No Philip Pullman? I will be returning with a list later on ?

@Faroresdragn

You are forgetting that the AOL is in our future. A hyper-modern world. Sure, they relied on magic, but they had cars, planes, tall buildings, you name it, things that show they understood the laws of physics. The Randland in the book is equal to the middle ages, but the age the Forsaken left when the Bore was drilled, was a futuristic one. 

2 hours ago, Illian Tear said:

The Perrin/Faile storyline was so bland and annoying.

I both liked it and disliked it. I dislike that kind of coy disinterest that Faile worked at for a while, and the rigid gender roles she wanted in the relationship. 

But, if you ask me, the annoying part of the storyline was when they were NOT together. Because then they would constantly think about each other and try to get back to each other. But just the other night, I read a scene in the tent shortly after Faile and the others had escaped the Shaido camp, she and Perrin had had sex and he fell asleep, and Faile was awake, looking at him. That scene was actually really great, it added something to their relationship for me. It was so... intimate, showed a new side of Faile, and was quite relatable for anyone who's ever been in an "adult" relationship. In that moment, I felt that Jordan (or Sanderson, actually not sure who wrote that scene, seems they both wrote some in this book) showed a rare proficiency for writing relationships that seemed real.

I think Westworld is the best series I have ever watched. Wonderful show, and so philosophical at its root (what does it mean to be human, how do humans act when we believe we can get away with anything / when we can lord over powerless people, does free will exist, etc.).

I think the most interesting aspect to discuss, is

Rick & Morty is overrated. The Pickle Rick episode, which people think is the most hilarious thing ever created for TV, is okay. Nothing more, nothing less :P

Yep, this last season was really great. Haven't watched the Christmas special and the "arrival" of the 13th Doctor yet, because I am re-watching the whole New Who series!

I am on book 12 now, and I have to say, I don't really see what everyone hates about book 7-11. A lot of important things happen in those books: Egwene becoming Amyrlin, the battles against the Seanchan really kicking off, the cleanse of the taint, the weather thing... I didn't really find them slowpaced. The prologue to 12 was maybe the worst this far for me :P (also because transitioning to Sanderson's writing did take some time). 

Sure, there were parts that could've been cut in all those books, but that's true of all the books. 

My two cents about the White Tower:

- As others have mentioned, they are a conservative institution. And they are NOT interested in enlightening the people. They are perfectly happy with being an intellectual elite. Hell, they don't even want all the sisters to know what there is to know. If they had started schools and shared their knowledge, society would be much more progressive and "further along". But they don't want to.

- People forget that human society was basically the same from ancient times until the late 1700s. Of course, this is simplified. But from the moment humans started to settle down in cities and grow the land, their society developed a lot compared to the hunter/gatherer variety they used to live in, but not all that much until the next technological revolution. Which took thousands of years. Of course, it wasn't like society didn't develop at all in this interim. But if you really look at it, there wasn't really that much separating ancient Rome from 17th-century France (except that Rome's military actually was pretty good for a while). The introduction of Christianity and Islam, which united societies that had previously been divided between various small pagan religions, was of course also important for the development of larger societies - much like the Seanchan managed to rule a whole continent through a combo of military force and religious control. 

- The White Tower know that their airs of mystics and manipulation is what gives them the position they have. If they gave this up to try to work together to create a better society, they would lose a lot of their power.

- They have also stagnated. If you look at their records, the WT used to be much more powerful. At the start of the series, their numbers have dwindled and they are essentially "dying" as an institution. Less channeling people in the gene pool because of the Red Ajah's culling, growing distrust of the WT which led to many people avoiding to send their channelers there, and internal conservatism which prevented new thoughts (like Egwene's thought of letting everyone who can channel join, regardless of age or "race") were some of the reasons. Most of the AS alive don't know about their rich history. They have forgotten what a force the AS used to be. Not even everyone in the Brown Ajah knows about some of the feats (and failures) of the tower. The secrecy also shrouds the tower itself. As fewer and fewe AS know about this stuff, fewer and fewer also pass the knowlegde on. 

As for the rest of society: well, Ishamael, and the nobility's wish to keep their positions were essential. They knew if they let people go about their lives and made sure the poorest also stood a chance to get something to eat, people wouldn't really care about who was in control.

Natalie Dormer. I imagine her mainly as Egwene in some ways, actually, but as a blonde girl she looks more like Elayne or Birgitte. I think she could play both of those.

I often read criticisms of Jordan's writing of women. It's interesting to see that some, at least, find the women more identifiable.

 

Mat is the quintessential Rogue Hero, never wanting to be tied down and always seeking the easy way out, yet somehow always end up doing the Right Thing and saving the day.

 

If you like that kind of archetype, then Mat is amazing. If not, then he may come off as untrustworthy and annoying.

I think some of that criticism is deserved - the main problem is that all his female characters are very similiar - proud, angry, independent, but good-hearted. There are some variations to this, but this is the block they were all chiseled from. It's just that I identify with that sort of archetype, at least partly (the women can annoy me a lot aswell, they are too proud for their own good sometimes, not wanting to admit there are some things they need advice or help with). 

I don't think Mat is untrustworthy - he keeps his promises. I just think he has a slight hero complex, for all his complaining about not wanting to do any of the stuff he does, he sure seems to think that he's the only capable one and everyone needs his help, too. 

First, about trains and (steam) technology: In addition to what everyone has said, about channeling abilities dwindling over time (magic and technology almost never coexist, Randland was an exception in AoL, but as you point out - who needs technology when there's magic? Without magic, though, tech becomes necessary), you also forgot something important about travelling. You have to know the place you are travelling to. The lands across the Aiel waste, are fairly unknown. Jain is one of the few who have been there, and some of the Aiel and Tuath'an. Of course, this likely changes over time, but at the time when we learn about the world, there is a lot they do not know about Shara and the other lands across the Waste. 

They could start building the railroad without knowing everything that lay ahead of them. Travelling is more difficult, and rare - not all channelers are very good at it.

Secondly, about the Seanchan. I think they are often exaggarated as a power. Strength is their only strength, to put it blatantly. What was said about channeling innovation, holds true. The Seanchan channelers will NEVER be as skilled as the Randland ones, simply because they are too afraid of the power. They see it as something dangerous that has to be controlled, and only should be used in battle situations. They don't seem to know how to weave the weather, or most of the other talents we see throughout the book, barely even healing. It was an Aes Sedai that made the a'dam, and that in itself shows this: the Seanchan need someone not afraid to explore the power, to investigate it and experiment with it, to be able to develop things like that. Randland have for centuries had female - and now also male - channelers willing to, even encouraged to, experiment and find out as much as they can about the power and its many uses. Making angreals, ter'angreals and sa'angreals, just to mention a few. Inventing weaves, inverting weaves, discovering Talents. They are much more skilled and creative with the power than the Seanchan, and this will always be so until the Seanchan start seeing the power as something else than a weapon and a threat.

They are also extremely arrogant and ignorant of other people's ways. It is said that Rand would've lost if he hadn't learned to adapt and to understand other cultures, the Seanchan haven't really done this. They keep trying to suppress things that go against their cultural norms, even though they pretend to be quite tolerant rulers. They are horrified at some of the customs they see, AND extremely set in their ways and beliefs. Their superstitions affect everything they do, and their almost religious reverance for their rulers... Well, none of these things are very good in socities developing and adapting. If you can't adapt to new situations and environments, you die out. It's basic evolution. And it goes for civilizations aswell as organisms.

It's natural that getting a self confidence boost like that would strengthen your inherent qualities and make you more certain in your actions and words.

But I don't think that steaming dream was the turning point for Egwene. What toughened her up and completely changed her perspective, was her stay with the Aiel.

I believe this thread is a testament to how skilled RJ was at crafting characters. Olwena, you embody those female characters who found Mat disgusting and those same women give almost your exact reasoning for finding him so annoying. He is the example of a type of male ego, one of his flaws just like so many other characters, mixed with his loyal heart and other redeeming other qualities.

 

Finnssss, you represent Mat wonderfully, as well as all the men in the Hand who admired him and would follow him to death. You also see those women in the same light as Mat. Their up thankfulness and overly proud, haughty attitudes.

 

Look at how different these personalities are and how polarizing they are. Many times in a poorly written book the characters scream that they were all written by the same personality. Not in this case. As mentioned above, these characters' constant source of conflict and frustration is an unwillingness to communicate, to trust a person they had every reason to trust. I would argue that, as annoying as certain characters come off, the fact that on this site we have so many "camps" for almost every character is a great examples of a very skilled writer who could create personalities with only matching themes and challenges but not copy and paste characters. And for that matter make them so relatable to the reader.

 

I think I need to start a thread about pride being a universal theme in the series.

This was a great post. You are probably right.

I have the opposite problem - I roll my eyes in a lot of the Mat-centric POVs. "Great, another chapter about walking through mud and woods and him constantly complaining in his head about soldier discipline, the lack of bars around or why everyone else doesn't constantly do as he thinks they should." I found Egwene's POV chapters probably the most interesting ones throughout the series, but most of Rand's were also good. Perrin's were not always very interesting either, but there were parts that were great, and he is an intriguing character (for instance, being a natural dream walker). The chapters I disliked the most though were probably Gawyn's or the sea folk chapters. 

Just the whole how Nyn/Elayne/Egwene view/treat men throughout the series but especially first six books.  Mat, Thom, etc.. help them out and always seem to get treated like dirt. 

Likewise with how Mat, Thom etc. see the women as basically children unable to hold their own (even though they can all channel) and don't trust their judgment.

Mat seems to not realize channelers can take out fighters who are much stronger than them, but unable to channel. He believes Aviendha and Birgitte can hold their own because they can also fight in the "proper" way, but constantly seems to forget the other women can channel.

I am astonished that a lot of people seem to think of this as an actual song - in the beginning I did, too, but eventually (and especially after Rand's Rhuidean visit) it was rather obvious that there is no specific song - the song is a concept, it is a lifestyle, it is their longing to live a peaceful life. What they are truly searching for is peace for mankind, or a sanctuary. The closest you get is the Ogier steddings (where, ironically, they also do sing for the trees). Yet, the Tuath'an have not settled there. They have become so used to their nomadic way of life, and travelling is how they trade, recruit followers etc.

I believe many Tinkers have also realised this. "Have you heard/found the Song" is mainly a formal greeting, and it can be interpreted as if they're really asking whether whoever they are talking to have found the Way of the Leaf. I think they know that they could maybe be allowed to settle amongst the Ogier and live their peaceful lives, but I believe travelling has become a part of their lifestyle now, and they do not want to give it up. Plus, some of them have an ideologic calling of trying to spread their way to the rest of the world.

Their dream is a beautiful one - a peaceful world without violence, filled with laughter and singing. It is an utopian dream which a lot of people would say would never last in a world consisting of humans (case in point: The Jenn dwindled as more and more people chose the fighting Aiel), but a beautiful and commendable vision nonetheless. I always liked the Travelling People and their never-ending quest of trying to show the world that there is an alternative, a different way. Of course, refusing to defend yourself or your family seems mainly completely stupid, and this point seems stretched too far, but it's part of what makes them what they are. Their Song is their vision, a world without violence and fear. And, even those this "sacrifice" seems pointless, I do believe they hope people can be changed by it: if you are faced with the choice of killing someone completely helpess, would you still do it? Even when you could rob their shoes off their feet and they would do nothing to stop you. Which is also, of course, why most decent people think of attacking them much like attacking babies, or dogs, or elderly people unable to put up a fight. And this gives them a certain protection, aswell.

And Egwene is definitely not perfect. She has a lot of flaws, some are corrected during the series, others aren't. She messes up several times, etc. But unlike some (most) of the other characters she seems to learn from her own mistake and realize she isn't perfect - much thanks to the harsh reality check she got when she was with the Aiel. Egwene is also very preoccupied with not having favourites, but she still raised Elayne and Nynaeve instantly upon becoming Amyrlin... which none of them were ready for, and which was hard to swallow for many of the AS. Not a very wise move on her part. But I like Egwene for being so strong, yet still being flawed - much like Rand. He is also very flawed, maybe one of the most flawed characters, for a long time. He refuses to listen to advice, has weird priorities, sometimes seem to think of himself as almost a god and thus underestimating others, he has trust issues but at the same time fully hands his heart (and sense) over to those he loves. He is flawed, but that is what makes him believable as the Dragon Reborn.

I partly agree with the OP, and partly with Agitel. The women in this series are somewhat supposed to be how men have been for the majority of our history: Being accustomed to being the rulers, opinion-makers and leaders. Some of the women are furious when men try to meddle or show a different perspective - like a lot of men have acted in our world. There are still men who inherently disapprove of female leadership, still men who get angry when a woman disagrees with them compared to how they would react if a man did it. Even in our relatively equal Western society, these prejudices live on. And Randland is more like the 1600s or something, where the gender roles were much more set.
 
BUT - here comes the problem. It doesn't really work like that, either. Men still have a lot of the leading positions. Women cannot have any role in the Children of the light, which, in keeping with our world, is a rather sexist and patriarchal religion which views women with suspicion and more as inherently flawed / evil). Women cannot be clan chiefs among the Aiel, or lead the village council in for example Two Rivers (they can't vote in the council election either, from what I remember). Of course, men can't be Wisdoms or Wise Ones either - but are those roles really equally/ more powerful? I am not sure I buy that. It is a very gender-divided society, but it's not true that the women are in the lead of everything or suppressing men the way women have been suppressed for most of history. Far Madding is virtually the only example of this, where men are deliberately kept down and prevented from doing certain jobs, have less rights in the eyes of the law etc. (And in Shara they kill their men, or at least the Ayyad, but we don't see much of their culture).

A lot of the gender roles are similiar to our world. The women seem to be the primary caretakers of children, there are a lot of descriptions of "men comforting women, women comforting children" and children hiding in their mother's skirts, except for Egwene's dad and of course Rand's dad (as he grew up without a mother) we seem to see quite little of fathers taking an active hand in raising their children. Warring seems to be mainly for men - not amongst the Seanchan, where female captains, soldiers etc. are common, or the Aiel - but even there, women make up their own fighting clan, they're not a part of the regular Aiel "armies". Birgitte is an oddity, an exception, for a long time. Mat seems to be one of few who even consider women as fighters - he respects Birgitte and thinks about one of the Seancan female generals that he would make her a bannerman in the Red Hand without hesitation (which was also a way of complimenting her skill with her men and with defusing the situation with Luca's show and the Seanchan). He is the only one of the major generals we see who even seems to consider this. Bashere, Bryne, Perrin? No way. Berelain leads her soldiers in battle, but she seems to be an exception. 
 
And then we haven't even started on how that world looks at sexuality in general (not just female sexuality) or the complex some of the characters have with killing women - for some reason, that grates them even when it happened in a fair fight. It irks me because it speaks of underestimating the women - they are obviously not seen of soldiers of equal footing, since killing them is such a problem. Mat, Rand etc. seem to blame themselves for killing a woman - in a very male, patronizing way. "She would be alive if I hadn't defended myself." Well, d'uh. It's like the women's choice to become warriors, fully understanding that meant they would probably die in battle, is completely irrelevant to them. It is an infuriating way of devaluing the choices women made and seeing them as "victims" first and foremost. And they also try to prevent the women from fighting, when that's clearly their wish. This happens over and over again, with Aes Sedai aswell as Maidens etc.
 
In general, a lot of the men seem to think the women are idiots who need to be watched constantly, and Mat in particular seems to think the women should sit locked up in a tower somewhere so they "wouldn't get themselves into trouble". Again, extremely patronizing. Does he think Perrin is a fool who gets himself into trouble? Or Juilin? No. He is constantly annoyed at the women for doing stupid things so he has to "save" them - not even considering for a second that they might not have needed his help. In his eyes, they are all his charges who need his protection. In this way, he is the most sexist character of the series - in other ways he's not (such as in him at least partly recognizing female warriors as equal and with him not seeming to judge women for sexual behaviour). And both him and Rand expect the women to do as they say and are annoyed when they don't - such as when Rand tasks Mat with "bringing" Elayne to Caemlyn, and Mat complies, and he honestly excpects the girls to just go "oh, okay", none of them considering that the women might have their own plans and that Rand's need to keep Elayne safe is not their chief concern. 
 
To be fair, a lot of the women seem to think the same about men - that they are irrational, hot-headed etc. - but they very rarely take it this far. As in, following a man around because they believe him a fool, or not trusting him to follow his own path for a time. There are exceptions, sure, but the women are not so day-to-day-controlling as some of the men seem to be. (Some of them do give over, though, such as Perrin realizing Faile is competent to handle diplomatic / ruling matters, more competent than him, but that is an exception too.)

Lan and Rand are both badass in their own way (and Lan is a hundred times wiser than Rand, so he tops the list of those two), but they are "supposed" to be archetypes - Lan of the warrior, Rand of the "tragic hero".

No, I actually think the most badass characters are probably Egwene and Cadsuane. Cadsuane for obvious reasons, she is a force of nature, although she's not really that likeable. Egwene, because she develops from the doe-eyed village girl to badass Amyrlin who turns the tower on its head in just a few years.

Her education with the Aiel, her time in captivity etc. all just enchance her character. At the end, I would definitely prefer to stay on her good sides... But I don't think she was irrational / stupid as some of the other "ruling" characters, which I also believe is one of the secrets to Egwene's success. She became an Amyrlin at, what, 20, she reunited the Tower and made it stronger than it had been in a thousand years by opening it for every woman who could channel, regardless of age, culture of origin etc. In fact, she seems to me almost to be a ta'veren as much as the boys - I know she's not, not really, but she definitely shatters the world in her own way. Along with Nynaeve, with the new style of healing and rediscovery of lost talents. 

Egwene develops into a more unlikable character in many people's eyes, but she always stays true to her personality and her experiences. And even though she believes the AS are basically elevated from society, she is not as bad as some of the others, as humiliy was beaten into her from her time with the Aiel. She doesn't always believe she knows everything, that she can be taught nothing. She understands more of different ways and cultures than many of the other AS, which probably also has to do with her age - the longer the sisters are staying away from the outside world, the less they seem to remember of how it works. With the exception of some Grays, who by their "job description" always tries to understand both sides in a conflict, and some Browns who at least in theory know a lof about different peoples and cultures, most AS seem to forget that they live in a bubble cut off from the rest of the world.

Myself, I didn't like how many bloody names there were. Even in a world where the one power exists, the most unrealistic/fantasy thing about Randland was that with the millions and millions of people in the world, no two people had the same first name. like assuming maybe a few billion people live in the world, you'd think there'd be at least two Matrims, or two Egwenes. I mean of course it would be stupid for a writer to have two of his important characters both named "john", but for the love of God, we meet sooooo many minor, insignificant characters that all have to have names and be reintroduced later.

 

I guess the real issue wasnt that there were no repeat names, since I realized after thinking about it that thats basically the same in any story. The real issue was a combination of the fact that there were way to many semi-important characters who were named, and that none of the names were real names. Like Rand? alright. Mat? Cool. But then I get names like Tamra, Tarna Yukiri, Sumeko, and then there were two sisters named Saerin and Sarine that were always involved in the same plots. I mean some of the names just seemed like random bunches of letters, and I was expected to be able to remember who everyone was and the plot theyre involved in. Like sooo many times it would be a new book, and a character would react to another character showing up that I know Ive read about before, but Id have to use context to even remember if they were friends or enemies because I had no idea who they were supposed to be. That was just annoying.

 

So yeah, that and Aes Sedai being assholes in general were my least favorite parts. what about you guys?

That's only true if you only think of Western names, or modern names. Remember. the Randland continent encompasses what would in our world be similiar to the entirety of Europe, Asia and Africa put together, or at least Europe, Asia and Northern Africa (the Seanchan and Atha'an Miere are dark-skinned aswell, and the Seanchan have elephants, which as far as we know they don't have in Shara). If we absolutely have to look at the Randland world as similiar to ours. 

A lot of those names - like Yukiri and Sumeko - seems Japanese-ish, or at least belieavably Asian. Birgitte is a rather common name in my native country Norway, and in Northern Europe in general - she was probably from this area in "our time", she also has blonde hair and fair skin, for example. Egwene is similiar to some old Gaelic names. (Same with Almindreda, Bodewhin etc. - or at least Old English) A lot of the names make sense if you realize that they live in a continent where many cultures co-exist and meet up at places like Tar Valon, which explains why there are so many different names. 

As to what part annoys me the most - hmm. I don't dislike the middle books as much as many seem to - for example, I rushed through the Bowl of Winds book, and didn't find it boring, same with the others after it, really. I am at book 11 now (read the series up until book 9-10 when I was like 13, so I have re-read most of it and am reading the rest for the first time) and didn't really think of the previous books as being boring or slow-paced.

What annoys me most about the books is probably how a lot of people seem incapable of learning from experience - like, how Mat always commits the same faux pas with women and then complain that they are irrational for biting his head off every time, how the AS never seem to learn humility even after the umpteenth demonstration of how unsuccessful their arrogant "I know best"-attitude is with most issues, and likewise how the AS keep saying things are impossible even after seeing it's not - such as the Kin living hundreds of years or the possibility of healing stilling and gentling. How Perrin always completely loses his head and rushes out whenever Faile is in trouble, even though she in most aspects (including ruling / diplomacy) is far more competent than him, how the Shaido keeps on refusing to believe that Rand is the Car'a'carn even after Coulain dies (and thus, obviously, is not him) and after more and more of the prophecy is fulfilled. Keep in mind that the Aiel, or at least the Wise Ones, know his father was Aiel, so it's not entirely true that he's purely an outlander.

At first I hated Mat, his being so immature really annoyed me.  At times you would think he would be serious he was cracking jokes and such.  But as a character he really started to grow on me and Perrin quickly became the one I disliked out of the three guys. 

I agree that Mat grows on you. And I notice that the first time I read, when I was barely 12-13, I liked him better from the beginning, but now, as 25, I really disliked him in the beginning, but it slowly beginning to like him better as the story develops. I think it is because he matures quite a lot after a while, and stops complaining, at least out loud. Being an adult IMO is very much about taking responsibility, even when you don't want to. 

Ah. Sorry about that, won't lay that at Mat's feet :) 

It is mainly his complaining I dislike, although more of the characters do that. But, I don't think we really disagree all that much - and we all have some characters that just sometimes irks us, without necessarily being able to explain why.

The thing I'm thinking about was with the illuminators' guild house, quite early in the series. But I don't remember the incident entirely, so can't really say for sure what that was about. It is possible I'm thinking about when he saved Aludra.

Yes, Mat is impulsive, and this can be a good, or a bad trait. Most of the time, he manages to deal with what happens, and then it becomes a good trait. But if you just rush into things without thinking it through, it's a bad thing.

He got much better in this department after he got all the other men's memories, though. 

And I agree, he was never mean or manipulative towards the women he was interested in, so he was in no way a jerk. I don't know, he still just... kind of annoys me, though. But he gets much better throughout the series, although he still has that annoying habit about being bitter  / angry that people aren't grateful enough for whatever he's done, yet he just brushes off what other people do. One example is when Mat is mad that the Aes Sedai woman in the Wandering Woman and the innkeeper weren't grateful enough for him opening the a'dam, yet later in that same chapter he thinks of Juilin as a fool for being annoyed that they didn't need the sul'dam outfits he had gotten after all. It probably took him quite a lot of risk to get those, but Mat just brushes it off. If you want to sulk about others not being as grateful as you think they should, then at least have the grace to thank others yourself. 

Whoever said that we have to remember the characters don't see much of each other, so it's not weird they would believe the others were the same wide-eyed "idiots" they had been back home, I guess that's true. I haven't really thought about that much, but of course we see a lot of things about the others that they don't.

I didnt mean to post several identical posts - they didnt come up on my computer, so I kept posting. Mods, feel free to delete the copies.

I am a woman, I am not alone and my experience is that most guys AREN'T like that. I have always had many male friends and none of them ogle all women they see. Some of them also get really mad when guys are disrespectful to women by touching them without permission or just pretending to care to get laid. Of course, I am Norwegian so I also think culturally our men are raised a different way. It is common for boys and girls to be friends.

Back to Mat: I still think he is reckless even if it turns out later he had to do what he did. He doesnt respect advice from others, and it can lead to potentially fatal situations. I have never thought about the knife/Fain being central in Rand figuring out how to cleanse saidin, though. I guess that makes sense.

And what I mean about the illuminators was, wasnt it Mat who deviated from their plan because he wanted to get his hands on some fireworks? Which made it all go wrong.

So you're saying he didn't have a choice? In that case, that goes for virtually all the actions all the characters take. Going to Rhuidean doesn't mean he has to go in the doorway. Yes, we should be glad he did in the end - we should also be glad the women used the bowl, even though that causes problems for a time, or that Egwene became Amyrlin, all things considered, and decided to take the Tower. Elaida was dangerous and would pose problems for Rand and the last battle. 

I don't really understand what you mean about him having to take the knife - they had to go to Shadar Logoth, yes, i guess, but as Sabio says, he didn't have to take the knife, and it was definitely reckless. Regardless of whether it didn't end up being all bad. An action can be reckless even though the consequences of it were desirable or at least not all baf. 

My main issue with Mat is his annoying over-protectiveness, he is like my nightmare of an overprotective brother. Nynaeve handled a forsaken in her FIRST meeting with one and yet he seems to think she is helpless like a babe. And he evaluates the looks of all women, it's literally the first thing he does. He doesn't do that with the men. Yes, you can feel that is irrational, but it makes me angry. I hate men who try to flirt with all women and act like all of them are a potential sex partner, the first time they see them. Women are human beings, not just bedmates.

That being said, as I mentioned, I DON'T hate Mat. He has a good heart, which mostly makes up for all his flaws - he is not as cynical as many of the other main characters and never forgets where he comes from. And that whole thing with Tylin, and how little support he got from the others about it, was heartbreaking. So it is impossible to hate him, but he does annoy me on very many levels. To me, he symbolizes the male ego, in many ways. :P