Definitely need some time to digest this book. Two things however I really disliked...First would be Demandred. It just seems rather lazy to have him in Shara the whole time and pop up this completely alien an unknown army right at the end of the series. Then he's, as someone said, a giant robot shooting lasers all over the battlefield. Also, he's constantly  yelling for Lews to come face him. Did the moron seriously not know he would be in Shayol Ghul fighting the DO? Second would be Padan Fain. Such an incredibly intense, intricate character comprised of all these different things...and he just shows up for a few pages and get strangled and stabbed. Huge letdown.

 

Other than that..I'm still letting things sink in.

Does Balefire created by the True Power act any different from Balefire created by the One Power?

No, they function the same way.

You sure about that? In the ToM prologue we get..

 

'Working with the True Power was similar, yet not identical, to working with the One Power. A weave of the True Power would often function in a slightly different way, or have an unanticipated side effect.'

 

Better simple question: have we seen any examples of TP-generated balefire?

]Well, we only see Rand's dreams. When we start getting Perrin's POV, we don't actually see any dreams as they're happening. There's just a mention that he's plagued by nightmares, but that he never comes face to face with Ba'alzamon in them. Which obviously doesn't sync up with Rand's..who constantly meets him.

We see Perrin meet ba'alzamon when the wolves fight him off, in TEOTW Chapter 27, Shelter from the Storm.

Yeah, the chapter I was referring to was before this.

 

But anyway, I still say there's something very important about Rand's merging dream. He definitely starts thinking to himself differently after that. There's a second personality to his thinking from that point on.

Ishy was just messing with the boys. He didn't know which was LTT so he sent the same dreams to all the ta'veren he could find. They were just there to convince them to turn to the Shadow, though they don't work that well.

Well, we only see Rand's dreams. When we start getting Perrin's POV, we don't actually see any dreams as they're happening. There's just a mention that he's plagued by nightmares, but that he never comes face to face with Ba'alzamon in them. Which obviously doesn't sync up with Rand's..who constantly meets him.

 

What I also notice reading this first book is that after Rand has this dream in which he and Ba'alzamon 'merge' into an image is that he starts thinking to himself differently. He starts questioning himself, almost taunting himself. For example in the next Rand POV after that you get something like...

 

'Why? Nagged a voice in the back of his head.? So it will turn out like one of Thom's stories? The heroes find the treasure and defeat the villain and live happily ever after? Some of his stories don't end that way. Sometimes even heroes die. Are you a hero, Rand al'Thor? Are you a hero, sheepherder?

 

That's just a strange thing to think to yourself. Prior to this such personal thoughts would be describes as something like, 'Rand thought to himself' or whatever. This is 'a voice in the back of his head'. Just a subtle difference. It's almost like Ishamael is in his head now. Or is this the beginning of LTT in his head? Did the dream trigger that?

 

It's hard to describe. But I've just been reading this book and after that dream suddenly Rand starts thinking very strange things, in a very strange way. It seemed like the link with Ish had something to do with it.

Does Balefire created by the True Power act any different from Balefire created by the One Power?

As Luckers stated (and quoted!) in his initial post, the link formed in ACOS.

I know this is an old thread, but I just happen to be re-reading the series and in the very first book (EotW)...there's a fairly early on chapter in which Rand is dreaming and Ba'alzamon is there. And Rand looks at his image in the mirror and the two share a face and become one.

 

It seems like their link goes back way before ACoS. Is this something that was created when Ishamael healed LTT in the Dragonmount prologue?

1. I'm a bit confused by this Skimming. Where exactly are they while they're travelling? It's some completely black area where the channeler creates a platform (or whatever) to travel. But..where is this? Is it like the Ways? It's not outside the Patern, right?

 

2. When Egewene dreamwalks, she goes to an area where she's neither in her dreams nor in Tel'aran'rhiod. A place where she can see others' dreams sort of like stars in a black sky. Where is this place?

Does Mat's foxhead medallion protect him from saidin, or just saidar? Rahvin kills him, but when Halima (Balthamael) channeled saidin at him, the medallion stopped it.

protects him from both. Rahvins channelling created the lightning but the weaves never touched Mat thus the medallion couldnt stop it.

 

Are not the lightning bolts them selves part of the weave?

no I think it is more the weave sets off a lightning bolt, like when they make it rain, they just create a spark with the Power and it sets off a lightning bolt type thing. Or thats how I interpret it

If that's the case, the necklace doesn't provide nearly the amount or protection I thought it did.

Does Mat's foxhead medallion protect him from saidin, or just saidar? Rahvin kills him, but when Halima (Balthamael) channeled saidin at him, the medallion stopped it.

Why didn't Taim go crazy from the taint? When we meet him he's likely already been channeling for 10-15 years, but is perfectly sane. Is that ever explained?