The Gathering Storm - Prologue to Chapter 1

In this section, conventional bonds and rules are broken while Rand makes a rule he vows not to break.

A borderlander farmer and his neighbors realize the Last Battle is upon them. They drop their lives, abandoning homes to set off to make a stand with their fellow men.

A sul’dam returns to deliver a message which will require her to break the taboos of her society.

A Seanchan banner-general learns that Trollocs are no myth, violently shattering her longstanding beliefs.

Graendal travels to Moridin’s fortress, where farmers try to plant crops that resist the Blight. Moridin lets her learn the other Forsaken’s plans, and unexpectedly, Semirhage is hung out to dry. Rand is to be unharmed, except in his heart, where she is to bring him anguish.

Ituralde surprises a much larger Seanchan army.

Masema the prophet is killed by Faile, who does what her husband cannot, killing the man who represents strict adherence to rules and the Light.

Most of these short sections show the bonds holding men being broken, in fact or metaphorically. The last one shows Faile killing the personification of rules that bind. The breaking of bonds, the end of custom, the shattering of ties between men. If this prologue matches the ones from past books, then we should see a lot more of this theme, and we will, especially as pertains to Rand.

Masema and Aram were each killed by Faile or Perrin, and each represented truth and strict adherence to convention and rules. This fits in with the discussion of their necessary dalliances in the previous book.

Demandred claims his rule is secure and he gathers for war. With talk of the role he should have been playing, keeping an eye on Rand the way Osan’gar was, his affinity for using proxies, the claim that his rule is secure, and the emphasis on channelers in the Last Battle, a reader should once again be hard pressed not to conclude that the least possible involvement Demandred could have with Mazrim Taim is telling him what to do, which is to gather an army of male channelers.

Rand surveys the countryside of Arad Doman, noting a pattern breakdown causing the wind to blow the wrong way, against itself. It is not the trees, but Rand’s banners which are blowing the wrong way though, a subtle clue that it is he who is at odds with the Pattern, that something is more wrong with him than reality, despite the many signs of it failing around him. The way his eyesight is blurred is a symbol for the difficulty he has in seeing things the way a normal man should. His sight and his view are both distorted. Setting the line that cannot be crossed, he says to himself: ‘ “You will question her, but you will not hurt her!”Not a woman. I will keep to this one shred of light inside of me. I’ve caused the deaths and sorrows of too many women already.’ No sooner stated, this rule is destined to be broken, as indicated by the themes in the prologue.

Moridin had ordered Semirhage to capture Rand, presumably to break him before the Last Battle. He must have two plans, one for if he is captured, one for if he remains free. The orders to Graendal to break his heart only become necessary because Semirhage failed. In either situation, the goal is to break Rand’s spirit.

A few bits of vocabulary and phrasing stood out as peculiar. I think they are more likely artifacts of Sanderson’s wording than Jordan choosing new words, because in past books his odd vocabulary included obscure words like widdershins, not contemporary words. Jordan was very good at avoiding contemporary words. Here are the examples I found:

Like the funnel cloud of a twister.

This ain’t no southerner wetfarm.

Rand’s peculiar apology to Merise: ‘Yes, yes Merise. I’m not trying to command you.’

Wouldn’t it just be ‘one of the High Blood’? Like the hair crest of a member of the High Blood.

They were well inside the Seanchan defensive perimeter.

Lews Therin’s rambles have no pronoun. Should have killed him. Should have killed them all. An oversight? Meant to make Lews Therin sound madder? There has usually been a distinct I, You, or We when Lews Therin speaks, signifying the distinct personality. Is this meant to show him growing indistinct from Rand?

Writing Lessons:

Using contemporary words, or older words, or futuristic words all have an effect on how the reader perceives the world you’ve created.

Knife of Dreams - Chapters 28-30

In this section, Perrin and Faile have a happy reunion, except for some overhanging doubts.

I was taken aback by the possibility that the chapters detailing Faile’s theft of the Oath Rod contained a second layer of meaning, one which pointed to her sleeping with Rolan, and being so secretive about it that she doesn’t even mention it in her own thoughts. I went back and read the chapters in Winter’s Heart where Perrin wakes in Berelain’s tent and found the same thing. Neither situation means that any cheating took place, but the author definitely used language and symbolism to infer the possibility of it having happened.

In the chapters detailing Faile’s rescue, I found other symbolism which continues to support the author’s intent for readers to question whether they are being told the whole story. Galina represents truth, and both truth and Galina let Faile down. This is symbolized by Galina plunging Faile and her followers into the basement of a burned out building. The ruined timbers that collapse on them represent the web of lies that must be concocted to hide their actions with the Aiel men.

The jumble of charred timbers and half-burned boards filling the staircase resembled one of those blacksmith’s puzzles her Perrin enjoyed. Almost everything seemed to be propping up something else. Worse, the heavier timbers might be beyond all of them working together. But if they could clear enough for them to be able to crawl through, writhing between the thick beams… It would be dangerous, that crawl. But when a dangerous path was your only route to safety, you had to take it.

Much of the effort to move the timbers fails, and further shifting causes more of them to tumble into the dirty basement. The soot and ash dirtying their faces represents their shame. It means that despite their best efforts, they cannot come up with a story that can’t be unraveled. It is only when they are able to signal Faile’s other followers that they are able to escape. Rolan, the Brotherless, and the gai’shain help Faile escape the basement, representing their pledge to preserve Faile’s secret. What she did, she did for them, and they will protect her. Rolan will keep her secret as well, but not without exacting his price. A pinch on the bottom for each of the women represents something more, a price willingly paid for freedom.

At Theoryland we put great stock in quoting the text, but here is a situation where the quoted text is of no value in understanding what may have happened. Readers can accept the story told as it appears, for after all, Perrin and Faile are in love, and would never betray each other. Or, they can note the hidden symbolism and wonder, how well do I really know these characters? The author’s goal isn’t to state the truth one way or the other, it is to cast doubt. Readers won’t know for sure, they must have faith and belief in their interpretation of events, just as Perrin and Faile will have to.

The question of how well you know someone recurs frequently in this book. Mat and Tuon state it bluntly, as they circle each other warily in their courtship. Elayne’s spies and traitors aren’t presented in the shock and awe style of writing where the betrayal carries important consequences. It’s more of a gentle questioning of how far Mellar, or Sareitha, or anyone can be trusted. The motives of High Seats are vague, and are interpreted in the obvious way, with a small chance of deceit, just as the Seanchan Banner-General is someone Perrin has to decide to take at face value, and to trust. Rand’s encounter with the fake Daughter of the Nine Moons was a more direct betrayal, but his gamble to put trust in this unknown person fits the theme which runs through the relationships in this book. Perrin and Faile’s relationship is the inverse of Mat and Tuon’s. Where readers are comfortable with Perrin and Faile’s fabled honesty, and wary with Mat and Tuon’s usual unreliability, the author inverts the roles, creating doubt about the trustworthy and giving confidence in the scoundrels.

Aram is another case of someone who we thought we knew well, yet he suddenly turns on Perrin. His motivation is to protect Faile from Perrin, as explained to him by Masema, who knows no shades of grey, only the stark black and white of the moral code he and his cult have constructed around the Dragon. Aram would have killed Perrin for not being perfect, but both Perrin and Faile easily conclude that the other may have behaved imperfectly, which doesn’t matter, so long as they are together.

Min’s Viewings about the falcon and hawk, and the tinker with a sword all involve this particular part of the storyline. Why were these images important enough to merit a Viewing? Why present them to readers unless they meant something to Perrin? The falcon and its leash are obvious, but what do the other two mean if not the scenario I have described?

This is the last we see of Therava and Galina. Therava’s ability to crush the spirit of one of the most powerful women in the world stood out far more than Anath’s mild spankings of Tuon. I was sorely disappointed Semirhage’s alter ego was not as impressive as the Shaido Wise One, though that will be rectified in the next book. Therava overcame Sevanna’s ineptitude, and Galina received a just punishment for her actions. A feeling of justice is important to convey to the reader, if it is desired to keep a hopeful tone to the story. In this case it is convenient to contrast Galina’s fate and actions with Faile’s. They both may have betrayed the faith placed in them, but the consequences for each match the severity of their betrayal.

Writing Lessons:

Contrast one relationship with another to drive a point home.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 27-28

In this section, Perrin makes a fateful choice and Mat courts Tuon

The sifting of grains in So Habor represents Perrin’s introspection. No matter how much effort is put into removing the weevils, there are always some that just can’t be winnowed out. Yet, the constant effort eventually makes the food cleaner. Berelain gives Perrin words to consider: “You cannot save everyone, Sometimes you must choose.” Perrin thinks that So Habor’s troubles are insignificant next to Faile’s life. Annoura says people are just threads to be woven in the pattern, and any protest about their choice in the matter makes no difference. There is still no indication why the Aes Sedai met with Masema in secret, except for a cryptic comment that they don’t always get to choose how they serve, which is another reference to having no choice.

With all those thoughts hanging over Perrin’s head, he learns that five Shaido have been captured, and that anyone not involved in their torture is lamenting that they would have been better at torturing the prisoners than any of the others. Arganda, Masema and Aram have them now, with the Wise Ones’ blessing while Sulin is bitter she wasn’t given a crack at them.

The Gheladanin camp is calm and orderly, the men eating and doing chores do so in a manner calm and orderly, just doing the tasks that need doing, and Perrin finds the prisoners being tortured while they are ringed by his followers, who observe in a manner calm and orderly, just doing a task that needs doing. Once again, two examples precede the main situation.

Perrin ends the torture immediately and instinctively by kicking the coals off of a bound Shaido. Masema, Arganda, and Aram appeal to Perrin in three different ways. Masema uses contempt, Arganda uses anger, and Aram whines and pleads. They all want to hurt the Shaido, eagerly. Of the women present, only Berelain expresses slight distaste at what has been taking place. The Ghealdanin mutter about Sulin and Edarra, a sign that their hatred is not limited to Shaido, but extends to all Aiel, despite the alliance under Perrin.

The expectations of the gathered crowd and his urgent desire to find Faile are too much to resist, and Perrin chops the prisoner’s hand off. The axe was light as a feather. Death is lighter than a feather. The similarity to an oft-repeated Borderlands expression is deliberate. The blood sprayed on him further symbolizes death. Perrin’s action risks being the death of the Perrin we know.

Mutilating the prisoner provokes no reaction, asking the Aes Sedai to heal him gets a rebuke that this wound cannot be undone, but it is the threat to consign the Aiel to a life of begging that shocks the assembled crowd to the core, leaving even Masema flabbergasted. Perrin is ready to consign men to a life with no hope and no escape.

Perrin throws his axe away, worried that he might come to like using it the way he just did. He is certain Faile would no longer love him if that happened. Faile is his goal, and so he is able to recognize his error and correct his path. After the prisoners give their answers, he keeps them prisoner, but does them no further harm.

When the food arrives, carefully winnowed, it brings a new hope. Tallanvor has found potential Seanchan allies for Perrin. Perrin is no longer willing to let Faile be an excuse for any action he takes, but he is willing to consider any action that gains Faile back, including making alliance with a distasteful enemy. He is now the third major character to begin talks with an enemy, seeking a truce.

Mat’s section opens with the humourous contrast of the hyperbole in the name of the circus and Mat’s poor opinion of it: “traveling with Valan Luca’s Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders was every bit as bad as Mat’s darkest thoughts had made it.”

Mat’s strategy to move slowly is enough to drive him mad, but while the efforts to find him have fanned out ahead of him, the circus hardly merits any scrutiny at all. The Aes Sedai just can’t sit still though, cloaking themselves as they walk about in public, drawing their sul’dam guardians behind them. The sul’dam recognize Mat’s authority, while the Aes Sedai do not. It comes down to who has the gold, an unapologetic and pragmatic ranking system you would never see any of the other main characters follow, concerned as they are with ranking systems using force, or honor, or strength in the Power.

Noal is first to suggest killing one of the inconvenient women, leading towards the next chapter’s conclusion.

Rumours of Suroth’s alliance to a king reach Mat’s ears, but it is unclear whether this is a reference to Perrin’s overture, Rand’s envoys, or someone else entirely.

Mat decides to begin courting Tuon, and his initial strategy is to look acceptable by staying near less acceptable people, such as the traitorous Egeanin. It is unsuccessful, resulting in Egeanin being renamed by Tuon. Leilwin, as she is now known, puts such stock in Tuon that her word acts as law, and she changes her identity to conform to Tuon’s desires. Mat changes to a hard-to-get strategy, pretending to court Tuon’s maid instead. Tuon is delighted that Mat can be so tricky and maintain the pretense to her face. He learns that saying the marriage vow three times, as he did, completes a Seanchan marriage. She has complete control over the outcome, all Mat can do is court her as best he can.

All of Mat’s abilities, memories, and magic items are of no avail; only his charm and other personality traits can win her over. Fortunately, Seanchan aristocracy favours scoundrelous behaviour.

Writing Lessons:

Deliberate and repeated use of an expression in one context will maintain that context when you use the same expression elsewhere.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 5-7

In this section, Perrin undertakes the long search for his wife.

The sequence consisting of Faile’s abduction and eventual reunion with Perrin begins in The Path of Daggers (Book 8) and ends in Knife of Dreams (Book 11), over a publication span of seven years. I suspect it’s the lengthy publication dates more than the writing that is at fault for making this one of fandom’s least favorite plot lines. A closer look will tell us more.

Perrin was last seen discovering Faile’s capture, and hastily setting out in pursuit of her abductors. We return to him now twenty-two days later, after he has learned some hard lessons. Perrin is not a hasty person. He usually considers things, takes his time, and thinks things through before acting. At first he didn’t do any of those things when pursuing Faile, and it cost him a chance to get her back. As usual, Perrin uses a blacksmithing analogy, reminding himself that haste ruins metal.

Having learned the hard way, Perrin is staying true to his nature now, proceeding cautiously, meticulously, and determinedly. He is gaining ground on the Shaido, slowly but surely. He thinks of himself as a hammer, moving with purpose to strike its target. Now, every action, every tool, every relationship is viewed exclusively in the lens of how it can help him rescue Faile.

Balwer tells Perrin he is clever, but Perrin thinks it is simply the result of his nature, thinking and considering before acting.

Aram reveals his mistrust of Aes Sedai, Balwer, Selande, heck, practically everyone. Perrin says you have to trust somebody.

Perrin finds Darkhound tracks circumventing the camp. Their presence was felt in his dream, which did not take place in Tel’aran’rhiod.  It begs the question of whether Darkhounds can also enter Tel’aran’rhiod. If they are supposed to confront each other in the Last Battle, then Tel’aran’rhiod is the only place suitable for them to congregate.

The Darkhounds were looking for someone else, and the only plausible someone or something is Rand, Mat, or the Seals. The timing corresponds roughly to when Rand may have left Far Madding, vanishing from the Forsaken’s radar. They obviously knew he was there when they sent the Asha’man to kill him, but could have been urgently searching for him if they discovered he had left the city. Whatever the case, they are trying to avoid notice, so they circumvent Perrin’s camp.

A great deal of discomfort is caused by Perrin learning of secret meetings between Masema and the Seanchan, and Masema and the Aes Sedai. While there could be reasons why Suroth would extend a hand to Masema as a regular part of advancing the Return, the letter from her is more likely to signify they work for the same dark master, since we already know Suroth is a Darkfriend. Masema would have to perform mental gymnastics to rationalize working with Darkfriends, but he’s already made an exception for Perrin, who he thinks is a tame Shadowspawn. The problem with vague possibilities of characters teaming up for some vague reason is that it is vague, and doesn’t clearly direct the reader anywhere. If the intent is to confuse the reader, or introduce doubt, then it can succeed wonderfully. The link from Suroth to Masema to Aes Sedai to Wise Ones creates a resilient doubt about whether any of them can be trusted, despite the vagueness of the secret relationships between them. Berelain herself now puts more stock in Perrin than in her own advisor Annoura.

Masema serves as a counterpoint to Perrin. Perrin’s single-mindedness is leaning towards the fervor of Masema’s logic. Someone who disregards all else for a single purpose is insane. Masema warns Perrin that all else is dross and trash, but you could substitute Masema’s dedication to the Light for Perrin’s need to find Faile. Perrin’s sequence opened with his dream of Darkhounds, and in it the Darkhounds’ presence spurs a mad thought: Hatred, and a sure knowledge of death coming. There were no choices to be made, not now. He ran harder, toward death.  The search for Faile threatens to be Perrin’s undoing. Changes to his character from his own choices will kill him as effectively as any weapon could.

Writing Lessons:

A strong association between two characters can be passed along to other characters through weak associations.  

Winter's Heart - Chapters 1-4

In this section, Perrin and Faile learn the extent of their problems.

At the very end of the last book, Faile’s kidnapping and Perrin’s meeting with Masema were covered. This provided a bit more of a cliffhanger ending, but those bits would have fit as easily at the beginning of Winter’s Heart. Only the prologue separates them from the opening chapters of this book, so the flow feels almost uninterrupted, despite a two-year publication interval.

Very little new information is given during Perrin’s march back to camp, during which he is oblivious to Faile’s plight. The first chapter serves as a re-introduction to some of the main elements of Perrin’s current set of tasks. We are reminded that Masema is a powerful fool, his followers have a mild respect for Perrin at the moment, but are still crazy, and will do whatever Masema tells them. Perrin’s followers are alert, and many of them favour killing Masema outright. Perrin maintains firm control over his followers, but worries they will act on their own because his hold isn’t firm enough. The relationships between the diverse followers are difficult to keep smooth. Yes, all this is old news, and the reader has to be satisfied with sparse tidbits of new material.

Perrin’s lack of knowledge heightens the tension, especially since readers have known about her kidnapping for some time. It only lasts for that one chapter, but the reader spends most of it feeling that Perrin needs to hurry up and find out what’s going on. In the short term this had the desired effect, but in the longer term it contributes to the perception of slowness of this entire plotline.

Among the new tidbits is that Perrin has already thought through his options regarding Masema. His plan confirms what we already knew about his personality. Kidnapping or killing Masema would turn his bands of madmen loose on the land, causing looting burning and killing. Perrin is completely unwilling to cause such havoc, the slaughter at Dumai’s Wells still fresh in his mind. He hopes to never see the like again, and will go to great pains to avoid it, even at the cost of dealing with Masema directly and marching home instead of Traveling. Meanwhile, Toveine and Rand are both trying to prevent the same possibility from coming true with the Asha’man. Keeping the madmen congregated and obedient is a parallel plot they share.

Another interesting tidbit is Elyas’ assessment of Aram. He says that with the Way of the Leaf gone, he has nothing to believe in except Perrin, and that is not enough for any man.  Aram is fervent, perhaps as intensely as Masema, and the implication is that no good can come of it. This comes just as Perrin reminds us yet again that nothing is more important than Faile, even his task, or his men. All resources must be devoted to finding Faile, at any cost. Perrin has a number of people acting as his conscience, to set him right when he gets too far down the path of single-mindedness and to approve his actions when he acts appropriately. Aram serves as a cautionary tale for Perrin showing what goes wrong when you worship a person instead of a set of ideals. Masema does as well, but as a leader instead of as a follower.

Faile meets Rolan, the leader of the Brotherless, Aiel who have rejected sept, clan and society. Like Aram, they have rejected their former set of beliefs and associations. Faile and her friends live because Rolan and his friends rejected the Aiel notion that the prisoners should freeze to death instead of being wrapped in coats. Rolan is a sort of anti-Perrin, physically comparable, representing an alternative life that Faile will have little choice but to try embrace if she is to escape.

Her other options for escape are limited. She can help Therava spy on Sevanna and hope the Wise One keeps her word to leave them behind at some later point, presumably once Sevanna has been deposed. She can help Galina steal the Oath Rod from the implacable Therava and try escape with her. No matter who she helps, she is betraying the other two, with the likely outcome that she will be exposed and punished or killed. She is faced with a handful of incompatible choices, greatly heightening the danger she faces.

Both Perrin and Faile are in situations where any choice will force them to act counter to other actions which are critical to their character or to their survival. The choices have been well explained, and the contradictions they expose are clear to the reader so they understand the consequences and the stakes.

Writing Lessons:

The reader needs to know what choices the characters have, what the costs and benefits of each are, and have a clear understanding of which your character chooses and why.

The Path of Daggers - Chapters 10-12

In this section, old acquaintances team up.

Morgase’s group has already joined up with Perrin’s, tying up one loose end in this part of the world. There was a feint that her plotline would converge with some others in the last few books, but her part was simply to be a sympathetic character who could show us what was taking place in areas where none of the heroes had reached yet. Once she joins Perrin, it indicates that the main characters will take over and she will be relegated to the sidelines.

Elyas is the next old acquaintance to have a chance encounter. He immediately throws his support behind Perrin, not really asking for anything in return. He faces some risk in being near Aes Sedai, but will take what precautions he can, and be ready to aid however he can.  

A new acquaintance, Queen Alliandre, is brought before Perrin. She swears to follow him as well, though her reputation is not for steadfastness as Elyas’ is. Faile imposes restrictions on her that will keep her support from wavering.

When a contingent of Dragonsworn is hung for their brutal crimes, Aram wonders if their deaths are justified. After all, these men are sworn to Rand. Perrin says that Rand doesn’t want men like this on his side, driving a first wedge between him and the boy that will eventually result in him perceiving Perrin as the danger to the Lord Dragon.

Sevanna barely ends a rebellion against her by her Wise Ones. She had hoped to bind Galina to her service, but must concede on that point amongst others, and share her with Therava. Belinde begins the confrontation on Sevanna’s side, and ends it on Therava’s, physically moving to stand with her. Using a minor character to physically represent the shifting politics of the Shaido makes the change more believable than simply having Sevanna worry about how she stands with the others. The task is even harder when told from an outsider like Galina’s point of view, making Belinde’s actions all the more important.

Graendal is added to those who serve Moridin. She is the last to be brought in. The message is clear, there is only one boss, and there is no room to do anything outside his plan. A new Forsaken, Cyndane, is introduced, already in thrall to Moridin.

Cadsuane and Sorilea meet as equals, and pledge to work towards the goal of making Rand learn he must embrace his emotions. After several examples of how easily Cadsuane would ruthlessly use people and throw them away to get what she wants, we are unsurprised to learn Cadsuane knows that she will break this oath if it interferes with her end goal, as she suspects Sorilea will if it meant Rand would destroy the Aiel. Their tentative promise should allow both to accomplish what they want.

This problem is one of the central points of the entire series. It is not sufficient for Rand to win, which he seems well on his way to doing as he adds another crown to his brow. Rand must also win under the right conditions, in the right mood, for his victory to count. This makes the Last Battle more a matter of character than of logistics or strength. A great deal of tension is introduced since Rand’s victories to date are all leading him down the wrong path, and all the characters who have failed to approach him in the right way must now struggle to make amends, if it is not too late.

The layout of the book is similar to the last one, with several chapters concentrating on one locale before moving to the next, and brief chapters between them covering secondary characters and villains. In each of these sections, some cue is given to help the reader identify when these events happen in relation to the other events they have read about. When the locales are far apart, it makes little difference if they are told slightly out of order, but it will matter more and more as Traveling allows characters to bounce about.

In this case, we learn that events have been told out of order. The prologue and Bowl of the Winds sections at the beginning of this book took place before Rand’s confrontation with Moridin in Shadar Logoth. This means that those sections may have been intended as part of A Crown of Swords, while this Perrin sequence was intended as the opening of The Path of Daggers. Likely reasons for placing them in this book are not wanting to have an Ebou Dar overweight of chapters, fitting the theme better in this book, and a desire to increase the pacing of this book by starting out with an action sequence, since Perrin`s point of view feels like mostly talk.

Writing Lessons:

Don`t be afraid to tell your story out of sequence, you can always explain to the reader so they don`t get confused.

A Crown of Swords - Chapters 1-4

In this section Perrin reveals how everyone feels.

Perrin’s ability to tell mood from a person’s scent allows a much more intimate understanding of the characters he meets than you would normally get from the typical third-person limited point of view. Without this ability, he and the reader would only have the usual visual and auditory clues to rely on. From any character’s point of view, there is always the chance that they are wrong, that they are an unreliable narrator like Mat or Nynaeve. Perrin’s ability is unerringly accurate. He lacks the context to understand many of the scents or emotions he is detecting, but he is never wrong about them.

Perrin can tell when Lews Therin is the more active of the two minds in Rand’s body. He knows how eager Aram is to kill. He can tell that a meek gai’shain is seething inside. He can tell when a man shifts from boasting to fear. He knows when the unflappable Aes Sedai are wary, or puzzled, or infuriated. In short, Perrin knows what you are thinking on the inside, which makes a Perrin point of view act as if told by an omniscient narrator.

So, Perrin makes a good choice of point of view character in situations where the author wants to introduce and establish the goals of a large number of characters, such as at the beginning of this book. Perrin is able to reveal the hidden moods of Tairens, Cairhienin, Aiel, individual Maidens, Mazrim Taim, the Asha’man, the Wise Ones, the captured Aes Sedai, the Two Rivers men, Alanna, Min, Loial, Dashiva.

In keeping with the proposed theme of subordinates choosing their path in this book, Perrin’s ability is also useful in establishing the relationship between the various leaders and their subordinates: Rand and Mazrim Taim, Mazrim Taim and the Asha’man, Bera and Kiruna and the other Aes Sedai, Sorilea and the other Wise Ones, Nandera and Sulin, and more. In almost all cases, the subordinates balk at what they have to do.

Aram seems like he’d do what Perrin told him not to the second his back was turned. The Two Rivers men never obey certain orders. Alanna is willfully stubborn to Bera and Kiruna in matters regarding her warder.  Mazrim Taim undermines Rand’s other followers implying only he can be trusted. The Aes Sedai try to set themselves above Rand even after they swore fealty to him. Feraighin struggles to tell Sorilea exactly everything she asked for, but fails to tell her something which she should have realized Sorilea would want to know.

All of this leads into the major obvious threat, which is that Rand’s followers in Cairhien are beginning to abandon him because they believe he has sworn fealty to the Aes Sedai.

A more insidious threat which also falls into the theme is that Perrin is ready to let the Pattern burn to save Faile. He will defy any order or action that puts Faile in danger. Surprisingly, of all the followers who may rebel against their leader, Perrin is not the one the reader would have expected.

Writing lessons:

To surprise the reader, give examples of behaviour the character disagrees with, then show what they care about enough that they would behave in just that way.