Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 8-9

In this section, Perrin and Faile become aware of Rand’s actions.

This is the second and third times in which characters become aware of Rand’s effort to cleanse saidin. The Forsaken were able to sense the immense amount of the One Power being used, and so are the various other channelers dispersed around the world. We already saw Mat’s perspective, now the Aes Sedai, Asha’man and Wise Ones with Perrin and Faile give warning of the event.

Up until now, important events such as the conquest of a nation, the fall of a ruler, or large-scale battles took place, and characters in other locales learned of them months, weeks or days later. The temporal gap in knowledge has been getting shorter and shorter as the series progresses. It took months for the Amyrlin to chase down Moiraine in The Great Hunt, or for news of Falme to spread across the continent. As Traveling, Dreamwalking and Bonding have been introduced, the ability to learn the truth of far-off events became quicker and more accurate.

The cleansing of saidin is the first time where events are being observed as they happen. Both Mat and Perrin, through some ta’veren link, are able, or forced, to see images of Rand taking place at that very moment. This new mechanism gives immediacy to each of their actions. It hasn’t made much difference yet, but in A Memory of Light I expect to see this ability used to its full potential, allowing the three ta’veren to coordinate actions across the continent, or even into other realms such as Tel’aran’rhiod.

The cleansing of saidin is also the first time that a world-spanning event has taken place. The fall of the Stone of Tear, the proclamation of the Dragon, the fall of Nations, or the largest battles since Hawkwing’s time have all been important, and have all had repercussions, but their scope was local first and foremost. Cleansing saidin has immediate consequences that matter to everyone in the entire world, which is one of the most important reasons for giving other character’s instantaneous perspective on it.

The other reason to show this event from multiple perspectives is to use it as an example of the personal battles each of the other characters is going through. Perrin quickly dismisses the event, since it has no relevance to finding Faile. This should heighten concern that he is neglecting important duties for selfish reasons. We’ve heard often enough from him since his return from Dumai’s Wells that the world can burn if it keeps him from Faile. Now we see direct proof that it is not rhetoric, but painful fact.

Perrin’s mood has the effect of creating a negative opinion in the reader’s mind. Aside from his single-mindedness, the brooding weighs on the reader’s spirit as much as Perrin’s. The only thing that elevates it somewhat is the comparison to a blacksmith’s puzzle. Now that he has seen all the pieces, Perrin is determined to solve it. In the face of overwhelming odds, that kind of perseverance inspires hope and approval. Leaving the scene with that mood is important to make the reader want to read the next Perrin section. You always want the reader to want to read more, no matter whether the characters are happy or despondent.

Faile has a pivotal discussion with Chiad. Chiad tells her: If I cast aside my honor and my obligations just because the Shaido have, then I allow them to decide how I will act. I will wear white for a year and a day and then they will release me, or I will walk away, but I will not throw away who I am. This lesson is equally applicable to Perrin and Rand, who are under intense pressure sufficient to make them consider paths that they would normally never take. Changing the way they act changes their character so much that the original version of them might as well be dead. Obviously, that is not the desired outcome for the reader.

Faile’s tangle is in many ways more interesting than Perrin’s, because the characters surrounding her are well-rounded individuals, unlike the generic Wise Ones, Aes Sedai, and soldiers following Perrin. Galina, Sevanna, and Therava have a solid strike against them based on their previous appearances, invoking negative emotions. Morgase, Bain and Chiad induce positive feelings. Rolan is man of mystery, and the new gai’shain introduced present interesting possible threats. The hazards Faile faces are specific, while Perrin’s are vague.  

Writing Lessons:

Be aware of the mood you end a scene with.

New Spring Chapters 23-26 and Epilogue

I cannot figure out how Malkieri society could have functioned with such rigid codes of behavior.  They must have just not spoken to each other very much. Or maybe they just had scripts handed out to speak from.  How much of this culture is due to its martial nature and low life expectancy? How much of this is just Bukama trying to make Malkier live again through Lan? Will Lan be relieved he can toss off this ridiculous way of life and not suicide himself in the Blight as a final tip of the hat to Bukama’s expectations? Has Lan mellowed in the main series with regard to his interactions with women? I’ll be watching to see if he waits for women to address him before speaking to them.

I also came to wonder how the Tower treats Aes Sedai who leave and never come back. They obviously don’t go looking for them, or they’d have known about Cadsuane. How long before they begin to assume Merean is dead? How long until the Black Ajah reaches the same conclusion? Do they reorganize the Black Ajah Hearts?

There are a few books in the series where the final conflict sort of comes out of left field, and this is one of them. The buildup is slow and uncertain, with a resounding crash suddenly in the last 20 pages. But did I ever enjoy this battle. A closer look might tell us why it worked.

Moiraine’s meting out justice in the rough quarter gives us an appreciation for more of her powers. The chapter could have been written with her simply finding Siuan after half a day, but we’ve still seen little of her powers. Some fireworks, a booming voice, lots of tricks to bug Lan with, even during her testing the solution was never other than completing the assigned weave. So we get to see some of her more useful weaves, and it’s becoming clear that there really aren’t many scenarios Moiraine can’t weave her way out of. Expectations are being set on her pedigree and her Channeling to get her out of jams. Again, we see Moiraine’s preparations for the unknown involve visiting a hairdresser and a bank.  Still no sign of a villain.

Moiraine presses Lan for some help, which he is held to by his adherence to a pledge made before he was born. Moiraine breaks Tower Law in exchange for it. She actually didn’t tell him much, the juicy bits she just thinks to herself, for our benefit. It is a measure of her desperation that she must begin to seek allies. Moiraine’s breaking Tower Law raises the tension significantly, and tells us that her ends justify her means.

The main plot finally clicks into place with a minor subplot: Iselle doesn’t want to marry Lan, so after Moiraine rebuffs her plea to be taken to the White Tower, she immediately turns to the other Aes Sedai in the palace for help, setting in motion the final conflict. Iselle is a pawn, a tertiary character not even speaking on page until her plea to Moiraine. Yet it is her desire for freedom, heretofore unknown, that brings the whole affair to its conclusion.

Bukama’s death brings a transformation to Lan. His final point of view words are that he did not care who saw him. He was ready to run away from his duty to Malkieri custom, but even while seeking out Bukama to pursue this dishonourable course of action, he adheres to it, trying to avoid being seen by those who would know he had broken custom. When he stops caring who sees him, he has already begun following his own rules instead of those imposed on him. A transformation of identity is a more powerful excitement builder than the death of character. It’s not their death that matters, but what that death represents and how it affects our other character’s identity.

Much like the Aiel confrontation in Chapter 1, Moiraine finds herself pondering the forces arrayed against her.  She thinks her opponent is considerably more powerful. When she confronts her, she learns that she underestimated her chances. Her pedigree and channeling will not help her win. Ryne’s superiority with the sword is confirmed. The buildup is somewhat similar to what I laid out in the Chapter 1 analysis table: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AofJmajj1aXydGd0dndhY2Z3R0NTY3QxQ0d1N0NHSGc&hl=en_US#gid=0

Each paragraph describes how bad their chances are, then it is demonstrated that it’s even worse than that. And then finally Moiraine is shielded. That’s it, game over. Embrace Death.

Our heroes don’t embrace death though, they only stop fighting after they are dead. Pure determination wins the day. Force of will and knowledge of self will be a recurrent theme in many future battles. No wonder I love this series so much. How can you argue with life lessons like that?

Moiraine gives a final challenge to Lan as she erases the evidence, and despite whatever he may decide about Malkieri custom, he knows he will always oppose the Shadow. “We win this battle, or the world dies.” On top of all that, the payoff is that you can delve right into the main series and pick up twenty years later as they reach the bottom of Moiraine’s list of names.

Determination.

Writing Lessons:

You stop writing after you are dead. Write every day. Every page leads to a complete manuscript.

Events can grab reader’s attention, but how those events affect the characters will do so even more.