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.

I think in general he might have meant smaller. There is no doubt that larger animals have an advantage against smaller animals and we are talking about fighting; smaller people would be at a significant disadvantage, less mass and shorter reaches are two very significant disadvantages to start off with. Sure there could be some relevant example of where a smaller guy beat a bigger guy because of this one exception, but this is an entire population.

Also does it say anywhere that food is scarce in the Waste? Yeah, it's called the Waste, so you can imagine. But it is not like they say "May you always find something to eat." Just wondering.

I also like CoT. Well...perhaps not at the time it came out but I like it a lot more reading it together with KoD. As the previous poster said, I also enjoyed the Mat and Egwene story line. That's saying something since I usually can't stand Egwene.

 

Egwene doesnt really do much for me until KOD.

Because Egwene has more important things to do!

Corbett, you shame me. What am I supposed to do with my signature? I'm not sure my matching avatar can compete with a tattoo.  :-[