The Gathering Storm - Chapters 37-39

In this section, Rand mercilessly destroys his enemies and Egwene gets some help.

Without a shred of regret or doubt, Rand sacrifices a Domani nobleman to test whether Graendal is really hiding in a fortress called Natrin’s Barrow. His plan to kill Graendal amounts to fooling her into thinking she is sitting down to play a game with him, then to kill her before she realizes there is no game.

Callandor failed Rand before, but we get a glimpse of why Callandor is the object called out in the Prophecies, not the Choedan Kal. Rand calls Callandor a box, designed to trap him, but readers retain the intuition that a circle of two women and one man using Callandor can overcome its flaws. Callandor forces men and women to work together, to be in a circle where they can share sensations, and feed off each other’s will. The Warder bond sometimes causes a feedback loop where Aes Sedai and Warder’s emotions feed off each other. The a’dam allows sensation of the damane’s physical feelings. Rand’s bond with Elayne caused uncomfortable feedback and amplification of sensations. In a circle, using Callandor, it seems plausible that a feedback loop can be created that magnifies willpower, allowing Rand to feed off of the combined resistance of the women linked with him. Given the possible weakness in the True Power exposed in the previous chapters, the ability to use collaborative willpower would be of great value in the Last Battle.  

Balefire’s unique properties are once again showcased in a clever and callous strategy to verify whether Graendal is dead. Of course, dedicated balefire enthusiasts such as myself found several ways in which Graendal could have survived the blast. Min contrasts the results of the faded Compulsion with the bruises on her own neck which have not faded yet. The difference is that Rand acted as an intermediary, so his actions were not undone by balefiring Semirhage, he still believed he had a collar around his neck and was being forced to strangle Min. Given Demandred’s meeting with the Dark One and the repeated use of balefire, it is inevitable that balefire will play an important role in A Memory of Light. I expect Demandred’s forces to channel it almost exclusively in an attempt to unmake the world itself, an attack which would require the True Power, or the properties of Tel’aran’rhiod to repair.

Nynaeve is despondent over her inability to sway Rand by even a hair, so she reluctantly turns to Cadsuane, who tests her, questioning her ability to obey. Nynaeve resists, as she always does, not unlike Rand himself, while Min assigns herself the duty of keeping Rand alive and sane, with his soul in one piece.

Egwene uses need in Tel’aran’rhiod and comes across Tinker wagons. Mat once discovered Tinker Wagons burned with the message ‘tell the Dragon Reborn’ scratched with one man’s dying efforts. What do they mean together? The most common answer relates to their lost song, but given Rand’s recent moods, what he needs to be told is to adopt the Way of the Leaf. Acceptance of events and refusal to use force are two elements of this philosophy that are used frequently in other places in the story. If Rand’s soul is to be salvaged, the Way of the Leaf may offer a means to do it.

Stepping out of Tel’aran’rhiod, the transition from healthy Egwene to injured Egwene drives home the treatment she casually described to Siuan, hoping not to alarm her to the point where she would ignore Egwene’s order to pursue no rescue. With Siuan she uses words like ‘solitude, beating, spice, survive, narrow, touch, can’t stand, bend, stoop, pain, beatings, old, itches, cracks.’ Upon awakening, the author uses stronger words such as ‘blackness, exploded, pain, pounded raw, strap, cramped, forced, curled, small, smelled, unwashed, stench, groan, shield, stiff, cracked, scraping, parched, never, stooped’.

Dramatic events surrounding Elaida’s potential downfall and Silviana’s potential execution allow Egwene a few moments alone back in her cell, just in time for a visit from Verin.

Verin’s affiliation with the Black Ajah was a much bigger secret than Sheriam’s because she helped the heroes so overtly, but of course there were still those who latched on to the idea that she was Black Ajah early. Verin’s appearance brings an avalanche of revelations. Fortunately she doesn’t just walk in and hand her secrets to Egwene. There is a cost, which is her life. Self-sacrifice isn’t something the Dark One seems able to conceive of or worry about, so Verin’s self-sacrifice is a clue to the Dark One’s blind spot, one which Rand should easily take advantage of as he embodies the role of saviour.

As the series nears its end, it’s foreseeable that readers get reminders of all the major plot elements which will explain the later victory, so these tidbits about the Dark One, balefire, Callandor, the True Power and Tel’aran’rhiod are significant. In almost every case, those tidbits have been placed in gripping scenes so that readers absorb them, but don’t dwell on them, allowing a more powerful revelation later.

With most of the Black Ajah plots already foiled, it is timely to reveal their identities now. No longer are readers filled with paranoia about who may be on their side, from now on they will know exactly who is a villain and who is not. A new tension arises from Egwene’s need to keep this secret until she can make the most use of it, even when it will mean interacting with Black Ajah.  She gives orders to take Alviarin immediately if at all possible.

The book has been picking up its pace for a while now, overcoming most concerns or interest in the difference between Jordan and Sanderson. The reason is that events in each locale are directly affecting each other, creating a storyline that links the parts into a whole which the reader has interest in following. Mat’s agreement with Verin led to her arrival in the Tower. Rand’s failure with the Seanchan leads to Tuon launching a raid on Tar Valon. Tuon’s raid prevents Egwene from acting on Verin’s information immediately. Disparate storylines are being interwoven with cause and effect rather than simply thematic links.

Writing Lessons:

Readers feel story progression when the solution to one problem creates a new problem.

Winter's Heart - Chapters 5-7

In this section, Perrin is victim of a misunderstanding, and Elayne begins her long road to the throne.

Perrin has a habit of entering the wolf dream too strongly. Is it because of the intensity with which he takes actions? Perrin seems to operate in only two ways: wait, and act with full commitment.  He is fervent in his desires. This time, he was weak when he woke, though the healing he received may also have played a role. Does Elyas never enter the wolf dream?

Rumours about Perrin and Berelain begin circulating through the camp. Aram’s later behaviour will stem from him seeking out other people than Perrin to dedicate himself to. He hears the rumours that Perrin has been cheating with Berelain, and seeing that he is fallible, tries to find someone else who won’t let him down.

Berelain offers Perrin a truce, which he interprets as yet another veiled attempt to put him in a compromising position. He even dismisses what his nose tells him, even though it has been infallible in the past. He has already made up his mind about Berelain and no amount of smelling honest will change his mind! Rather than describe Berelain further, we learn how Perrin perceives her through a metaphorical description of her furniture:

One of her camp chairs squeaked faintly as she shifted. He had been here often, with Faile, to discuss plans. The tent was big enough to house a family, and Berelain’s elaborate furnishings would not have looked out of place in a palace, all intricate carving and gilt, though everything, tables and chairs and the bed itself, was held together with pegs. They could be disassembled for storage on a cart, but the pegs did not make for true sturdiness.

But, to reinforce the reader’s discomfort with Berelain, a couple of other verbs and adjectives are used in nearby paragraphs when Perrin meets her followers. Two pairs of followers who are interchangeable with each other, both physically and in behaviour. Is Berelain interchangeable for Faile? Or is it Perrin who is interchangeable with Berelain’s other conquests?

Rosene and Nana tittered behind cupped hands.

Wearily he tramped around the hill.

Once again, Perrin resists the idea that Masema is to be killed, despite that he has been secretly meeting with the Seanchan. Perrin might never have thought of a truce with the Seanchan if not for the fact they were apparently willing to meet with Masema.

Perrin’s commitment to non-violent solutions is hastily tossed aside to save Faile. As important as it is to him, it is insignificant when weighed against his desire to see Faile free. He is quite willing to have his men and those they fight pay the price to save her, but he will still do what he can to minimize that cost.

The scouts return with clues that are convincing to Perrin and the reader. They are convincing in part because of who is reporting. The scouts have all been named as the most competent people in the camp. Sulin and Gaul’s abilities have been seen first-hand, and the fact that Perrin compares Jondyn Barran to them gives him the same credibility. Warders benefit from association with the other warders we’ve seen, so even if we know nothing about these particular Warders, their rank guarantees their competence. Each clue they bring back is quickly and simply explained, and unsurprisingly they get every detail right. Since the reader already knows what happened, all this section needed to do is explain how Perrin has come to know the same things. Had Faile’s disappearance been mysterious, Perrin’s scouts may have been pressed for alternative explanations, and the author would have had to explain what Perrin believed and why. It might have been a slightly longer passage, but with the risk that Perrin gets wrong information.

Masema’s erratic behaviour is portrayed differently than Rand’s oncoming madness. First, he and his followers do something reckless by confrontationally marching out of the woods in a long line, stopping only when physically blocked by Perrin’s men despite their drawn bows. Masema’s physical description is blunt, comparing him to a rabid mountain cat, naming him zealot. He is unaware of snow falling on his scalp, something that would bother normal folk. His actions are unplanned; they are sudden, intense, and surprising. His face doesn’t change or contort like those of his followers, and gives no outward sign of his mood. To hammer home the point, after promising considerable delays to Perrin by refusing to Travel using the One Power, Masema suddenly makes an exception to his rule. Whether this is an expression of his madness, the pull of a ta’veren, or an underhanded plot to kill Perrin is as unknown as Masema’s behaviour.

Elayne is touring Caemlyn, trying to be seen as the symbol of Andor that people will rally around. Andor has an informal democratic monarchy, where both the people and the nobility must agree on a ruler before they can take the throne, however good their claim is.

Elayne has been taking reckless chances of her own, a necessary part of touching the hearts of the citizens of the city, and has nearly been kidnapped once as a result. Elayne is trying to assert her independence, refusing bodyguards, lacking protection when she walks the street at night. The threat to her is more pronounced knowing Faile has also been kidnapped.

The narrator’s internal dialogue often reveals a progression of thought, moving from outrage to denial to grudging admission:  “You talk about my language? At least I know what fits where, and what doesn’t.” Elayne colored, and her neck stiffened. She did know! Most of the time. Often enough, at least. This short evolution of thought allows the reader to learn the character’s original perception, their relationship with their critic, and how they react to uncomfortable ideas. Elayne accepts the truth of the criticism much more quickly and easily than Mat or Nynaeve do.  

Writing Lessons:

With metaphor, the description of any object, character or event can apply to any other object, character or event, either subtly or bluntly.

The Shadow Rising - Chapters 38-41

In this section, dangers loom in Tanchico where the Hunters are hopeful, while the Hunter in the Westwood takes his loss personally.

Following a disastrous Trolloc ambush, Perrin acknowledges what he’s been trying to accomplish: vengeance and justice. The bottled up emotions, clear to the reader but understated in the text until now, are finally released. Faile quickly sets him straight on where guilt for his actions will lead. Her rebuke about proper behaviour for generals leads her to admit her royal lineage. Perrin is also stuck revealing his own secrets. They both come clean with each other, holding nothing back. Perrin and Faile face issues of guilt, responsibility, honesty and come out with a strengthened bond. This is all accomplished in relatively little space, which can be contrasted with Rand’s yet-to-come similar struggle with the same issues, which will be stretched out over a far longer period of time. There might be some message here about strength as a couple versus vulnerability as a loner. Faile and Perrin accept each other as they are, in line with the Way of the Leaf, which is not only non-violence, but acceptance of what comes. Interestingly, the Aiel have kept this part of the Way of the Leaf, in the form of their grim fatalism about death.

The first real insight into the mind of a Black Ajah, Liandrin, illustrates their selfishness and sense of entitlement. The way she lashes out at a maid, one who purportedly shares her affiliation with the Dark One, serves to demonstrate what her dominion over Rand would be like. Six Black Ajah, and however many others are off-screen, and a force of five hundred Whitecloaks greatly outmatch Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, Juilin and Bayle. The sense of danger is heightened; excitement builds.

The reminder about the Seanchan menace waiting in the wings is much less effective at producing a similar sense of danger and excitement. At best, there is an indication of some divisive elements among the Seanchan, and potential for one side or the other to aid the heroes. Odds favour Egeanin, who is on the verge of contemplating treason. She sent the Lady Leilwin overseas. With all the intrigue in Seanchan, it is doubtful Egeanin’s new name was chosen coincidentally.

There is no indication yet that Bayle recognizes Thom from their flight down the Arinelle but he easily picks Nynaeve out of a crowd. There are no ta’veren in Tanchico, yet the coincidences happen anyway. Perhaps it is sufficient simply to encounter a ta’veren for him to set your path?

Similarly to the young couple, Thom comes clean with Elayne about his affair with her mother. Elayne seems likely to remember the feeling, if not the exact words Thom said, strengthening their trust.

Chapter separation in the Perrin sequence again seems to serve spacing and pacing considerations, but there is no indication chapter breaks were purposefully designed.  Rather, an uninterrupted Perrin sequence was written, and the breaks and placement chosen afterwards to improve the flow.

Slayer is now twice described as looking as Lan’s brother might. Alert readers remember the legend of Isam, and may even pick up on the same inhuman smell coming from Lord Luc. These clues require memory of earlier books events, but a hook was placed that allows easy recollection: Lan. Stories about random people who are deceased from a generation earlier don’t stick in the memory. Make that story about Lan’s lost cousin, and reader interest is piqued. If it were about Bornhald’s lost cousin, it would not work so well. Lan is the last Malkieri, so any relative affects his identity. Slayer also reveals his plan to Perrin, which is made into a reasonable action by the intent that the information will lure Perrin into a trap. A suitable alternative since an inner monologue such as Slayer gives in The Path Of Daggers would give away too much at this point. The clues may be there, but there is no sense solving the mystery for the reader yet.

With the raker’s departure, the Sea Folk have yet to play a significant role, so readers may expect the Coramoor, Elayne, the Sea Folk and the Seanchan to meet up in the future.

Writing Lessons:

Make a detail more memorable by linking to a character or event that already made an emotional impact in the reader’s mind.