Crossroads of Twilight - Summary

Crossroads of Twilight is widely regarded as the least favorite book in the Wheel of Time because “NOTHING HAPPENS!” There are several reasons for this view.

It is the only book where the situation at the end is little different from the end of the previous book. Perrin is still seeking to free his wife. Elayne is still trying to gain the throne of Andor. Rand is still resting from his efforts. Egwene’s army is still mired outside Tar Valon. Mat is still traveling with the circus folk and wooing Tuon. Black Ajah hunters are still hunting the Black Ajah.

Typically, when the story is divided across several locales, the author has come back to the locale three times, with some progress being made each time that set of characters is revisited. Over half of the locales are shown only once in this book and even those shown twice don’t substantially change anything plotwise. These short scenes limit what the author can do to progress the plots.

So pacing is affected by the limited time devoted to each locale, and a lack of events to change the status quo. Something must happen though, right?

The book is very strong thematically, as each character has time for introspection and faces a very difficult or momentous choice. The choice is first framed with respect to the cleansing of saidin, which is the most important event to take place in the series so far. The author wanted the cleansing to have an epic scope, which required every character to take note of it, no matter where they were in the world. Often books will have a brief epilogue, revealing some of the reaction to the climatic events of the final chapters. Crossroads of Twilight is such an epilogue, 681 pages long. Cramming in everyone’s reaction bogs down the story and forces it to take place over a short period of time, about a week, which again limits how far events can progress.

The other ta’veren ignore the cleansing, concentrating on the task at hand. Elayne and Aviendha see it as something wonderful. Cadsuane disbelieves it, while other Aes Sedai mistrust it, thinking it the work of the Forsaken, which propels them in surprising directions.

Perrin’s inner turmoil is the most vivid, as he ignores the cleansing to save Faile at any cost, and taking a step too far, then realizes that not limiting what he is willing to do would destroy any chance of his reunion with Faile being a happy one. Other characters must also choose between what they want most and what they are willing to do to achieve it. Each variation brings to mind Shadar Logoth, and the price its citizens paid for their choice. Shadar Logoth is gone now, the last reminder of the price to be paid if you are willing to pay any price.

Crossroads of Twilight was published in 2003, the first book in the series to be written and published after the September 11^th attacks. Of all the characters, Perrin’s amputation of an Aiel prisoner is the most symbolic of the public discussion surrounding the appropriate response to the attacks. Perrin’s followers all insist he do what must be done, but he realizes taking the actions they want would destroy who he is. Yet he struggles to find what other courses of action he can take. He throws away his axe, choosing the hammer instead; he chooses forging, not cutting. In contrast, Mat’s choice to kill Renna to save his followers is declared justice and a righteous punishment for traitors. Rand and Egwene decide to try to find common ground with opponents, in order to fight a greater menace. As with plot elements in earlier books, modern American Mythology is blended into the story, with these plot elements applying to both the Vietnam experience and current events. In addressing these themes, a quieter, more introspective story was in order, yet another reason for the markedly slower pace of this book. I feel that wanting to give the story the right balance in this regard may have been a reason for the longer time it took to write.

Much of the trademark metaphorical language that the author uses to make descriptions mean something more is missing or more subtle. This is a deliberate way of fuzzing the reader’s understanding. Few things are blunt and direct, most descriptions, events, or revelations are vague, incomplete or unclear, which fits in tightly with the overall theme of the book.

Writing Lessons:

Make the voice you tell the story in match the theme.

Make something happen by the end!

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 13-14

In this section, much happens, but Elayne accomplishes little.

These are the fourth and fifth chapters in this book dedicated to Elayne and Caemlyn. Elayne reminds her friends that she has to take the long view. Even if she is trying to gain the throne, she cannot set aside the work that needs to be done to prepare the queendom for the Last Battle. Her goal is not simply to win the contest for the throne, but to win the support of the Andoran people for the long term. She makes several seemingly minor decisions throughout this section, none of which have any immediate consequences, but they may have delayed consequences that she will not know the result of until much later, when it is too late to change them. In a typical Mat sequence, the result of his gamble is immediately known, while in Elayne’s version, the dice are thrown and it may be a book or two later before we know how the dice have landed. While this makes sense in the political arena, a delayed payoff creates an expectation that the payoff will be that much more rewarding when it finally comes.

Elayne receives the support of four High Seats, though in truth Dyelin did the legwork and they are siding with Elayne because of loyalty to her mother, or antipathy towards the other claimants. So far, Elayne’s actions or character has not proven particularly relevant in her budding support.

The High Seats are young, naïve, and simplistic. But there is agreement that they are good material to be shaped, some having had good training, others being perceptive, and others being amenable to guidance from Elayne and Dyelin. I cannot escape the perception that Elayne as Queen is meant to embody the Light itself, and many of the judgments she passes on the individual Andorans she meets seem like the Creator choosing out who pleases him best.

Elayne’s two most important servants, the First Clerk and the First Maid, give her reports on the state of affairs in the Palace and the city. They discuss spies in the Palace, which Elayne is pragmatic about. They develop a strategy to counteract the attempted arsons in the city. Most troubling is a report that Arymilla has borrowed so much money from the banks that their only hope of seeing repayment may be to help her to the throne so she can receive enough income to make good on the debts. Other High Seats have vanished, and it is unknown whether they have settled in for the winter or are marching towards Caemlyn, their allegiance yet unknown.

Elayne is subjected to a weave to check the health of her babies, for she learns she has two. A thought is spared for Rand before she begins to fret over the difficulties if they are twin girls, which would present all manner of difficulties for the Succession. True to character.

Merilille has fled with a Sea Folk apprentice, creating another headache for Elayne. It may be that those moments spent in the dressing room or bathing are the only moments when she can be herself and not encumbered by her quest to gain the throne. She keeps many different plates spinning, coming back to each one ever so briefly, but she doesn’t actually get much done. At the end of these five chapters, I’m hard pressed to say what she has accomplished, despite the many things that have happened in her favour or against it. If Elayne is acting as a symbol for the Creator, then not taking a direct hand is appropriate. But even so, failing to do things is a sin that readers do not easily forgive.

Writing Lessons:

Delaying the payoff creates an expectation of a bigger and better payoff.

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.

The Path of Daggers - Chapters 28-31

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In this section, hidden enemies strike.

Both Rand’s and Elayne’s sections end unspectacularly, which ends the book rather unspectacularly. Both make the same point, which is that the opponents hidden in their midst can pose a sudden threat.

In Elayne’s case, the sudden attack takes place at the end of an otherwise bland series of interactions with her party. Reading through this recital of ordinary events is meant to emphasize the hidden nature of the threat, and show how the Black Ajah behave as normally as anyone else, using their normalcy as cover. The revelation of the Black Ajah is described as just another part of an otherwise ordinary week, provoking no excitement.

The ‘explosion’ Elayne was disturbed by turned out to be simply a runaway Accepted hiding among the Kinswomen. The manner in which she is concealed among the Kin is similar to how the Black Ajah hide among trusted friends, but with much less dire consequences. The author builds up this supposed ‘explosion’ and then offhandedly describes discovery of the double murder in an emotionless and logical fashion. This is done to continue disarming the reader’s suspicions so that the attack on Rand in the next chapter can be played for maximum effect.

Dyelin is introduced, and with the events just revealed, Elayne and the reader now can’t help wonder if she is as truthful and loyal as she claims, or whether she is a secret threat.

A long-time foil for the heroes, Carridin, is replaced by Hanlon, just as the captive Black Ajah Ispan has been replaced by the Black sister traveling with Elayne. The advantage gained by knowing who was a Darkfriend has been erased, and the heroes are back where they started with unknown villains in their midst and no clues as to their identity.

The attack on Rand is handled differently than the one on Elayne. The chapter begins with a set-up meant to remind us that everyone serves Rand loyally. The Asha’man have been elevated to Rand’s most trusted guardians now that the Maidens’ complaint has them letting anyone in to see Rand. Sorilea brings five Aes Sedai from Elaida’s embassy who have decided to swear fealty to Rand. It is implied that everyone serves Rand. There are no problems apparent, so now he decides to deal with Cadsuane.

Just as he leaves, a subtle reminder that all is not well is given in the form of a single paragraph of the Maidens outside his door. They still disapprove of his actions. And then from out of nowhere, Rand is attacked!

The attack is sudden, violent and abnormal from any previous threat he has faced. There was no warning, no challenge, no duel, just an immense hammer of Power meant to flatten him. He manages to identify his attackers, and defends himself against Dashiva’s next weave with a globe of Power that serves as a metaphor for his situation. The globe will keep out everything than can harm him, but also the things which sustain him. He cannot live that way. Moments later, his attackers have fled, leaving Rand to wander aimlessly through the wreckage looking for someone to fight.

Finally, he finds Morr, an Asha’man who has spontaneously gone mad while guarding Min. In his final encounter with Taim, Rand adds several names to the list of deserters, all men who had been raised and appointed to serve Rand by Taim. When he euthanizes Morr, Rand refuses to cry, saying he has no time for tears, already hardening himself to the perceived weakness of emotion. If he can’t trust those near him, he won’t allow himself  to feel anything for them.

Bizarrely, a few other short points of view end the book. Perrin recruits the prophet to follow him back to Cairhien, but his refusal to Travel using the One Power means long delays. Faile’s kidnapping implies the same. The Pattern offers at least these two reasons to delay Perrin’s return, in case one or the other should fail to keep him in Ghealdan. Lastly, an undetermined number of days in the future, Egwene leads her army to the shores of the Erinin to lay siege to Tar Valon. By including this scene, there is no need to discuss Egwene or the rebels in the next book.

Writing Lessons:

Build up a single paragraph, or pages at a time, to evoke the mood or emotions you want the reader to have.

The Shadow Rising - Chapters 47-50

In this section, The Center of All Good Things is riven from within, while Rand considers the snakes in his own midst.

The description of the White Tower in the prologue, as the center of the known universe, and the heart of opposition to the Dark One, pays off here. Rand had an ally in the Amyrlin Seat, the ruler of the Aes Sedai. While Rand has been worried about Siuan and Moiraine’s plots, the reader has been privy to Siuan’s thoughts at least, and knows that their aid should be welcome and useful to Rand. The White Tower and Siuan have been portrayed as difficult allies, but clearly on Rand’s side. Now Siuan has been deposed.

The new Amyrlin Elaida has been portrayed as a bully, difficult, controlling and egotistical, and a member of the Ajah who is most likely to gentle Rand. We’ve heard about the disastrous reigns of two prominent Red Amyrlins, one who betrayed Manetheren, and one who mishandled Artur Hawkwing. Elaida’s ascension is the worst possible outcome so far as Rand is concerned. There have been hints that the Red Ajah may flout the law, such as when Owyn was gentled without trial. Heck, after his escape even Mazrim Taim wasn’t getting a fair trial under Siuan’s rule. If Siuan can do that out of necessity, what can Elaida do out of misguided necessity or misinterpretation of her Foretellings?

The suddenness of the Tower’s fall provides a great shock to the reader. Watching Alviarin and Elaida plot would have removed any surprise and replaced it with dread. Instead, the last we saw was a murdered novice and farmer, with no indication of any immediate threat to Siuan or Min, just skulking in the shadows off-page. There is little advantage in dragging out the description of the schism in a step by step process for the sake of including some action or suspense. Due to Min’s viewings any overt buildup would give away the timing of it coming true and the end result. Readers may identify with Min since the focus has been on her, but they don’t have the same affinity for the other White Tower characters. Any danger which others are put in is of minor consequence, so just as well to gloss over it. Only three characters in the Tower have mattered enough to reveal much about them: Min, Siuan and Gawyn.

Since Siuan is an ally, and a knowledgeable mentor character that is meant to be trusted later, there is a need to make her more sympathetic. This is accomplished in part by taking away her power and authority, by forcefully changing her identity from ruler to peasant. Had the same happened to Elaida, we’d likely raise a cheer, when it happens to Siuan, the reaction is one of disgust and horror. How can they do that a woman? And it is a simple woman that the reader sees, not a ruler. The way Laras talks down to Siuan, the way Aes Sedai, warders, and Elaida herself won’t condescend even to glance in her direction when she is on her knees, the loss of her ageless look, her newfound ability to lie, all of these demonstrate that Siuan is no longer anything more than a woman with determination.

The fighting in the Tower should not have resulted in death, yet not everyone is bound against using violence, and they only form they are prevented from using under most circumstances is the One Power. Regular weapons may still be used, as may warders. Elaida understood that if her plan were to fail, she herself may be in mortal danger, so she made sure to have enough strength on her side to win any confrontation. With armed men stalking the halls, any Aes Sedai might interpret the incursion as menacing her life, that of her sisters, or even being an obvious Darkfriend attack, for who else would dare attack the Tower openly? Each side interprets the situation as only being possible if the opponents are Darkfriends. With such high stakes, there is more opportunity to rationalize and find loopholes in the Three Oaths, resulting in battle, death and murder. Doing everything short of outright naming Siuan a Darkfriend may have been necessary to Elaida’s side simply to motivate and enable their forces. Even if an Aes Sedai kills with the Power in the heat of battle, they need only find a believable rationale or loophole, and no one can call them Black Ajah.

Rand lacks the ability to interpret his dreams, or distinguish between ordinary dreams and foretelling dreams. Lanfear intrudes into the prophetic Waterwood bathing dream and also fails to understand its meaning.  She is also interrupted in her attempt to seduce Rand properly (I remember Thom’s line about an education every man should have once in his life) by Asmodean. This gives Rand the confirmation he wanted about the spies among the caravans. He now knows that Lanfear has brought an ally with her, and the ally is greedy and wants something extra to sweeten the pot for the risk he puts himself in. Does Rand make the connection to the goodies in Rhuidean yet? He suspects Isendre, does he also suspect Kadere instead of Natael?

Waking, Rand belatedly realizes that he is not so clever for keeping the spy he knows about, Aviendha, near him. The Wise Ones allow him to believe it, until Aviendha lets on that the real spying takes place in tel’aran’rhiod. Whether Rand makes a connection or not, the author is deliberately placing this latest insight about spying and decoys right after the exchange between Lanfear and Asmodean. Aside from being a decoy, the Wise Ones may have other motives in keeping Aviendha with Rand, based on insight gained from dreams or Rhuidean. Dreams seems most likely. They certainly have enough foreknowledge of events to avoid entering tel’aran’rhiod the night that Lanfear is there, perhaps because they do not want to let the Shadow know they have this ability. Lanfear or any other Forsaken could certainly act to protect their dominion over the World of Dreams, so discretion is the best course of action. Of course, Lanfear never does kill anyone, so long as she feels confident that her plans are not menaced. And her plans always revolve around making Rand love her.

The Shadowspawn once again provide a break in the relatively uninteresting travel across the desert. This battle is better than the last, with more danger, more substantial threats. Whichever Forsaken is trying to kill Rand hasn’t tried warding the Shadowspawn as Liandrin did when she tried to kill Moiraine. The stakes are raised when the Draghkar eliminate a Dreamwalker. Seana may have been a peripheral character, but the implication of a viable threat is better than what was served up in the Trolloc encounter at Imre Stand.

Writing Lessons:

Remove scenes which don’t serve your purpose or the story.

The Shadow Rising - Chapters 34-37

In this section, Rand slowly leads his Aiel towards a gathering place, but his enemies have already tracked him down.

A common complaint about this book and its sequel are the lengthy walks through the desert where ‘nothing happens’. Contrasting these chapters with any earlier part of the book, it is a fair complaint. Once Rand has his face to face with the Wise Ones, there is a short sequence where Egwene is put in her place by the Wise Ones, a sequence where the peddlers show up, and the discovery of a vacant settlement at Imre Stand, followed by a Trolloc attack. Something happens; it’s just not as intense as in earlier parts of the book.

Rand’s return from Rhuidean is exciting. The reader doesn’t know what to expect, but they are probably disappointed about the lack of Aiel acceptance, just as Rand is. The subsequent Shaido trouble and Rand’s discussion about Rhuidean and his parentage are engrossing enough to sustain interest.

Learning about the World of Dreams would be interesting, except Egwene doesn’t actually learn anything concrete. In her conversation with Elayne she spits out information the reader already knows. The most important outcome of the discussion is that Egwene will tell Aviendha about Elayne’s letters, which sets up a mildly humourous situation later on. Egwene is dragged to the steam tent where the Wise Ones begin plotting how to guide Rand to best serve their purpose to save as many Aiel as possible. The most important thing learned is that Aviendha is placed near Rand in the hope he will confide in her. Overall, the chapter acts more like a prologue or interlude than to sustain the breakneck pace of earlier sections. That pace may already have been slowed down by the lengthy Perrin sequence lasting six chapters, but it at least kept introducing new elements and interesting plot twists.

The next sequence is the big plot twist where peddlers find Rand and his Aiel in the Waste. The significance is mostly lost on the reader. Rand points out that these are dangerous people and goes out of his way to act as though he isn’t paying attention to them, hoping to lull them into complacency. He lets the charade play out, even though the fact that is a charade isn’t obvious. Rand expects someone to try to find him, and so is suspicious of anything out of the ordinary. Peddlers showing up may be odd, but recent chapters had ruined cities, a world where wishes come true, a daring rescue, a mysterious Slayer, so as far as oddities go, the peddlers seem relatively normal. Readers will identify more with Mat’s perception of events, thinking Rand is a little paranoid, maybe even beginning to go mad, and there is nothing strange about the peddlers. Mat’s point of view serves to establish that Rand may not be a trustworthy narrator any more. Having an outsider make this observation helps create uncertainty about Rand.

Even though Lanfear has been shown changing her appearance, she is the only Forsaken recognizable on sight. Disguised or not, there is no way to tell which, if any, of the Peddlers are villains, and little to distinguish any one from any other. Keille’s hairdo could as easily be a red herring as a clue if appearances can be changed with the One Power. The inability to pick anything out may increase mystery at the cost of disinterest in the answer. If there is no clue to decipher, why bother trying to find one? In this case the reader can’t wait to get to the next section, not to see what happens next, but to avoid the less interesting bits.

The Trolloc attack is bland, even if it designed to throw a little bit of action into the story, which has been absent since Perrin raided the Whitecloak camp. In the last two major Shadowspawn raids, Perrin discovered he hated Neverborn, and Rand discovered he could wipe out Shadowspawn in vast numbers with Callandor. In this skirmish, Mat fends off attackers with his newfound battle prowess. Except Mat had plenty of prowess before he received new memories, so little new is learned. There is another reminder Rand suspects the peddlers, another reminder of the tensions between Rand and the various women in the camp.

Rand thinks he knows where Aviendha stands.  Readers still have little insight into how she feels, except that it may have to do with what she saw in Rhuidean. Odds favour it being a combination of sulkiness over giving up the spears and anger at Rand for breaking the Aiel as foretold. Romance doesn’t seem a factor.

In the Trolloc attack, Mat unknowingly feels channeling against him as his foxhead medallion pulses with cold. Forsaken? Attempted helping or hindering? Another stab at kicking down a leg of the ta’veren tripod? I’ll have to watch and see who is most surprised that he survived. It ought not to have taken long to try throwing a rock at him with the Power, so the channeler is either unstrategic or very cautious.

Rand still hasn’t learned who his mother really is, except she was a well-to-do wetlander, and a man who resembled her was encountered in the Blight. A hint or two have been dropped about Tigraine and Luc’s disappearances in the past, but if the Glossary is not used, there is slim chance for anyone to make the association yet. If you read the Glossary, it is simple to reason out.

Writing Lessons:

Repeating information the reader already knows, or failing to introduce new information quickly enough, can lose their interest quickly.