Towers of Midnight - Summary

Towers of Midnight is the next to last book of the series, and sets up an epic character-driven confrontation before the Last Battle, bringing everyone tantalizingly close to working together. Almost every hero and heroine will be at Merrilor to stand for or against Rand’s plan to break the seals on the Dark One’s prison. The lead-up to this reunion pervades the book, driving several plots forward while the remaining sections allow characters to tidy up loose plot threads.

Perrin resolves rumours about his dalliance with Berelain, understands his nature as a Wolfbrother, defeats Slayer, and confronts his guilt over killing for the first time. Egwene beseeches Gawyn to obey her, yet finds treating him as a partner is the path that leads to his love, his bond, and saving the Tower. Elayne gains cannons, another throne, an army, and uncovers a plot to invade Andor. Mat dispatches the gholam, creates cannons, and enters the trickster realm of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn to rescue Moiraine, who still has a role to play. Lan grudgingly accepts help on his quest, then leads his people towards a final confrontation with the Shadow. Aviendha becomes a Wise One but learns of a fate far worse than death for her people unless they find new purpose. And Rand fears nothing, unperturbed by any events or threats, whether a circle of channelers or an army of Trollocs, for he can seemingly do anything.

All of the characters have now attained the summit of their power and influence in the world, ruling nations and people, just in time for the Last Battle. While the title Towers of Midnight refers to the Forsaken, they are squashed before the newfound might at the Heroes’ command.

Several aspects of the book echo events early in the series, particularly The Great Hunt, with Ingtar and Noal’s eerily similar self-sacrifice to save the heroes, Lanfear’s presence twisting at Rand’s heart, or Morgase returning to Caemlyn. Tel’aran’rhiod reappears with great importance, and both Perrin and Egwene learn how to use it to its fullest potential. The Seanchan prepare their boldest invasion yet. It stands to reason that the author put the key elements in the story early on, and as the end approaches those elements resurface.

The last remaining unfinished plot lines in Towers of Midnight will present some of the most insurmountable difficulties yet. Setting up the dire circumstances surrounding each of these was an important part of this book. The Black Tower stands impenetrable as Taim secures his stronghold, turning its inhabitants to his side one by one.  The Seanchan remain unwilling to bend until Rand serves them. The Malkieri charge to their doom, alone.

Many of the early books had a magic item that acted as the focus of the story. The Eye of the World, the Horn of Valere, Callandor. Later books got away from this, but a new ter’angreal is introduced here. The dreamspike is a powerful tool, and one of them remains in the hands of the villains.

Also reintroduced is Dark Prophecy, last seen staining the walls of a cell in Fal Dara, now promising the death of Perrin before Rand is defeated. There seems no reason why these dark prophecies would be any less accurate than Min’s viewings or Egwene’s dreams or Elaida’s Foretelling. With strong allies and more personal power than ever before, the Heroes are more ready than ever to face a challenge head-on, but those foreboding elements are a reminder that there will be a price to pay for victory.

Aviendha’s future visions once again make the dire outcome of the Heroes’ decisions personal, affecting their descendents personally, and tying their future to the chain of cultural duty and responsibility stretching three millennia into the past. No matter how epic in scope the story gets, the authors bring it back to a personal level.

Writing Lessons:

Obstacles must remain challenging, no matter how powerful the characters are.

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 - 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 30-34

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Surprising but makes sense: Mat is incorrigible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Writing Lessons:

Humour works by being surprising, yet making sense.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 15-20

In this section, Egwene and Nynaeve survive an assassination attempt.

The Soulless, the Gray Men, make their first appearance, narrowly failing to kill Egwene and Nynaeve. Given their failure to kill Rand in Fal Dara, it may be that Gray Men not only give up their soul to the Dark One, but also the better part of their aim. Alternately, the Pattern can always use subtle means to stave off disaster. A gust of wind, a flicker at the edge of vision that makes someone move or hesitate just long enough to be missed by that fatal arrow. The most interesting part of their terms of employment is the complete devotion to secrecy. With no ability to free his comrade, one Gray Man kills another to prevent their interrogation. Better to fail at the mission than to give up information. Nynaeve and Egwene can always be killed later, but secrets told can never be taken back.

There are more and more secrets being revealed with a need to be kept, but Nynaeve correctly decides that keeping secrets between themselves is counter productive, and that they need an ally that can be trusted, something no Aes Sedai can pull off. Without hesitation she brings Elayne into the hunt, never questioning her trustworthiness or willingness to help. Cementing the deal is Elaida’s belligerent interest in Rand and in coercing the Hunters Three to reveal their secrets. Nothing binds friends together like opposition to a bully. From her perspective, Elaida sees Siuan making a mess of Elayne’s destiny and playing dangerous games with ta’veren. Siuan must be stopped.

Nynaeve is always skeptical and suspicious, and has a keen eye for noticing the ways in which Aes Sedai may be twisting the truth. Egwene is far more trusting of their authority, and is less willing to skirt the rules. Without Nynaeve supplying the backbone, the Black Ajah Hunt would be off to a much slower start. Nynaeve correctly reasons that they cannot trust any beyond themselves, and evidence if this is seen with their interaction with Sheriam. Nynaeve is confrontational with Sheriam, where Egwene manages to be meek and eager.

Given the role that Sheriam plays in later books, and strong reader reaction to her warmth and trustworthiness, I’ll examine how she has been portrayed. Including New Spring, there are two times when Siuan wants to make Sheriam the third in their own group of Hunters. Sheriam is an incurable gossip, but a close friend to Siuan, which explains how she landed the plum position of Mistress of Novices. In The Great Hunt she warmly welcomed Nynaeve and Egwene to Tar Valon, giving them some much needed orientation and acceptance after the rest of the Aes Sedai ignored them. That interaction will place Sheriam among the potential allies in the Tower. Readers should have a generally pleasant feeling about her by the time she appears on page in The Dragon Reborn.

Sheriam appears just after the assassination attempt, and is surprised and horrified at the Gray Man’s presence. She immediately offers comfort and shares closely held information about the Soulless. These are her hallmark, and it is unsurprising that Egwene, and readers, will interpret it as a good sign. They may not be able to confide in Sheriam, but they can rely on her for some help.

It takes Nynaeve’s distrust of all Aes Sedai to notice and point out the flaws in Sheriam’s actions. Sheriam didn’t ask who killed the Gray Man, but since Nynaeve claimed to have found him just so, she would have had no reason to ask a mere Accepted or concern her with such matters. Sheriam is evasive about Nynaeve’s questions, which is no proof of anything except that Nynaeve is far less willing to take Sheriam’s apparent openness at face value. Sheriam has likely never dealt with such a hostile attitude from an Accepted at any time in her tenure. Sheriam twice tells them not to speak of the matter with anyone unless asked first, a sign that she cares deeply about the secrecy of this matter, which she may well have good reason for, but could also be an indication of Dark affiliations. The coincidence of her appearing on the scene mere moments after the Gray Man’s death also adds to suspicions.

The point of the encounter is to reinforce that any Aes Sedai may be Black Ajah. By choosing Sheriam, who has had more positive interactions than any other Aes Sedai, for the first encounter after the Gray Man, the sense of paranoia is established. Readers should be firmly suspicious of all Aes Sedai at this point. Then, to let Sheriam off the hook, a confrontation between her and Elaida forces readers to make a relative value judgment between the two, which transfers misgivings about Sheriam to Elaida. Soon later, Lanfear reveals that she was in the White Tower on other business. The implied connection to the Gray Man means Sheriam was not involved, and that readers can go back to trusting Sheriam while retaining their suspicion of other Aes Sedai. I note that reader opinion at Theoryland based on factions over Sheriam remained about 2 to 1 in her favour, even after her later beatings, which could be taken as a measurement of the effects on readers of this portrayal.

The same type of worry about who was a Darkfriend never really surfaced in The Great Hunt. An arrow as fired at Rand and the story moved on. In this instance, the claustrophobic feeling that it is just the three girls against the whole White Tower is well established over a lengthy build-up, where readers are given a straightforward example of the risks of trusting even Sheriam. Themes of trust have been in place throughout the series, but become part of the reader’s psyche from here on.

Mat gets healed with a circle of ten Aes Sedai using their most powerful sa’angreal. It is not immediately obvious that if Mat needed that much Power to heal him, dealing with Padan Fain will be incredibly difficult. This is Mat’s first point of view in the series. He has been a prod to move the plot forward, but hardly an active participant up until now. In strong contrast to the other characters, the use of humour is evident in his perspective. He thinks he is the last one of them who is still sane. Meanwhile he is remembering leading the armies of Manetheren. Mat, more than the others, will be an unreliable narrator, despite his certainty that he is thinking things through. There will be opportunities to shift the tone and mood of the story by shifting to Mat’s point of view.

Lanfear is still interested in the three young men, and is certain Mat will seek out glory. It was important for Rand not to be lured by glory, Perrin is unlikely to be budged by such concerns, but Mat is being portrayed as the weakest leg of their tripod, keenly interested in getting what he wants here and now far more than his friends.

Writing Lessons:

Don’t just have your characters wonder who to trust, show what happens, use examples to make readers worry as much as your characters.

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 40-44

In this section, the disparate plotlines converge, building tension for the book’s climax.

Weaving several plotlines together is challenging. In general, the author tries to make the different storylines have some bearing on each other, other than simply resulting in getting all the players to the same spot at the same time. Familiarity with Rand and Egwene makes meshing their two storylines easy. Bayle Domon’s storyline fits in clumsily, providing early introduction to the Seanchan and a possible escape route from the final battle. Bornhald’s plotline comes out of nowhere every time it shows up on the page. Obviously the Children of the Light are meant to play some role in the end, but their story is so far removed from what is happening to the others, it mucks up the flow of the book. The only similarity that can be drawn between Bornhald’s problems and the others, is dealing with authority figures that have turned traitor. In this, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne had a similar problem but lacked the inventiveness and opportunity to find a way out of it.

Even Ba’alzamon, absent since Lanfear walked onto the page, comes back to remind Rand that the only way to take control of his own destiny is to give up his role in the Pattern. Having instilled in Rand the distrust and the urge to not be used and to throw off the authority of others, Ba’alzamon is offering a solution: serve the Dark One and throw off the shackles of destiny. He hints that getting Rand to meet the Seanchan was a goal he has been working towards for a millennium, and the Pattern even longer. Ba’alzamon has spoken often about how Rand will not be reborn this time. Given future events where the dead walk the earth, is it possible that this is true? If the Dark One can mess up the Wheel’s rebirth mechanism, what happens when Rand dies? With nowhere else to go, does the soul go back to his own body, or would he truly be dead forever?

Lanfear doesn’t show up in this section. What did she and Ba’alzamon do when Rand vanished for four months? Egwene simply stopped having dreams about him, but these Forsaken were actively looking for him. Oh, that must have been frustrating. No dreams to invade, no tracking possible, they just disappeared. Presumably, regular failure reports did not have to be delivered to the Bore.

The most alarming development is Egwene’s capture by the Seanchan. Her situation is bleak and hopeless. Renna’s teaching is implacable and dehumanizing. Every citizen in the Seanchan Empire must know their place, and Renna happily embraces her role in the institutionalized torture of channelers. Even knowing they look upon the damane as animals, it is difficult to imagine the level of societal complicity in this horror, without the rigid caste system to reinforce it. Ironically, the caste system itself can only be maintained by the power of the damane used against anyone who strays from their appointed place. Given any flexibility, any gap in the threat of power being used to keep you in your place, assassinations and power struggles would spread chaos through the empire. The metaphor about the powerless recognizing the power they hold, recognizing their worth and equality, will be built on later through the series. I suspect it will find its ultimate expression in the Last Battle, where every man and woman will count, where Rand can’t win without their backing.

As with Moiraine in New Spring, Nynaeve and Elayne’s first order of business trying to rescue Egwene is to buy new dresses. I will be disappointed if no new dresses are bought in A Memory of Light. In all fairness, Rand and friends got local style clothing as well. Describing not only clothing, but the reasons characters choose clothing, adds some rich detail to the story. It is often criticized as out of place in a fantasy setting, but how much time do you or your friends spend choosing clothes, fixing hair, making your appearance just right? Real-life concerns, even superficial ones, make the characters more real.

The sudden and lengthy shift in focus to Nynaeve, Egwene, and Min gives the female characters their first major plotline. Nynaeve has had action scenes previously, and there have been points of view told from their perspectives, but this is the first time where a reader might feel the whole rest of the book could be about them and feel it was justified. They are finally being set up as the female equivalent to the three male ta’veren.  Nynaeve might even end up as the female equivalent of Rand the Saviour. She is certainly the only one who could fit the role, should it exist. Rand may be the Dragon, but all the best work is done with males and females working together. I’ll watch for characteristics that Nynaeve shares with Jesus, or the other figures that Rand is based on.

Writing Lessons:

Different plotlines involving different characters still need links between them, or they will feel contrived and give away their purpose.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 35-39

Misery is not reading or blogging for more than 1 day in a row.

In this section, the Heroes discover the scope of the menace is far greater than they guessed.

After getting a taste of two cultures entrenched in subterfuge and suspicion, Stedding Tsofu offers the opposite:  harmony, trust, openness, truthfulness. The Ogier hide nothing from their visitors, and allow them to take extreme personal risks, and do not try to stop them with force or persuasion. Once the heroes have the facts, the Ogier accept the decision they have made. Ogier society is similar to that of the tuatha’an, and the way it is introduced with a point-point-counterpoint is reminiscent of how we saw two societies rife with suspicion (Children of the Light and Shadar Logoth) before discovering the Traveling People and their trusting ways. When an Ogier spends too long away from the stedding, away from the qualities it offers, they begin to Long for it. Are any of us any different? The Ogier are an idealized society, a remnant of the Age of Legends when discord and conflict were all but unknown. There are some strong implications about what a society in the Light should be like, and what a society touched by the Shadow would be like. Yes, even as relates to their chivalric customs of marriage. I’ll remember to contrast with other marriage customs in later books.

Rand and Perrin both consider the virtues of staying in a stedding. They could be free of their new abilities; they could live out their lives in peace. Yet they quickly acknowledge that they are willing to pay a personal price and face great danger to do what they feel is right for their friend. Their sense of duty to their fellow man is forging chains that will shackle them to the destiny they are trying to avoid. Rand’s promise to safeguard Loial only adds to his duties.

The Black Wind blocking the Waygate, Machin Shin, forces Rand to instead attempt use of a Portal Stone to reach Toman Head before Mat dies, even if he has to use the One Power again. Rand can already channel enough to use the Portal Stone, but Verin, at full power, would be destroyed by that much saidar. Verin explains enough about the Mirror Worlds as alternate realities, the Worlds That Might Be, to allow the reader to understand the next few pages.  This explanation is what was missing from the House of Flies scene earlier in the book. As with the scene in the House of Flies, repetition with slight variations are used to illustrate that events are out of Rand’s control.

Three alternate realities are shown in full where past events occurred differently. Then more follow, only a sentence long, since the reader has grasped the concept. Rand is shown dying young, growing old, going mad, knowing he was born to fight the Shadow, battling Seanchan invaders, or Trollocs, marrying, living a hundred lives and more, variation on variation, each one different. A lot of thrills are packed into these few pages. Each scene also has a similarity. One phrase, powerful and meaningful, that reveals the epic scope of the story. In each world, when Rand finally dies, he hears a voice whisper: I have won again, Lews Therin.

In every other world that might have been had events unfolded differently, the Shadow is triumphant. The Mirror World Rand visited with Selene introduced this idea. The surprising revelation isn’t that it was a strange and unique world, nor was it a typical world, no, it was a stereotypical world where the Shadow won.  The implication is that no matter the circumstances, the Shadow always wins. After the Shadow wins, life is extinguished, as seen in Selene’s Mirror World. The concept will later get expanded upon, but for now, it elevates the stakes of the broader series-long quest to a multiverse-spanning battle against evil, while maintaining an intensely personal aspect since each of the Shadow’s victory is achieved by the Dragon’s demise.

I have won again, Lews Therin.

The ability to play with the flow of time using Mirror Worlds allows for several plot elements to join up in ways that might have seemed forced otherwise. With time travel, anything is possible. Tracking Fain from the future before he reached a spot would be a bit too convenient without Lanfear’s guidance. Egwene and Nynaeve needed time to begin their training and gain useful abilities and strong friendships, time that would have killed Mat. Time travel provides the answer, introducing a world of story possibilities. Assuming we’re following the three examples pattern: the first time travel was subtle and solved a small problem, the second brings the elements together for this book’s conclusion, and the third should come into play in A Memory of Light. What role could the best theoretical quantum physicist of the Age of Legends play?  How could Portal Stones be used to make a day dawn twice?

Egwene finally writes Rand off as a love interest, all while rushing to his rescue. The girls’ matchmaking deliberations are entertaining. Between Min’s viewings, Elayne’s interest, Rand’s Mirror World marriages, and the fact that Rand seems poised to see these girls again in Toman Head, enough hints have been placed to expect that love is in the air.

Writing Lessons:

Keeping the stakes personal keeps your readers emotionally involved in the story.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 31-34

In this section, Rand regains his allies, and they track the Horn to an impassable obstacle.

The heroes and villains have had the Horn twice each. The back and forth skirmishes in which the Horn is taken and lost leave a strong impression of struggle, which can’t be achieved as easily in a straightforward journey quest, like in The Eye of the World. Each time the Horn changes hands is a natural turning point in the story. The arrival of Rand’s friends just after he loses the Horn makes the loss even more poignant, but also introduces hope into that bleak situation.

Rand’s first instinct is to tell Mat about the dagger, and place the Horn second. Lanfear does not like this situation, and finds even less to like as she secretly observes Rand proclaiming his lack of greatness, saying his heart is Egwene’s, burning Selene’s letters. The flames are fanned by a sudden roar of wind, indicating Lanfear’s unhappiness. Only the scent of her perfume indicates her presence. Many novice writers leave out the sense of taste and smell. In this instance, where other senses cannot detect her, smells not only round out the description, they are an essential clue as to what is taking place without having to resort to a new point of view, or an omniscient one.

The description of Perrin’s abilities relies heavily on both taste and smell. Placing these ahead of sight and touch is a simple way to show the difference in culture between men and wolves, giving a feeling of alienness while remaining rooted in the familiar. Even wolves have prophecies, or at least they recognize a Dragon when they smell one.

Verin proves to be freer with information than Moiraine was, but is considered no more trustworthy for it, simply an extension of Moiraine. The seeds of mistrust towards Aes Sedai sowed by Ba’alzamon in the The Eye of the World are sprouting. How much of Ba’alzamon’s plan was designed not to turn Rand, but to create discord between him and any potential allies, to keep any united opposition from forming?

Rand plunges headfirst into Daes Dae’mar, little knowing how any word uttered by a ta’veren in this situation sends ripples through the Pattern. The recent uptick in the seriousness of the Great Game seems Pattern spawned to let Rand affect the maximum number of people in his short time in Cairhien. After less than a week, the heads of the two most powerful houses are dead, one at Thom’s vengeful hands, the other at Lanfear’s. She should not be scorned. Why did she kill Barthanes, a known Darkfriend? Likely because he allowed the Horn and dagger to escape, items which she realizes are the best goads to push Rand where she wants.

Fain’s escape to Toman Head still needs explaining, which even Verin cannot provide. Fain didn’t know much about the Seanchan until he reached Toman Head, so how did he decide to go there? Did he write the Dark prophecy? Can he see the future with Mordeth’s powers? Mordeth is the simplest explanation, even if the reader has been given little indication it’s within his power. It is still unclear which villain is pulling strings, and at which point of the story. In general, Ba’alzamon’s master plan is to establish a Seanchan foothold on the mainland, and get the Horn of Valere into the Blight. Fain, rescued because he may have further use, has found Power and desire to break free of the Dark, while he maintains a terrible link to Rand that he wants to sever. Lanfear is acting mostly independently of Ba’alzamon, trying to seduce Rand, and probably not minding if Ba’alzamon’s plans go awry, since the Forsaken are in stiff competition with each other.  

Rand finally uses saidin, to combat Machin Shin, which could not be defeated any other way. Rand’s instinctive use of how to use the One Power in situations like this is still odd.  Saidin still fills Rand with vitality and raw power, but there is added focus on the taint, which leaves unpleasant sensations long after he has released saidin.

Getting to Toman Head seems almost impossible without the Ways, and even if they find a shortcut that lets Mat survive long enough to get the dagger, the Seanchan they will meet when they get there seem insurmountable. This is the part of the book when it looks more and more like all is lost.

Writing Lessons:

Use descriptions of all five senses to make your world come alive. Using them in unusual ways can create unique effects.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 27-30

In this section, Rand struggles to keep his gains, while hints of the future are revealed.

For the first time, Rand’s kinsmen, the Aiel, are encountered. Urien reveals much to Perrin and Verin, about Rhuidean, Wise Ones, and the prophecies that will send them out of the Three-fold Land again, the prophecies about He Who Comes With the Dawn. Verin can’t help but make an association with the Dragon. There are many ways to prepare the reader for future events: someone may have a feeling, or they wonder if certain events might come to pass, or a prophecy can be made. Prophecies automatically create an expectation that they will be fulfilled. In this story, there are many prophecies, and then more prophecies. Once a few have been fulfilled, the reliability of the prophecies and the expectation of fulfillment will be cemented in the reader’s mind.

The story compartmentalizes information, by having information important to one character revealed to another character instead, such as Perrin’s encounter with the Aiel. This approach to placing information allows the reader to learn enough to understand later events without the author having to deal with how the information would affect the character it will later affect.

Another example is Bayle Domon’s introduction to the Seanchan High Lord Turak. Domon’s perspective is most important for allowing the author to explain enough of the Seanchan culture so that later chapters involving them, which will be more action-oriented, will flow better. Seanchan culture is notable for the extreme inflexibility of the social structure, and the way in which most citizens’ actions are constrained by the will of those in the social strata above. If the Seanchan return has been scheduled by Ba’alzamon, how much of their culture reflects the Dark One’s way of thinking? Obedience trumps all other considerations. There is no free will to speak of, and the little that is afforded by one’s position must be carefully guarded at all times. This is the antithesis of Rand’s desire to not be forced into any action he doesn’t want to take. That makes two cultures, Cairhienin and Seanchan, to which readers have been exposed, and have metaphorical elements that are related to Rand’s personal conflict.

Before even Bayle Domon’s encounter with the Seanchan can make sense, the reader is gently exposed to rumours of the Seanchan presence on Toman Head, through a short Bornhald point of view. Gradual introduction of their strange behaviour creates a voyage of discovery for the reader, including an air of mystery about their objectives, powers, and secrets. Carridin’s ploy to disrupt life on Almoth Plain is meant to keep interference with the Seanchan at a minimum. Bornhald, an unintentional villain at first, is being set up as one of those misguided characters who is on the verge of reform. The majority of readers will draw the simplest conclusion: Bornhald will help Rand at Toman Head.

In Cairhien, Fain has caught up to Rand, and deploys his forces through the Foregate searching for him. Rand has had a month to train with the greatest swordsman in the world, and easily dispatches Trollocs. What he can’t do with his sword, he considers doing with saidin. He always considers that as a last resort, saidin could get him out of any jam. Despite Selene’s renewed insistence that he use the Oneness, and seek glory, Rand manages to find other means of escape that don’t require him to be exposed to temptation. When Selene is present the double-entendres just keep coming.  

Writing Lessons:

When, where, and how you introduce foreshadowed story elements is important to make them feel natural, not forced.

The Great Hunt - Chapters 23-26

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

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

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

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

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

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

Writing Lessons:

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

The Great Hunt - Chapters 18-22

In this section, Rand tries the enemy’s path, and doesn’t like it.

Selene has been exhorting Rand to retrieve the Horn from Fain’s Trollocs, to seize the glory he deserves. Rand, drunk on the attention, does it. If he can just get that chest, he can have Selene too. Shrouded in the void that masks him from Fain’s senses, he and Loial enter the camp, and escape with the Horn. The loss of the dagger immediately wakes Fain, since its power makes his mind whole. Are the Forsaken done with Fain now that Rand has taken the Horn?In the void, the Power of saidin beckons to Rand. Desperate not to embrace it, Rand sticks to swordplay to defeat the handful of Trollocs barring their way. His desperation is such that he invites death in battle before he will touch it. And with each Trolloc he cuts down, he realizes that he can make do without it. The pressing need he has to touch saidin, to seize the Power, can be put off. And that triggers his revelation that he doesn’t want the Horn, or the glory it comes with. Selene is not happy; their honeymoon phase is over.

The swordplay imagery is an example of a few words telling the reader several different things. In three or four words, each form paints a motion, gives a feeling of defense or offense, and engages the reader’s imagination. The whole reveals a part of the world’s culture, and harkens back to the relationship between Rand and Lan.

By placing the ruby dagger inside the horn’s curl, Rand leaves himself a reminder about his purpose, in case he is ever tempted again. Selene contrives to stay in Rand’s company for a few days longer, hoping to have him cast away the dagger. She may want the horn, but she wants the Dragon more. When Rand accidentally taps into a sa’angreal’s power, he risks being consumed by the sheer power of saidin, causing Selene to promise anything, even giving up the Horn, to get Rand away from this danger. To win the struggle with that immense Power, Power to Break the World, Rand falls back again on his sense of self, and forges a link between his two ancestries.  Adoptive Manetheren, a bramble to the Dark One’s hand; and the Aiel, who spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last day. In this world, under many circumstances, knowing one’s self is a source of power and control.

By the time Selene leaves Rand’s side, he is more in control of his destiny than at any previous time in the novel. This is a high point, maybe the first in the book, where it feels like everything could work out fine. Getting the Horn and the dagger this early is a bit of a surprise, if not a plot twist.

Nynaeve learns that she too is exceptional. Readers already knew she could become one of the strongest Aes Sedai alive, but she can also recreate any weave that she sees. However, it is not strength the Aes Sedai value most, it is fortitude, which is the quality that Novice and Accepted training is designed to promote. Nynaeve and Egwene should have no problems in that regard, their personalities dictate their greatest risk will come from failing to accept the reduced freedom, lower rank, and restricted privileges of Novices and Accepted.

The scene where the Amyrlin teaches Nynaeve and Egwene is fun, because the heroines are faced with a challenge, and come out on top, with greater knowledge and power than they had before. Even as the future challenge of the White Tower looms, the reader is developing confidence in their ability to meet it.  The training of the girls is an effective way to also explain what Rand will be able to do with the One Power, and the types of weave he may face.  

Egwene’s dreams continue to be prophetic. Dreams are generally a contrived plot device in fiction, used for foreshadowing or to let the reader know what the character is concerned about. Once the rules of the World of Dreams get established, they feel less contrived. For now, Egwene is having dreams which show her exactly what is going on with Rand. Ba’alzamon sees her in the dream, and laughs at her. Laughs! Not only does Egwene see true in the dreams, she is filled with certainty about actions she should take, such as not telling Anaiya certain details of the dream. This certainty is part of the Pattern’s corrective mechanism, the same plot device that allows Elaida’s Foretellings, Min’s Viewings, Nynaeve’s Listening to the Wind, and the various ter’angreal that give visions of the future. These free-willed creatures require a lot of guidance.

Liandrin sends a warded Draghkar after Moiraine. Moiraine is after information that can help her, and her questions casually remind us that Toman Head waits in Rand’s future. Lan reflects on the reasons he has built a protective relationship with Rand, not realizing it may have to do with his love for Nynaeve. Moiraine knows, and has made arrangements for Lan to be taken care of, and have the possibility of his bond passing to Nynaeve if all works out. Protecting the Dragon is her end goal, but she is satisfied that she can also help out her Warder in doing so.

Writing Lessons:

Brevity forces you to use words that have more impact, and which can serve more than one purpose.