A Memory of Light - Chapters 25-28

In this section, Egwene makes uneasy alliance with her personal Dark One.

Egwene has good reason to detest the Seanchan, having endured a short time in their clutches as a damane. She is tolerant of their help when she first hears of their arrival, but the matter of who leads who must be decided. So, she and Fortuona must meet face to face for the sake of expediency, despite the risk to their status being seen doing so.

She wore a glittering dress whose train extended a ridiculous distance behind her, carried by eight da’covale, those servants in their horribly immodest clothing. The use of the adjectives ‘ridiculous’ and ‘horribly’ not only describe the physical appearance of Fortuona’s garments and entourage, but also Egwene’s judgment of it. This sort of deep and personal attribution of adjectives is one way the author succeeds in crafting the third-person limited point of view.

In her confrontation with Fortuona, Egwene takes up the familiar theme of freedom to choose. Many of the evils in this world limit people’s freedom, and Egwene’s cause is one that Rand recently supported, and will again in his imminent confrontation with the Dark One.

Both Fortuona and Egwene can be excused for spontaneous bouts of uncharacteristic blurting out what they are really thinking when their minds should be keenly focused on the politics of this encounter.  Their minds may be sharp as diamond-studded bear traps, but all preparation and logic go out the window once a ta’veren is part of the conversation. If Mat weren’t present, readers might frown over the women’s lack of formality and veering off topic. I suppose Egwene’s eagerness to publicly beat Fortuona account for some of her behaviour.

Elsewhere, the generals are caught making mistakes, and Bashere is arrested as a result. Lan has verified his suspicions about Agelmar as well. Perrin would like to investigate this matter more, but he has been battling Slayer and protecting Rand.

In his battle Perrin sees an image of snakelike men battling as well. Are the forces of evil also attacking the Aelfinn? Or are the Aelfinn and Eelfinn secretly participating in the battle at Thakan’dar, staving off the threat to their own existence?

The dreamspike serves a major plot related purpose, keeping Rand safe from outside interference, though it may later slow his escape. The wolves add to Rand’s defense, summoning Perrin whenever Slayer approaches.

Perrin’s encounter with Slayer ends in victory as the other man is driven off before he can harm Rand. Perrin and Gaul also fight several red-veiled Aiel, defeating the last by changing them into idiots. I wonder whether the turning process somehow weakens their willpower, thus affecting how easily they are altered in Tel’aran’rhiod, or perhaps it is simply lack of training as Perrin surmises. Lanfear even shows up to aid Perrin yet again, and despite misgivings, it is difficult not to wonder if this most Forsaken of them all might be swayed back to the Light.

Moridin has no such second chances in his future: “Now? Now you beg me to return to the Light? I have been promised oblivion. Finally, nothing, a destruction of my entire being. An end. You will not steal that from me, Lews Therin! By my grave, you will not!” Moridin came forward swinging.

Shaidar Haran’s demise is anticlimactic, yet not without interest. The giant Myrddraal’s husk lies on the ground before an infinite Blackness, whose touch may spell the end of Rand. Moridin will try to bleed one last time to weaken him enough for the Dark One to prevail, perhaps even to defeat Rand himself. The stakes, emotion, and uneven odds all contribute to the intensity of Rand’s slow progress to the Bore. The slow pace of Rand’s battle, explained by the time differential, also keeps the tension high. The book is half over, and he’s just facing his opponent now. How much can be left? What will happen? So, so good.  

A raken hit by a fireball crashes atop a messenger in Byrne’s camp. With no one else to carry a plea for help, Min offers her aid. Necessity is a very believable reason for improbable coincidences to take place. In this case, it provides the desired motivation for Min and Bryne, and is quicker and more elegant than any other convoluted attempt to place her with the Seanchan could be. Added to Fortuona, Min and Mat now offer another convenient pair of viewpoints to show events from a more Seanchan perspective.

The use of an Ogier song of mourning makes the reader’s mood more downcast, especially in contrast to how the Ogier’s manic battle rage had provided an uplifting source of hope in an earlier chapter. Loial’s sections are short, and used to punctuate the plot with the desired emotion each time he shows up.

Writing Lessons: Use adjectives to simultaneously describe physical and symbolic elements, as well as reveal character.  

Use necessity as a means to make improbable scenarios more believable.

Towers of Midnight - Chapters 36-38

In this section, Perrin, Egwene and Gawyn conclude their greatest battles.

Egwene brings together Aiel, Sea Folk and Aes Sedai, the first of several groups who must find common ground before the Last Battle. She finally reveals her vision for their future cooperation, and by making a few concessions, she successfully gains their approval.   

Aes Sedai shouldn’t make laws that they can’t enforce – or they will appear to be either idiots or tyrants.

The battle follows a format that switches from character to character, which is useful given the tight quarters and different locales. Egwene- Perrin – Gawyn – Egwene –Perrin – Gawyn - Perrin –Egwene - Perrin – Gawyn – Mesaana – Perrin – Egwene – Perrin – Egwene - Perrin – Graendal. Mesaana’s appearance introduces the excitement of an impending trap, and its placement immediately after Gawyn succumbs to his wounds gives that threat an emotional boost.

Perrin and Slayer use Tel’aran’rhiod in a variety of inventive ways during their battle. As discussed previously, I anticipate a significant portion of the Last Battle to take place in Tel’aran’rhiod, so this back and forth parrying using the realm’s properties gives the reader a deeper understanding of what is and isn’t possible.

After speaking with his sister, Gawyn realizes he doesn’t need recognition, he needs to make the world better, which he can do by stepping aside and becoming Egwene’s warder and also be free to love her. He realizes Egwene is trying to set her trap that night, and rushes to her side, conveniently entering Tar Valon just before Perrin cuts off access to it by bringing the dreamspike there. The timing of Gawyn’s return is somewhat based on his realization that Egwene is in danger, and reminds readers that he is impulsive, but close calls like this always risk raising the suspicions of readers that it happened this way because the author needed it to, not because of the characters themselves. Perrin’s appearance in Tar Valon fits this bill even more so.

Other tactics in Tel’aran’rhiod are shown by Egwene and the Aes Sedai. Egwene is trapped by the dreamspike, but so is Mesaana. Mesaana’s authoritative knowledge reveals the dreamspike’s powers. Egwene and Nynaeve develop tactics to search and destroy Black Ajah. Bair has awesome camouflage. When Perrin and Egwene chastise each other, Perrin gives Egwene a clue about force of will when he deflects some balefire.

Perrin thinks he can destroy the dreamspike in lava, though he should be able to simply shroud it in lava as various Forsaken tried to do to Rand on several occasions. Less probable manifestations in Tel’aran’rhiod seem to be more susceptible to being undone, so it may not have worked as well as the nightmare did. The sudden appearance of the nightmare behind Slayer is once again too convenient, though Perrin’s anguish at seeing Hopper killed may have attracted it, or even caused it.

Gawyn enters Egwene’s chambers to find two Bloodknives. The addition of a third figure adds to the intensity and is a simple and effective way to make the situation direr. The author doesn’t have to reveal the entirety of the threat right away, revealing it gradually creates more intensity. Gawyn evens the odds by purposefully disadvantaging himself by extinguishing the lights.

Egwene acts predictably, falls into Mesaana’s trap. An a’dam on her neck, she calms herself, hearing words deep within her, deeper than her terror or fear, words which anchor her identity to the foundation of the White Tower itself. The verbal sparring goes heavily in Egwene’s favour, as every argument Mesaana uses is undermined by Egwene’s tenacious self-knowledge. As Egwene imagines herself as immovable as a mountain, Mesaana’s comparatively insignificant will crumples, shredding the Forsaken’s mind.  AWESOME! I expect Rand’s battle in A Memory of Light to resemble this. An earlier example of using Tel’aran’rhiod to alter someone’s identity made this slightly more understandable to readers, but was not necessary, given the rich and detailed explanation during Egwene and Mesaana’s conflict.

Egwene wakes and bonds Gawyn, a reward for each of them overcoming their deepest personal fears. Perrin wakes and moves his people to safety.

Graendal has one last tool near Perrin, but who?

Writing Lessons:

Beware of convenient events, which can raise the reader’s disbelief.

Knife of Dreams - Chapters 13-16

In this section, Elayne has no control over the little things.

The price Elayne must pay for her efforts to take the throne is discomfort and annoyance. She and her warder are exhausted. The mercenaries won’t do as she commands. She continues to endure the inconveniences of pregnancy and the uninformed opinions of helpful followers who want the best for her baby. And in this case, by climbing the city walls in the rain to see her opponents flee, she is drenched. There has been a continual series of assaults on the city walls, the defense of which must be led by someone. Who else is there to do that? Birgitte laments, echoing Elayne’s feelings. A small start towards a solution comes in the form of an Andoran officer who has led ten thousand men to the Palace by Gateway.

A series of encounters in the palace prevents Elayne and her followers from changing into dry clothes. Former damane are beginning to assert their new identities. Sul’dam ready to admit they can channel will be sent back to Seanchan to undermine the foundations of their society. Vandene is still leading a search for the Black Ajah in the Palace. The Sea Folk pester her with questions about their missing apprentice. Every person she meets tells her to change out of her wet clothes. When the Sea Folk Windfinder repeats this advice for the umpteenth time, Elayne screams in frustration. The notion of someone in a position of command being told to do the same thing over and over by everyone proves to be quite funny.

Even the Palace itself seems to conspire against Elayne, as she gets lost. This is the first time a new sign of the Pattern breaking down is shown; physical locations rearrange themselves. The author is quite intent on making sure readers understand that nowhere in the world is safe from these random events or from the bubbles of evil like the dark clouds of lightning over the Inner City.

Aviendha has the ability to tell what the function of a ter’angreal is. There is no basis for this Talent. It is simply the fact that other rare skills are Talents that allows the author to throw a new Talent into the story and have the reader accept it at face value. By now there have been enough Talents and new weaves shown, some surprising even the Forsaken, that one more seems plausible. This Talent for knowing what ter’angreal do avoids author intrusion by way of explanation and the lengthy info-dumps that might have come with it. The Talent is made more believable by introducing it gently, showing Aviendha’s progression from vague understanding to sure knowledge. To diminish any remaining scorn from readers about introducing the Talent, Aviendha is summoned away from Elayne’s side before she can catalogue the contents of the ter’angreal cache in its entirety. An ability that can’t be used is more likely to be accepted than one that is revealed just as it is needed or useful.

Elayne receives a ter’angreal in the shape of a knife from Aviendha that may be able to make her undetectable to the Dark One and his minions. She loans Aviendha an angreal in exchange. This ter’angreal could be a real Knife of Dreams, but its absence in the rest of the story infers that the title is more of a metaphor, as in the quote from the beginning of the book, describing the margin between victory and defeat in each of the characters’ plotlines.

After looking over her meal, the Aiel Wise Ones pester her about getting a midwife. Elayne angrily agrees, thinking she’ll be just one more woman to make sure her meals are wretched.

Elayne tells some mercenary captains to be happy with what they are being paid and firmly threatens to throw them out of the city if they show signs of further grievances.

An expert pickpocket is brought before Elayne and set the task of following Captain Mellar, who has lost the trust of Elayne and Birgitte. Could Shiaine’s plan all along have been to plant an obvious flunky in Elayne’s midst so she could lure her out of the Palace? There are many ways such a plan could go wrong, but maybe no more than if the original assassins had tried to kidnap her and smuggle her out of the Palace undetected instead.

Writing Lessons:

Conceal contrived plot elements by making them the latest in a series of similar elements that were not contrived.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 10-12

In this section, Elayne does all the things the readers don’t like.

There’s a reason you rarely see characters doing menial tasks. It takes time away from them doing the things readers enjoy, such as battling, or romancing, or striving, or accomplishing. Menial tasks make the characters that much more ordinary. But it also makes them relatable. If you never see a character eat or sleep, you might wonder where they get their energy. In Elayne’s case, readers feel they are all too often treated to hair brushing, choosing clothes, and bathing.

Elayne is unique amongst the main characters, in that she grew up and still resides in a world of politics. She will be judged for improper attire, unkempt hair, or smelling bad from a day in the saddle. Some of the others might get away with those things, but they are as much a part of Elayne’s routine as practicing sword-forms is to Rand or Lan.  A princess who doesn’t spend time doing these things is not a believable princess. Nonetheless, readers yearn for less of these trivial things.

The way Elayne is judged is important to her success in gaining the throne of Andor. She is trying to present herself as the impeccable choice to be Queen, and is courting the nobility of Andor. She is successful in portraying the desired image, but the Houses have little left to give, certainly not enough to make a difference in the defense of Caemlyn. But their presence is worthwhile for the symbolism.

Elayne reflects on the power of rumour and hearsay to create an identity for her. The image she portrays must be completely infallible. This is similar to how Rand tried to manage his own image, except that he took a very firm hand in direct dealings with the people he encountered. Elayne’s own dealings are subtle, never veering in a direction that can be misconstrued. The amount of time she spends dwelling on it reflects the intense non-stop effort it requires.

Everyone still insists on mothering Elayne, treating her as a fragile specimen whose only purpose is to bear a child.

When a character makes an analogy, the author is able to write one that conveys not only Elayne’s privileged lifestyle, but relates back to the topic being considered. Thinking of Rand always makes Elayne think of the babe, so the analogy that follows is: One followed the other as surely as cream rose in the milkpan.

Elayne’s romantic relationship with Rand puts a different spin on the importance of the cleansing. She reminds herself that it is the taint on saidin that will kill him. With the cleansing, that is no longer true, for him as well as for all the Asha’man. The blazing beacon she senses to the west is a source of concern for her, which it wasn’t in the last few perspectives considering its meaning. Aviendha sets her straight: they need to have faith that Rand can deal with this on his own, rather than rushing to his side and introducing an unknown factor he isn’t expecting.

Of the five Elayne chapters in a row, three of them end with her relating how Andor is what matters most, more than any other thing could matter. This feels repetitious in the same way Perrin’s continual quest for Faile was, but without the same dire outcome waiting. If Elayne doesn’t gain the throne, and Arymilla runs the queendom into the ground, Elayne would still be free to partake in the rest of the story. Her identity is wrapped up in becoming queen though; it is all she has been told from birth. Failing to become Queen changes her identity, which is the main threat she faces. The obstacles she faces are mostly circumstantial, and are not the result of any of her character traits. If anything, her character in this regard is flawless, and it is the shadow of her mother’s character she is trying to escape from under.

The Black Ajah in the palace is brought up again, but there are no good clues pointing to her. If anything, Sareitha’s praise of Mellar causes readers to view her as sympathetic to him, a known Darkfriend. That vague and tenuous connection from a single conversation creates a strong connection because of the pre-existing link between Mellar and the Shadow.

The Sea Folk make a new bargain with Elayne. They are in a rush to leave because Zaida wants her chance to become Mistress of the Ships. This gives Elayne a chance to be rid of some of the inconveniences thrust on her by the agreement to provide teachers. She gives up some future concessions that will cost her more than she can foresee, in order to keep what help she can for now.

A theme running through this entire section is that good help is hard to find. Maids gossip, Lords provide feeble old men or boys for Elayne’s armies, Mellar is a dolt, the Sea Folk are running off, the Black Ajah in the Palace still hasn’t been found, and her own closest friends and advisors don’t trust her to care for herself or the baby. Amidst all these unreliable people, only Elayne is strong and true, never erring, always seeing to the heart of the matter. Readers tend to interpret this as Elayne being overbearing instead of the commentary on the followers failure to live up to expectations which it must be, or the same message wouldn’t keep coming back. Based on how Jordan has used this repetition technique in the past, he is trying to expose Elayne’s worst fear that she won’t live up to expectations. Unfortunately, by the end of all this, a significant portion of readers won’t care whether she does or not.

Writing Lessons:

The events a character spends time on should be consistent with their background and goals.  

Crossroads of Twilight - Prologue part 1

In this section, a host of secondary characters are introduced.

Prologues are usually intended to give the reader information that can’t otherwise be shown in the story. When information is given in a prologue, it creates the expectation that the information will be of some necessity in building mood, explaining events, or driving the plot forward. In this case it only works if we consider Crossroads of Twilight as the first part of a larger book which includes the following volume or two. It might be best to think of it that way since this prologue spans eighty pages, almost one eighth of the entire book. At that point, the only reason to call it prologue instead of chapters is in order to lump various shorter bits together and pretend that the story actually only starts when the central characters are presented in Chapter one.

The first part of the prologue covers General Ituralde in Arad Doman, Eamon Valda leading the Children of the Light, Gabrelle at the Black Tower, Yukiri in the White Tower, Gawyn outside Tar Valon, and General Davram Bashere near Caemlyn. Four of these are battle leaders, indicating that war preparations are beginning. Four of these are completely new perspectives, though the sections previously granted to Gawyn or Valda were short, and parts of prologues themselves.

Ituralde has been mentioned by name before, but has never been seen on-page. His behaviour is consistent with Cadsuane’s, in that he seems to have been already anointed by the Light. He carries the favour of the disparate factions, and the only rules he follows are those ingrained by his morals. In comparison, Valda contemplates murder of his peers. Gawyn merely contemplates betraying his fellows, and he will act as a proxy for Rand for the next few books, looking down two divergent roads and deciding which to follow.

Gabrelle and Yukiri fail to attract any interest aside from the circumstances in their respective locales. Gabrelle’s seduction of Logain overshadows all other aspects of her personality, which is completely typical of her Ajah. As previously discussed, the Black Ajah hunters are more identifiable by their quest than by their individual personalities. As a result, each of them is interchangeable with the others, all the more so when Yukiri has a bland personality that fails to elevate her to the status of her co-conspirators Seaine and Pevara.

The mystery of the too-young Sitters is reintroduced here, and more discussion will follow in later chapters. We’ll check in to see if it warrants the attention.

In Bashere’s section, the attempted theft of the Seals on the Dark One’s Prison provides the first direct menace. All the other threats have been veiled and insinuated, none have been directly shown.

Let’s examine how the author handles the introduction of new characters, with a closer look at Ituralde’s first appearance.

Bashere is introduced as a seasoned soldier; the first two paragraphs give examples.

Jaalam is introduced in paragraph three, and his close relationship to Ituralde is demonstrated in the next two paragraphs.

The next two pages describe King Alsalam, an old friend whose erratic behaviour brought Ituralde to concoct his mad plan. Four other Lords and Ladies are named, who unswervingly obeyed the King’s orders, never to be seen again.

The next page introduces Donjel, a scout with severe facial injuries. He is trusted with carrying a packet to Ituralde’s wife should he die.

Jaalam is called to follow to Lady Osana’s hunting lodge. She too will never be heard from again. Jaalam opens doors and takes the lead to offer Ituralde some small protection as they enter the lodge.

They are met by Lord Shimron, once a trusted advisor to the King, now Dragonsworn. Shimron and Jaalam trade bows, honoring each other.

Three domain lords are named: Rajabi, Wakeda and Ankaer. The Dragonsworn have Shimron, and the Taraboners have no named leader.

Wakeda expresses doubt, taunting Ituralde. They trade verbal jabs as they discuss the Seanchan invasion.

Shimron acts as peacemaker, turning the talk to the Aiel on Almoth Plain. Ituralde points out that the Aiel have slowed the Seanchan, but can’t stop them. He reveals his latest orders from the King. He offers a truce in the King’s name to the assembled battle leaders. Now the earlier focus on the relationship between Ituralde and King is justified. All of these relationships and the choice to face the Seanchan depend on trust, which is why all the characters shown have had some element of their trustworthiness described.

Rajabi and Wakeda get one-line physical reactions. Shimron asks whether the Seanchan can be defeated, effectively deferring to Ituralde’s wisdom.

Ituralde answers yes, and Shimron, Rajabi and Wakeda agree to follow him. Their responses are given in order from he with the closest links to Ituralde to the most hostile.

The nameless Taraboners express doubt, and Ituralde offers to lead them himself. Wakeda wails at this aspect of the plan, still acting as the most vocal doubter of the group. But having already given his word, there is nothing to be done, and the Taraboner leader accepts Ituralde’s offer to put his own skin on the line.

In summary, a handful of named characters are used to establish the role of trust in relationships in this part of the world. Jaalam and Donjel offer direct examples, and the description of the other Domani’s dedication to follow orders reinforces them. Three named Lords are presented to show a range of attitudes towards Ituralde, and the domino-like fashion in which they fall into line precedes the Taraboner reaction, which represents the attitude of the everyman.

Writing Lessons:

Use a variety of characters in short speaking roles or shorter non-speaking roles to portray behaviours that will give believability to the situation.

Winter's Heart - Chapters 11-12

In this section, Rand and his girlfriends embrace their three-pronged romantic relationship.

An important element of the series is how Rand and three women come to share their affections. Rand is reluctant to accept the love of any woman at all, having gone out of his way to avoid endangering them with his presence. He rightfully knows that his enemies see his love as a weakness to be exploited, and thus avoids feeling any love or warmth towards anyone. Elayne, Aviendha and Min all have to find a way to get Rand to accept and return their love, but also to avoid feeling jealousy towards each other.

Romance is difficult enough to portray, so trying to show a three woman to one man romance requires either establishing the situation and motivations convincingly or using some other tricks to prevent the reader’s disbelief. In this case, Jordan once again opts for humour, using Nynaeve’s distraught reaction to acknowledge the ridiculousness of the situation. The emotional reaction to the humour overrides the immediate logical reaction that the four-way romantic situation is highly unlikely.

But even Nynaeve’s funny reaction isn’t funny enough to simply be thrown into the discussion and distract the reader; the humour is built up prior to that by having Nynaeve in a number of other uncomfortable situations, of which learning about Rand’s live life is the last straw. First she must endure an hour of teaching the Sea Folk, badgering from Alivia and the Kin, and a misunderstanding with Talaan, all of which build up the expectation that events are getting out of Nynaeve’s comfort zone. Subtle phrases set up the distraught reaction later: Having a husband meant that she did not have to share a bed with another woman, or two, and it gained her a sitting room.

An emotional reaction will always trump a logical one, but some readers will have a negative emotional reaction to some topics no matter what tricks or convincing prose are used to try create a different emotional reaction. Sex, love, death and morally difficult topics will always be difficult for some readers, so if your story is going to include such an element, the best you may be able to do is sway readers in the middle into accepting the story element.

When the characters recognize the ridiculous nature of the situation, the reader is complicit, and instead of feeling like they’ve been left out of the story, they feel included. They know their concerns are being addressed, and they will read on to see what happens next.

The women’s willingness to share Rand is an acceptance that Rand does not belong to any of them alone. In this respect he represents the Light itself. When the three women bond him, they feel his love returned. The chapters in Caemlyn opened with a couple of descriptions of the taint, its foulness tainting Rand, Lews Therin’s mad cackling representing his uncertainty about his feelings but it ends with descriptions of warm feelings. The women’s acceptance of Rand’s shared affections, and his acceptance of their affection changes the negative feelings depicted at the beginning of this section into positive feelings.  

Rand’s excitement over the bonding with all three women is presented in metaphor: He spun around, wine sloshing out of his cup, more pouring from his pitcher before he could bring it upright. With a muttered oath, he hastily stepped out of the spreading wetness on the carpet and put the pitcher back on the tray. A large damp spot decorated the front of his rough coat, and droplets of dark wine that he tried to brush away with his free hand. Very satisfactory.

Nynaeve’s training of the windfinders makes excellent use of imagery to describe how she strikes and counters attacks. Were they using swords instead of weaves, the descriptions of parrying and deft manoeuvring of weaves would be just as apt. Piggybacking on existing imagery or concepts that the reader is familiar with makes it easier to explain abstract concepts.

Writing Lessons:

To suspend the reader’s disbelief, build up towards the emotional reaction you want the reader to have when they reach the hard-to-believe element.

Winter's Heart - Chapters 8-10

In this section, Elayne is set upon by Darkfriends.

Elayne is trying to embody the ideals that other people look up to. While Perrin and Aram and others all have competing ideals they are seeking to be faithful to, Elayne is such a faith, and she represents a particular form of idealized woman: virginal, queenly, powerful, kindly, generous, beneficent, and brave. Whatever qualities she does not yet have, she will have forced on her by her quest. She reflects I rule Andor, but at times I think Reene Harfor rules me, establishing that the followers exert as much or more control over the relationship as the leaders.

In one inconvenient relationship, further arrangements are made to provide the Sea Folk with teachers. The debate allows for a quick round-up of the Aes Sedai, Elayne’s other guests, and their activities. The damane prisoners are in the care of the Kin. They cannot be released yet for fear they will turn back to their old relationships and try to free the sul’dam. Even the newest damane taken in Tanchico and Toman Head cannot be trusted to make decisions for themselves. The oldest damane Alivia, who must know about Seanchan history from first-hand experience than any official and untrustworthy record, is ready to be set free.

It is disorienting to know the heroines are the three most powerful channelers, only to find better and more powerful channelers among Egwene’s new recruits, the Kin, the Seanchan and the Sea Folk. It is now very muddled as to who is the most powerful, and therefore highest ranking. Under Egwene’s open invitation to channelers, any one of these women could pass the training and be among the top Aes Sedai within a decade. The threat of losing their standing will keep those most powerful women from retiring into the Kin, but a temporary placement would make an effective punishment.

The Kin themselves have begun filtering out of the palace to find their other members who may need help escaping from Seanchan hands. After all the effort to keep the weave for Traveling out of Seanchan hands, the residues Nynaeve will leave behind from each of her Gateways are a very large risk. Did Nynaeve remember to invert the weave each time? Or would she simply insist that she had obviously been careful?

Two of the other Kin have been placed back in novice White and have reasoned out one of three Aes Sedai are Black Ajah. Vandene insists they be kept busy so Nynaeve foists the duty back on Vandene. The others are equally busy teaching Sea folk, keeping the Kin nearby, or working to take the throne.

When the author creates characters, he often has one who epitomizes the class or culture, and then introduces another who rejects that class and culture and who is intent on setting a new direction, turning all conventions on their head. This is particularly effective when he’s also introduced several very minor characters who all embrace the same culture. For example, by naming a half dozen Kinswomen, the reader feels they all share some common traits, but he then pulls forward one difference between them (two of them were runaway novices, while the others were put out of the Tower), and creates tension among them with it. This tension is strong enough to motivate the one or two Kinswomen who are more fully developed characters, and even to shift some of the major characters in a particular direction.

The discovery of alum which can be mined from Elayne’s estates is convenient and contrived. It fixes a major obstacle by allowing Elayne to borrow any money she needs from local banks. The reader’s reaction is likely to be an eye-rolling “oh, sure” instead of any excitement. There really wasn’t any earlier time to introduce this stream of revenue which could have felt less contrived. The best that could have been done instead would be to have her estates historically producing some resource which was useful but not necessary. Then, with the chaos caused by the Dragon breaking the World again, a shortage could have been created which made Elayne’s resource much more valuable, providing the necessary funds but tying her new wealth to an existing plot rather than coming out of thin air. The resource could even have been alum, just with a more believable reason for it to pay for fixing Elayne’s problems.   

The first real action of the book so far is an assassination attempt on Elayne, which is meant to fail. Elayne observes it is an overly complicated plan. What is its end objective? If it was to kill Elayne, they had it already – Hanlon could have kept other guards away while the four assassins finished Elayne. Instead, Shiaine’s man has spent all this effort getting into a position of authority so that Elayne can be killed at a later time, a time of Moridin’s choosing. The problem is that Elayne’s guard is up against future attempts, the forkroot won’t work again, and the convenient timing of the heroic guardsman has created a bit of scrutiny towards him. It may be that Moridin is overly fond of complex plans for no good reason except that it serves the Dark One’s desires. Holding Elayne as a captive may be a prod for Rand, and it is in line with two other previous attempts to capture, not kill, Rand’s girlfriends. 

Arguments among characters add a dose of realism. No one gets along perfectly in real life, even amongst good friends. Whenever Nynaeve, Elayne, Dyelin, Birgitte, and Aviendha have snippy fits, it fits with the reader’s familiarity of such real-life situations. 

Egwene’s only appearance in this book is in a dream, which takes place before her epilogue in the last book. This is not confusing because the epilogue in The Path of Daggers told of a month-long wait before her Travel to Tar Valon. Since a month has not yet passed, and there has been none of the familiar rumours and news indicating her arrival yet, it is simple and intuitive to reason that her appearance takes place within the month-long wait.

Slayer returns, spying on Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve in tel’aran’rhiod, giving Egwene a chance to show off her skilful use of powers in the World of Dreams. With Rand nowhere to be found, Moridin’s agents are lurking near Rand’s allies watching for any clue as to his whereabouts. So much so that three of them are doing the same independently of each other. The Black Ajah will join up with Shiaine at some later point, but it could just as easily have been now. Why not simply congregate the villains and concentrate their efforts? Is it to have a situation like in Ebou Dar where their efforts interfere mildly with each other? Asne’s perspective ends with her warders drawing nearer, but this has no bearing on later events other than to provide the Black Ajah with a bit of muscle. It is frustrating when a tension-building moment doesn’t amount to anything, but in this case there is enough other Black Ajah tension that pans out the reader is likely to forget it amongst the rest.

Writing Lessons:

Plots which are overly complex, or overly simple and contrived, reduce the believability of your story.