Lord of Chaos - Chapters 11-14

In this section, the underlings strive to have more control.   

Taim seeks Rand’s permission to let him go recruiting. The familiar issue of trust comes up again, but time pressures Rand to accept Taim’s proposal. The risk of an encounter between Taim’s recruiters and an Aes Sedai leading to bad blood between them is not enough; the Aes Sedai may already be against Rand in any case.

Alanna doesn’t seek permission; she just does what she knows needs to be done, even if it goes against centuries of custom. Bonding Rand is logical if the goal is to bind the ta’veren to the Tower. While she gets that part right, she is left uncertain as to which Tower she is part of now that the Rebels have splintered away. Verin will provide the necessary guidance. It turns out she is a skilled manipulator, but hides it even from her supposed allies.

Moghedien takes a stab at pushing Nynaeve to leave the rebels before they decide to beg for Elaida’s mercy. She is surprisingly aggressive about it since Nynaeve is not wearing the a’dam to keep her cowed. The women have been speaking too freely, and Moghedien knows more about them from close observation than the Forsaken ever could have learned through spies. The fact that they had Moghedien well and truly obedient and under their thumb made them forget the threat she could become if ever freed. Still, there is no way for her to be freed that they can figure out.

Seconds after receiving advice, Nynaeve already gets it wrong: Write fast for Delana. Write slow for Janya. Yet another bad day is about to get worse! Birgitte stands up to Nynaeve. Nicola does exactly what she is told, leaving out as much as possible so as to ensure Nynaeve gets in trouble.

Nynaeve the Accepted is a fickle underling herself. Delana and Janya get Nynaeve to tell them how best to control Rand, and she complies. When Tarna asks her the same question shortly after, she tells her the exact opposite, hoping Elaida will bungle her approach to Rand.  Nynaeve eavesdrops on private conversations as well as continually failing to perform any of the exercises Theodrin assigns to help break her block. She cannot surrender control for even a moment, so it is no surprise every attempt fails.

Elayne’s classes go poorly, as no student will follow her directives. Too many independent or incompetent women. She then refuses to take Tarna’s offer to return to Tar Valon, too independent to do as she is told. Egwene is similarly unable to obey the restrictions put on her by the Wise Ones.

Once again, the power of Need is used to find something that will get the rebels to support Rand. Need is a strange power, which I think can best be likened to a guided Foretelling. A Dream, or a Viewing, or a Foretelling tells you something about the future that will, or must, or may come true. Need tells you something you need that must, or may lead to the desired outcome. Using Need to find the Bowl of the Winds is not much different from Min seeing that Bowl in a Viewing, or Egwene having a dream of them finding the Bowl in a dusty House, or Nicola spouting a quatrain about the Bowl in Ebou Dar. They all are able to use foreknowledge of the events the Pattern is weaving, and are in fact part of that weaving themselves.

Egwene introduces a new part of Tel’aran’rhiod, which in some discussions is called the Gap of Infinity. In this place, she can see the dreams of people in the real world, mirror worlds, and even stranger worlds, probably the cross-hatched hard to reach worlds from Verin’s explanation back in The Dragon Reborn. The Gap of Infinity is so named because it is ‘the infinity between Tel’aran’rhiod and the waking world, the narrow gap between dream and reality’. I am drawing a cosmological map of the Wheel of Time for a theory, and had to restart because of this area I had forgotten. It is coming soon.

A bubble of evil surfaces, and Anaiya is annoyed that it was only that and not a Forsaken. It gives the rebels a chance to try out the strategies they have been devising to combat the Forsaken. Bubbles of Evil are as random and dangerous as nightmares in Tel’aran’rhiod.

Writing Lessons:

Your minor characters, the underlings, are not obedient automatons. Give them life!

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 35-39

In this section, Perrin spies on the villains while Egwene is captured.

Hopper is teaching Perrin how to use the World of Dreams to his advantage. Right now it is important that Perrin know that Lanfear is a dissident within the Forsaken. Lanfear’s claim on the World of Dreams and Ba’alzamon’s attempt to yell “Aha! You are not helping the Great Lord!” reinforces the idea that she may have drilled the Bore in tel’aran’rhiod and that the Dark One has a particular interest in the World of Dreams as a matter of protecting his doorstep.

Avoiding direct confrontation, Ba’alzamon enlists minions across the globe to help him kill or ‘take’ certain of the heroes. Ba’alzamon never says he wants Mat dead, just that he should not have been allowed to escape Tar Valon. He also wants Egwene and Nynaeve captured. The Gray Men trying to kill everyone in sight are therefore someone else’s work.  

Perrin meets the falcon from Min’s viewing. There are so many Dreams, Viewings and Prophecies in this book that readers have a lot of opportunity to figure a few out, just as Egwene does. Egwene’s realization serves as a bit of a lesson to the reader on how the dreams can be interpreted, in case it wasn’t clear. Once a few have been figured out, readers are likely to want to solve the others. Some revelations will unfold over several books, leaving a lot of fun conjecture to engage the reader’s thinking muscles.

As with the two earlier books, new allies will be found leading up to the final battle. The Aiel haven’t yet committed to showing up in Tear, but with both Perrin and Nynaeve dropping clues as to where they and Rand are heading, it is expected they will show up in time to help out. And once there, Rand can finally confirm what everyone else has figured out, that he is an Aiel. The approach of keeping one character in the dark while giving all the relevant clues to other characters and the reader is used frequently in the series. It allows the reader to understand while keeping the characters doing what is needed to move the plot in the desired direction.

Some examples of this are present in the introduction to Aiel culture that Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve receive. In some cases, the required understanding is not yet provided, so discussing the Aiel sin of so long ago does not reveal anything about their secret origin, and the knowing looks exchanged by Bain and Chiad do not give away what they know about the Wise Ones’ interest in Aviendha. In other cases, full insight into the cultural element is given, which gives readers the required background to understand future events when they take place, such as asking to become first-sisters, or knowing that Wise Ones give the clan chiefs direction based on their dreams. One method is a mystery waiting for a solution; the other is a solution to a future mystery. It will be the case that readers will read something that reminds them of a nugget of information they remember reading two books ago. Scattering the information throughout the story makes it surprising when the solution is revealed, and is also the basis of the heavy-duty theorizing that we hardcore fans love so much.

A second mention of balefire is an indication it’ll be seen again. Nynaeve’s spontaneous use of balefire reminds readers that Rand did something similar near the beginning of the book. Like Rand, Nynaeve is demonstrating the ability to create the weave she wants, as though through sheer willpower. Another parallel showing that Nynaeve is the female equivalent to the Dragon? Even Egwene seems able to do this learning to a lesser extent. My earlier suggestion that some learning was planted in Rand’s mind when he used the Eye of the World is somewhat undermined since Nynaeve didn’t have a similar experience to explain her ability. Instead, the idea that willpower is related to spontaneous learning of certain weaves of the One Power is worth remembering, given that a number of other plot elements such as tel’aran’rhiod and the heroes trials are based on willpower.

The short Rand section once again serves as a bridge between Perrin and Egwene’s parts of the story.

Egwene and Elayne have a discussion reminiscent of one Perrin had with Moiraine not long ago. Each wondered how the Pattern could allow such suffering and evil to go on. There has been little thought for the larger scale suffering in the world since the heroes’ impact on the world, and even the people around them, has been quite limited. As the series progresses, concerns of this nature will become more common.

I’ll give a few examples of analogies from this section, to demonstrate the richness it brings to the text, more so than simple adjectives would. The last part of each phrase is sometimes used to flip the meaning of the phrase, but more often is simply not necessary, it just adds flavor, often telling something about the character making the analogy as well as the thing being described. They also have vivid imagery that might convey a mood, or feel, or smell, or taste.

His voice was soft, as cold iron is soft.

He sounded like a bumblebee only the size of a dog instead of a horse.

Does he always look like that, or did he eat a rock for his last meal?

Fear struck through him like hammered spikes.

The man screamed, and began to quiver like a file struck against an anvil.

Be wary as a cub hunting porcupine.

I will be crying like a girl, next.

Yet dress and cloak were of the best wool, well cut and well sewn.

I either hunt them, or else I sit like a rabbit waiting for a hawk.

Nynaeve’s Healing caught her like a straw on the edge of a whirlpool.

They shrieked like splintered bones jamming a meatgrinder.

Amys and Bair and Melaine and Seana stalked me like ridgecats after a wild goat.

He courts the death that took his land as other men court beautiful women.

The Darter belied its name with a bluff bow as round as its captain.

Writing Lessons:

Analogies present an opportunity to make your text richer.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 30-34

In this section, Mat makes a daring escape from Tar Valon, and Perrin continues the search for Rand.

Mat’s extraordinary luck needs an explanation, and several are offered. An ability unleashed by the Shadar Logoth Dagger.  A side effect of Aes Sedai Healing. He was always lucky, he is just luckier now. He is ta’veren. Not mentioned is a ter’angreal that alters chance. His battle prowess comes from some other source, his Old Blood connection. Although in the past life he relived a few chapters ago, he was known as gambler, not as lucky. It could be argued that no one would be called a gambler unless they were lucky. The only two that have so far been demonstrated to twist chance in the extreme fashion seen during Mat’s dice games are ta’veren and the dice ter’angreal. It’s worth noting that Lanfear has an interest in keeping Mat alive, and the Black Ajah stole dream ter’angreal, and the dice ter’angreal, at her direction.  If Mat has ta’veren luck enhancements, it would be hard to distinguish them from any dice ter’angreal effects. If Mat’s intuition that the luck comes from Shadar Logoth is correct, then Padan Fain must have some too. I’ll keep an eye out for when the dice roll in his head, which is a variant ability he displays later, but is so far absent.

A number of assassins, including a Gray Man, pursue Mat through the city and downriver. One of the Forsaken is directing efforts to kill Mat, but there is no indication as to which one. Odds favour it being the same one trying to kill Rand, since they are using the Soulless.

Mat and Thom learn about the High Lord Samon. When a knowledgeable character professes surprise at something they should know about, the reader should be alerted that something is amiss. Since Thom is not an Aes Sedai shrouded in mystery and suspicion, his statements can be taken at face value. This technique will be difficult to use with Aes Sedai from now on, due to the overhanging question of whether they are Black Ajah.

Rand makes a brief appearance. His sections marked the transition from Perrin to the Tar Valon characters, and back again. As the character around which everything revolves, it’s Perrin who has the closest link and is carrying out the main quest. The Tar Valon scenes are like an interlude with marginally associated ideas and quests. You can imagine the banner “MEANWHILE…” hanging over the whole length of the Tar Valon sequence. In the end it is linked with the Black Ajah hunters heading for Tear at the same time as Rand, but it makes for a unique story structure.

Perrin gets in deep trouble by helping Gaul out of the cage, but fulfills an important Viewing by telling Gaul about Rand’s destination. The Aiel connection to Rand has been set aside since The Great Hunt, but with this second reminder about He Who Comes With The Dawn, the Aiel should soon be finding him. To date, the only humans Perrin has fought and killed are Whitecloaks. References to how things smell are continually and frequently inserted in Perrin’s part of the story.

So much attention to Mat lets me focus on humour. Jokes, like plot twists, depend on setting up expectations, misdirecting attention from the true cues and drawing attention to the misleading ones, and revealing a solution that makes sense yet is surprising.

Burn me, you would think I was encouraging him to drink more! Women! But pretty eyes on the pair of them.

Surprising but makes sense: Mat is incorrigible.

Besides, whoever is feeding you is not doing a good job of it, but you still have pretty eyes.

Surprising but makes sense: Saal was unhappy with Mat, but now that he’s reinvigorated Thom, she makes the exact same observation he made of her.

The first bloody ship, Thom! If it’s sinking, we’ll be on it!

Surprising but makes sense: Mat is desperate to leave and wants Thom to know it.

Nynaeve gave me the paper. I don’t know where she got it.

Well if you’re not going to tell me, I am going to sleep.

Surprising but makes sense: Mat lies so often no one believes when he tells the truth.

He did not think anyone needed to look after Nynaeve; around Nynaeve, to his mind, other people needed to look after themselves.

Surprising but makes sense: It’s funny because it’s so true!

Writing Lessons:

Humour works by being surprising, yet making sense.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 5-9

In this section, Rand sets out on his own, while Perrin learns more about being a Wolfbrother.

Both Perrin and Rand miss the cues that would have let them alert the camp before Trollocs set upon them. Their youth and inexperience, particularly Rand’s with relation to the One Power, make them vulnerable. By setting off on his own, Rand increases the chances that his shortcomings will play against him, but he is able to instinctively weave balefire despite being untrained and unable to even touch the source every time he tries. Some will argue that he is pulling this lost knowledge from his past lives, I think the Eye of the World could have had some programmed knowledge that has been placed in Rand’s mind. Without the foreknowledge of Lews Therin’s role, it could also be explained as another bit of the Pattern providing what Rand the ta’veren needs when he needs it.

Perrin’s kinship with the wolves saves the group, as their number add to the opposition the Trollocs face, and help Perrin shrug off the fear-gaze of the Myrddraal as he shouts the thrilling battle cry ‘Neverborn!’  Trollocs linked to the Myrddraal die. There must be some significant advantage to linking them like this which outweighs their instant death if the Myrddraal falls. I suspect it has to do with orderly marching and stealth which runs contrary to the Trollocs’ bestial nature.

Perhaps it was the influence of meeting the Tuatha’an early in the adventure that made Perrin even more averse to hurting people than he already was. In every Perrin scene involving violence he feels uncomfortable, even repulsed, by it. Like Rand, he reluctantly does what his perceived duty demands of him. Just before this battle Ba’alzamon encourages him to give up the axe, to be a blacksmith, to symbolically stop fighting the Shadow and choose a different destiny. The tactic is not much different than the one used to try turn Rand, it is designed to make Perrin doubt the value of his actions. It also implies that Perrin, like Rand, has the power to make that choice, and that the choice itself is important. The selection of a simple object like the axe to use as a symbol works particularly well. Every time Perrin uses the axe, there is an opportunity to examine his inner turmoil or refer to it. The use to which the axe is put allows it to be associated with more powerful mythical forces, like destruction and death, forces which may be beyond Perrin’s ability to escape and which make Ba’alzamon’s offer more enticing.

Masema may be going crazy, but how would you be able to tell? A few words from Perrin set his path for future conflict. The Pattern will help him become the Prophet, supposedly to aid Rand, but control of that thread in the Pattern will be taken by the Shadow. The Pattern weaves threads in ways to get Rand to win the Last Battle, while the forces of evil, touched by the Dark One, can mess those threads up so that the Pattern must find alternate means of accomplishing the same goal.

Min’s role is to be the Pattern’s ultimate failsafe. If the Pattern cannot move Rand or others to where they must be, Min’s visions can provide guidance on what must be done. In her viewings she can see the current plan, and new viewings can suddenly appear if the Pattern needs to make adjustments on the fly. Min acts as a translator between Rand and the Pattern. Of all Rand’s allies, she is the most valuable since she can help him learn how to compensate for the loss of any other. Do the other two women in Rand’s three have equally decipherable roles?

Snippets of the Prophecies of the Dragon are revealed, providing anticipation that can be built across several books, or the whole series. Moiraine states that taking Callandor is neither the first or last prophecy to be fulfilled, a clear indication that this book’s quest is only one part of a longer journey. This would be discouraging if it had been stated during the slower moving parts, revealed here in the aftermath of a battle, the reader presses on. Short chapters help move the story along so that readers don’t notice all the heroes do is walk and talk. The pace is also increased by the string of revelations delivered quickly and steadily. Encountering a Wolfbrother, digging for answers from Moiraine, and meeting Hopper in the World of Dreams all keep the reader’s interest. Doing and discovering move the story along. Catching fish with Moiraine may have been funny and necessary to show how difficult dealing with Moiraine will be, but it can’t carry the story more than a handful of pages.

The future plotline with Perrin and the Children of the Light is established more firmly by telling how they are actively looking for a yellow-eyed Darkfriend with his name. Two reminders have been provided, no more are needed before the Children show up to interfere with Perrin.

Cairhien, collapsing under the weight of its own politics, did not provide clear examples of what ta’veren can do. The weddings of Jarra do so more effectively, providing an unexpected source of comedy. Every ta’veren effect can be played for horror, drama, laughs, or any other purpose. Once again, this plot device gives a lot of room for the author to play with mood, pacing, action, and coincidence. One reason to ‘waste’ it on a village full of weddings is to camouflage its use to advance the plot. If only every third ta’veren effect is significant to the story, the other occurrences can be used to establish precedent and make the reader less likely to see contrivance when it is used for its true purpose.

A second trip to the World of Dreams for Perrin, Rand being driven to seek out Callandor by his dreams, and the past books’ use of the World of Dreams establish that Dreams are significant in this book, and in the whole series. By now, better explanations of the World of Dreams are due. There may be good reasons why such explanations have not yet been given, such as creating worry over Perrin’s dreams, but if they play a significant role, a lack of explanation will make events feel contrived.

Writing Lessons:

Simple logical symbols are more effective and understood by more readers.   

The Great Hunt - Chapters 45-50

In this section, almost every character gets a chance to shine in the final showdown.

Another pitfall of having several plotlines is that they all should resolve themselves satisfactorily. That means every character which has played a role should get a chance to participate, and hopefully achieve victory over the forces that oppose them. In this final sequence, Rand, Egwene, Nynaeve, Min, Mat, Ingtar, Bayle, and Geofram all get their chance to shine. Perrin and Elayne simply tag along.

Ba’alzamon wanted to get Egwene and Nynaeve out of the way, to keep them in Seanchan until the Last Battle. He does not want Rand to have any help. He wants Rand to have to shoulder the duty alone. He wisely assumes that being from Emond’s Field and having more potential than any living Aes Sedai is enough to justify removing them. His orders to do so came at a time when Rand had disappeared from the world entirely. Was this also an attempt to draw Rand out of hiding?

It’s hard to say how Rand achieved victory over Turak the Seanchan Blademaster. Luck, a bit of the element of surprise, and the Seanchan heron mark maybe not being worth as much as one from this side of the ocean. Rand’s challenges are incidental, his major obstacle was overcome by his insistence that saving Mat and Egwene is worth more than the Horn, which proved pivotal in redeeming Ingtar and setting the winning conditions for the final battle. The idea that Rand must think of others’ salvation is key not only to this battle, but to the Last Battle. The redemption of Ingtar the Darkfriend was easy. In the Last Battle Rand will be striving to redeem the worst of the worst, those who were Forsaken by the rest of humanity.

Lanfear is the villain most likely to be redeemed. Her likeness to Pandora and Eve, her role in unleashing the Dark One on an unsuspecting world, and her eventual bad situation in later books all point to Rand taking a hand in her redemption. She is as bad as they come. And, there are some prophecies relating to her that have to be fulfilled, her new lover must serve her and die, yet serve still. Ingtar’s role was to show that Rand can redeem Darkfriends, and to introduce the concept that no one can walk so long in the Shadow that they cannot come again to the Light. Later, Rand will discuss such matters with a Forsaken, Asmodean. If his role is to save humanity, then he has to save all of it, even the worst dregs.

The courage and resourcefulness displayed by Nynaeve is the stuff of legends. Faced with certain doom if she fails, her bold resolve is the brightest point of the novel’s ending. She walks into the heart of darkness and emerges with Egwene’s freedom. Like Rand, she is looking for salvation of others, not glory. Her administration of justice to Renna and Seta gives such satisfaction, as she follows her own advice: it’s all right to hate them, but it isn’t all right to let them make you like they are. The depiction of justice is consistent with that in earlier Robert Jordan works, such as his Conan novels.  Those who live by the sword, die by that same sword, those who take too much rope will eventually hang themselves, and those who won’t change their evil ways will get what’s coming to them.

Egwene gets a chance to turn her new skills on the Seanchan. More importantly, she unequivocally sets Rand aside, allowing Min to stake her own claim on his affection. Like Rand, Min has halfheartedly tried to avoid her destiny, but finally accepts what must happen. She will play out her part as one of the three women in Rand’s life, even as Lanfear stakes her own claim, telling Min that she is but a caretaker, Lews Therin belongs to her. Lanfear does not Travel, she vanishes. Since she claims dominion over the World of Dreams, she must be entering it directly to perform her vanishing act so quickly.

Bornhald and Bayle Domon have lesser roles, important to explain the larger events unfolding, not important enough to spend half a page on. Bornhald’s death is no loss, his role was to bring his son Dain and his Lord Commander Pedron Niall into the story. The Children of the Light play peripheral roles throughout the series, and their principal function relates to Perrin’s murders, which is heavily accentuated in this book. Bayle Domon’s function is to provide a point of contact with the Seanchan, which none of the other characters can do. In this book, it was important not to show Seanchan points of view, since they are agents of Ba’alzamon. Humanizing them now would have reduced their villainy. Trying to change a prejudice given to readers is difficult. Later Seanchan encounters will undermine original assumptions, and show that there are some citizens of the Empire who were never really all that fond of the way damane are treated. It is their perspectives readers will be introduced to once Bayle Domon is able to befriend one at a later date.

Moiraine provides insight to Padan Fain’s condition. It is only of use for later story arcs, as is the outstanding prophecy about Elayne and the red-hot iron and the axe. Rand may also be associated with this viewing, his being a white-hot iron and a bloody hand. Too similar to not be related.

Rand describes a feeling that threads touching his life are in danger, a feeling of being pulled towards Falme. One can believe in destiny, but as a plot device it is horribly contrived. There seemed to be enough pulling Rand towards Falme without having feelings of certitude that the Pattern wants him to do it. Is this some type of ta’veren effect, similar to how the ta’veren will later be able to see each other through swirls of colour?  

When Mat sounds the Horn of Valere, the real world and the World of Dreams are connected for a time. The feeling of looking down on events from above is similar to later descriptions of spying on others from the World of Dreams. Through this connection between worlds, the Heroes are able to temporarily leave their home in the World of Dreams, and interact with the Seanchan. Interestingly, the Heroes of the Horn come for the hornblower, but will only follow the Dragon, and the banner.

Writing Lessons:

Any character introduced should have a chance to complete their story arc, or you risk reader annoyance.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 23-26

In this section, Nynaeve becomes Accepted, while Thom declines to join the Hunt.

The viewpoint characters are getting ever more numerous. Some of the viewpoints, such as Min’s and Thom’s, are kept necessarily short to maintain the pace, even as they expand the scope of the story. One purpose of these viewpoints is to remind the reader that as ta’veren, Rand affects every character he encounters, Else, Gawyn, Elayne, random farmers, Min, and more, prompting them to move where the Pattern needs them. Verin and Moiraine have made this observation, just as Gawyn does right before Rand has an incredibly fortuitous meeting with Thom. The power of ta’veren is an incredibly useful plot device that satisfactorily explains away any number of improbable encounters and events. The more people Rand meets, the more this plot device can be used. The broad array of people from every walk of life that Rand meets also serves to illustrate that he is destined to save all humanity. Saving the World means more if you see more of the world you’re saving.

Through ta’veren, the Pattern uses people as pawns to allow Rand to fulfill his destiny, burn their freedom. The human equivalent is Daes Dae’mar, the Game of Houses. Every action of the Cairhienin nobility is aimed at gaining advantage, burn the wishes of the pawns. Perhaps the intensity of the game in Cairhien is due to the fact that the political structure is less rigid than other hierarchies, so scheming for advantage is worthwhile to anyone who plays. In a short time, Caldevwin has already demonstrated inordinate political acumen for an officer supervising an earth-moving project. Loial has heard King Galldrian is a disgrace, trying to buy prestige and stability with bread and entertainers. No sooner has Rand unpacked than letters to bring him into the game begin arriving. Rand’s determination to not be used by Ba’alzamon, Aes Sedai or the Cairhienin nobles will soon include his unwillingness to be used by the Pattern. Despite being a master at Daes Dae’mar, Thom cannot win the game the Pattern is playing with him.

Nynaeve also has little choice but to follow the path put before her. Her revenge, her pursuit of Lan, her desire to protect Rand, all depend on following the rules of the White Tower. She has already begun to bend those rules, taking satisfaction in passing the test for Accepted by cheating with her use of the One Power to make the exit arch reappear. The world inside the ter’angreal has properties of the World of Dreams, in which Nynaeve can create thorns to pierce her palms, in which force of will can alter the reality before her to bring the vanished archway back into existence. Were the thorns crafted of the Power, of dreamstuff, or were they real? Nynaeve’s test involved a number of never before seen oddities. Did these oddities happen because Nynaeve is a woman of extraordinary willpower and strong sense of identity, or is there some other force at work? The holes in Nynaeve’s palms are reminiscent of another saviour figure. As male/female parallels begin to show up more and more often, why shouldn’t the saviour of humanity have a female equivalent? Her testing involved a trinity of trials, threatening her body, her ‘family’, and her love; her past, present and future. I’ll keep an eye out for other subtle hints that Nynaeve is the female equivalent to Rand, the saidar to his saidin.

Egwene’s low key romance with Rand hits several bumps as Else, Min, and Elayne are reintroduced. Min knows she will fall in love with Rand and has dropped hints that Elayne might be in the same boat. Galad serves as the male equivalent in beauty to Lanfear, tempting Egwene just as Rand was tempted. After so much expectation built up that Egwene would be furious at Rand for his flirtations, Egwene’s encounter with Galad is a rich humourous payoff.

The threat of gentling is front and center again with two examples, Logain and Owyn, reminding readers that the only way to prevent the madness may be worse than the madness itself. Elaida’s interest in Rand reinforces the feeling of danger.

Writing Lessons:

Repetition of a plot element reinforces it, especially when revealed in a different way or coming from a different source.

The Eye of the World - Chapters 13-15

In this section, the boys get their first chance to interact with the outside world. The City of Baerlon isn’t a very alien culture to the boys, but they quickly realize that the differences may be minor, but are still large enough to put them in danger. Despite several warnings, they need to be reminded of the restrictions they are under, and manage to attract the exact sort of attention they were supposed to avoid.

Rand reveals too much to Master Fain, who he still classifies as ‘not a stranger’, and therefore the rules of secrecy don’t apply to him. Fain’s reappearance, and his mistrust of Aes Sedai, adds to the boys’ dilemma of deciding who to trust. With each of the Two Rivers strangers offering advice about who to mistrust, I expect the final decision when confronting the Dark One to be to trust others despite their differences and motivations. I relate this to Min’s viewing, the one she cites most frequently throughout the series: thousands of sparks trying to fill the shadow, while the shadow tries to swallow them all. A metaphor for trust and mistrust?

Along with the sparks and shadow, many other prophecies, viewings and legends are told over these chapters. To lightly paraphrase Thom, there isn’t much point in prophecies that are easily understood or fulfilled. None of them are related to each other that a reader could discern, aside from two different ones about swords that will turn out to be one and the same. This is where Robert Jordan yanked the sheets off the furniture and began to show off the wealth of legendary and historical references the series became famous for. The groundwork and expectations are laid here. With every one of them that comes true, readers flip back to look for clues as to the next that will be fulfilled. That also raises the expectation that every single last foreshadowing will be satisfactorily resolved. Once you start doing something, readers expect you to keep doing it.

Of interest to those of us waiting on the final book, is that Min describes these as the strongest images, meaning that these are the most important? If so, what is the meaning of trees flowering around Perrin or a Laughing Face over Mat? How are these images more important than others? Why haven’t they been fulfilled yet? Many variations of the bloody hand and white-hot iron have been offered, but how are they as important as the rest?

In any case, there are three sources of ‘prophecy’, each with its own trustworthiness. Min claims to never be wrong, Thom claims to know variations that may not all be true, and Ba’alzamon belittles and intimidates with his supposed intimate knowledge of the past and insight into the future. Add in Moiraine, and there are a number of options at the author’s disposal to reveal new information. The person chosen to make the revelation will affect how the characters and readers interpret its truthfulness. Why are the first words out of Ba’alzamon’s fiery mouth about the Eye of the World? Is he really worried about it, or laying a trap to lay hands on it as he will later claim? Probably both. Who is directing Rand towards the Eye, Ba’alzamon, or the Pattern? Probably both. How does Ba’alzamon kill those rats anyway?

The only person who can reveal reliable information about the One Power is Moiraine. Most of the discussion about the One Power so far is related to the madness that affected the men. We don’t yet know that Rand’s strange giddiness is related to the One Power despite other subtle clues. One way that the reader is distracted from these subtle hints is by placing them in a scene where there is an immediate threat. The unlikelihood of Bela’s midnight dash happens as the Draghkar circles overhead.  The Children of the Light command the reader’s attention and concern far more than Rand’s strange feelings. Even after the Whitecloaks leave, the urgency to find Perrin keeps the reader from thinking overlong on Rand’s minor problem.

Writing Lessons:

You can play up or play down certain events or pieces of information by placing them near or far from items that will command a reader’s attention.