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DRAGONMOUNT

A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

TreeJoe

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News item Comments posted by TreeJoe

  1. Not a frequenter commenter on the site, but my first reaction was not at all dissapointment. This is the last book in a 23 year old work of art. This series has been one of the shining achievements in all of literate, and has been a lifetime's work for many at TOR and Harriet.

     

    If they postponed it 6-12 months because, secretly, they weren't entirely pleased with Brandon's work, I'd be THRILLED with that decision. The worst possible decision would be rushing THIS BOOK.

     

    For those who think this is Greed motivated: First off, Tor is allowed to be a bit greedy. This series is a cash cow for them. They are a business. They will strive to milk the cow. Good for them - more budget to publish other writings in the future, more jobs at TOR, etc.

     

    Second, Greed says you don't release the crowning book of a 23 year old series 2 weeks after the largest retail season of the year. Greed is the voice that says "don't push back my largest new income stream by 2 months!". Greed says, "I care about my numbers for 2012 so we must release it then!"

     

    Blaming this pushback primarily on greed is foolish.

     

    I'm saddened i won't get this book around the time my first child is born - but perhaps that's actually better for the child and i bonding :)

     

    Joe

  2. Despo,

     

    I'm going to maintain my stance and disagree. Tylee has been introduced twice as a major force and has had her POV shown. And she has been introduced as someone who wants to make alliances - a bold thinker and willing to offer suggestions in opposition to the empress's expressed desire, while maintaining allegiance.

     

    The Seanchan empress is going to be nowhere near the White Tower - she will not be involved in the attack. She will remain in Ebou Dar or, maybe, attend the Field of Merrilor at some point if directly invited or drawn there. That is my guess. Fortuona has stressed repeatedly that she must be seen as the ultimate power and a source of order and stability for the lands, and Ebou Dar encompasses that....though we'll see how she begins to use traveling too.

     

    The dream shows someone distinct helping Egwene - a woman. The face is unclear, and I could see that fitting Leilwin or Tuon better (Leilwin's look has changed many times, Tuon had the veil). Nonetheless, the dream indicates someone "on the ground".

     

    Lastly, let's not forget the power Tylee has. At one point, she captured ~400 damane. She has access to dozens, and thousands of soldiers. And that was before her promotion. She may now become a serious leader within the Seanchan in terms of on-the-ground deployment of forces.

     

    Lastly, she aligned with Perrin, arguably one of the lands greatest leaders, before she was blood. If she can align with Perrin, I see no problem with her now elevated stature bringing her to a level that would align with Egwene.

     

    ...

     

    I'm 10% less certain about Tylee than I was, but I think she deserves far more consideration.

     

    If the changing face reflects multiple Seanchan helping her, then perhaps Leilwin and Tylee get involved.

     

    But thus far, those are the only 2 seanchan who have shown an ability to align and integrate with major Randland characters while being female and carrying swords.

  3. Despo - Have you considered the alliance with Egwene to be formed by Tylee Khirgan? Since the dream seems to strongly indicate a soldier and neither Tuon nor Leilwin are sword-strapping. Further, Tylee has proven herself adaptable, wise, and prone to make alliances with our leading characters. She was recently raised to the blood, has gained huge honor within the empire, and has represented herself well to the empress.

     

    I could be wrong, but I think Tylee is going to be involved with the attack on the White Tower - I think something is going to go wrong with the Seanchan plan, perhaps the Seanchan come up against a trolloc horde (or perhaps the white tower is bisieged by trollocs as you surmised), and Tylee helps forment an alliance with Egwene to drive off the trollocs. Or something similarly dire requiring an alliance.

  4. I truly enjoy the idea of Perrin being the real saviour. He has been carefully cultivated to become a figure of enormous power - who can't channel. One of the few. (I also think he may be immune to compulsion through his link to the wolves, but that's another theory for another time)

     

    One thing that seems unusually untouched within the series is the fact that the Blacksmith is sacrosanct to the Aiel. It never gets explained.

     

    I wonder if your Theory fits in with the idea that Perrin helps lead the Aiel back to their true purpose and, fitting with the wheel of time, the Blacksmith becomes a sacred role to the Aiel.

  5. I don't think there is any chance of there being a "dark callandor" - there is no evidence Moridin would be channeling the one power, and we've seen no indication channelers of the true power need any augmenting tools to channel more of it (since it's granted by the dark one).

     

    One thing though: Moridin/Isha'mael has been pretty much non-stop alive for countless turns of the wheel. He's the Dark One's champion as far as we know. We have yet to truly see him in action channeling - just that he's a master manipulator and quite adept. If there was truly a confrontation involving a direct power struggle, I imagine Moridin would be able to operate on the scale Rand just showed in his "storm of light".

     

    In other words: I think Moridin could wipe out 100,000+ army of the light - by himself. I just doubt we'll ever see him in direct-mass combat.

     

    ...

     

    The "Dragon's blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul" is one of the biggest herrings in the series.

     

    Let's see, we've got:

     

    Rand's blood

    - In death

    - In his wounds breaking open

    - In simply the fact that Rand gets bloodied there

    Aiel Blood

    Elayne's child birth taking place there

    Many other possible stretches...

     

    ...

     

    I think Rand will be reborn as you've said, whether through T'A'R or some other mechanism. He is the "Lord of the Morning", "Lord of the Dawn", "He who comes with the Dawn", and many other connections.

     

    He's definitely making it the day of 2 dawns :)

  6. I think you guys are putting way too much faith in Aviendha's vision in terms of the actual future. The vision was never before seen by the Ter'angreal, or anything like it. We don't know if the ter'angreal shows the worst possible future outcome for the individual or what. And since we can infer the future can be changed here, we can also infer that it was not a foretelling or anything else - just a possibility.

     

    We have numerous individual points that express the Aiel are going to be almost wiped out and will be something very different after tarmon gai'don. Aviendha's vision does not alter those things, and Min's vision only expresses that Aviendha will give birth to 4 babies and they will most likely be channelers.

  7. I think the remnant of a remnant refers to something like:

     

    1. The brotherless or other aiel lost to the bleakness who turn to the way of the leaf

    2. tinkers survive because the aiel all sacrifice themselves to the Dark One and in the process help save the world, and thus their remnant (the tinkers) live.

     

    I always thought that the Aiel were the ultimate people in this time - to be consumed as the Dragon needed (Siswai'Aman, the spear of the dragon). And that they have been built, forged, to fill that need.

     

    Throughout the series Gaul and others ask for what they have been forged in the Waste. I never liked the idea that they have been forged into the ultimate warriors only to have them convert back to the way of the leaf.(supposedly damn near everyone of them is basically a blademaster who can also win a triathlon)....

     

    Instead, I think they all struggle with their past history and they will atone for it under ji'e'toh by using their forging to a purpose that will result in them all being slain.

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