A Memory of Light - Chapters 38-43

In this section, in the most critical scene of the book, Rand can’t win by himself

Rand sees Lan fall, reinforcing the fact of his apparent death. Through Egwene’s voice, he is reminded that the responsibility was not his, it belonged to Lan himself. Rand could easily have imagined Egwene’s voice in his head, but her recent death adds some doubt as to its nature. Rand changes the purpose of his list of names, from one of victims, to one of heroes, who died for causes they believed to be noble. Relieved of guilt, he finds his strength returned.

Just as Rand is no longer pridefully taking responsibility for the actions of others, the author flips back to the battlefield as the Sharan princess shrieks that Bao the Wyld is dead. The six line interjection reveals little, its main purpose is in the symbolism of Rand’s pride being removed, since Demandred embodied pride. 

Refusing to give in, ever, Rand begins to see the Dark One for what he really is. The Dark One’s attacks lost meaning. If they could not make him yield, if they could not make him relent, then what were they? The author breaks Rand’s confrontation into very short sections, shuffling them between other perspectives which ever so slowly reveal what is happening. Rapid flashes between characters works well to slow down the action at this critical juncture, and may not have worked so well with the traditional Robert Jordan long section in a single point of view. Could the traditional Robert Jordan long section approach even have been used for the Last Battle? Or would he have opted for breaks as shown here, mimicking the breakdown of the Pattern itself?

With Demandred dead, Mat raises a cheer for Malkier, which the soldiers eagerly take up. The Sharans are stunned by the news, and the heroes have a resurgence of hope.

Rand’s voice switches to all caps, an indication that he is now on even footing with the Dark One. Adding in a few explanatory details to tie up loose ends, he states that even though the story has centered on him, it is really about all of his friends and acquaintances, about everyone. It is about their common desire to fight on no matter the circumstances, to stand when they should be broken. The Dark One taunts Rand with Lan’s death. Rand holds the whole world in his hands as his conflict magnifies its focus on Merrilor.

Mat strains to gain an upper hand, and hears the Dark One in his head. The Dark One’s titles for the heroes attempt to diminish them, and continue to show the overriding pessimism in his every thought and action. Arganda mirrors that pessimism with his perpetual negative outlook. Mat has never had a better chance to win this, he just needs an opening to give him some momentum.

Rand tells the Dark One he is wrong…

Olver raises the Horn to his lips…

Mat hears Rand’s voice now too. Everyone can hear it. Three critical and emotionally resounding elements combine: Rand shouts “That man still fights!”, Lan rises with Demandred’s severed head, and  the Horn Of Valere resounds across the battlefield. It is a potent combination and is likely the core scene that everything else was built to support during the writing of the book.

For a brief moment, Elayne remains in peril, until Birgitte returns to save her. Her perfectly timed arrival is heralded by an arrow to Mellar’s chest followed by another to the head. She announces the arrival of the Heroes, and it feels awesome.

Mat takes advantage of any superstitious or cowardly hesitation on the part of the Shadow to lead a charge. The contrast between humanity’s desire to fight even unto death and the Trollocs’ instinctive desire to avoid death helps explain away much of the battle’s details. Any parts which get skipped over can be explained by a stereotyping statement which the reader is all too eager to embrace, as they are riding high on a wave of relief and excitement. Mat meets Hawkwing, swears at him, laments women like Nynaeve, and leers at a female Hero, all in keeping with his character even as the inner workings of Horn sounding are explained.

Noal comes back for Olver, providing a warm response to all the loss and death. He had lost so many people, but one of them… one… had come back for him. This links directly back to the idea that when both Manetheren and Malkier fell, no one had come to their aid. Olver’s salvation shows that this time, help came, and that made all the difference.

Elayne joins the fight against the Darkfriends, and following a brief attempt to keep her out of the larger battle, she and Birgitte go to battle, together. Birgitte is overjoyed her memories have returned.

Aviendha meets Elyas as the Wild Hunt streams into the valley. Before she can gather channelers to repel the Darkhounds, she senses Graendal and summons Cadsuane and Amys. Outnumbered and outmatched by Graendal’s circle, it is Aviendha’s original ability to stalk silently that protects her until her allies arrive.

Elayne joins the fight waving a sword to little effect other than the inspiration it offers her soldiers. By putting herself in danger and taking up the battle directly, as one of them, her soldiers feel they have no choice but to return to the fray.

Demandred’s death is the card upon which Mat is ready to bet everything. He still faces ten to one odds in numbers, but the enemy is in disarray. Mat faces a desperate fight to push the Sharans off the heights into the Trollocs below, and just as he most needs them, the Seanchan join the fight, flying through Gateways in the air to assault the Shadow below and marching in rhythm onto the Heights. Having Mat imagine and predict the Seanchan movements once gain saves the author from having to explain or show it in any detail.  A mysterious detail is presented, leaving the reader to wonder what other trick Mat has in store.

Grady follows Mat’s orders without understanding them. His Gateway to Hinderstap allows the same people, cursed by a bubble of evil, to make use of that very curse to surprise their foes. With the Dreadlords down, Grady bursts the dam, releasing the river Mora.

Androl wants to hunt the Dreadlords instead of pursuing Logain’s quest for sa’angreal. He and Pevara concoct a plan.

Moghedien impersonates Demandred to rally the Sharans, having apparently practiced impersonating each of the other Forsaken, which explains several peculiar orders from Forsaken throughout the series. Moghedien now has full access to the True Power, and uses her advantage by ordering the death of the meekest and weakest on the field of battle.  A gateway opens and Dragons fire on her.

Talmanes enjoys firing dragons to kill the Trollocs from a hidden location.

At Shayol Ghul, the storm is out of control, unleashing lightning on friend and foe alike. The fabric of reality is breaking down as a grand bubble of evil envelops the valley. Aviendha notices Trollocs fighting each other and an odd mist which heralds Padan Fain. The clouds above form the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai, and other impossible signs portend Rand’s conquest of his foe. As she creeps towards Graendal, she is attacked and kills her foe Rhuarc, seeming to contradict her earlier belief that any of her former allies would rather die than be used by the Shadow.

Dreadlords bicker amongst themselves and are tricked into following Androl’s imitation of Rand into a stedding. Mishraile expresses the only overt sexism that I can recall in the series, scoffing at the notion that a woman could be placed above him when the entire world is rife with examples of women leading men.

The Ogier will attempt a few decades of stedding-derived therapy to rehabilitate their new captives. Returning to the battlefield,  Androl and his friends find Trollocs slaughtering refugees and wounded.

Aviendha recovers from the shock of killing her former clan chief. Aviendha is wounded as she leaps into the air and plunges her spear into Graendal’s side, disappearing along with her as she Travels.

Logain feels threatened and seeks a sa’angreal to keep him powerful, and feels intense paranoia that others are trying to tear him down. Androl tells him of the Trollocs slaughtering the weak. Logain must choose between gaining strength or protecting the weak.

Mat watches the Trolloc horde get split by the river, then decimated by Seanchan and resurgent armies, as he battles alongside the Heroes of the Horn. For about a page, the text feels like an omniscient narrator describing the entire field of battle, no matter where Mat was standing at the moment. Because the focus is exclusively on military matters and takes place in a Mat perspective, it is a little easier to accept. Had it been written from any other perspective than Mat’s or Rand’s, it would stand out even more as a large deviation from the accepted form of third person limited narrator.

Mat asks Artur Hawkwing to speak with Tuon on his behalf while he goes to Rand’s aid. Perfectly placed punchline at the end of the section.

Rand speaks in all caps, like the Dark One, and reveals that nobility will always beat him, that death is no threat, and that he has never inspired love in any one. The Dark One sputters in response. Rand hurls himself into the blackness to bring Shai’tan’s death.

Aviendha can barely fend off Graendal. Isolated from her allies, she is able to open a Gateway before Graendal takes control of the situation, cutting off Aviendha’s possible attempt to kill herself before being enthralled by Compulsion. Graendal isn’t in great shape, but Aviendha can’t even keep hold of her belt knife.

Writing Lessons:

Design your story around the most important scenes.

A Memory of Light - Chapter 37 - Part 4

In this section, Lan fights the Last Battle.

Leane is about to order the retreat of the remaining Aes Sedai, until Egwene shows up, devastating the enemy with her sa’angreal. Even at this late stage of the story, two new Aes Sedai is named. As Keeper of the Chronicles for ten of the last twelve years, Leane has better reason than anyone to know every Aes Sedai’s name and face. Had she not named these two, it would have been out of place, and it would be equally out of place if readers only saw Aes Sedai they had already met.

Talmanes is leading the repair of the dragons. The return of the dragons offers some hope so it is well juxtaposed with Egwene’s return to the field of battle.

Faile chases Aravine and the Horn, riding barebacked on Bela, the mare who has carried many of the heroes throughout their adventures. Stalwart Bela has always been dependable, like her owner Tam. Bela represents the way Rand was raised, his foundation and moral compass that will always carry him through and help him bear his burdens, which is why she has never faltered. Faile appeals to Bela to give her all in the chase: Faile scrambled to Bela’s side, cutting free the saddle – and all of its burdens – with a few swipes of the knife. And then, “Run, Bela,” Faile said. “If you’ve kept any strength back, now is the time to use it. Please. Run, girl. Run.” Bela’s imminent death signals the end of the last vestiges of Rand’s childhood.  

Faile learns that Vanin and Harnan had just been hoping to steal back some tabac, not the Horn. They clear her a path, and she kills Aravine with a dagger in the back. Realizing there is no way she can escape her pursuers, she gives the Horn to Olver while she leads them away. She is certain they will kill her. The feeling of desperation is heavy, with Faile’s imminent death and this essential task passed into the hands of the meekest of heroes.  “I’m sorry to place this upon you, little one. There is no one else. You did well earlier; you can do this. Take the Horn to Mat or all is lost.”

Logain keeps the Seals and goes hunting for Demandred, his sa’angreal, and something to fill the void within him. Logain is one of the only remaining characters who has not yet completely joined one side or the other. While he opposes the Shadow, he feels no affinity for the Light.

Egwene leads her assault and encounters Mazrim Taim, the M’Hael.

Raen and Ila triage the dead and wounded. Raen wonders what alternative there is to fighting the Shadow, since Trollocs would never stop chasing them no matter where they ran. He decides he will not think quite so poorly of those who follow a different path. Though he did not ask anyone to sacrifice their life for his, he recognizes that they have made the sacrifice nonetheless.  Ila considers Raen’s words. When she sees but fails to recognize the Darkfriends who have infiltrated the civilians helping with the wounded, she begins to see the world in greys, not the stark black and white she has seen all these past years. Her strict adherence to a viewpoint which had only two polar opposites drove her grandson away. This rejection of strict moral boundaries is very similar to what Rand will soon come to understand.

Olver has been abandoned. He is chased into a crevice. Simple use of verbs and adjectives strongly convey how hopeless his situation is while retaining his childlike view of the world.

Alone. He’d been left alone again.

Olver whimpered.

No safety.

There were hundreds of them back there, chasing him.

The tantalizing hope of escape ends as Bela is shot dead by arrows. In a little cleft, Olver hides, with Trolloc claws tearing at his clothing. Take the Horn to Mat or all is lost. Can the reader have any doubt that the Horn will never reach Mat, and that all is indeed lost?

Logain attacks Demandred, but is quickly overpowered. He relies on his training to escape, and not only the power. He wonders how they will ever beat Demandred. He is the third to face the Forsaken, and third to fail. Perhaps they will lose unless Rand comes to their aid. The only thing which cuts through Logain’s frustration is the realization that his Aes Sedai Gabrelle actually was concerned for him.

Egwene overpowers Taim, but he escapes using the True Power. She ponders the nature of balefire. This is a second attempt to prepare the reader for Egwene’s surprise weave.

Hurin’s nose describes more violence than has ever been wrought. He manages to keep fighting, but the worst is yet to come. His own faith in Rand is the only certainty any of the characters feel.

Berelain has had to order that only those who can be saved may be tended, rationing the care of the wounded. She further must cajole the gai’shain into helping collect and tend the wounded. Berelain discovers Annoura has burned herself out as a sacrifice of atonement to bring Galad back to Mayene. This final kindness to restore a friendship before the end was one that brought tears to my eyes. For other readers it may have been this scene, or another, since they all build on waves of hopelessness, courage and redemption. Where they finally break through depends on the characters you identify with. The author makes excellent use of the most minor characters such as Ila, Annoura, Hurin, and others to prime the readers for what may be in store for their favourites.

Galad passes out before he can tell Berelain about the medallion.

Rand watches as friends and allies die. His ability to see the battle unfold in detail even while in an otherworldly dimension is an efficient way to compress many emotional moments into a small amount of text. Minor characters are dying, quickly. Now that they are out of the way, the author can move on to the main characters. The Dark One weaves…

Taim receives a loan of the sa’angreal Sarkanen. Egwene is commanded to be destroyed by balefire. Taim forces himself to think of himself as M’Hael. When Fortuona renamed Mat as Knotai, he made no similar effort despite acknowledging Karede’s insistence he go by that new name; he still thinks of himself as Mat. M’Hael’s forced effort to adopt the identity thrust upon him by another is contrary to how each of the Heroes has resisted changing their identity when it was dictated by others.

Elayne is attacked by mercenaries. Mellar’s control of her is displayed as Elayne is even denied the chance to spit in his face properly. He then kills Birgitte in a bloody and awful manner. The suddenness of her death is jarring, lacking any heroism, and emphasizes Elayne’s lack of options. Mellar even gets to brag about how good it felt. A substitute blonde corpse convinces her army that she is dead, so none know she is missing. Her children will be cut out of her and delivered to Shayol Ghul. This looks bad.

Rand receives the Dark One’s final offer to annihilate the world, eliminating pain suffering and existence itself. He can stop Elayne’s forced caesarean, end the violent deaths, and end the betrayals and the burdens. The Dark One offers suicide. Rand rejects the offer. He does not seek an end, he seeks a solution.

Min unmasks Moghedien using her ability to see Viewings. It is one of the only times when a character’s abilities trump their personality in overcoming an obstacle. In past examples, there has almost always been an overt decision or affirmation made by the character before the abilities or happenstance come into play. Nonetheless, it is rewarding to have a non-channeler such as Min best one of the Forsaken. The Seanchan will soon join the fray.

Egwene delivers destruction unto her enemies. Despite bonding Leilwin, she is distraught, and fueled by rage. In most circumstances this ends badly for an Aes Sedai, and her suicidal frontal assault would normally end poorly, if not for the entirety of the White Tower’s channelers providing defense while she recklessly advances.

The use of balefire in large quantities is shown to have the expected effects, but in such a chaotic battle, there is no use in dissecting the chain of events that has been rewritten. This provides some cover to the author, who is free to dictate what has happened and what hasn’t, with no further explanation. Egwene discovers a new weave, as she has done in the past, yet the explanation feels contrived and I wonder if less explanation may have been more convincing than this blaze of illogic: Two sides to every coin. Two halves to the Power. Hot and cold, light and dark, woman and man. If a weave exists, so must its opposite.

The counter-weave to balefire and Egwene’s death have deeper meaning. M’Hael sought to undo Egwene, erasing her from existence. Egwene represents Rand’s childhood. She needed to die so that he could truly pass from childhood to adulthood. The manner of her death by balefire would represent that Rand had forever lost his childhood ideals and the love of the community that raised him. With Egwene’s final assertion, embodied in the new weave, she instead protects that childhood, stopping its erasure, preserving it for Rand to draw upon in times of need.  

Rand gets very angry at Egwene’s death. THE DEAD ARE MINE. I WILL KILL THEM ALL, ADVERSARY. Rand feels her loss like part of him has been cut away. He remembers all his failures.

Leane discovers Egwene is gone, and a crystal column stands in her place, that will likely stand forever. The balefire damage has been repaired. Word of the Amyrlin’s demise begins to travel.

Berelain hears a whisper from her beloved Galad “…Hope…”, and she rushes out to return Mat’s medallion. Once again, I am impressed how even the least powerful characters have essential roles to play, and could easily have carried a story on their own.

Mat learns Egwene has eliminated almost all the enemy channelers, leaving a battle between armies. And Demandred.  He has no brilliant strategy to give Lan, asking him to check on reserves from Mayene. He calls on his luck, and receives word Elayne is dead, which is fitting as she represents both the present and the gleaming promise of civilization itself. Andor and the Queen have always been foremost among humanity’s champions. Mat delivers orders to Tuon and Talmanes, his last reserves. Mat can’t win, but he fights on anyway, “Because I’ll be a Darkfriend before I’ll let this battle go without trying everything, 

Arganda.” As Mat makes his final preparations, Lan has gone on to fight Demandred alone.

Trollocs tear at Olver. He stands in for all humanity, enemies mercilessly clawing, the ground caving in on him, trapped with no hope of escape.

Loial must witness the fall of the last King of the Malkieri. Predicting his death with a reliable character works convincingly. All other opponents before have lost, why should Lan fare any better? Loial is trustworthy, which means Lan will die.

Tam sees Lan, a dim spark of Light in the Shadow: Tam almost lost Lan’s figure atop the midnight stallion, despite the bonfires burning on the Heights. Their light seemed feeble. He paves the way for Lan with a hail of fiery arrows. Lan’s spark alone can’t do it, but with a second to join with Lan’s? Rand’s father figures unite for a last desperate strike.

Lan intends to destroy Demandred, implausible as it seems. First he must get close, and even knowing the impossibility of it, he tries, and finds that Tam has come to his aid. Even as he nears his objective, he shows care for his horse by leaving its saddle, though it seems likely Mandarb would not stand idly by, and could end up just as dead. Lan offers no opening, shows no hesitation. There is no glory, no pride, no contest of equals. He is the man who will kill Demandred. Who then is Demandred? He is the man whose pride could not abide being less than first, who chose to gamble on being first for the Shadow’s cause, who traded ideals for a chance at prominence. Demandred is pride, and too much pride has been one of Rand’s weaknesses.

Min sees signs of the end, or so it seems. Once again she is a reliable character whose viewings are never wrong, and this confidence in her statements transfers easily to her opinions, which have also proven mostly correct. She represents the future, and she watches the lights flicker, the last embers of a fire that would soon be extinguished. She feels Rand tremble.

Rand thinks he has failed. In his pride he believes that all of these deaths were his fault, their lives were his responsibility. And then he remembers to let go. Rand has a role to play in people’s lives, but he does not bear final responsibility for everything that befalls them. He is there to give them a chance to choose who they will be, and how they will stand, or fall.

Lan calls himself just a man, which is why he succeeds when the prince of Andor, the Dragon’s Brother, and the leader of the Black Tower all failed. While the medallion and swordsmanship allow him to stand on almost equal terms with Demandred, it is his dedication to what he stands for and understanding of who he is and the battle that he fights that allows him to anticipate his enemy’s moves, whether with sword or the One Power. Mirroring what he taught Rand near the beginning of the series, Lan impales himself on Demandred’s sword, immobilizing it, then drives his own blade into Demandred’s throat. He never cared about winning as Demandred did, so full of pride. A tie is all he needed. He came to do what needed to be done, and he slays false pride. He quotes “Death is light as a feather”, sends his love to Nynaeve and dies.

The Last Battle is apparently over, and surprisingly, it was not Rand’s, but Lan’s.

Writing Lessons:

 The identity and reputation of the character delivering the message matter as much as the message itself.

A Memory of Light - Chapter 37 - Part 2

In this section, the heroes suffer setbacks and losses.

Deep in the Blasted Lands, on the approach to Shayol Ghul, Faile discovers the village supplying the Shadow’s armies.

Perrin awakens to find hours have passed and he is still weak from his ordeal. The rationing of healing for even heroes of his stature indicates how poorly the battle is going. Perrin insists Faile is alive even though her caravan vanished in a bubble of evil. As well he might, for the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and the Horn must be at the Last Battle. Since nothing guarantees she is still the one carrying it, the scene still plays nicely as a point of faith, as opposed to counting on divine providence.

Androl and Pevara flirt as they make plans to find Taim. They sit on a hillside looking down on fields where nothing grows, surrounded by dead trees. Androl feels that mirth and love have a place even in the face of such desolation, perhaps it is even the best place to have them so they can build something up.

Rhuarc stalks the valley of Thakan’dar, killing Trollocs and red veils until Hessalam finds him. He looked up and someone beautiful stepped through the storm to inspect him. She had wonderful eyes, though the two were offset from one another. He’d never before realized how horribly balanced everyone else’s eyes were. Thinking of it nauseated him. And all other women had too much hair on their heads. This creature, with thinning hair, was far more marvelous.

The first thoughts are portrayed neutrally as though they could be Rhuarc’s or a narrator’s. The second sentence shows a slight resistance, as Rhuarc is still able to describe the offset eyes in a neutral, slightly pejorative manner. By the third sentence, Rhuarc is well and truly her creature, comparing her to all other women, with not even a thought of his wives, even to dismiss them. His memory of them is completely overwhelmed by his immediate need to please Hessalam. Rhuarc’s conversion jabs the reader with the speed and totality of his change of allegiance, undercutting the positive emotions displayed in the earlier sections with Perrin, Androl and Pevara.

Mirroring this example of good things turning suddenly bad, Rand weaves a world where all is well, and finds it overtaken by the Dark One very quickly. THESE PEOPLE ARE MINE NOW. I WILL TAKE THEM. The Dark One goads Rand with uncharacteristic explanations to point out the flaws in his creation, and attacks Rand when he wavers slightly. IT IS NOT ENOUGH, AND WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. YOUR DREAM IS FLAWED. YOUR DREAM IS A LIE. I AM THE ONLY HONESTY YOUR WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.

Whatever hope came from Rand’s triumphant dismissal of the Dark One’s reality is now seriously undermined. It is good that this pivotal confrontation not end too easily or quickly, and with the Dark One taking the upper hand, things once gain look bleak for Rand. At least readers expect a second round of battle. It is another stroke of genius to have this confrontation rely on character and imagination instead of ability with the One Power. Outside of the Pattern, weaving reality into being, Rand is more powerful than he ever was as a mere channeler.

Silviana offers to take Egwene’s bond so that she doesn’t suffer from his death during the Last Battle. Egwene defends keeping the bond, a link of love and trust that she fought hard to create. She believes the importance of her role will be enough to see her through his loss, but she nonetheless hurries to try rescue him.

Birgitte describes Gaidal in a way that makes her loss poignant, and relates directly to what happens when a loved one or warder is lost. Discussion of the deep personal nature of the loss adds a lot of emotional intensity to the story.  Readers have seen several supporting characters killed or destroyed, and forcing the reader to contemplate what those losses mean to the main characters heightens the tension over which of them may perish. The reader is being primed to feel the losses as deeply and personally as the characters will.

Galad receives orders and Mat’s medallion. He is to kill as many channelers as possible. Bryne arrives searching out Gawyn.

Mat is excited about playing in the highest stakes game ever. Having previously stated that both Mat and Demandred are master generals and master gamblers, the effect is reinforced with their mutual admiration for each other’s talents. This saves the author much trouble in actually conceiving of brilliant battlefield tactics, as the impression of skill can be conveyed far more convincingly than the skill itself.

Logain is given permission to seek out Taim. Mat looks for a good reason to fake a rift between himself and Tuon. He is not convinced Tuon’s safety is a good enough reason to pick a fight, yet his luck intervenes and a band of Gray Men and Sharan channelers makes Tuon’s point admirably. Having given away his medallion, the stakes are suddenly higher for Mat.

Min saves Tuon with the help of Siuan who dies in the effort. Siuan’s almost last words under pressure reveal her character, one reminiscent of the people of Manetheren: “Whatever you think you did, the viewing has not been accomplished yet, It’s still there.”

Siuan stood frozen for a moment. “Cauthon is in danger.”

“But—“

“I don’t care, girl!” Nearby, the ground trembled with the force of the One Power. The damane were fighting back. “If Cauthon falls, this battle is lost! I don’t care if we both die from this. We must help. Move!”

Egwene tries desperately to reach Gawyn in time.

Demandred considers how to defeat Mat, and opts to drag things out, so as to avoid committing himself to a potential trap and to maintain full control of the battle and his eventual confrontation with Rand. Demandred’s girlfriend Shendla is devious, capable, powerful, but not enough to change his heart. “I would cast it all away,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Everything for a chance at Lews Therin.” Demandred considers whether he could change, given the new feelings budding with him. This is the third Forsaken given an option of redemption in this book. Surely, readers think, the author wouldn’t show three such situations unless at least one of them will take it? The very fact that three options were presented implies that an option will be chosen, creating an expectation for the author to fulfill or surprise readers with. Precious insight into the twisted mind of this opponent creates interest and excitement. Will Demandred get his wish to confront Rand? Will he find out Rand isn’t coming and crush Mat? Many tantalizing possibilities are made available with a short jaunt into Demandred’s thoughts.

The M’Hael is admonished by Demandred and is assigned a specific task of confronting the Aes Sedai.

The Dark One shows Rand the fighting. I WILL WIN EVENTUALLY, ADVERSARY. WATCH THEM SCREAM. WATCH THEM DIE.

THE DEAD ARE MINE.

 “Lies,” Rand said.

NO. I WILL SHOW YOU.

Juilin fights and keeps on fighting. His uncertainty about what to do other than keep resisting mirrors Rand’s predicament.

Androl and Pevara in disguise are able to learn Taim’s whereabouts from Demandred. This scene would have lacked some credibility without having seen Demandred just before, so that readers are already familiar with his whereabouts and state of mind. Demandred’s ability to detect Gawyn wreathed in shadows doesn’t extend to an inverted Mask of Mirrors. Demandred is too preoccupied to notice if whipping Androl’s cheek breaks reveals the disguise. Androl points out that even Trollocs battle in shifts, a reality shown earlier with Lan, yet unexpected here as the battle rages. If Mat’s armies are doing the same, it hasn’t been shown because it would detract from the perception that every last person is needed. It is more difficult to portray dire need when a third of your army is sleeping and another third is in reserve. The fact that the Trollocs can afford to do this demonstrates how badly the good guys are outnumbered.

Galad has a number of plans which he signals to his men by holding up a number of fingers. Memorizing a handful of plans may not be too difficult, but do men remember them under the pressure of battle? It seems risky given that they would have had under an hour to develop the plans.    

Galad finds Gawyn as he dies and learns Rand is his brother. Gawyn’s extraordinary survival so far is explained by his Warder bond, another fantastic invention that gives the author a lot of leeway to make events play out as needed. Galad is motivated by his brother’s loss, and maybe by his newfound brother’s existence, to seek out and destroy Demandred. He is a better swordsman than Gawyn was, and has a medallion to negate Demandred’s channeling, and he’s taken down several channelers easily, and his desire for vengeance seems so right that his victory feels fairly certain.

Egwene feels the crippling loss of her Warder. A short amount of text is dedicated to this, for the good reason that every character in sequence is building up emotions of worry, frustration, fatigue, and loss. Each character’s point of view not only describes their own situation, but builds up to or builds on the points of view presented before and after. The rhythm of the Last Battle and Rand’s conflict play off each other emotionally more than they do temporally. Egwene’s realization of her naiveté plays very well with Rand’s imminent next round against the Dark One.

Writing lessons:

Set or maintain the emotions you want from one point of view to the next, using them as parts of a whole, not only to advance plot.

A Memory of Light - Chapters 33-36

In this section, the heroes show determination in the face of the worst odds yet.

Perrin battles Slayer in Tel’aran’rhiod, showcasing a variety of tactics granting either of them a momentary edge. Perrin has no trouble running through the sky, but is so used to swimming that he can’t maintain his focus when underwater. Exhaustion impedes his ability to manipulate the World of Dreams, and Slayer finally hits him with an arrow.

Lanfear finds Perrin, and scorns him, easily switching her favour to the victor of the battle. Alone in Tel’aran’rhiod, with no energy, Perrin realizes his hammer is warm, giving him enough clarity of mind to wake up from the Wolf Dream. He lands where he expects Faile to be, at the Field of Merrilor, where the Last Battle is upon them.

Faile begins her transit to Merrilor with the Horn of Valere, but a bubble of evil disrupts her departure. She concludes that there is likely a traitor in her midst, which she thinks is Vanin. Aravine is the one who would best be able to divine the nature of Faile’s cargo, though, so my suspicion fell on her. The traitor’s identity is not as important as the suspicion that one exists, and that Faile is without resources in a hostile land while this person bides their time. With a number of nameless travelers killed by such trivial things as mud and plants, the feeling of helplessness and paranoia is well established. Her own attempts to weed out the traitor backfire, and she is forced to flee, afoot, into the Blasted Lands with creatures in pursuit.

The perfect accentuation of this feeling of powerlessness comes with Olver’s perspective. Olver is the only child of note in the entire series, and despite training with his uncles in the band, it is obvious to the reader that Olver is well and truly outmatched by everything. By placing Olver’s perspective here, just before the Last Battle, the author greatly increases the feeling that humanity is overwhelmed by the forces arrayed against it.

At Shayol Ghul, Aviendha learns about male Aiel channelers and is forced to admit what she has discovered to Cadsuane. Aviendha sets the strategy for how to stand against so many, with so much uncertainty: set plans together to counteract any one man having too much influence, in case he is under Compulsion, and “don’t try anything clever. We just hold.”

Hessalam escapes a skirmish with Aviendha, taking a deeply-Compelled Sarene with her. Sarene, a well-developed secondary character who hunted the Black Ajah, is irreversibly converted to the enemy ranks so brutally quickly that it is hard not to feel frustration. This is a warning to readers that anyone can be lost, and it can happen very quickly. A plan is concocted between Aviendha, Sorilea and Cadsuane to eliminate this threat.

Rand stands outside the Pattern and speaks with the Dark One. The author uses imagery established long ago, threads in a Pattern, to describe the otherworld in which Rand exists. The Dark One is dismissive of Moridin now that he has delivered the Dark One’s prize into his grasp. The Dark One makes an analogy, which of course is rooted in deathly imagery: SMALL TOOLS CAN BE EFFECTIVE. THE THINNEST OF KNIVES CAN STOP A HEART.

At the same time, but at a different rate of time, Nynaeve grows impatient and discovers Alanna chained to a wall in the Pit of Doom, slowly bleeding to death. This discovery puts the Dark One’s statement in context, adding a layer of extra meaning. The jolt of dread and excitement would be lessened if Alanna had been discovered before Rand’s first meeting with the Dark One. Now that it is too late for him to do anything about it, and Nynaeve seems powerless to save her, it is the equivalent of readers being shown a drawn weapon raised at Rand which he is oblivious to.

A map is provided for the Last Battle. Maps are one of the best parts of fantasy worlds, and the inclusion of this one to help the reader navigate the upcoming battle is priceless to following the action.

Mat trains his troops. His bluster fits well in a normal context, but he completely fails to acknowledge this is the Last Battle, and the overwhelming fear his fighters must be feeling. Perhaps portraying a commander who expects to live, and his soldiers to live, is the appropriate way to motivate them to hold and not break ranks. It feels far less effective than Elayne’s earlier rallying cry, but still maintains credibility because it is interspersed with solid advice and tactics the soldiers can use.

Delarn’s association with the nameless villagers is a clue to their identity. By having Mat recall the moment he saved Delarn, the author is subtly pointing at the town where Delarn was saved, and where certain events happen every night.

Mat learns the Horn is lost, in a strange conversation where Egwene has reverted to her younger self, and accidentally gives away more than she intended. The amazing author’s trick of ta’veren, though not cited in this case, always provides an easy explanation for falling out of character.

Mat is changing the plan, realizing the Shadow likely knows everything his army has planned. He intends to heap everything in one pile, providing a chance to wipe out humanity’s forces all at once, a target the Shadow is incapable of resisting. The Shadow’s armies arrive early, because somehow all of the commanders have forgotten that Trollocs can march through the night, a mistake that recently nearly undid Elayne’s forces.

The final set-up for the Last Battle is done. The forces of humanity are vastly outnumbered and surrounded. The Horn of Valere and the Seals on the Dark One’s prison are lost. Yet another weakness of Rand’s has been exposed. Perrin is grievously wounded.  Nynaeve, Olver and other characters are nearly powerless. Forsaken appear and leave the battlefield unscathed. Several heroic characters have already been lost or removed from power. If any of the Heroes, anywhere, fail, then the Shadow falls across the world. The excitement level is off the charts.

Writing Lessons:

Use association to place clues: for example, show a person associated with an event, to represent some other aspect of that event you want to reveal only later.

A Memory of Light - Chapters 7-9

In this section, the long war begins.

The ink is hardly dry on the Dragon’s Peace before planning for the conflict begins. Splitting the conflict onto three immediate fronts in Andor, Shienar and Kandor allows the author to showcase more characters playing roles and to balance momentum, so that even if one battle front goes well for the heroes, other dire situations maintain tension. If there is a downside, it is that with so many plotlines to juggle, some may get only short attention, if they show up at all, and if they play off each other, the complexity of the plotting increases. This intricacy, and the time needed for the author to handle it, is one of the reasons that The Wheel of Time came to feel bogged down. Much of what the author needs to establish now is the setting and placement of characters in each locale.

One of the four great captains is assigned to each of the battle fronts. Merrilor is maintained as Elayne’s central command location, a seemingly trivial decision that will dictate the setting of the Last Battle. A countdown for two locations will run out if a victory is not achieved in Andor quickly. Loial sticks his head in the story long enough to announce the Ogier will fight alongside the humans. The Horn of Valere is entrusted to Faile, who originally left home hunting for it. Lan sets the tone for the coming battle: no sadness, no mourning, only pride that when the time of their testing came, and victory all but impossible, the soldiers were ready, and did their duty, even unto death. Most importantly, the men of many nations fight together, as they never have since the Age of Legends.

The events beginning the conflict have an air of finality. Elayne torches her home city, and reveals the father of her children, admitting there can be no safety for them since she herself is a target. Evin is turned to the Shadow with little fuss, and it seems inevitable that Androl will receive no outside help. Bulen and other Borderlanders give their lives for small, but meaningful causes in their battle. Their sacrifices buy time, but Agelmar tells Lan that even so, they will eventually retreat and give up the land their comrades paid for in blood. Each painful decision is made in the name of duty, necessary evils meant to improve their marginal chances against the Trollocs. Lan grudgingly realizes he will abandon his lost home of Malkier yet again, because duty to his fellow men compels this grim course of action.

Through the preparations, the author maintains each character’s personality, highlighting the unique way in which they think instead of committing solely to plot-based descriptions. Elayne held out for the most advantage when the Dragon’s Peace was signed, and now Egwene can’t help but lament that all of the choices arrayed before her undermine her authority, regarding Elayne’s place at the head of the armies: Refusing her would set a bad precedent. As would obeying her.

Egwene also keeps up her intense hatred of the Seanchan, despite that humanity needs the two forces to be allies. Egwene embraces the use of the name Leilwin for the hated Seanchan woman Egeanin, happy to remind her that she is less than nothing in Egwene’s eyes.

Despite the overwhelming military aspects of the story, small introspective moments point to the possibility that some non-violent means may give the key to victory. Lan prefers to use Aes Sedai as useful tools rather than weapons, and Rand considers grand philosophical questions as he evaluates his chances for success. Was the flame alive? It ate, it moved on its own. You could smother it, so in a way it breathed. What was it to be alive? Could an idea live? A world without the Dark One. A world without evil. There have been clues in earlier books as well, notably Verin’s assertion that the Last Battle would not be fought in the way that Rand imagined. Little reminders such as this one will keep the reader from being distraught if the greatest battle of all time isn’t resolved through battle.

Elayne and Rand share a last night together, exchanging gifts and revealing their deepest feelings and secrets. Elayne represents Rand’s present, while Aviendha and Min were his past and future. Elayne embodies Andor, especially now that Caemlyn is burned. Andor itself represents a set of morals and ideals that Rand was raised with, given to him by Tam. Through these ideals, Elayne represents what is best in Rand, the core of his being, his shining heart, like the gleaming city on the hill, the oldest and most respected of the Nations to rise after Hawkwing’s empire shattered. Elayne is all that is good, and when Rand tells her who he is now, her reaction is acceptance and love, unlike anyone else’s.  

Writing Lessons:

Keep your characters in character, no matter what exciting events are taking place.

The Shadow Rising - Chapters 13-18

In this section, the Heroes split up to follow their individual quests.

A significant amount of the pace can be attributed to the rapid changes from one character’s perspective to the next. In later books, a single character will be followed for multiple chapters in a row, such as it was done through much of The Dragon Reborn. In The Shadow Rising, even if the narrative follows a group of people who are adventuring together, the point of view switches from one of them to the other, from Elayne to Egwene and back again, for example. The story has hardly progressed from where it began in this book, but it feels like much more has taken place. Aside from overcoming a Trolloc attack, and a visit to the land of the Aelfinn, none of the characters have advanced the plot much, except to scout out the possible paths before them. Two hundred pages in, and characters are just now setting out on their quests. With eight heroic points of view to address, each individual character’s plotlines can move along at a rapid clip, but still leave the major plot unaddressed. As in prior examples, spreading the narrative among more characters slows down the pace of the book. Keeping the narrative of each individual section short speeds up the pace. In this book, the author strikes a balance that is immensely satisfying, small wonder it’s my favorite of the series.

Mat used up his three questions, but somehow wrangles three more out of the Aelfinn. Mere ta’veren ability, or does the fact that he asked three times has something to do with it? Three times he asks “What Fate?” and then the Aelfinn answer. Asking three times has shown up in two other important instances: Lews Therin appeals three times “Light! Forgive me!” Later, using the Eye of the World, Rand tries to escape thinking  “Away!” three times and suddenly Travels . We’ll later see how Seanchan marriages are performed by declaring something three times, making them true. It may simply be that repetition is an effective way of building up the urgency and desperation of the situation.

Two ta’veren in the twisty realm of the Aelfinn is enough to shake their world to its foundations?  Mat’s continued presence would make it ‘too late’ for what? Tearing the connection between worlds as Moiraine suggests? Are the Aelfinn worried about being swept up in a ta’veren effect? How would that affect their role or abilities? They seem to be able to see Viewings like Min, but much more reliably. Would seeing too much of Mat’s or Rand’s future tell them too much about their own fate?

Perrin’s quest to return to the Two Rivers and face the Children of the Light would be heavy and depressing, if not for the ridiculousness of Faile’s efforts to make him recognize his error in trying to send her away. An otherwise dreary two chapters are considerably livened up by the back and forth between Faile and Perrin and their Aiel sidekicks.

Many of the best moments have been when two characters have an opportunity to play off each other over some personal plot point. In these contests of wills, their personalities shine in a way that can’t be done in physical action sequences. Thom and Moiraine’s mutual unearthing of each other’s secrets is an entertaining way to expose their backstories and have them vie for leverage over each other. Berelain’s and Faile’s quick exchange of blows sets up a conflict that will continue to nip at Perrin for a long time to come. Mat and Perrin. Nynaeve and Lan. Rhuarc and Faile. Elmindreda and Gawyn. A lot of effort has gone into presenting the emotional and personal lives of the characters in these early chapters, which should provide a large payoff when the action-oriented sequences get underway.

The Myrddraal knew Mat had sounded the Horn. There are few people who knew that, so this may have been a clue about Black Ajah. But if Lanfear knew, or guessed it, then it’s a moot point. The purpose of the statement is to make Mat realize that he can try running away, but the Shadow will follow him. He is being pulled to fulfill his destiny.

A mysterious Aes Sedai murders Sahra Covenry and the farmers watching over her. Dislike of Elaida is so strong this is taken as potential proof she must be Black Ajah. Recall that she shared her own suspicions with someone else. The point of showing the two Aes Sedai, Elaida and Alviarin, discussing those suspicions earlier, is so readers can make the connection between their discussion and the murders. Had the author wanted to implicate someone else, he should have made the knowledge of Sahra’s interaction with Elmindreda more widespread.

Here are a few examples of how one character’s emotional life is made more personal by the way it reflects how they view the other characters you are reading about. As an added bonus, they all seem to be about relations between the sexes.

Mat: He was surprised Egwene and Nynaeve had not dusted while they were down here. Women were always dusting and straightening, even things that did not need it.

Mat: Nynaeve liked finding ways to make a man work; likely she had deliberately hunted out some fellows enjoying themselves.

Thom: Horrible woman. If we had turned her loose on the Trollocs, she’d have had them all sweeping and mopping.

Thom: She wanted to separate him from Rand, leave him naked to her manipulations.

Mat: Especially Bode. Probably thinking of marriage before too much longer, already with some dull farmer picked out whether the fellow knew it or not.

Faile: Swaying along as if that walk of hers was not deliberately calculated to make male eyes pop.

Moiraine: Wretched boys playing with things you do not know the danger of. Perrin! Is Perrin in there too? Did he share your… exploit?

Nynaeve: He may be a man, but he is not a complete dolt.

Min: “Oh, I could never forget meeting you, my Lord Galad”, she said in her best foolish girl voice.

Min: “I fear I know little of books my Lord Gawyn. I always mean to read one – I do. But there is so little time. Why, just fixing my hair properly takes hours. Do you think it is pretty?” It was a pleasure to turn the tables on him for a change; she would have to see if she could do it more often.

Writing Lessons:

Show how your characters react to other people and situations, not only in relation to the main plot.

The Great Hunt - Summary

The Great Hunt is a fast-paced, action-packed chase for the magical Horn of Valere, an artifact so sought after that even the attempt to take up the hunt for it is guaranteed to bring glory. For Rand, the quest for glory is not an objective, but an obstacle. Rand’s mistrust of Aes Sedai and wariness about their intentions regarding him and the Horn are enough to keep him from chasing after glory. Rand intends to retrieve the Horn and turn it over to others rather than claim it for his own.  He will instead focus his efforts on retrieving the dagger that can save Mat’s life.

The greatest impediment he faces is in the form of Lanfear, the embodiment of desire. Her promises are seductive and urgent. She urges Rand to reach out and take what he wants, what he deserves. He just has to put himself ahead of other considerations once, even briefly, and he can have her, and everything else he ever dreamed of. Her methods have no subtlety, but are no less effective on a young man for that. A combination of stubbornness, bashfulness, luck, and steadfastness helps Rand avoid her clutches.

Rand’s idealism and perseverance eventually give enough hope to persuade even a Darkfriend to turn back to the Light. If the most important concepts of the series were introduced earliest, they should reappear in the final book, like bookends. Redemption of the wicked, duty before glory, selflessness and sacrifice are among those concepts.

The series expands its focus to several other prominent characters, none who stand out more than Nynaeve. She bristles with confidence and power, protectiveness, justice, and selflessness. Her rescue of Egwene is a testament to her resolve and courage. She and Perrin, like Rand himself, all find themselves making choices that tie them closer to a destiny they hope to avoid, always as a matter of duty to friends.

The pacing of the book benefits greatly from the back and forth skirmishes for possession of the Horn, as well as the rapid changes in point of view character. At almost no point does the story get bogged down, there is always something progressing towards the epic battles at the end. The book’s biggest weakness is even more pronounced than in The Eye of the World. For as much as the author had developed detailed rules that explain the magic and the odd happenings, much of it is left unexplained, such that the rules for using magic and the World of Dreams might as well not exist. Explanations in later books will allow readers to come back to The Great Hunt and marvel at how well it all fits together, but on a first read a shrug will suffice, so that they can get back to the action.

It’s not as easy to unravel the haphazard plotting of the Forsaken, and this proves to be a flaw in the storytelling, or perhaps a feature so far as Theorylanders might see it. Ba’alzamon’s ranting during his occasional encounters with Rand has little to do with Toman Head or anything other than rehashing what will happen to Rand if he keeps channeling without Ba’alzamon’s help. The Trolloc incursion at Fal Dara and theft of the Horn can’t be tied to him, and since Lanfear’s presence was felt in the fortress before the night of the attack, it had to have been her who organized it. “Ishamael thinks he controls events, but I do.” She isn’t completely independent, since Ba’alzamon was able to track Rand down in both a Mirror World and shortly after his reappearance on Toman Head. Ba’alzamon’s main focus for this novel was overseeing the Seanchan invasion, and trying to send Rand’s allies to captivity as damane. Lanfear trailed Rand for most of his journey, attempting to shape him, leaving his side only when she might be exposed as a liar. She is unperturbed by the fact that the Myrddraal failed to take the Horn north to Shayol Ghul, the fact that Rand chases after it is enough. Rand is her prize, not the Horn. When Fain escapes through the Waygate, Lanfear’s lever to prod Rand is taken with him, and she kills Barthanes messily for allowing this to happen. She now realizes to what extent Fain sets his own path. Though Barthanes must have told her where Fain went, her only hope to keep shaping Rand lies with him chasing down the Horn, so she does not interfere. She dare not meet Rand while he is with his friends, and his four month absence by Portal Stone keeps her away until after the battle at Falme.    

The outstanding question of who wrote the Dark Prophecy, and a few other questions readers are reminded of throughout the book, is finally answered by Moiraine. Her last minute revelation about Padan Fain and Mordeth is meant to provide closure to the outstanding questions. Readers knew Fain had secret knowledge and newfound powers, if not their extent, now they know how he acquired them. He is the only character who spoke openly of luring Rand to Toman Head, scrawling his own message in blood for Rand to read, alongside the Dark Prophecy in neatly printed Trolloc script. Whether his knowledge comes from Mordeth, or was gleaned from Ba’alzamon in earlier trips to Shayol Ghul is yet to be determined.

The visions of the Mirror Worlds were a particular highlight, raising the stakes for the Last Battle to an undreamed of level. We saw what Trollocs do to ruin anything that can sustain life when they attacked Tam’s farm on Winternight, now we know what a world under the Dark One’s dominion looks like. And we know that many worlds have fallen under his rule. The immensity of the threat is astonishing.

My old roommate Scartoe and I used to finish conversations with “I have won again, Lews Therin.”  

Writing Lessons:

If rules of magic and plots are not simple, consider giving more insight into what is going on.

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 13-17

In this section, Rand encounters an old enemy, and a new love interest.

Introducing a love interest, whether as the main squeeze, as a foil, or as the third in a love triangle, can be tricky. The reader may find it obvious what the author’s intent regarding the love interest is. You should be aware of how you want the reader to perceive the character. To date, only a few random encounters have seriously threatened the Rand-Egwene relationship. The main obstacle the relationship faces is their incompatible destinies. But now, Selene enters the picture, and the author’s intent is clear. Selene offers an adult relationship far from the platonic love that Egwene represents. From the onset, Selene is portrayed as a temptress. Her behavior, added to the Dark Prophecy and the odd scenes with the elusive woman in white, allow the reader to easily deduce her motives and identity. She is playing a stereotype; there is no need for subtlety. She is Bad News.

If Ba’alzamon represented doubt, Lanfear is temptation. Her breathy whispers of power and glory, her impossibly perfect beauty, her willingness, her vague promises, are all designed to bring Rand to the Dark One. She and Ba’alzamon have abducted Rand, removed him from outside influences, and offered him a choice where either option leads to the Dark One.

With all these possible motivations foisted on him by Moiraine, Lanfear, Ingtar, and his friends, Rand’s quest will no longer be to find the Horn, but to find his reason for finding the Horn.

Touching saidin is depicted in a very sexual way, that feeling of being truly alive, of being able to do anything, of always wanting more.  This association is a strength of the world’s mythology. People’s feelings about sexuality can be very different, but having feelings about it is a universal human experience.  The more universal an experience, the wider an audience can identify with it. Rand’s ability to touch saidin is coincident with his discovery of sexuality in these chapters. The language giving this imagery is not confined to saidin, such as when he pictures Selene naked, or rubs his hand along the Portal Stone column, or when Selene describes her desire to touch the Horn. Enough nouns are replaced by ‘it’ to make many sentences have dual meanings, suggestive and funny. Selene urges him to touch saidin, and to learn to control it. Rand is afraid of what will happen if he uses saidin, is worried about the taint on it. These feelings of uncertainty, fear, and excitement feel like they could happen to any young man who is coming of age, and resonate with readers. If it’s a bit icky to some readers, well, that’s the taint on saidin.

Lanfear really is the total package, combining an Age of Legends equivalent of a Ph. D. in astrophysics with beauty and grace. Only a few of the ancient Aes Sedai studied the Mirror Worlds, and understood how to use their properties as elegantly as Lanfear has done, to move Rand in space-time ahead of Fain’s Trollocs. I wish Loial hadn’t dropped his sungwood quarterstaff before leaving the Mirror World, so that we’d see whether it survived the trip back to this one. Exploring the mechanics of Mirror Worlds is best saved for after we learn more about the World of Dreams.

Perrin’s storyline parallels Rand’s, as he too seeks to avoid the new abilities he has discovered. Perrin’s interview with the Amyrlin seems not to have involved discussion of his abilities, since he believes that no one beyond Egwene and Moiraine knows about it. Verin should soon be able to add herself to that short list with her curiosity and interest in ta’veren.

Robert Jordan had a wonderful way of crafting a sentence. I’ve pulled one in particular out, to see just how and why he has made it twist so wonderfully.

There across his palm was branded a heron.

This way of phrasing it is poetic, drags out the revelation, emphasizes the symbol. A number of possible variations could have been direct, or emphasized the pain, or sparked confusion, or been a lesser part of the paragraph instead of its central idea, or a number of other things. The order of words helps strengthen the idea, and the emphasis put on it.

There was a heron on his palm, branded.

A heron was branded across his palm.

His palm had a heron branded across it.

The brand there across his palm was a heron.

A heron, there, across his palm, branded.

Writing Lessons:

The order of words in a sentence, and of sentences in a paragraph, has an impact on the reader.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 10-12

In this section, the quest, the Great Hunt, gets underway.

With no friends speaking to Rand, his mentors gone in a different direction, and his love interest perhaps never to be seen again, the stakes seem particularly high for Rand as he undertakes this quest. The dual quests, one for friendship, the other for glory, will be undertaken together, even as success in one may oppose the other. I particularly like the way these two motives leave Rand no choice but to chase after the villains, it is a powerful setup, a classic heroic quest.

Little clues indicate that retrieving the Horn is the greater of the quests. The description of humankind’s fate to be swept away by darkness without something to rally around provides a deeper understanding of the fractures between the nations of men, and gives a strong rationale for Ingtar’s drive and insistence.

Mat realizes Rand is not as stuck up as believed, and is determined to help heal him. Despite Rand’s apparent benevolence, Perrin and Mat give Rand similar advice: run away. Perrin adds, maybe he should also consider what to do if he can’t run. Rand’s options for running get fewer as Moiraine sneaks the Dragon Banner in his saddlebags and contrives for Rand to earn some leadership experience to prepare him for becoming king of Illian.

Moiraine, Fain, and Lanfear all seek to herd Rand in the direction they want. If Moiraine and Fain have the most control as the Hunt begins, Lanfear soon finds a way to get Rand on his own to offer him her own incentives. She spends some time tracking the party, and weaves a small trap to test Rand’s ability to channel saidin. Merely touching saidin is enough to break free.

Unlike the previous book, where Rand was unable to form the void properly, Lan’s training helps him perfect the ability, an ability that will help him touch saidin more easily. The Amyrlin showed some alarm about the void, or the Oneness, as the Gaidin call this common focusing technique, perhaps because she understood it might facilitate his channeling. The void has an added benefit: it masks Rand from Fain’s senses. Nothing else Rand was doing can explain his vanishing from the bloodhound senses Ba’alzamon bestowed on him. It also gives a clue as to how Fain can be eluded. Within the void, Rand feels no emotion. Does emotion play a special role in the battle between Light and Dark? Does the Oneness represent anything beyond centeredness and self-knowledge?

Fain’s struggle for control of himself, and the resulting battle for control with the Myrddraal, left a jagged trail across the countryside. Even if the Myrddraal was placed in command, Fain quickly overthrew its authority. The spirit of Mordeth gives him vast knowledge, great charisma, and apparent immunity to Shadowspawn powers, such that the Myrddraal managed only short periods of control over the Darkfriends and Trollocs. Fain is the ‘something worse’ that should have been evident to the reader before the increasingly disturbing clues are found. Since we already knew that Fain was as bad as they come, and gave clues about Mordeth’s cohabitation of his body, the payoff for this suspense had to come quickly. The sycophantic bleatings of the Darkfriends blend in well with the sounds of Trolloc slaughter of innocents, which might tell readers what the author thinks of self-preservation over duty and honour.

In a similar fashion as in the Eye of the World, learning about saidar provides clues, perhaps the only ones possible given the cast of characters, as to what the reader can expect Rand to go through as he too learns to channel the One Power.

In another similarity to the Eye of the World, three characters act as potential mentors, each with different degrees of trustworthiness: Moiraine, acting with too much secrecy and sneakiness to maintain the trust of the Emond’s Fielders; Verin, whose mannerisms and quirks may make her more appealing to those who have come to mistrust Moiraine; and Liandrin, untrustworthy but cloaked in the same veil of authority as the other two Aes Sedai.

There have been more Aiel references already than in the entire last book. The reader now expects Rand to get confirmation he is Aiel, and to learn more about these born killers. How close is the Waste from here?

Many of the channeling sections in this book and the previous one left readers confused, partly because we have no frame of reference to know this is channeling, partly because they are written to portray the confusion of the characters. I’ll analyze the infamous House of Flies scene:

We’ve already had one abandoned village where a woman in white mysteriously disappeared. They say Uno is jumping at curtains. A second abandoned village is entered. Curtains beat in an open window. The curtains are a cue to the reader to make the association with the previous village, to note that the situation is exactly the same, so they should expect… a woman in white who can’t be found. Instead, when Rand enters the dining room…

He blinks, and sees a scene from the recent past.

He blinks, and is in the present, cold, with louder flies on the table.

He blinks, and the scene from the past repeats.

He blinks, and is in the present, colder, with a lot more flies on the table. He seeks the void.

He blinks, and the scene from the past repeats.

He blinks, and is freezing, flies crawl into his mouth. He touches saidin.

The weave is destroyed.

It won’t be until Egwene dreams of the Woman in White a chapter later that the reader can confirm any suspicion that she was involved in the House of Flies scene.

This technique of gradual revelation builds suspense. It allows for a quick build-up as seen here, or a camouflaged longer term build-up as when Rand gradually began to channel in the Eye of the World. First, a danger is mentioned; second, a strong reminder; third, an immediate threat. A similar example is the unseen eyes on Rand, then Liandrin, and finally a fleeting image of the owner of those eyes. It’s like a variant of a joke in which you repeat the principal situation twice, and the listener knows that the third time you say it will be the time something funny happens. The material between each bit of revelation is less important than the space it provides between them, so that it is not as obvious as in the joke that there will be a third time, when the third time will be, and that a noteworthy event will take place on the third time.

Writing Lessons:

Some techniques to use for building suspense or laying groundwork for a future payoff are: repetition, gradual revelation, distraction using surrounding material, and spacing.