I have to admit that i am not keenly enough aware of the differences in Mat’s personality between authors to responsibly offer a valid opinion on the matter, but I will say that the scene in MoL in which Rand and Mat have a good old-fashioned pissing contest over who is winning in terms of general heroism, is my absolute favorite interaction between the two characters. This

was a very heart-warming and nostalgic moment that had belly laughing with tears of joy. Sanderson did something right here IMO. For reference:

 

....“Sure,” Mat said. “By the way, I saved Moiraine. Chew on that as you try to decide which of the two of us is winning.” Mat followed Tuon, and behind him rose the laughter of the Dragon Reborn.

1 minute ago, SinisterDeath said:

We started reading Eye of the World out loud when my son was an Infant, their attention span doesn't get any getter even when they're three! We mostly read AT him instead of To 'em!

I like it! Force feed them haha. I’ll just put it on the same level as eating vegetables and make sure he doesn’t have any other nearby available stimuli. And i will give him some canvas to draw his imaginings of the characters and scenery!

On 10/3/2020 at 12:55 PM, redgiant said:

 

This.

 

Changing the number of Forsaken is like changing the number of Nazgul in LOTR.

 

Combining the Forsaken into fewer roles is like:

- combining Athena and Aphrodite, or Apollo and Hermes in Clash of the Titans (either version)

- combining Morgoth and Sauron into one villain to 'make it easier on the audience (lol)'

- combining Mandos and Tulkas as one Ainur in The Silmarillion just ... because.

 

As in, please don't do it.

 

You don't do things like that to what is trying to bill itself as 'historical'. WoT (the books) tries and largely succeeds in feeling like the history of a real world, and you just don't do this sort of thing if it were. The reason why Forward and Back, and all the other historical depth works is precisely because it positions itself as a true history of somewhere (whether 'somewhere' ends up being our literal Earth's past or future or not).

 

You don't have to develop every one of them in the story line of the TV series.

 

Even though the LOTR books didn't name all 9 Nazgul, they still showed all 9 in the movies ... and WoT most certainly makes it clear that all 13 Forsaken have names, personalities, tics and grudges and such well beyond the relative ambiguity that LOTR imparted to most of the Nazgul.

 

Does every Greek god or Ainur get fleshed out as to who and what they are like? Of course not, but they 'exist' and their names are important to preserve for what they imply to all of us who know and love the book stories, even when some of them are never shown or are merely in the background without explanation in a few well-chosen scenes. Likewise, in the WoT universe canon, they are all famous names in WoT myth and it turns out, WoT reality.

 

LOTR could have shown fewer Nazgul than 9 of course, but they didn't. Something like that is just central to the actual story told by the books. It is needless to change that number.

 

However, the TV series can and probably will change how much you see or know about those 13. Some may never even be on-screen, left out to keep a bit of the mythos aspect intact (and sure, also for budgetary/slimming the script reasons). But there are still 13 with those famous names, and that special number 13 also winds its way into many other aspects as readers know. As much as those names and that number are wound into the overall story line, it is a fairly constant slap and reminder of 'Why did they change THAT' throughout the series.

 

They should all keep their normal names, and to whatever degree they are present in the TV story line, their behavioral profile aspects established. For example, if Graendal shows up on TV, she better be like ... Graendal. When writers combine prolific characters esp mythos villains, what you definitely do not want is for all of the story fans to be left shaking their collective heads more than paying attention to the scene on screen.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Specifically the last part about Graendal. She and Moghedian have such distinctive personalities, and the surrounding hype further establishes their differences in tactics, style, and ambitions. I greatly fear that combining them would most certainly not result in the best of both, but more likely a confusing jumble of traits and a very mediocre watered-down villain. To omit screen time of characters due to understandable budget constraints is forgivable. To rewrite iconic villains of the series into half-baked frankensteins of their former glory is NOT. 

On 10/13/2020 at 12:13 PM, StarRisk said:

Cheers, one and all!

 

I am a long time stalker of Dragonmount.com (~2000) and reader of WoT since 1993. I have loved and cherished this site, first among others, and have finally emerged from the Shadow to walk in the Light, perhaps dim light for starters? 

 

I am reading the series (for the first time) to my sons, chapter by chapter, and to my wife. Glad to connect with you all.

Welcome StarRisk! That’s wonderful you are reading the series with your family! My son is a bit too young to enjoy it yet, mostly because of his attention span lol. I’m looking foreword to the experience. Glad to glimpse you in the dim light after so long lurking in the shadows ?

Hello!! I have spent the last 11 months in Afghanistan as a Combat Engineer for the U.S. Army and borrowed Book 1 from a friend in my platoon who insisted I give it a go. I am glad I did as the series gave me something to look forward to and a place to escape the busy lifestyle of war. I am looking forward to meeting like minded people and to discuss the WoT series. Thank you for this opportunity.

 

Welcome to the forum Allan. I did postal work in Kandahar for 12 months. got back last year. I also started book 1 and finished it after i came home. I'm now on book 6 and still loving it! Thank you for your service to our country. Any random thoughts on the story so far? (gripes, exciting moments where you yell something and everyone looks at you like you're crazy cuz you're getting so excited over a novel, or tear-wrenching moments)

Hello everyone. Not the most social of people, but I just wanted to greet you all. Love The Wheel of Time and Robert Jordan. Now Reading The Fires of Heaven again....:)

Hi Neowindu. I am also on the Fires of Heaven book, but I am listening to the audio-book. ***POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT***Have you passed the part where the wise ones want Aviendha to sleep in Rand's chambers, but not share his blanket roll? I am starting to wonder if she is in the running for his wife (or wives)...

Fellow Wheel of Time fans,

 

My name is William Vaughn. I returned safely home from a 12 month deployment in Afghanistan last year (Army). Since then I have moved into a house and I am well under way pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Production @ International Academy of Design and Technology in Seattle, WA. I learned about this site via news articles linking to it about Red Eagle Games/Red Eagle Entertainment LLC, Electronic Arts Inc, and Obsidian Entertainment working together on a Wheel of Time game for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, though they say it will be multiple games. One of these three companies is my target employment for the next five years. I enter this forum with a charge to my fellow fans and a word of encouragement:

 

The charge: It is our duty and privilege to generate popularity for the new Wheel of Time games as development continues! We must tell our friends, our family, and taunt our enemies with juicy hype about the cutting edge graphics, the epic story-line, and the amazing characters that we will fall in love with all over again when the game finally ships! I challenge myself, and you, my comrades, to do everything in our power to bring this new game's popularity and anticipation to levels surpassing Angry Birds and Star Wars Online! For who can hold a candle to the mighty Lews Therin Telamon and his ageless entourage as they turn the world upside down with the one power?

 

It took almost getting blown up by incoming rocket attacks for a year in the desert for me to realize what I love to do for a living: make awesome video games. As a soldier I hold this close to my heart: I WILL ALWAYS PLACE THE MISSION FIRST. I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT. I WILL NEVER QUIT. I WILL NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN COMRADE. It has occurred to me that I must take making video games as seriously or my heart will never be fully in it. Therefore, if I have the opportunity to be a part of this revolution:

 

I WILL ALWAYS PLACE WHEEL OF TIME: NEW VIDEO GAME FIRST (after my wife )

I WILL NEVER ACCEPT SUB-PAR GRAPHICS OR GAMEPLAY

I WILL NEVER QUIT EMOTIONALLY ON ANY PART OF THIS GAME DOWN TO THE WAY THE BLADES OF GRASS RUSTLE IN THE WIND AND THE GOD RAYS BEAM FROM THE SUN IN THE SKY THROUGH MIST AND FOG

I WILL NEVER LEAVE A PORTION OF THIS GAME UNFINISHED AND UNWORTHY OF MR JORDAN'S MEMORY AND BLESSING.

 

 

Dedicated to the Legacy of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007)