it.   Also, in regards to Hawkwing, one thing I've always wondered is why the Seanchan don't notice Hawkwing is fighting against them? Surely they have historical books, or even paintings, to know what he looked like. Albeit, not many were able to get a good look at their attackers, but Min was able to see Birgitte, so some Seanchan should have. And, as fond as the Seanchan are of omens, their ancestor kicking their butts should have made them sail back home as quickly as possible.   Another thing of interest is Birgitte's reaction to Rand when he says he needs to save Egwene.     Obviously, as Heroes bound to the Horn, they have all of eternity in Tel'aran'rhiod. This is such an interesting concept. Think of how well they all know each other. It gives a new meaning to the term "life-long friends."   But, when Birgitte is ripped from Tel'aran'rhiod, she has a completely different view of Rand.     Why would her fondness and feelings of friendship disappear? She still has most of her memories, so she should still remember him as Lews Therin, like in The Great Hunt. This is something that's never made sense to me. Perhaps when she speaks to him again, since his epiphany on Dragonmount, she'll like him once more.   A popular theory right now is that the Horn actually pulls the area around it into Tel'aran'rhiod. Many people speculate that this is how Rand will die and live again (a la Neo in The Matrix). There are a few things in The Great Hunt that point to this conclusion.   One is that time actually stops once the Horn is used. Rand thinks that "no time at all had passed since the Horn was first blown, as though time had paused while the heroes answered the call and now resumed counting." We know time in Tel'aran'rhiod is different from normal life, so this could be an indication that they are in the World of Dreams. Another is that Min sees Birgitte shoot arrows at the Seanchan, and the arrows catch things on fire. This special ability could also be seen as proof that they are in Tel'aran'rhiod. Birgitte says later that "My bow is the ordinary sort, today" (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 6, "Threads"), so it is special while in Falme. Also, Rand and Ishamael fight in the clouds. I don't think there's any way this could happen in the real world.   Going into that a bit more, why does their fight go into the air? And why is it broadcast all over the world? Moiraine says Rand's battle was seen by everyone in the area (The Great Hunt, Chapter 49, "What Was Meant to Be"), and Taim confirms that he saw Rand in the sky as well (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 2, "A New Arrival").   Robert Jordan says that this mirage of their battle was done by the Wheel, not the Creator or the Pattern:     That only slightly answers the question. Why would the Wheel want the battle to be seen by everyone? Maybe the only point was to thwart the False Dragons? Maybe it was so the world could prepare for Rand's coming? Maybe it was when Rand actually became the Dragon? I think it more likely that happened when he took the Eye of the World, though.   This is also an isolated incident. There are more important events that happen through the series, but they don't receive this kind of attention from the Wheel. And it was after this that Rand lets himself be named the Dragon Reborn, not during. In fact, it was five days after the battle that Rand finally "made his decision." So the argument that happened because he was announcing himself doesn't hold up.   So, what's the point? Brandon Sanderson said in an interview that this was a "Pattern Level Event," so there must be some reason why the Pattern, or the Wheel, wanted it shown.   I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the Wheel did it to show off. It's as simple as that. The Wheel is saying, "Look at this miraculous thing I created. Here is my hard work, come to fruition." All the events after the Breaking, the Aiel fleeing, being chased and hurt, finally settling in the Waste; all the events after that, making peace with the Cairhien, the Jenn dwindling, the start of Rhuidean; all the events after the clans were formed, agreeing to see their secret past, the war against the Oathbreakers, Maidens heading for Tar Valon. ALL of this had to happen for Rand to be where he was. Look at all the work, all the planning, the Wheel had to do to get things in motion, to get the outcome it wanted.   Why did it pick this scene to show? I've got the answer to that too. What better way is there to bolster the good guys and send fear into the hearts of the bad guys than broadcasting the Shadow's defeat around the world?   That's all for this week. Next time, we'll take a closer look to see whether Birgitte will survive the Last Battle.

It's time for another weekly roundup!   How would you rank the Wheel of Time books so far? Which of the books blew you away, and which left you unsatisfied? Come let us know in our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum.   Which television shows helped define you as a person? Which shows were part of your fondest childhood memories? Wax nostalgic with us in our TV Show & Sports Discussion forum.   The Shayol Ghul Social Group has their October Caption Faction up. Which caption do you think is the funniest? Be sure to vote!   The Warders of the White Tower & Warders Social Group need your help! Some Aes Sedai have been kidnapped and need to be rescued. They are hidden by special "disguise ter'angreal", so if you can guess which Aes Sedai are which, you'll free them.   That's all for now. See you next week!