The Gathering Storm - Chapters 24-27

In this section, the heroes learn that power must not only be wielded, but wielded properly.

Like Rand, Gawyn has the power to do anything he wants, which he displays by casually dispatching a handful of guards in the Rebels’ camp. Bryne criticizes him for it, acknowledging that the power is in his hands, but questioning what he will do with it. What guides Gawyn’s hand? He says love for Egwene does, but he has no actual idea what she wants, he is simply making his best guess. Unlike Rand, a mentor’s intervention doesn’t drive Gawyn away, but gives him pause. Gawyn bristles at his mentor’s scathing words about his mother. Bryne’s point is that the truth may be uncomfortable and may shatter heartfelt illusions, but it must be heard nonetheless. Gawyn would like to believe his mother was special, but she wasn’t in this circumstance, she gets no special dispensation. By extension the same is true for Gawyn and Rand, who both wield great power but will be judged harshly if they do not wield it properly.

With Rand abandoning the Light, and Gawyn poised on the precipice before being hauled back, it’s timely to look in on the Black Ajah Sheriam. There were still many holdouts over Sheriam’s allegiance to the Shadow in the Theoryland forums, some positing that Sheriam must have been turned against her will, since she just could not possibly be evil. Jordan had established her kindly character well, as discussed in posts on The Dragon Reborn, and the fact that she was not confirmed as evil allowed readers to stick to their emotion-based judgment of her. Sanderson uses some of the same techniques here, even as she is finally convincingly revealed as a villainess. Ambiguous phrasing, such as ‘the one who had sometimes lurked inside’ tells readers nothing about whether that person was an interloper or a Great Mistress commanding her, and in proving nothing one way or the other create fertile ground for deeper emotional commitment to deep-held beliefs about Sheriam.

We learn that the Forsaken helped raise Egwene as rebel Amyrlin, in the hope that it would further split the Aes Sedai, and that plan paid off very well until now, when Egwene’s status is rising to that of her title and threatening to heal the rift.

Egwene learns she has escaped the headsman for now, but Elaida’s outburst of rage has only unsteadied her, not toppled her, and she may yet recover. Egwene’s options are very limited, but she maintains she will never kneel to Elaida, and she will continue to resist until her trial, and possible death sentence. She still feels her resistance may provide, even in death, the means to heal the Tower and oust Elaida in time for a better candidate to lead the White Tower in the Last Battle.

Aviendha becomes a Wise One after finally standing up for herself. In a plot similar to Shemerin’s, Aviendha learns that only she can raise or debase herself, the power to establish her own  worth is entirely in her own hands.

Romanda listens to Shemerin’s tale and is disgusted that Elaida could cause such a change in an Aes Sedai. A sudden swarm of beetles ruptures the floor of the tent, a bubble of evil which represents the fate of the rebels, the first beetle a precursor to the others as Shemerin’s treatment presages the treatment the rebels will receive. Romanda burns her tent, unable to contemplate touching things that had been touched by such filth, in effect destroying her identity as thoroughly as Elaida could. She wonders if she could submit to Elaida to save the Tower. Like Gawyn, Aviendha, and the other examples, she now wields the power to decide, but may not have the means to reach a decision.

Mat brings some followers to Hinderstap to gather supplies and have some fun. The question of saving Moiraine comes up again, and Mat realizes that Lanfear may well be trapped too. He wonders if he would save her from a fate amongst the Aelfinn and Eelfinn, even knowing how evil she is. Based on the thought “You’re a fool, Matrim Cauthon. Not a Hero. Just a Fool”, readers should recognize the familiar mindset of the character who will go out of his way to do the right thing. It’s the first time anyone has considered saving one of the Forsaken; most of Rand’s interactions merely confirmed they weren’t interested in being saved. As I’ve posited before, Lanfear has close parallels in the myths of Eve and Pandora, myths which also include their redemption and salvation.

Why not attach that earlier Mat section to this one? Probably to get a bit of humour in before Rand’s grim scene sucked all the smiles out. It’s a surprise when the next chapter is also Mat’s; two in a row from one character for the first time in the book. Splitting the viewpoints changes the flow of the story, and since some of the split scenes involving the same character fit reasonably well together and could have fit the typical Robert Jordan format, it’s further confirmation that this was a stylistic choice of Brandon’s or the editor’s.  

Mat remembers the dagger from Shadar Logoth, a dagger that filled Mat and Padan Fain with all-consuming hatred for the Shadow. Once freed of the dagger, Mat’s carefree attitude is almost opposite to the single-mindedness of purpose that the Shadar Logoth taint filled him with. Mat expressly will do the least possible to rid the world of the Shadow, adopting a live and let live lifestyle, and even contemplating saving dire enemies.

Let’s quickly look at Gawyn’s short battle scene:

The four soldiers are portrayed as competent, taking their duty seriously. Gawyn’s emotions are irritation and anger, fuelled by the soldier’s dismissal of his claims. A cluster of dialogue ends with the sergeant laying a hand on his sword. Words end, action begins.

Gawyn leaps from his horse, an explanation for the strategy behind it is given.

Gawyn begins a sword form, an explanation for the strategy behind it is given.

Gawyn slams into the sergeant, an explanation for the success of the attack is given (wearing helmet the wrong way)

Gawyn repels a few blows, and strikes the halberdiers, an explanation for the necessity of wounding them is given.

Gawyn finishes the battle leaving all four wounded and winded soldiers on the ground.

The author succeeds in demonstrating that Gawyn is intensely analytical during battles with immediate and frequent explanations of his actions.

Writing Lessons:

Where you place explanations for actions in the story affects how readers perceive those actions.

Lord of Chaos - Chapters 32-37

In this section, the Rebels cement their position by making Egwene their figurehead.

Egwene makes a failed attempt to board the Sea Folk ship. Her bruised ego leads her to antagonize the Sea Folk until she realizes what she has done is foolish. That event gives her an opportunity to consider how keenly she understands ji’e’toh now.  She worries, and then accepts that she will now have to pay the consequences for her past actions. She promises the Aes Sedai to come to Salidar quickly, and despite regrets about leaving the Aiel, she does not hesitate. The corporal punishment she endures is symbolic of the cost to be paid for deceit. The bigger the lie and the longer it is told, the greater the cost. There is incentive to keep your misdeeds small. Egwene had to make this mistake and pay the price so that her later feats in the White Tower as a novice will seem believable. Already small references begin to creep in about her refusal to surrender.

In a simple and partly coincidental plot twist, Rand learns the location of Salidar from that meeting. Eavesdropping is a frequent and useful mechanism to give your characters new knowledge that advances the plot. This time, eavesdropping as a plot device does not feel blatant and out of place, as it did in The Dragon Reborn when Mat overheard Gaebril in Caemlyn’s Royal Palace. Oddly, it is the fact that the location in question is difficult to access combined with Rand’s unique abilities to get there that makes it feel plausible. Two improbabilities combine to make a plausibility. It also helps that a precedent was set when Demandred observed Elayne in Tel’aran’rhiod in Chapter 7.

Mat observes a truth about dealing with the Snakes and Foxes, taken from a board game: you can’t win if you follow the rules. This will turn out to be true both in regards to the rhyme, and also with the rules governing time and space themselves.

Mat is asked to fetch Elayne back to Andor, since Rand hopes to lessen his burdens by passing a couple of nations off to her. It doesn’t work since Elayne contrives to be sent off to Ebou Dar to look for a stash of ter’angreal including one that can correct the weather.

Egwene’s method of travel, in the flesh through Tel’aran’rhiod, was used for evil, is evil, and will cause her to lose part of herself according to the Wise Ones. As inferred by the theory posted yesterday, there has to be some way that this action meets those criteria, even if it hasn’t been made obvious by Rand’s use of it or by Egwene’s use of it this time.

Egwene weaves flows of spirit to create a place where the interior of her tent is so similar to its reflection in Tel’aran’rhiod that there was no difference right there. One was the other. This should be place that is both Tel’aran’rhiod and waking world, a place both malleable and permanent.

Despite being there in the flesh, changes made to herself do not stay when she re-enters the waking world. Changing things in the waking world by altering their reflection in Tel’aran’rhiod should not be impossible when they are one and the same.

Siuan’s plan has come to fruition, she has a new Amyrlin to control, a group of rebels who believes the lies told by Logain and wants to pull Elaida down, and a spot near the center of the action as she runs the eyes and ears. Egwene quickly crushes Siuan’s ideas of manipulation, and sensing a kindred spirit, Siuan pledges to help her become Amyrlin in truth as well as name. Egwene had already started by making small decisions on her own which are questioned by her three factions of advisors. Promoting Elayne and Nynaeve to full sisters places them near the top ranks of Aes Sedai, though it is mitigated by them never having held the Oath Rod or being tested.

Egwene promises to be harsher than Moghedien’s previous captors. She very quickly establishes the rules Moghedien must follow with severe penalties for lying. Again, Egwene’s hardness would seem out of character had we not just seen her embrace the harsher side of Aiel life. Now it simply feels like she is being a Wise One to the Aes Sedai around her, and through sheer force of will and the help of her handful of allies, she is getting the results she expects.

The discovery of Traveling by Egwene opens up many story and plot advancing possibilities, but also introduces the complications of overreliance on it. Rand has only been using it himself in this book, and it is about to get him in big trouble.

Writing Lessons:

Make improbable coincidences more believable by setting up the linkages between them before revealing the coincidence.

The Fires of Heaven - Chapters 43-46

In this section, Rand and Mat go through the biggest battle since Hawkwing’s time, from beginning to end.

The section continues the alternating points of view, from Rand to Mat and back to Rand again. Although Egwene is involved in the battle, the intent was to keep the focus tight on the battle leaders, not the soldiers, which is the role Egwene plays in the battle. As the battle progresses, we get to see the different emotional phases of a battle leader displayed by one or the other of the heroes or their followers:

Rand: Grim preparedness and resolve. Everyone finds their place, including Rand.

Mat: Resignation. Eagerness

Rand: Changing circumstances as battle develops. Difficulty. See the battle as a personal one.

Mat: Surprising circumstances. Take a big gamble.

Rand: Confusion. Exhaustion.

Mat. Celebration. Relief. Recovery. Desire to claim glory.

Rand: Recriminations. Blame. Learn the outcome. Distribution of rewards and spoils. Taking stock of cost. Learn that the battle is larger than you, you are only human.

This was the first major battle fully described not with such a focus on the scale of the battle. Tarwin’s Gap lasted a page or two; the large scale battle in Falme was over in a few pages; The Stone of Tear was taken in a chapter; Perrin’s skirmishes in the Two Rivers ended with a ten-page battle. For the biggest battle since Hawkwing’s time, the author felt that a proportional amount of time should be spent building up to and describing this battle.

 While Rand contrives to meet Couladin in battle, Mat is eventually the one who faces him, and makes it a personal battle even though he never sought it out. Lan points out that he is not the Dragon Reborn, the world does not rest on his shoulders, so he can act with machismo and go into battle and take risks. How can Rand acknowledge that yet still feel he has the respect of men with so much bravado? He is caught in a mental trap of his own making. Elaida, even Moiraine would keep him as far from danger as possible, while Rand is sure the Aiel and Lan will only follow if he puts himself in danger.

Mat’s battle with Couladin is described in a brief one-paragraph flashback. The first time I read it, I felt cheated. Why would this pivotal and exciting battle not be shown? The answer is that it is not pivotal. The outcome of the battle did not turn on Couladin living or dying. The point was to show the scope, drama, and emotion of a large-scale battle. Couladin symbolized nothing of that. His head hanging from a pole does symbolize some sort of futility, the unimportance of one man in such a large conflict, which is more in line with the author’s intent.

The Maidens want the freedom to die in the way they choose. Rand still gets all soft-hearted about women, and maintains his sexism that women should be protected from danger. He cannot even order a woman to her death. It is as realistic a weakness as is possible, and as dangerous to him as can be, since some of the people trying to kill him are women. Mat shares this affliction and he’d prefer to face hordes of Shaido than one disgruntled Melindhra. At least he can fight back against another man.

As Rand changes customs, and breaks bonds, and ‘brings change to everything’, it seems he is giving freedom to everyone. Initially discomfiting, once people give up their former ways of life, they can grow accustomed to new ones, such as when the Aiel join their societies but leave their clans. I’ve pointed out that in several ‘bad’ cultures (Darkfriends, Whitecloaks, Aridhol, and Seanchan), strict adherence to rank or ideals reduces freedom to nothing. The Dragon represents freedom to choose. Ishamael’s philosophical bent reinforced the idea that choice of who to serve is an important theme. In order for people to choose freely in the Last Battle, Rand first has to destroy whatever constrains their choices now.

Mat says something with far greater meaning than his current situation. ‘Each step had seemed so small, so necessary.’ Keeping in mind the constraints characters both good and evil are under, this line covers so many situations. For example, it describes a Darkfriend’s mentality. No one becomes pure evil overnight, it is a process of tiny steps that seem insignificant, but accumulate until there is no way back, and you are trapped, just as Mat is trapped in his new role as general.

A simple sentence explains how Mat acquired a peculiar item, and explains some character traits of him and another: ‘Kin Tovere liked the dice’. Such an elegant explanation for Mat suddenly whipping a spyglass out of his pouch.

Mat feels the dice rolling on his head again, indicating a battle coming, or a gamble to be taken, for he is waiting to see which pips are showing, and whether he will win. This removes a lot of earlier interest in the question of whether his dicing with the Dark One had a more sinister explanation than that revealed in The Dragon Reborn. The dice in his head are merely symbolic of an impending battle or luck-related choice.

If Rand was so exhausted from his use of the Power in battle, did Sammael exhaust himself as well with his strike in the log tower? He had to be within range of Rand’s strikes, right? Similarly, Egwene and Aviendha are very powerful channelers compared to the other Aes Sedai. Moiraine used an angreal against Trolloc hordes but quickly exhausted herself. How useful are channelers likely to be in a battle anyway if they are so weak?  

Writing Lessons:

Is the scene you are building up to the right one? Does it need to be built up to at all? Will it work best as detailed action, or a quick summary?

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 Wheel of Time - Act 1 - Books 1-3

Treating The Wheel of Time as one long novel, the books The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn make up the first act. The groundwork is laid for the series concept as a whole, and all of the most important thematic elements are introduced. The beginning and end of the story are bookends, what shows up in one should be resolved in the other. So what are those elements that we can expect to see in the final act and the final volume A Memory of Light?

The first act is where Rand is told he must save the world, which is reportedly the idea that got the series started in the author’s mind. By the end of the first act, Rand accepts that this is true, and he is the saviour of mankind. The second act will be his struggle to convince others that he is the saviour, and the final act will be where the world saving takes place.

I’ve mentioned several times that self-awareness and force of will are defining characteristics of the heroes. In the most recent books Rand is using his force of will to make it to the Last Battle in a way that is counter-productive, becoming almost as bad as the force he is trying to defeat, running headlong down the path that Mordeth took, leading to the destruction of Aridhol. Mordeth’s drive and desire to root out evil was described early in the series, because that destructive single-mindedness is the major pitfall Rand has to overcome. As a saviour figure drawn from Christian religion, forgiveness and acceptance are the character traits that are supposed to save mankind from its sins, and those are the characteristics Rand must embrace before he shares Mordeth’s fate, and humanity suffers Aridhol’s.

Seven of the original characters are defined by their willpower: Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Nynaeve, Lan, Moiraine. Each of them has a drive to accomplish their goals that far exceeds that of the characters around them. Lan’s influence has been detrimental to Rand, as it has introduced him to the myth of the lone warrior fighting an impossible war, a myth which Rand is eager to star in. Readers are told several times that Lan will die alone in the Blight if he carries on this way, but he looks forward to that romantic death. A similar fate awaits Rand if he follows Lan’s footsteps, yet Ba’alzamon has laid just such a path before Rand.

Ba’alzamon, as the force of doubt, undermines Rand’s trust in others, making him think he has to do battle alone. Rand’s friends seek to support him, but his chivalric view that people must be saved in spite of their own wishes will make him dismiss their help over time. Ultimately, defeating Ba’alzamon requires rejecting the ideas he represents. Rand will have to realize that all humanity will be fighting the battle, and it will be a battle of ideas and willpower, not of bloodletting. Individually, no one can stand against the Dark One, but collectively, humanity can reject the selfishness he represents and stand united.

None of that is any good against Trolloc hordes, but there is one place in which ideas and force of will can fight battles: tel’aran’rhiod, the World of Dreams. Here, ideas are given strength. The idea that the world can rally around is that there is a person who can defeat the Dark One, a Dragon, and in tel’aran’rhiod you can lend strength to the Dragon by believing in him. If one person can alter reality by thinking it, how much more powerful would it be if a group of people collectively will it to be real in tel’aran’rhiod? But first, he has to believe in himself, which point he has reached at the end of Act 1.

Every book in Act 1 ended with a battle in tel’aran’rhiod. The last book should also end in tel’aran’rhiod. The Pandora/Eve who freed the Dark One is especially knowledgeable about tel’aran’rhiod. She was encountered early in the story, therefore she should have a role to play at the end of it. Her sins must be redeemed by the Dragon if the story is to follow western religious myths. Dreams and willpower are the common link between several important characters and plot elements.

Each book so far also has a magic object used in the final battle: the Eye of the World, The Horn of Valere, and Callandor. This practice should generally continue, but for the final book, it should be a magic object introduced much earlier than in that book. Tel’aran’rhiod itself qualifies, even if it isn’t an object, but an environment.

This series should rightly be classified as American Fantasy, as it incorporates several important historical and mythic elements from that culture. The Seanchan’s role as invaders from across the sea who require absolute devotion to their ruler evokes the War of American Independence. The slavery that the Seanchan built their empire on speaks to themes from the American Civil War. The myth of the self-made man, the lone cowboy, is one that permeates American culture and the egos of Rand and Lan. Despite the many other mythic influences of far older cultures, American Mythology also stands out prominently.  

The Dragon Reborn - Summary

The Dragon Reborn is where The Wheel of Time really branches out to let each character have their moment in the sun, particularly Egwene, Perrin and Mat, the other original Emond’s Fielders. There were glimmers of this shift from a single hero to a full cast of heroes in earlier books, but the focus was always on the central character Rand. Keeping Rand off the page is unconventional, since the larger story revolves around his quest. Rand has the point of view for only 19 pages in this entire book, and makes cameos throughout various dreams and street scenes. Since his quest was simply to gain Callandor and confirm his identity as the Dragon Reborn, his plotline would have held less interest than the secondary characters, who have not yet found their new identity. They find that their role is partly based on their relationship with Rand; there is still loyalty and love between the Emond’s Fielders, no matter that they are being pulled towards organizations and allies that are far removed from the Prophecies of the Dragon.

Each of the Emond’s Fielders remains determined not to turn their back on each other, to oppose the Dark One, and to use whatever comes their way to maintain their independence.

Dire circumstance leads the Amyrlin to grant Egwene and her friends exceptional privilege. They may have to suffer publicly, but their special status as Black Ajah hunters is also a sop to their exceptional pride and self-reliance. Full sisters know well how much they will need to defer to these women when they gain the shawl. These are women you want on your side. Aes Sedai invented the Great Game, and the Amyrlin is the best there is at playing it. Swift advancement in the Power and the need to find Black Ajah are convenient excuses to bestow favours on Nynaeve and Egwene, solve a few problems, and gain powerful future allies, something the Amyrlin may need very soon.

When Nynaeve tries to cut Egwene out of the hunt for want of protecting her, Egwene begins building resentment towards her. She often tells herself that she will not be collared again, but Nynaeve’s overbearing manner and the Amyrlin’s schemes must appear to be collars of a different sort, no less damaging to her freedom. She is transposing her negative feelings about the Seanchan to anyone and everyone who impedes her freedom.

Dreaming, having control over tel’aran’rhiod, provides true freedom. She slowly begins to understand her abilities in this place, not yet realizing that it is force of will that sculpts the reality around her. Egwene’s role is to be the most powerful Dreamer. She can’t achieve that unless she is completely driven to accomplishing her goal, which is a way of showing her force of will. Her personality thus becomes a source of irritation for many readers, yet she has to be that forceful and arrogant or she could not be a powerful Dreamer. Doubt, insecurity, uncertainty are weaknesses in tel’aran’rhiod. Self-awareness, motivation, and desire are strengths. That hers are built upon her overcoming her abuse and attacks on her very identity at the hands of the Seanchan is admirable.

Perrin too is powerful in the wolf dream, because he is single-minded and sure of what is doing once he sets out on a course of action, as demonstrated in his blacksmith scene. Until he reaches that decision point however, he exposes a weakness. The major choice he must make to determine his identity is choosing whether he is a builder or a destroyer. Does he wield a hammer, or an axe? At this point he is still sounding out his tools, learning what they do, testing them as he battles Shadowspawn or enters tel’aran’rhiod to save Faile.

Mat tries hard to be a free spirit, but is dragged back into the struggle time and again by duty to his friends. Like Egwene, he wants to be free of constraints, but can’t quite manage to shake them off.   

The fact that the World of Dreams is a major ability of both of the featured characters, and of Rand as well, is noteworthy. Even minor characters’ lives are affected by the World of Dreams. With the limited insight provided, the World of Dreams has a more important role to play in the future. And with it will be continued focus on the characters’ identities.

Writing Lessons:

Your characters need to be consistent in some way, even as that consistency drives other changes.  

Bonus material!

My second hardcover of The Dragon Reborn (If you read this blog, you too find it normal to own two of everything Wheel of Time) is the signed copy I won in the Knife of Dreams contest a few years back. What a pleasure it is to be greeted by these words when I open the cover:

The Dragon Reborn first came out in hardcover in 1991, and it was the first Wheel of Time book I saw. I had read all of Robert Jordan’s Conan novels, and found him to be far and away the best of the bunch. Being a cost-sensitive student, I bought the two first books in softcover on the spot, and waited for the softcover of this one to come out a few months later. A year or two later, I forced The Dragon Reborn on my roommate during exams. His marks suffered. You’re welcome Scartoe!

I managed to convince my prof in Publishing to let me include a book review of The Dragon Reborn in the college’s Fall ’92 edition of Locus magazine. As one of the students most interested in publishing and not simply filling a hole in my schedule, it was an easy sell. Twenty years ago, I wonder if my insight was any better than what I wrote above. Let’s not spare any embarrassment and find out!

FANTASY REBORN

TYLER GOODIER

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan, Tor, 1991, 699pp., $6.99.

Rand al’Thor is a young man with a blessing, or a curse. Rand is the latest incarnation of the infamous Dragon, the most powerful and dangerous man ever to live. His blessing is the ability to control the One Power, which gives him control over the elements. His curse is that the One Power is tainted, and the more he uses it, the quicker its evil will drive him insane.

Though the focus of Robert Jordan’s third fantasy book in The Wheel of Time series is Rand’s dilemma, The Dragon Reborn doesn’t deal with how Rand is affected, but how his friends are affected by the changes in their lives since Rand has accepted the fact that he is the Dragon Reborn. They must deal with the fact that their best friend is destined to save the world from the evil of the Dark One, and in so doing, he will destroy most of the civilized world, as he has done in past incarnations.

The wide array of characters in the book makes it very enjoyable. Everyone is able to find characters they sympathize with: There is Perrin, a man who is trying to deny his empathy with wolves in the same way that Rand was trying to come to terms with the tremendous power he wielded in the previous novel. Egwene is a country girl also capable of using the One Power, that Rand was to have married, until he discovered his curse. Thom Merrilin is a traveling performer interested in keeping Rand out of Aes Sedai hands. The all female Aes Sedai and the Children of the Light are two opposing factions who both want the Dragon killed before he breaks the world with his power. Rand is also hunted by Moiraine, an Aes Sedai trying to keep him alive and sane long enough for him to combat the Dark One. The relationships between these characters are extremely well developed and give the book just the right balance between adventure and character development.

Jordan’s tale is also lighthearted enough to make readers laugh and dire enough to make them fear for the characters’ future. The book is very reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, in terms of the emotions provoked by reading the story. Jordan has brought new, innovative ideas to the fantasy genre, especially in terms of the religious and political conflicts in his story. The importance of women (Aes Sedai) in the society he has created is another example of his commentary on our own society.

When Rand al’Thor became the Dragon Reborn, so Robert Jordan’s books became the new standard for the genre: Fantasy Reborn!  

Aside from the gross factual errors, misrepresentations, and drooling celebrity worship, I like it!

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 53-56

In this section, the Heroes overcome the forces arrayed against them, and Rand confirms he is the Dragon Reborn.

Faile falls into a trap, and since Moiraine assigned responsibility for her to Perrin, he makes use of the ability to enter the Wolf Dream to save her. Compared with Perrin’s careful smithing, his behavior here is frantic, leaping before he looks, urging Hopper to stop explaining and get on with leading him to Faile. These are the impetuous actions of man thinking with his heart, not his head.

Egwene takes control of her captivity, also using her access to the World of Dreams to save herself and her friends. Like Perrin, she is ignorant of the rules governing the World of Dreams, but fortunately her opponents are even less knowledgeable. Egwene is able to channel in tel’aran’rhiod despite being shielded in the waking world. The True Source can be touched anywhere but a stedding. Some part of her, maybe the most important part of her, is free of the confines of a physical body, and in the World of Dreams exists as a conceptualization of herself. The shield is around her body, and is not replicated in tel’aran’rhiod. Is the same true of all weaves? Does it matter whether they are tied off weaves or being held by someone? Later we’ll see how warded boxes are no protection in tel’aran’rhiod, so the answer must be that no weaves in the waking world are replicated in the World of Dreams. That also explains how Be’lal and Rand can wield Callandor in dreams.

Egwene finds Joiya first, and shields her. She scares Joiya by inferring that the shield may extend to her waking body. What affects you in tel’aran’rhiod affects your body in the waking world too, though to a lesser degree. Rand and Perrin’s wounds upon waking have often been less than what they appeared to have been subjected to in their dreams. Readers are finally getting the long awaited explanation of the World of Dreams. There is no better way to explain than by showing examples of the rules in action.

Egwene finds Amico next, who is drifting in and out of sleep as she toys with her dream ter’angreal. Egwene shields her also, but when she finds resistance, she sharpens her weave and rams it in place, stilling Amico. What affects you in tel’aran’rhiod affects you in the waking world, yet somehow Amico’s weaves hold even as she is stilled. Since Amico was not yet fully in tel’aran’rhiod, she can’t access it any further with the True Source cut off, but also can’t have the stilling take effect until she wakes. The ter’angreal has effectively trapped her between worlds. Nynaeve’s punch ends both the channeling and the dream. The ability to still someone instead of shield them may never been a real possibility in battle given how closely matched most Aes Sedai are in the One Power. The only example shown was years earlier when Moiraine battled Merean in New Spring. In tel’aran’rhiod, the willpower making the action is more important than the strength in the One Power, and Egwene forced the shield in place with all her might.

Mat manages to make friends on the rooftops and battle his way through the stone, taking out the High Lord Darlin with battle skill, not luck. He finds and frees the young women, gets insulted for his trouble, but may have saved them from any retribution by the remaining eleven Black Ajah before they fled the Stone.

Rand finally makes his appearance. Despite being absent most of the book, his short talk with Perrin, the updates through the dreams, and what is learned about the prophecy surrounding Callandor and the Stone of Tear all serve to make the stakes important to the reader. In a sentence or two, Rand’s conflict is made clear; his reluctance to learn the truth opposes his need to get Callandor before someone else does. Moiraine balefires Be’lal out of existence, and is herself knocked out by Ba’alzamon, who has decided to kill Rand after all. The only way to survive is to take Callandor.

Like both Perrin and Egwene, Rand must enter the World of Dreams. Ba’alzamon uses tel’aran’rhiod against Rand in a dozen ways. It is unlikely that Rand instinctively knows which weaves to use to survive each trap, or to split Ba’alzamon’s stream of balefire. He just uses Callandor to hold more of the One Power, and in doing so is filled with confidence, which lends him the power to manipulate tel’aran’rhiod. Each of Rand’s feats is more plausible as a consequence of him exerting his will over his surroundings, outmatching Ba’alzamon’s will, undoing what traps his opponent has set. Rand should have had less success using the One Power in this manner in the waking world. But, there is the precedent of his intuitive use of weaves when he used the Eye of the World.

The book’s ending would be difficult for Rand to carry alone. The other character’s plotlines all conclude with some satisfactory action, but it is not clear whether they have overcome their internal difficulties. Is Egwene burying the hatchet with Nynaeve when she asks her to sing to her as she did when she was a child? Perrin set out to find Rand, but dropped that quest in favour of his falcon and the Wolf Dream. Mat just wanted to get away from it all, and wound up defeating some minor villains, but resolved little else. The haphazard way in which each of their plotlines ends leaves the way wide open for Rand to provide the conclusive victory. Be’lal and the Forsaken were late arrivals on the scene in this book, but understanding the scope of their power made Be’lal’s confrontation with Rand a worthy challenge. Ba’alzamon danced around the edges throughout the book, but was never clearly made the main villain, given that neither Egwene nor Perrin had much to do with him. Only the carryover from the other books made it work well.

Another element that worked well was the continually shorter duration of each character’s point of view throughout the novel, culminating in rapid jumps from character to character within single chapters. The same quick switching was in the Great Hunt, but was mostly present because the other points of view were required to understand the events unfolding.  

Writing Lessons:

Give your characters satisfactory resolutions to their story arcs or risk the wrath of the reader.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 49-52

In this section, the Black Ajah finds Egwene and her friends, Perrin crafts a hammer, and Mat arrives too late.

In the World of Dreams, Egwene comes upon the Black Ajah, who appear only faintly while using their own dream ter’angreal. The element of surprise is lost, if they ever had it, since the Black Ajah’s intent was to lure them to Tear, for use in some Forsaken plot. The best thief taker in Tear, Juilin Sandar, isn’t good enough, and he is caught and turned by Liandrin’s thin form of Compulsion. This is the second time Compulsion has been shown, the first was Morgase made docile under Gaebril’s thumb. It is not quite the same as being collared as damane, but the loss of self determination and free will is similar. With Compulsion, the victim can be made to forget what has taken place, with the a’dam, the damane knows but is made to believe they are in their proper place. Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne are in for a worse fate, since Be’lal is bringing thirteen Myrddraal to Tear to turn them to the Dark One. If the Black Ajah left the White Tower at the behest of Ba’alzamon or Lanfear, they belong to Be’lal now.

Once again, the young women are being used to bait Rand. If it weren’t for the Forsaken being so intent on such a convoluted ploy, leading Rand to Tear to save his childhood sweetheart, they should have been eliminated more directly. They don’t know that Rand is walking the streets of Tear even now, and the ploy to draw him in was unnecessary. They also don’t know that they have unintentionally drawn the other two ta’veren to the city as well.

Liandrin so loves breaking Ailhuin’s spirit, she convinces Rianna to spare her life. She is thus able to tell Mat what he needs to know. When Mat first ignored the signs that would have drawn him to Ailhuin’s home, the Pattern compensates by giving Thom a cold. In search of a remedy, they find Ailhuin. The Pattern works subtly.

When Mat leaves Ailhuin’s home, he feels the dice tumbling in his head, for the first that it is called as such. He has felt the room lurching, felt dizzy, felt feverish, but never before the dice tumbling in his head, as he does when he decides to break into the Stone.

Moiraine and Lan also set off for the Stone of Tear. Perrin is left behind to consider his new hammer. Earlier in chapter 4 of this book, Ba’alzamon tries to convince Perrin to take up his hammer and put aside his axe. In the Great Hunt, Perrin is already thinking about how his hands are made for swinging a hammer, not an axe for killing. In the Eye of the World, Elyas told Perrin to set aside the axe the day he stops hating to use it. With the symbolic hammer and axe at his side, Perrin will spend a long while trying to balance the Builder and the Destroyer in him.

Rand, Mat, Moiraine, and Lan are all bound for the Stone. Deadly Aiel warriors are hiding in the city. Inside the Stone are the three hostages, a baker’s dozen of Black Ajah, and a Forsaken. And the prize: Callandor, a sa’angreal of immense power. Despite the fact that the story meandered with no clear objective, the ending looks to be smashing. The two elements that build the tension the most are the fate awaiting Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne, and the trap that is waiting for Rand. Take away these two things and there would be little to look forward to.

The scene where Perrin crafts tools in Ajala’s smithy is sometimes called a favorite by readers, but it is doubtful they like it because of their interest in blacksmithing. They could find a reference book for that. It is more likely that the scene provokes an emotional reaction because the four pages tell readers about Perrin, how he thinks, how he acts. I’ll abbreviate the scene to show how Perrin’s character stands out amid the description.

Entering the smithy is a relief, familiarity among the Tairen strangeness. Yard. Equipped to do heavy labour. Tools. Neatly arranged, none missing. Metal, grinding wheels, anvils, forges. A wealth of options. Ready. The blacksmith, experienced, with no apprentices. Hot iron smelled like home. Perrin acts without asking, seeing a need and providing help. Bellows. Slow, steady, even strokes. Perrin guesses what the blacksmith is making. He gives Perrin some metal. Perrin can make anything he wants with it. He examines it, learns its qualities, prepares it to be worked. He examines his equipment, finds appropriate garments. The Blacksmith is pleased so far, Perrin knows the true test lies ahead.  He selects his tools. He heats the metal to the temperature he wants. He knows how the tools function, why they are made that way. He uses them properly, with care. Making nothing fancy, a simple thing. Step by step, always keeping the metal at the temperature he wants. Changing tools when needed to shape his piece, thinking ahead for what will be added to it later. He has decided what the piece will be. Quenching the piece, committing to it. Can’t be undone. Grinding. Slow work, to polish, to temper. Going back to the quenching would destroy what he had done. The final touch remains to be added. A neat piece of work, no wasted motion. A master’s piece. Fine stroking, better than steady. Doffing the apron makes him feel uncomfortable. It is the work that is important, the skill with metal, not the colour of a man’s eyes. The Blacksmith understands. He respects the care and the craft.

The reader can see deep into Perrin’s mind, how he tackles problems, how he deals with people. The blacksmithing provides a pleasant dose of realism, but could have been replaced by any of a dozen other actions. It is the character that matters most, and what the experience means to the character.

Writing Lessons:

Elevate mundane descriptions of the everyday by making them reveal more about your character.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 44-48

In this section, Perrin evades great danger, Mat sets out to rescue the Black Ajah hunters, and an argument has Egwene and Nynaeve at loggerheads.

Perrin mentions that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, tying Faile to his side even tighter. Were it not for Moiraine’s urgent need to flee and save their own skins, Nieda and Faile might have been disposed of to keep that secret. Darkhounds cannot be outrun, so Moiraine uses balefire to undo them before their abilities are revealed. It is important that Moiraine use balefire now, so that its later use won’t seem contrived. She says balefire hasn’t been used in two thousand years, which is a millennium after the voluntary cease-balefire called in the War of Power. Was it last used against the Shadowspawn that overran Manetheren?

Moiraine also determined that the Gray Men trying to kill Perrin were not sent by Sammael, so responsibility falls back to Be’lal or Ba’alzamon. Ba’alzamon is the one who knows who all Rand’s allies are and wants to distance them from his side. Mat is just as much of a problem, so the assassins pursuing him are determined, if not up to the challenge.

Mat finds all the same cues as the others regarding the presence of a Forsaken, but lacks the means to figure it out. He makes up for it by luckily stumbling upon a plot to kill Elayne, rather than let her fall into Be’lal’s hands. Egwene’s dreams also tell that the Forsaken are all focused on their own plots, some pushing Rand, some trying to stop him, some consolidating power. Gaebril is one of those ignoring Rand for now, but his path to power is made easier with Elayne’s death, and complicated if she is held by another Forsaken. Somehow, Mat’s acting ability never works on his friends, yet Gaebril swallows Mat’s tale, publicly. Just to be safe, he would have put Mat to the question, but Morgase’s intervention delays it long enough for Mat to make a trademark run for the hills before anyone realizes he’s gone.

In Egwene’s dream, Mat is dicing with the Dark One, not simply Ba’alzamon, but the wager he makes is with Gaebril, the alias adopted by Rahvin. The dream must therefore be about Mat’s evasion of the assassins, implying they were sent by Ba’alzamon, or refer to a larger scale game he is unwittingly playing against Ba’alzamon.

Morgase is supposed to be one of the greatest players of the Game of Houses, yet now, and later, the Compulsion she has suffered at Rahvin’s hands will quash her confidence or her talent, or both.

Most of the interactions between characters so far in the series have centered on themes of trust. Who can be trusted, and how much. There have been frequent mentor relationships between the experienced characters and the newlings. Now Egwene’s building frustration with Nynaeve’s dominance is driving a wedge between the Black Ajah hunters. To complete her story arc, she will have to escape from under Nynaeve’s guidance and set her own path.

Elayne, caught in the middle, has been intelligent enough to solve several puzzles, compassionate towards both her friends, favored the best suggestions put forth by either of the girls, and kept her composure through it all since the hunt began. Egwene’s snippiness finally irritates her enough that she slaps Egwene across the face. Her reasonable explanation, since she always has one, is that Egwene’s selfish actions may expose them to unwanted risks.

The story can be developed by character as well as by plot. Each of the three women has distinctive traits that must be adhered to. Nynaeve is courageous, quick to anger, and a bully. She has needed to be completely independent her entire life. Elayne has had the advantages of an incredibly full education, is accustomed to having her decisions heeded, and has never had to strive for anything but her mother’s happiness. Egwene has had a warm upbringing, but is tired of living in the shadow of others, which is the source of her great determination. By finding the natural ways in which these traits are incompatible, story possibilities are opened up. The Wheel of Time’s attention to this sort of interaction, particularly with regard to its female characters, helped it stand out from other fantasy novels, which have the sad reputation of being very boy-oriented.

Writing lessons:

 It’s not all plot! Look for ways to play each character’s traits off each other.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 40-43

In this section, Perrin and friends survive a sneak attack and make a desperate search for information, while Mat gets his hands on a useful tool.

As a reward for saving a disgraced Illuminator, Mat receives a bag of fireworks. Aludra and Tammuz were last seen in Cairhien when Rand evaded Trollocs in a chase through their compound. Using a recurring minor character is a reminder that anyone whose life is touched by a ta’veren can’t easily escape the Web of Destiny. In the context of ta’veren, it has now become less far-fetched for a random person once met to pop back into the story and provide help, than for a completely new character to be saved and give Mat fireworks as a reward. These secondary or minor characters are also a means to reveal the outcome of the events in locales the heroes have left behind.

Aha! This time a Rand point of view does not serve as a bridge between the Perrin point of view and the other characters. It may be a sign that they are getting closer to each other.

Perrin’s love interest Faile becomes a member of the party. Nynaeve is the only character whose love life is not foretold in some manner. All of the other major characters have their love interests thrust on them by the Pattern, or at the least have some prophetic insight about who they will love.

A group of Gray Men try to kill Perrin. Six at once! This is a very serious attempt on his life, and harkens back to the Myrddraal’s words in the mountains, “Cut one leg of the tripod, and all fall down.” On top of that, Darkhound prints are found in the stone outside. The Gray Men come from the same source as the ones trying to kill Rand and Mat, while the Darkhound is simply a guardian of Lord Brend, an alias of Sammael. Sammael took over Illian earlier in the spring, and his presence is causing the citizens to have bad dreams, the Ogier to pack up and leave without a word of explanation, and gives a significant amount of the populace an angry demeanor. The ascension to power and the side effects are reminiscent of the High Lord Samon in Tear. With these two examples, in the future readers should be able to notice signs on their own which indicate a Forsaken may have set up base.

Moiraine goes off to confirm the source of the evil in Illian, and Perrin does the same by consulting Hopper in the Wolf Dream. One of the two men Perrin saw speaking with Ba’alzamon much earlier in the book appears holding Callandor, in a manner suggesting that Perrin has seen inside this Forsaken’s dreams.

Perrin also sees visions in the sky of tel’aran’rhiod. Does the Pattern show him what he must see? Are the visions brought to Perrin by using the power of Need? Can the Forsaken also use the power of Need? If they could, can they trust the information they get out of it? One of his visions is of Mat dicing with Ba’alzamon. Could Ba’alzamon be trying to kill Mat instead of taking him and using him? Or is this a metaphor for something else? In the vision of Nynaeve and Egwene, Liandrin traps them and laughs, while Lanfear in turn laughs at Liandrin. Another clue that Lanfear is not acting fully in accordance with Ba’alzamon’s wishes.

Hopper has told Perrin that the Last Hunt is coming, and previously explained that all dead wolves reside in the Wolf Dream awaiting rebirth, just as the Heroes of the Horn do. When Perrin fulfills Egwene’s dream of leading innumerable wolves in battle, it will have to be in tel’aran’rhiod.

Recent Perrin chapters have not been slow as predicted by my earlier thought that his point of view was partly responsible for the pacing. Whatever time he spends finding a bed to climb into and leaving in the middle of the night is balanced by the number of fascinating interactions he has with new characters and old. What makes a story fun is the act of discovering, and Perrin’s chapters have had plenty of discovery.

Many of the locales in the Wheel of Time are fascinating and unique. I’ll take a look at how the great city of Illian is given its own distinctive elements.

In earlier books we learned that Illian is associated with the Great Hunt for the Horn of Valere, and that the Hunt had been called for the first time in four hundred years. Hunters gather and take their vows in the Square of Tammaz, then spread across the world searching for adventure. There has been an expectation that Thom would eventually find his way there, or Rand and Mat with the actual Horn in hand.

Here are the main descriptors of Illian as Perrin arrives:

Long stone docks, great numbers of long-legged birds, tall marsh grass that all but encircled the great harbor, cranes, crested birds, gulls swooped and soared, ships three or four times as long as snow Goose anchored across the expanse of the harbor, waiting their turns at the docks, or for tides to shift so they could sail beyond the long breakwater, fishing boats worked close to the marsh, and in the creeks winding through it, the wind carried a sharp scent of salt, and did little to break the heat, the air felt damp, the smell of fresh fish, old fish, mud, sour stink from a tannery on a treeless island in the marsh grass.

The city itself:

The city was large, as big as other great cities, it reared out of a huge marsh that stretched for miles like a plain of waving grass, Illian had no walls at all, but it seemed to be all towers and palaces, buildings of pale stone, some with white plaster, rooftops of tile sparkled under the sun, the long docks held many ships, bustled, shipyards at the far end of the city, stone posts along the docks, spices and tar and stinks of the docks, hubbub, clamor, slower, pitched differently, rough, uneven paving stones, music and song and laughter drifting from inns and taverns, voices, a hum of voices, people and horses, cooking and baking, a hundred scents, the smell of marsh and salt water, a bridge, the third such bridge, Illian was crisscrossed by as many canals as streets, poling laden barges, plying whips to move heavy wagons, sedan chairs, peculiar beards, hats with wide brims and attached scarves that they wound around their necks, sedan chairs wove through the crowds, lacquered coach, a great square, surrounded by huge columns of white marble, a huge white palace stood at either end of the square, airy balconies, slender towers.

That’s enough, and I didn’t even get to the Perfumed Quarter and the Bridge of Flowers. Overall, the impression is of a sprawling, large, busy, wealthy city. Even the length of the description adds to the impression of size. The focus on the mildly unpleasant odors reflects the underlying unhappiness in the city that Perrin later observes. The oppressive heat and slow pace of the people, and the attention to the marsh add a feeling of being stuck, indicating dread and a possible trap. The adjectives applied to the people focus on their oddness, their difference from the normal, a clue to Sammael’s grip on the city.

Writing Lessons:

Selection of certain characteristics of a locale can set ideas or feelings in the minds of readers.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 35-39

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His voice was soft, as cold iron is soft.

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

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

Fear struck through him like hammered spikes.

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

Be wary as a cub hunting porcupine.

I will be crying like a girl, next.

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

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

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

They shrieked like splintered bones jamming a meatgrinder.

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

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

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

Writing Lessons:

Analogies present an opportunity to make your text richer.