Interestingly, I dont' think anyone has mentioned Patrick Rothfuss' "The Name of the Wind"?  I thought this debut novel was phenomenal, and am looking forward to book 2 in the spring.  

Just finished "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo", book 1 of the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  Started "The Girl Who Played with Fire", book 2. Highly recommend to those looking for a break from SF / Fantasy.  Lisbeth Salander is quite a character.

OBSERVATION:  Predictably, after reviewing this thread, most are reading Fantasy / SF.  Over the years, I think I've read the majority of them.  Noted that no one seems to be in to the Melanie Rawn books.  Read them years ago, thought they were pretty good, especially the Exiles trilogy, yet unfinished. 

However, after RJ's WOT and Martin's ASoIaF, everything else in the genre seems to be lacking imo.  I'm likely a little older than most posters on here but would be interested if there's something out there that would blow me away.  Seems there's a lot in the European markets we don't see here in the U.S.A.

i always get the impression that she isnt actually a darkfriend

Understandable, especially with the reference to the 11th / grey man.  However, after a few re-reads, I started to think that Rand was sympathetic to the grey man and was thoroughly conviced the Merch and her "guards" were Darkfriends.  Moreover, as indicated in TDR: Chapter 36 overview / footnotes in the Encyclopedia, RJ confirmed that the merchant was a Darkfriend. 

It may be the grey man imbibed him with a sense of Evil?

Understanding that there have been (I don't know how) many generations since Artur Paendrag Tanreall, who I assume was caucasian, and his son Luthair Paendrag Mondwin's, but it seems like the Seanchan with true blood ties to Hawkwing, including Tuon, are a very diverse group. 

You're forgetting there's another environmental condition working on their physique: The Aiel themselves. They fight constantly. Anyone who developed into being small and compact would die in battle. You know how evolution works, I take it? Take it to the logical conclusion.

 

Sorry, but that's complete rubbish. Being bigger does not automatically mean better in a battle. For example the Romans, who were very short people, kicked the asses of Celts, who were generally much bigger than they were. Greeks prized short and stocky men in their phalanxes because a low center of gravity is better in a pushing match, I know the Aiel dont fight in phalanxes, but still, the claim that those who were shorter and more compact would have a significant disadvantage when fighting is ludicrous.

 

In the waste, tall people would have ended up skinny and emaciated as they wouldn't have found enough sustenance to put muscle across their larger frames. You want your calorie requirements to be a low as possible when your food intake is going to be erratic. You just wont find enough food to fuel a big body.

What about the Zulu tribes in Africa... who decimated a superior force!

So, what is the purpose for this thread?   ???

I'd think the combination of title and author would make it obvious.  mb is posting how far he is in reading WOT.  First time through, unless I'm mistaken.

Gotchya.  But, meaning no offense, as I've read some of MB's posts in other threads, I had an impression that he was a WOT expert and/or veteren.  My bad!  ::)

So, what is the purpose for this thread?  ???

What could Lan's weakness be?

Lan's weakness was his unwillingness to face his destiny. He was born and raised to be Daiden(sp?) Lord and King but he never wanted to lead men to what he assumed would be their death. This Nyneave was able to fix in Knife of Dreams but throughout his adult life lan has been running away from his destiny.

So.... how does that tie in with the question regarding possible weaknesses than can be exploited in combat?

Point over his shoulder and say "Look! Your destiny!" in order to distract him.

 

Riiight... and there wouldn't be any Makieri around to help him when he gets beaten to death by some lucky farmer with a staff or sheperd's crook. 

What could Lan's weakness be?

Lan's weakness was his unwillingness to face his destiny. He was born and raised to be Daiden(sp?) Lord and King but he never wanted to lead men to what he assumed would be their death. This Nyneave was able to fix in Knife of Dreams but throughout his adult life lan has been running away from his destiny.

So.... how does that tie in with the question regarding possible weaknesses than can be exploited in combat?

I understand what you're trying to say. Maybe his weakness is bad luck, but could something like that be called a weakness?

Not a philosopher by any means <damned accountants>, but would say that chance / bad luck is an inherent weaknesses for anyone who engages in deadly combat.  It sure was for Eamon Valda, Couladin, the Seanchan Lord Rand took out in TGH, and many other characters. Can't remember the exact reference but I remember one of the Forsaken talking bout LTT's luck. 

What could Lan's weakness be?

Hard to imagine anything... except CHANCE I suppose!  Remember Matt's slogan before every confrontation... "It's time to roll the dice!  Don't have the old tongue version at the moment.

-If the Eelfinn doorway still existed, he might have entered it and wished for the Taint to be cleansed.

 

That would be beyond the Eelfinn's power.

Also, isn't there a prohibition against any questions or wishes which relate to the Shadow?

Another possibility:

-Dispose the Taint at the Dark One's prison (though preferably after evacuating non-channeling people [and non-Warders] from the area).

 

But wasn't the opposing nature of the evil at SL necessary to contain & centralize / neutralize the Taint?