A Memory of Light - Chapter 37 - Part 1

In this section, the Last Battle begins!

Lan offers the first point of view in this epic nearly 200 page chapter, the significance of which won’t be understood until the chapter ends. New Spring made Lan the central character of the series by starting with his point of view as the first window onto this world. With Rand as the central character through the main body of the series, it has long been assumed the Last Battle was all about him facing the Dark One. It is not at all obvious to readers that the Last Battle applies to Lan as well.

Elayne fights Draghkar and gets healed by a damane. Then Mat explains his strategy to her, by telling her he can’t tell her the plan. Uno escapes the destruction of the Dragons by Demandred. Logain prioritizes Rand’s orders over anyone else’s: Find the Seals. Gawyn is losing steam, but feels better when he puts the bloodknife rings back on. Tam and Galad fight Trollocs. Egwene splits up Siuan and Bryne, sending one to watch the command tent, the other to fetch Gawyn.

Tacticians’ comments, such as Bryne’s and Galad’s, explain to readers what the troop movements mean in terms of the overall strategy. By darting from one person to the next, the author allows the battle to progress at a steady pace, telling the reader more from the varied points of view than any one character could know. Similarly, interest is heightened when more than one character wonders what is happening on the heights, driving the reader’s interest as well.

Pevara and Androl take advantage of their unique bonds to use one as bait while the other kills anyone tempted to strike. Their telepathy provides a unique advantage for this tactic, allowing the quickest possible reaction time. They are hit by lightning, lose control, and merge in a new way where they are fully bonded. Now they have fewer limits or rules on their use of the power, as each is able to channel while within a circle, and is able to use the other’s Talents.

This new channeling ability appears to come out of nowhere, yet it closely mirrors other developments earlier in the series where character development drives plot. Pevara has just finished overcoming her last Red Ajah prejudices against Androl, seeing him as a potential husband or lover. This change of character, and her acknowledgement and acceptance of it, are what leads to the new link between them later on that same page. These two are complete opposites, yet in finding common ground in their admiration and respect and growing love for each other, they have smashed down any barriers that restrained them from working together more fully than any two people ever have.

 Mat orders Galad to stay at the ruins. He learns that Demandred has a spy in his tent. He gives a bit of insight to Elayne, and now must prepare to manipulate Tuon.

At the ruins, Galad realizes Mat does know what he is doing. New orders confuse him as he gathers 12 men and goes to the ford to meet with Elayne.

The Dark One scours Rand with his power, but Rand’s self-assurance allows him to resist. Rand seems to abandon his plan to destroy the Dark One, or even defeat him, since he can just barely hold on to his identity. As always, it is self-knowledge that empowers Rand against his adversaries.

“That is all you have?” Rand growled.

I WILL WIN.

“You made me strong,” Rand said, voice ragged. “Each time you or your minions tried to destroy me, your failure was like the blacksmith’s hammer beating against metal. This attempt…” Rand took a deep breath. “This attempt of yours is nothing. I will not break.”

YOU MISTAKE. THIS IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO DESTROY YOU. THIS IS PREPARATION.

“For what?”

TO SHOW YOU TRUTH.

The Dark One’s overbearing smugness, his blunt assurances that all is over, his condescending gloating over knowledge that he has gives readers the terrible feeling that he is in fact going to win. There is no doubt, no gambit, no challenge, the Dark One’s victory is inevitable, his power absolute.  Villains don’t get any more confident than this.

AND SO I WIN.

I WIN. AGAIN.

THE FIGHT IS OVER.

“IT HAS NOT YET BEGUN!” Rand screamed.

Use of the weaving metaphor established early in the series works to great effect, and is a natural fit. When the Dark One weaves reality to create Dark Emond’s Field, readers understand the stakes are higher than ever imagined, that everything they know can be remade. Dark Emond’s Field is designed to goad Rand into emotional instinctive action, putting himself in danger. Rand shatters the false reality, and promises to show the Dark One what is going to happen, giving readers hope and optimism, just in time for Gawyn to enter the fray.

Riding the emotional high off of Rand’s challenge to the Dark One, readers have every expectation that Gawyn will at least wound or disable Demandred, evening the odds. Gawyn faces Demandred armed with powerful magic and skill and still loses handily. Demandred is unnaturally skilled at sword fighting, and uses a burst of strength to drive his sword through Gawyn’s armor, while his eyes were closed. Hope turns to horror, because no matter how a reader feels about Gawyn, it is insinuated that Demandred can’t be stopped by anyone less than a powerful channeler who can also swordfight. In other words, Rand. And since he isn’t bound to show up any time soon, the other heroes are in a real spot of trouble.

Writing Lessons:

To lessen info-dumping, spread insight you are giving the reader across several different characters’ perspectives.

A Memory of Light - Chapters 7-9

In this section, the long war begins.

The ink is hardly dry on the Dragon’s Peace before planning for the conflict begins. Splitting the conflict onto three immediate fronts in Andor, Shienar and Kandor allows the author to showcase more characters playing roles and to balance momentum, so that even if one battle front goes well for the heroes, other dire situations maintain tension. If there is a downside, it is that with so many plotlines to juggle, some may get only short attention, if they show up at all, and if they play off each other, the complexity of the plotting increases. This intricacy, and the time needed for the author to handle it, is one of the reasons that The Wheel of Time came to feel bogged down. Much of what the author needs to establish now is the setting and placement of characters in each locale.

One of the four great captains is assigned to each of the battle fronts. Merrilor is maintained as Elayne’s central command location, a seemingly trivial decision that will dictate the setting of the Last Battle. A countdown for two locations will run out if a victory is not achieved in Andor quickly. Loial sticks his head in the story long enough to announce the Ogier will fight alongside the humans. The Horn of Valere is entrusted to Faile, who originally left home hunting for it. Lan sets the tone for the coming battle: no sadness, no mourning, only pride that when the time of their testing came, and victory all but impossible, the soldiers were ready, and did their duty, even unto death. Most importantly, the men of many nations fight together, as they never have since the Age of Legends.

The events beginning the conflict have an air of finality. Elayne torches her home city, and reveals the father of her children, admitting there can be no safety for them since she herself is a target. Evin is turned to the Shadow with little fuss, and it seems inevitable that Androl will receive no outside help. Bulen and other Borderlanders give their lives for small, but meaningful causes in their battle. Their sacrifices buy time, but Agelmar tells Lan that even so, they will eventually retreat and give up the land their comrades paid for in blood. Each painful decision is made in the name of duty, necessary evils meant to improve their marginal chances against the Trollocs. Lan grudgingly realizes he will abandon his lost home of Malkier yet again, because duty to his fellow men compels this grim course of action.

Through the preparations, the author maintains each character’s personality, highlighting the unique way in which they think instead of committing solely to plot-based descriptions. Elayne held out for the most advantage when the Dragon’s Peace was signed, and now Egwene can’t help but lament that all of the choices arrayed before her undermine her authority, regarding Elayne’s place at the head of the armies: Refusing her would set a bad precedent. As would obeying her.

Egwene also keeps up her intense hatred of the Seanchan, despite that humanity needs the two forces to be allies. Egwene embraces the use of the name Leilwin for the hated Seanchan woman Egeanin, happy to remind her that she is less than nothing in Egwene’s eyes.

Despite the overwhelming military aspects of the story, small introspective moments point to the possibility that some non-violent means may give the key to victory. Lan prefers to use Aes Sedai as useful tools rather than weapons, and Rand considers grand philosophical questions as he evaluates his chances for success. Was the flame alive? It ate, it moved on its own. You could smother it, so in a way it breathed. What was it to be alive? Could an idea live? A world without the Dark One. A world without evil. There have been clues in earlier books as well, notably Verin’s assertion that the Last Battle would not be fought in the way that Rand imagined. Little reminders such as this one will keep the reader from being distraught if the greatest battle of all time isn’t resolved through battle.

Elayne and Rand share a last night together, exchanging gifts and revealing their deepest feelings and secrets. Elayne represents Rand’s present, while Aviendha and Min were his past and future. Elayne embodies Andor, especially now that Caemlyn is burned. Andor itself represents a set of morals and ideals that Rand was raised with, given to him by Tam. Through these ideals, Elayne represents what is best in Rand, the core of his being, his shining heart, like the gleaming city on the hill, the oldest and most respected of the Nations to rise after Hawkwing’s empire shattered. Elayne is all that is good, and when Rand tells her who he is now, her reaction is acceptance and love, unlike anyone else’s.  

Writing Lessons:

Keep your characters in character, no matter what exciting events are taking place.

Knife of Dreams - Chapters 24-25

In this section, Egwene digs at the foundations of Elaida’s White Tower.

Egwene has resolved to undermine Elaida from within the White Tower, even though she has been demoted to a Novice, and is given Forkroot regularly to prevent her channeling too powerfully. Elaida knows Egwene is purportedly a Dreamer, but either cannot or doesn’t care to do anything to prevent her from using that ability.

Egwene’s lengthy section is one of my favorites in the series. It is told slightly out of chronological order, focusing on her success at forging and maintaining her identity instead of her success at undermining Elaida. The character achieving victory through personality conflicts instead of plot-driven progress has been demonstrated several times throughout the series. Egwene ends her first beating by the Mistress of Novices surprisingly calm despite having howled while it was being administered. She got the beating for claiming to Amyrlin, and she earns two more visits for the same before leaving the room. While Egwene earns punishments, she also is able to avoid bending her neck, and never does curtsy or call an Aes Sedai by their honorific title.

Every time Egwene is punished, she has another chance to prove to herself, and the world that her will is stronger than those who would seek to craft her identity. Every beating reinforces her self-confidence, and makes her wholeheartedly embrace her identity as Amyrlin. Egwene was already willful, and now she is being tempered into a being of self-knowledge and force of will that will eclipse all others in Tel’aran’rhiod. While Elaida believes she is breaking down Egwene’s resistance, she is in fact making her more resilient, and more powerful. Throughout the series we’ve seen several occasions when force of will and identity are the keys to victory, and Egwene is ahead of the other characters in developing an unassailable identity; several of the others still have some uncertainty or hesitation in embracing who they must become.

By repeatedly demonstrating that she will not become a Novice in fact as well as name, Egwene earns respect in ever-increasing amounts. Novices begin by bullying her, while the Red Ajah crows over her situation. She earns a spanking in every class, and the Mistress of Novices Silviana must adjust Egwene’s lessons and provide extra Healing to avoid drawing blood from the repeated beatings. Other Aes Sedai ignore Egwene in the Halls or the cells where Leane is imprisoned. Egwene drops hints to the Aes Sedai giving her lessons, all aimed at undermining Elaida, usually earning a penance. Small illustrative parallels are squeezed into Egwene’s lessons, such as former Amyrlin Shein Chunla, a woman whose identity as Amyrlin was subsumed by the Hall, which resulted in many egregious errors being made by the White Tower.

Despite lack of progress, Egwene begins to see each visit to the Mistress of Novices as a badge of honor, proof that she had refused to yield. The Novices try to emulate her, and quickly stop when they earn their own punishments, yet Egwene carries on. She gives advice to Accepted, consoles fearful young women when ghosts appear or corridors change location. She endures hard labor, yet the taskmistress in the kitchens is surprisingly kind with her. Eventually, Alviarin, the fallen Aes Sedai seeks her out, as does the kidnapped King of Illian. The first Aes Sedai she brings to her cause is Beonin, the betrayer. Beonin believed herself free of her Oath of fealty to Egwene, but a combination of logic and dislike for Elaida brings her to follow Egwene’s instructions. Doesine, a Sitter and Black Ajah Hunter, decides not to send Egwene to be punished for failing to curtsy or address her properly. Silviana finally begins to treat Egwene as more than a Novice to be spanked. Symbolizing her success, the Novices slip honey in Egwene’s tea, and offer her a cushion to ease her soreness. Embracing her identity, Egwene puts the cushion aside before sitting her tender parts on the hard bench, and the Novices are fully hers. She hasn’t reached anywhere near the influence she needs yet, but she is winning her war.

That chapter is in contrast to Tarna’s visit to Elaida’s apartments. Elaida is leading one of the rebel infiltrators by the nose, waiting for a chance to snap the jaws of her trap shut, seeming to relish the future opportunity to crush the woman’s spirit and betray their apparent complicity. Part of her sadistic joy comes from worry that the infiltrators are in collusion with the Ajah Heads, who are continuing to meet with the rebels in pointless negotiations. Where Novices and Accepted come to Egwene for advice, Elaida’s most trusted associate won’t discuss certain topics for fear of unleashing Elaida’s fury on herself. Elaida hopes to gloat over Egwene’s situation in person by having her serve Elaida’s private meal with one of the infiltrators.

Oddly, the chapter ends with Mat’s point of view, and the next chapter continues immediately from where it leaves off with Tuon’s. The division of chapters for the next while is peculiar, but discussion of it is best suited for the next post.

Tuon asks Mat to kiss her, but with Mat having such an unreliable point of view, it’s hard to tell who is more flustered by their first kiss. Their unique relationship is devoid of any traditional romance.

A Seanchan army and a landslide obstruct Mat’s escape from Altara. His band of soldiers is not far off though. Will he overcome this obstacle with his personality or his army? If the past is any indication, some element of character and personality will be the focus.

Writing Lessons:

The end result of a plotline is more powerful when developed slowly and incrementally, and relates more to character than plot elements.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 20-22

In this section, there is harsh reaction to failures.

Tel’aran’rhiod makes its first appearance in some time. Egwene meets with Aviendha, and finally discuss Rand’s cleansing of saidin from their perspectives. Egwene shares the view that it was the Forsaken, and how that has driven the rebels to commence talks with the Black Tower. Aviendha doesn’t think the Wise Ones would have taken such a radical course of action. She manages to be evasive about what she knows, while probing Egwene’s reasoning. Even if the Forsaken didn’t scoop Shadar Logoth out of the earth’s crust, the Asha’man still must be dealt with, so Egwene will proceed with the Hall’s decision, but recognizes the danger Mazrim Taim poses.

Egwene has a number of prophetic dreams, and catalogues them. This is blatant foreshadowing, and is of course of interest to the reader who has the means to decipher some of them. Mat will kill men with an Illuminator’s help; Egwene will be saved by a Seanchan; the Seanchan will attack the White Tower. These give readers something to look forward to, and create expectations that can either be fulfilled or foiled, depending on the author’s desire.

Anaiya is killed, along with her warder, obviously by Aran’gar who is looking to reinvigorate the distrust between Aes Sedai and Asha’man that seems to have fallen to the side with the recent vote to open talks between them. Nisao may uncover the killer, but it’s more likely Anaiya was simply killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, for any Aes Sedai killed with saidin will do.

In the White Tower, Alviarin returns from Tremalking. There is no clue why Mesaana sent her there for a month, though perhaps she went to other places as well, giving orders to Darkfriends? She doesn’t even reveal exactly what is happening there after the use of the Choedan Kal fulfilled an Amayar prophecy. She notes wards are failing in the White Tower, similar to how Egwene noted rotting food that had been preserved using the One Power. Was it Rand’s use of so much of the One Power that did it, or is this a new result of the Dark One’s touch?

The three Sea Folk Aes Sedai manage the most secret records of the White Tower. It would be funny if they had been passing the most privileged information to the Sea Folk all these years.

Alviarin gets anxious about some rumour that every one has heard but her. The other Aes Sedai watch her in a way that indicates they know something she doesn’t. She soon learns Elaida has replaced her, and becomes certain that she is in danger of being revealed. In her panic she summons Mesaana, bringing her into the open for the first time since saidin was cleansed, and into the clutches of Shaidar Haran. Her failure to follow orders merits a punishment even Alviarin doesn’t want to see. Alviarin is set a task to deliver the Black Ajah Hunters to Shaidar Haran. Obviously, she does not intend to fail.

Elaida treats the negotiations the same way as Egwene, not taking them seriously at all unless her all but impossible conditions are met.

Pevara, one of the Hunters, has received a message from Toveine, revealing they have been bonded by Asha’man. Tarna, the new Keeper, thinks this news is inconsequential to her plan to bond Asha’man. Pevara disagrees, implying it is too late to bond Asha’man, they might instead be bonded by them.

The happenstance that both Rebels and Tar Valon Aes Sedai are entertaining the idea of joining with the Black Tower in some fashion provides both a question of who will get there first and implies that one way or another, there will be some treaty between the two forces before the Last Battle.

Alviarin’s evil isn’t depicted directly here, but she has enough peculiar characteristics and behaviours to give readers a queasy feeling about her:

Her pride is to the point where any rumour of weakness is avoided, but more so if others are aware of it: To have anyone hear such things said, and to her face!

She considers inconveniencing others for no reason but to spare her own inconvenience: Today, though, by the time Alviarin had climbed close to eighty spans, she was seriously considering making Elaida move back down.

She strives to act in a manner which is aloof from the general population: She prided herself on her icy detachment, always presenting a cool unruffled surface.

She is mean: She almost wanted to tell Zemaille what was happening on Tremalking, just to see whether the other woman would flinch.

She lacks common human emotions: Mercy was for those afraid to be strong.

Writing Lessons:  

You don’t need evil actions to make a character villainous; their unconventional thoughts can give effective and subtle feelings of wrong-doing.

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 8-9

By the original schedule, I would have been done the series shortly. Instead, I am just past half done. It's still very rewarding, but it is a constant battle to impose writing regularly over the other events life throws at me. Thanks for your patience and sticking around!

In this section, new and old groups in Perrin’s camp are keeping secrets. Maybe.

Perrin’s main problems have been presented already, now we get to see some of the tools and people at his disposal.

The camp promises to be simpler to deal with than his current predicament. It presents some mild difficulties which are easily dealt with, as the description of its location implies: The camp lay about a league further on, well back from the road, among low wooded hills, just beyond a stream that was ten paces’ width of stones and only five of water never deeper than a man’s knees.

It is composed of three parts: Mayener, Aiel, and Two Rivers men. The difficulties stem from none of the factions really being sure the others share the same goal. The newcomers led by Morgase may make yet another faction, despite that Lini is advocating that they try fit into their new roles since their old lives are done with.

The factions differ on several issues, including whether Perrin should fly his banners, and whether Masema should be killed or brought to heel. While Perrin worries over the untold secrets among his current followers, he accepts at face value the story told by Morgase’s followers. Even his wife’s own followers have secret missions they carry out on Faile’s behalf!

Faile’s idea to fly the banners to distract attention away from Perrin’s true objective brings some comments from Perrin: Quicksilver. A kingfisher flashing by faster than thought. Both descriptions of Faile’s idea not only imply speed, but the quality of her idea, and her rank or position as well. Kingfishers may not be the only fast birds, but the words king and fisher offer the idea of leadership and correctness. Silver implies wealth and rarity.

With Perrin being so trusting, details about what the factions are up to can only be delivered by points of view of those involved in them, so Faile and Morgase sections tell us about their plans and plights. Even after Dumai’s Wells, Faile thinks kidnapping is the best means to get to Alliandre. Rand may not appreciate having his allies treated the way he was, even if handled gently.

The fear of hidden agendas is everywhere. The farriers worry that Perrin has some ulterior motive in examining their work with horseshoes when all he wants is a chance to do something for himself instead of people scurrying to serve him.

Unintentionally, Perrin finds himself doing the exact sort of subterfuge he dislikes, laying rumours among the Mayeners about his intentions regarding Manetheren, and somehow gaining more direct support from them while Berelain is away. It’s not something a ruler is bound to like.

Finally Perrin accuses the Aiel Wise Ones of having secret plans for the Aes Sedai, possibly involving murder. The Wise Ones and Aes Sedai both tell him to mind his own business, this is just normal apprenticing, though it began against the Wise Ones intentions. They also hide nothing regarding Masema, they would prefer him dead, sooner rather than later.

In general, things are not what they seem at the surface. Those who seem to be hiding secrets are not, while Perrin overlooks the many secrets being hidden by those he trusts. We’ve now met everyone in the camp except the Asha’man, but there will soon be more new arrivals. Overall it feels like an exceptionally long introduction to the people tagging along with Perrin. As I postulated back in Perrin’s section which open The Dragon Reborn, one reason Perrin’s sections may seem to move slower is because they are Perrin sections. His manner of observing and taking action demands a slower pace, and a very complete oversight of all the relevant people and places around him. Portraying Perrin as a slow and methodical person would be more difficult if his Point of View chapters jumped about rapidly. This translates into impatience for the reader.

Writing Lessons:

You can portray character by the pacing, tone, and setting of the story, not just by their reaction to events.

A Crown of Swords - Summary

A Crown of Swords flows like my favorite book in the series, The Shadow Rising. Each handful of Ebou Dar chapters is followed by a handful of Cairhien chapters. Each section is just long enough to resolve the last obstacle, advance the plot, and introduce a new obstacle. The two plots are loosely connected by chapters showing Sammael meeting with other villains in both locations. Moridin is a second character whose actions affect characters on both locations.  A minor plot involving Morgase, the White cloaks and the Seanchan serves as setup for future books, having little impact on events in this one. A major plot involving Egwene’s tenure as Amyrlin has at least one important impact on the Ebou Dar story. By keeping the number of focal characters low and establishing a consistent pattern for several chapters spent in each locale, the flow and speed of the story are maintained at a fun pace.

The thrill of discovery comes from new characters instead of exotic locales. Cadsuane, Moridin, the Kin, the gholam, and others all have mysterious origins, abilities and motives.  Some introductions are strong, others disorient the reader.

The theme of A Crown of Swords is one of leaders and followers. Who leads, who follows them, and why do they follow? The theme was introduced early in the prologue with a smattering of examples of relationships. A series of leaders emerge in the Fortress of the Light, each seizing power from his predecessor. The question of who leads was central to finding the ter’angreal cache in Ebou Dar. The actions of followers pushing the limits of their orders affected the heroes several times, whether by Moghedien, Carridin, Alviarin, or Colavaere. Morgase abdicates since she is no longer fit to be queen. Egwene blackmails Aes Sedai to compel their obedience. The loyalty of the Asha’man is a question that continues to aggravate Rand. Galina has her role completely reversed as she moves from world-shaker to pointless labourer. The book ends with Rand conquering Illian without having to subjugate the population or the ruling lords. The people of Illian want to follow Rand because he has exhibited traits they desire in their King.

This book feels like more of a whole book than the last one, because several plot lines are resolved, providing a strong sense of completion. Along with several plot lines, a bit of the theme from the previous book Lord of Chaos carried through to this one, but the tone is very different. You could more easily say that Lord of Chaos has some of this book’s theme, since a good part of the chaos and humour in that book stemmed from the relationships between leaders and followers.

The personal threats faced by the heroes were more interesting than the plot-driven obstacles. Jordan easily transforms physical plot-driven obstacles into personality and character-driven obstacles. Elayne faced threats to her authority and identity. Nynaeve had to learn to surrender control and was instantly rewarded when she did so. Mat endured all manner of unfair treatment to finally earn respect from those two. Min convinced Rand to keep her near. Egwene began to assume the role of the Amyrlin as well as the title. Rand realizes he is an equal partner with Min, not the belligerent mauler he made himself out to be. Cadsuane places herself close to Rand despite his misgivings about Aes Sedai. Perrin fears what he has realized about the value he places on Faile. It satisfies the reader that each of the heroes had some pages dedicated to them.

The nature of ta’veren was presented as a tool to be used as Mat, Elayne, Nynaeve and Rand try to twist fate and make progress by keeping a ta’veren present. Although they rarely recognize when it is working, it does work to bring them the people they need to meet at the right time. The Sea Folk are handled on two different occasions by ta’veren, and dealings with the Kin and Cairhienin rebels are possible because of chance meetings wrought by the ta’veren.

The timing of many events was necessitated by the plot, but the reason given for the timing was couched in the characters’ relationships.

Overall, the happy resolution of many character-driven plots and a strong structure overcome a few problems with introduction of new characters, and contrived timelines.

Writing Lessons:

Resolution of plot lines provides reader satisfaction. Dangling plot lines induce reader dissatisfaction.

A Crown of Swords - Chapters 33-36

In this section, Rand regains his confidence and uses his unique abilities

In earlier chapters, the nature of being a ta’veren was discussed. Perrin hopes it will work for him while Mat’s ability was actively exploited by Elayne and Nynaeve.  Rand now decides to try use his ta’veren event-twisting to gain allies.

Ta’veren usually works in subtle ways, providing what is needed and drawing it near the ta’veren for the moment when it is needed. Being ta’veren altered the chance Min would fall hopelessly in love with Rand, providing a means for Rand to get glimmers of what lies ahead. Her personality is familiar and comforting, since she had an upbringing very similar to his own. Whatever she says, Rand can accept it more easily than from anyone else except maybe Egwene.   

Min tells Rand about a viewing of two men merging and one surviving. Rand decides it must mean that Lews Therin is real and that he is not mad after all. Hot on the heels of Cadsuane’s warning about the voices, Rand’s cobbled-together explanation based on more hope than fact is presented as the correct conclusion. It is still possible that Lews Therin’s voice is not there and he really is mad. The author’s ability to pull the reader one way while the evidence all points the other way continues to impress.

Rand finally visits the Sea Folk who have been waiting on him in two cities since Lord of Chaos. The ta’veren effect sweeps Harine up, and she spends the next few minutes conceding things instead of bargaining for them. She would likely have booted Rand right off the ship, Coramoor or not, except once told Min’s Viewing everyone realizes it is a done deal. Harine will make the Bargain, be punished for it, yet still eventually become Mistress of the Ships. The Sea Folk are a culture with very rigid rules for the hierarchy, but unlike the Seanchan who also have strict rules, there is a lot of mobility within Sea Folk culture. An ominous warning about the Seanchan is given just in time for their reappearance in just a few chapters.

With the Sea Folk firmly in hand and about to capitulate, Rand walks away from the table. Not because of a sudden attack or other plot device, but because he feels confined and it reminds him of his captivity. Cadsuane soon learns the truth of the captivity and how it affects him and realizes how difficult it will make her task. This major obstacle is character driven instead of plot driven. The implication that Rand can make mistakes because of this new behaviour is concerning since he rashly decides to see how far he can next push his ta’veren ability with the rebels. His optimism is summed up: “I’m the Dragon Reborn, and today I can do anything.”

Rand randomly appears in the woods, only meters from Caraline Damodred and Lord Darlin who are drawn into the ta’veren web. Caraline realizes who Rand is while her companions all accept Rand’s alias without question, inferring that the Damodreds are all smart cookies, especially Moiraine. Right then Min reveals that she had a Viewing of Moiraine that failed even though they just left a situation where the outcome rested on the assumption that her Viewings never failed. Min does not realize that her Viewing means that Moiraine is not dead. From the reader’s perspective, this apparent loophole is important in undermining confidence in Min’s Viewings, since that will come into play in later books. Other loopholes such as ‘if’ statements or choices help reduce certainty. The reader has to decide whether Min’s Viewing is wrong or whether her Viewings are always right and the other evidence is wrong.   

Min also drops hints that she is reading Fel’s books, looking for clues about what he was trying to tell Rand. Despite this and other later indications, her insights in this area still have a feel of implausibility, but I can’t figure out why; something to keep an eye on.

Being ta’veren draws Rand to Padan Fain. The wound he inflicts on Rand in just the right spot to not kill him instantly is another ta’veren twist. Grady’s healing provides Rand with the most important clue he will need for his later effort to cleanse Saidin. More importantly, Grady infers that the Asha’man are learning new weaves all the time, even without permission. This is akin to when the Aes Sedai were first introduced and every spell cast had no explanation, it was just Aes Sedai work, and needed no further explanation. Now that readers are familiar with the powers and limitations the Aes Sedai have, it is useful to the author to have a wild card that can be played by the Asha’man. “Oh this? Just a little weave I invented.” And now many situations can be resolved with an all-encompassing explanation, much like ta’veren. To a lesser extent he did the same with the Kin and their ability to do one Weave with the greatest proficiency.

Rand’s wound allows Cadsuane the opportunity to become part of his inner circle of advisors. Dashiva is already there, and is quite intent on making sure Rand has every chance to live, but is ambivalent to the outcome. The Asha’man are content to serve, so far.

The author uses verbs to great effect, and some of his choices stand out as different from the expected word selection, and symbolize something other than what they are describing.

Narishma colored, jerking himself stiffly erect. (several arousal-themed words to match the verb)

She was ready to leap if he crooked a finger (crooked implies improper behaviour)

Long trestle tables groaning with food and drink (groaning reveals Rand’s mood in the rebel’s camp)

Something crooked and red spiderwebbed across the outside of the void. (spiderwebbed is a new Jordan trademarked verb)

The fog seemed to deaden sound (threatening circumstances seem to invoke the word ‘dead’)

Fain’s dagger scored across Rand’s left side (scored implies a victory for Fain, a defeat for Rand)

Her eyebrows climbed halfway to her hair (climbing halfway symbolizes she doesn’t know as much as she thought she did)

Writing Lessons:

Use verbs that symbolize as well as describe the action.

A Crown of Swords - Chapters 21-24

In this section, working together, the heroes get closer to what they seek

Working together is how you get things done, but it can make for boring stories. Stories demand some form of conflict between characters. When characters finally recognize their divergent needs, but also find the common ground that will propel them forward, it makes for rewarding reading.

Mat is a rogue that no decent woman can tolerate. Elayne and Nynaeve are two decent women who can’t tolerate Mat’s behaviour. Mat needs to escort Elayne to Caemlyn safely and is willing to help the women do whatever they must so they can get on the road northwards. Elayne and Nynaeve need to find the Bowl of the Winds, but want to do it on their own, and have evaded Mat’s help so far. They have made no progress, and don’t foresee making progress locating the Bowl of the Winds any time soon.  Since neither of them can give up their goal, the only way for both to succeed is to cooperate. Mat has already made concessions in traveling to Ebou Dar on their mission, the action comes when Elayne and Nynaeve must bend their stiff necks to ask for the help they have dismissed.

It is more entertaining, and rewarding, when progress is made by the character because of their personality than when it comes from finding a random clue, or object that allows that progress. Elayne and Nynaeve both have to admit past errors, accept responsibility, and deal with consequences of their past actions before they can get any further in their search. Their reluctance to do so allows for some remarkably funny interactions. The process of doing so engages and pleases the reader from a variety of angles: The women are growing and learning, Nynaeve is edging closer to being able to surrendering control, Elayne is atoning for her pride and learning to accept Aviendha and her ways into her close relationship with Rand, Mat is gaining control of his situation, though he is really just trading control with the two women for loss of control with his men and Tylin. The entire process of sending Brigitte to speak with Mat, his demands, the drinking, the apologies and the restraint as they face each other down, the agreement, and the price to be paid by all participants, is quite simply one of the funniest and rewarding scenes in the story so far.

The cooperation is symbolized by the revelation of secrets, such as Birgitte’s origin and the One Power disguises, and the beginning of a new mystery regarding Setalle Anan and the Kin.

The mystery comes out of nowhere, having only faintly been touched on in an earlier scene with the Black Ajah. No sooner do the women step out of Mat’s room than they are swept up by his ta’veren thread-pulling, represented by Setalle Anan who takes them to some women who can help.

Setalle and the Kin have many strange and interesting characteristics, mostly related to knowledge they should not have come by easily. A large part of the mystery revolves around age of channelers, which has been a topic briefly discussed a number of times in this book. The number of channelers in the Kin is of interest, as is Berowin’s specially honed ability to shield anyone, acquired after long years of practice that even an Aes Sedai doesn’t get. Setalle appears to know an Aes Sedai from seventy years ago, one who looks remarkably like a woman in the Kin. The Kin’s questions are particularly focused on things that novices would know. And upsetting everything else about rank, strength in the Power has little to do with rank amongst the Kin. There are enough clues in there to for readers to stew over and probably get close to guessing the correct answer. But the intent isn’t to let the reader stew for long.

The Black Ajah make an attempt to kidnap Elayne and Nynaeve, similar to what happened to them in Tanchico. It isn’t said straight out that the Black Ajah were behind it, and there could have been several others with motive, but it is the fact that it comes right after the Kin learn of the murder of one of their number that cements it. The Kinswoman was murdered by the Black Ajah in an earlier chapter, so once the reader is reminded of that by discovery of the murder, the murderers should be at the forefront of the reader’s mind when the attempted kidnapping takes place. Juxtaposing elements in this way is overtly used often in film and comics, and it has turned up in a subtle fashion many times in Robert Jordan’s writing.

Writing Lessons:

Juxtapose sections of text that contain the same plot element or character to either subtly point to it, or to blatantly segue from one to the other.

A Crown of Swords - Chapters 14-17

In this section, all the players are introduced in Ebou Dar

Throughout the Ebou Dar sections, there are a number of players: Mat, Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, Juilin, Olver, Nalesean, Vanin, Aviendha, Merilille, Sareitha, Careane, Adeleas, Vandene, Joline, Teslyn, Tylin, Beslan, Setalle, Jaichim, Shiaine, Old Cully, Sammael, Falion, Ispan, Nesta, Malin, Dorile and a gholam. These players move about interacting with each other to bring the search for the Bowl of the Winds to its conclusion.

We’ve already seen that Elayne, Nynaeve and Aviendha have begun preparing for the day they find the Bowl of the Winds by entering into a bargain with Sea Folk. In stories you will often see parallel tasks being carried out by different people, but less often will you see characters multi-tasking the different steps needed and preparing for future events ahead of time. In this case it allows later events to take place rapidly. The Sea Folk can simply be summoned and show up when needed.

The first piece to fall into place is the suggestion that Mat can be used to help find the Bowl of the Winds. Being ta’veren, he has already established the needed relationships with Setalle that will lead to its hiding place. We are re-introduced to Mat doing all the things that Nynaeve can’t stand: gambling, ogling, drinking, swearing. Mat’s behaviour and Nyaneve’s low tolerance for it are presented as the major obstacle. This is a switch from the physical obstacle of searching the Rahad which has proven insurmountable so far. By shifting the obstacle to one of character traits, the reader will be more involved in their interactions, and have a more rewarding reading experience.

Mat’s involvement draws the villains in. Mat recognizes Shiaine, who visits Jaichim, who in turn recognizes Mat from the secret orders placed in his mind by Ishamael. Jaichim feels a need to kill Mat, but the mere suggestion is dismissed by Sammael who can’t afford to let Rand get wind what he is up to. Sammael gives explicit orders not to touch Mat unless it turns out Mat is there looking for Sammael or acting against him in some way. Jaichim now has contradicting orders from two Forsaken, and the fact that one of them is dead does not make Jaichim any safer from the consequences of not carrying out his orders to kill Rand and his allies. No one survives disobedience, but Jaichim skirts as close as he can, ignoring Sammael’s orders to find the cache and setting Shiaine to kidnap Mat. Jaichim serves many masters, but none more important than himself.

Sammael sends a helper to get rid of any Aes Sedai impeding the search: the gholam who tore Herid Fel apart. Meanwhile, a pair of Black Ajah working on Moghedien’s orders to find the cache come close to a clue by interrogating a Wise Woman. Despite the fact that Moghedien is probably dead, they dare not stop what they are doing.

 The stage is now set for all of these players in the main plotline to race towards the same objective, coming closer and closer to an eventual confrontation.

Mat needs to tell the women about his discovery. In the Tarasin Palace he bumps into every Aes Sedai except the ones he is looking for. Mat’s nature is to be contrary. He will do an aboutface on an action that was important to put Nynaeve in her place a moment ago in order to put off someone else now. He acts purely in the moment, on impulse and instinct, changing his opinions entirely on the whim of the moment. Mat’s opinions are made clear in a sentence where the substitution of a noun provides humour, feeling and tension: The two groups stared at one another as if trying to see who could out-Aes Sedai who. Mat next meets Tylin and Beslan, who will be willing to help in any way they can, now that Mat is a close friend of the family. Once again the ta’veren provides what is needed before it is known what is needed. Beslan acts much like Mat, living for the moment, yet Mat immediately sees himself as the reasonable one, as always in order to try avoid doing anything against his will.

 Teslyn is sharp and prepared, either hearing Mat was in the palace and seeking him out to place a note in his pocket, or carrying one around for the eventual moment she would meet him. By telling Joline she acts like a child, she manipulates Joline into resisting Elaida’s orders. She is as contrary as Mat. The secondary plot of trying to capture Elayne and Nynaeve is established. A second group is also trying to nab the women. The Black Ajah are ready to put aside their search and try for Moghedien’s hated enemies instead, also shifting from a physical obstacle to one based on character and relationships.

Now the remaining players will be drawn towards those participating in the main plotline.

The attempts on Mat begin, and the first cluster of Darkfriends falls. Mat is unobservant about their purpose, but when a second group led by Old Cully falls, he puts two and two together, in a fashion.

The first of several mystery characters shows up. An old man with memory gaps observes the comings and goings of the Black Ajah. It is not obvious that he is under Compulsion and is spying for Graendal. He also doesn’t show up again, so readers are left to wonder why he appears at all. It does set a precedent for the later mystery characters who show up spying on Sammael and helping Rand, so their appearance will not feel as contrived.

Writing Lessons:

Obstacles related to character and personality are more interesting than physical obstacles.

Lord of Chaos - Chapters 38-43

In this section, Mat’s appearance in Salidar sets events in motion.

Now that Rand has discovered Salidar, he has sent Mat to bring Elayne back to Caemlyn. Elayne has other ideas. The dance that ensues is comedic both for Mat’s misjudging of the situation and for his inability to accomplish his mission without jumping through several hoops first.

First, Mat somewhat correctly guesses that Aviendha and Elayne will confront each other over Rand. He misjudges who will have the upper hand, since he doesn’t realize ji’e’toh will prevent Aviendha from lifting a finger against Elayne, but will instead have her offering to die at Elayne’s hand to make up for her ‘mistake’.  Mat is so concerned about Elayne that he happily leaves Aviendha in difficult situations to keep her away from Elayne. Aviendha’s discomfort is all the funnier because it was unnecessary, even as it provides Mat with gleeful satisfaction that he’s doing well.

Next, Mat correctly guesses that there is no good reason why Egwene should have been made Amyrlin. He thinks only a poor blind fool would take a position all but certain to lead to the headsman, and Egwene has more sense than that! Yet for all his admonitions about the trouble they’ll be in for impersonating the Amyrlin, he shows no qualms about sitting in her chair and tossing her cushions on the floor! Just what was he expecting to say if the Amyrlin he expected walked in?

After much argument about who is right and who is in danger, Mat is able to foil Egwene’s prodding thanks to his ter’angreal. As wrong as he is about the details, he cannot be forced, budged or reasoned with until he gets his way. Once Egwene reasons that he’s made a promise, she is able to make him dance to her tune, and gets him to commit to a trip to Ebou Dar before Elayne heads north with him. If she does.

Egwene declares that Mat’s Dragonsworn will taint the rebels by association. They need to distance themselves from them. They also need to be concerned about the next surprise Rand might drop on them with Traveling: Asha’man. The fears and concerns are convincing, but Egwene still needs to present them in a way that will be accepted by the three factions vying for control of the rebels.

The ability to Travel opened up many story and plot possibilities, and several are quickly closed with the strategic consideration that the ability must not be given to Elaida’s Aes Sedai. By taking away all the possibilities where a rebel might be captured by one of Elaida’s people, the advantage of Traveling is reduced to very limited occasions, such as the trip to Ebou Dar. In essence, the rebels have a tool that can be used once by surprise.  

Thom tells Mat the story of the woman who needed rescuing, but didn’t in the end. He advises helping them do what they want instead of what he wants. Trying to force people to behave in a particular way is a characteristic of the villainous cultures: Children of the Light, Shadar Logoth, Seanchan, Tairen High Lords, and Forsaken. Thom’s appeal should work on Mat, since he is constantly complaining about being badgered to do one thing or another by someone who thinks they know better.

Once Elayne and Aviendha decide they can share Rand, they speak of Min, which naturally leads into Min’s chapter. For all that some readers find the three women’s acceptance of the situation unreasonable, men and women can have informal arrangements of the sort, the stereotypical ones being the sailor with a woman in every port, or the traveling salesman. For whatever reason, people are frequently capable of accepting they only get to share part of a person’s life and know that others are doing exactly the same thing with the same person. This discussion about Rand’s love life comes right after Thom’s appeal to Mat. The point is the same, and one the three women have embraced: Let Rand and the other women do what they want, do not try to impose your will on the others.

Min’s approach to seducing Rand is to pretend she’s not trying to seduce him while blatantly acting in just that way. She challenges Rand to admit he finds her attractive and will not relent in her behaviour until he does. Whatever he chooses to do, Rand is stuck either canoodling with Min, or admitting he’d like to do more. In this story, women always have the power over romance and sex, and any man who takes a more direct approach is a villain. Egwene notes even Mat somehow only pursues those women who want to be pursued.

Min instantly befriends Melaine, averting much trouble. Once she is treated as a Wise One, she is allowed to come and go as she pleases, passing through ranks of bodyguards unmolested. Giving Min the ability to move about unhindered avoids having to explain how she got past the guards every time she comes for a visit. A small investment in this scene avoids plot holes later on, and also raises Min’s ranking to be on somewhat even footing with the other women.

Taim reacts badly to Rand naming him the second Asha’man. The readers made the obvious connection with the tale of Demandred, who was always second to Lews Therin. Demandred hasn’t been seen since spying on Elayne in Tel’aran’rhiod, but Lews Therin mentioned him in possible relation to Shadar Logoth. If this scene didn’t put the idea in their head yet, they will still have it by the end of the book. But we’ll save discussing the theory that Taim is Demandred for the final post on this book.

In a scene mirroring the earlier one where Elaida’s Aes Sedai secretly met with the nobility of Cairhien, the rebel delegation is doing the same with the exiled nobles of Andor. Min’s listing of the delegation is forgettable, and Seonid and Masuri are stereotypical Green and Brown Ajah. Out of the delegation, only Merana matters, along with her position in relation to Verin and Alanna, who have managed to distinguish themselves in the reader’s mind due to their past actions.

Writing Lessons:

Look for plot holes by examining whether your characters are doing things that a minor character could never get away with.

The Fires of Heaven - Chapters 47-49

In this section, Nynaeve withdraws from the chaos she induced in Samara.

Nynaeve’s perception of others gets meaner and shriller, and her ability to overlook her own faults is pretty funny since she no longer needs to go more than a sentence beyond her own behaviour before digging at someone for exactly the same behaviour. Readers know Nynaeve is being unreasonable. It’s a character trait that risks irritating readers, and playing it for humour is about the only way to make the character tolerable. The humour is well executed throughout these chapters, largely because there is little time to get irritated, the punchlines are thrown so rapidly.

That sinking feeling Nynaeve gets in the pit of her stomach as she hears that Whitecloaks are fighting the prophet’s men is an echo of what Rand felt after the battle of Cairhien. The destruction and waste can be laid at her feet, since the riots started after the two people she set to finding a ship began fighting over it.

Galad shows just why Elayne insisted they flee him. His predictable unpredictability is a hazard to everyone around him, just as Masema’s is. Both of them make a point of finding consequences for their actions inconsequential. Nynaeve’s brief foray down this path has ended with her paying too high a price for her ship, all to escape some personal discomfort, rationalized by needing to escape Moghedien.

Nynaeve has been after Elayne for her flirtations, but the result of her own semi-unknowing romance with Valan Luca is a proposal to run away and join his circus. Unlike Rand, who twists over who he should choose, Nynaeve quickly puts an end to Valan’s pursuit. Lan is her man, and none of her interactions with Valan count, certainly not the one where he gave her flowers. It’s enough to send her into a fury, and once again the tension between the sexes has risen.

Keeping that tension high, the captain of the ship in question hates women. Nynaeve tries to make some small amends for her actions by bringing refugees with her on board Riverserpent. Somehow, Moghedien manages to get herself included in this group. I still see no possible clue that would let a reader figure out who she is. Was it coincidence that brought her to the docks, or Elayne’s channeling against the mobs?

The visit to Tel’aran’rhiod shows that Nynaeve is still afraid, and ashamed of that fear. Gradually she regains her confidence, and they make frequent use of Elaida’s study to learn about her plans. We learn about being less in the World of Dreams when using certain ter’angreal or when in a shallow sleep. The amount of self that is in Tel’aran’rhiod is related to strengths and weaknesses there.

Writing Lessons:

Use humour to maintain sympathy for a character with irritating traits.

The Fires of Heaven - Chapters 7-12

In this section, Nynaeve butts heads with everyone, and makes a big mistake

Several times Egwene says she will work at something until she finds it out. Readers learn little except that Egwene is more determined than she is successful. Egwene comes across as the kind of student who submits extra work for credit.

Moiraine has a rare point of view that reveals little. There is confirmation that she has seen visions of the future through the ter’angreal in Rhuidean, allusion to her ultimate plan for Lan, and near certainty about her urgent need to guide Rand before it is too late. She also takes particular care to attach the redstone ter’angreal just so in the back of a wagon. Those must be fairly specific glimpses of the paths her life could take.

Nynaeve is reintroduced and portrayed as bull-headedly wrong about so many things. A Whitecloak encounter emphasizes the danger they are in, but is just an example to set the mood. The real Whitecloak menace lies ahead. Nynaeve falls for a simple trap, drinking from a cup she should not have to try put the woman dosing her at ease. Forkroot is potent enough that it should have been widespread as a poisoner’s tool, even without its ability to block channeling.

Vague threats make the reader wonder about hidden dangers, but the pigeon messaging in Mardecin is so vague it undoes any impact. A pigeon goes to the White Tower, to the main threat that the young women know of. A second pigeon sent by the same double-dealing woman goes west, towards Tanchico? Tremalking? Moghedien? And then yet another pigeon, telling what the first two messages were, is sent in a third direction. Amador? Salidar? Darkfriends? Does it matter at this point? The reader is left with the impression that everyone in every faction with any interest in any of the plots knows exactly where Elayne and Nynaeve are.

Nynaeve and Elayne have one of the Seven Seals on the Dark One’s prison. That makes six accounted for; three broken, three fragile.

Romance is still in the air. Three older man – younger women relationships are discussed: Lan and Nynaeve, Gareth and Siuan, Thom and Elayne. Elayne’s infatuation with Thom seems to stem from Elayne’s attempt to emulate her mother. Some readers get creeped out by Elayne’s behaviour, but she is just one character, the other young women are far more proper. To make room for Aviendha’s romance with Rand, Elayne needs to be preoccupied with someone else at the time, even if it amounts to nothing.

In the various encounters, we are now getting our first sense of just how much Aes Sedai dabble in people’s lives. Most people never see an Aes Sedai, and rulers may have Aes Sedai advisors. But it is now apparent that many people undertake jobs for Aes Sedai, either spying or other tasks. It doesn’t seem a very far cry from how Darkfriends operate.

Bryne needs a new pipe, his old one represents fealty to the Queen of Andor. The woman he is pursuing has a quest. Maybe she will give him a new pipe?

Many portions of these chapters focus on some detailed descriptions of daily activities. These are the kinds of paragraphs that raise the ire of many readers. Instead of a short description of making camp for the night, several long-winded paragraphs tell more than readers want to know. Unlike earlier passages in The Dragon Reborn with Perrin, where the actions revealed character, these sections are thinner or less obvious with in-depth characterization. This paragraph is one of many about the camp, and only on typing this up could I identify its purpose. It conveys Nynaeve’s organizational and observational skills, and how she is a busybody keeping idle hands at work.

Once Nynaeve had enjoyed a slow, cooling wash of face and hands, she set about making the camp ready, and put Juilin to breaking dead branches from the trees for a fire. By the time Thom returned with two wicker hampers slung across the gelding’s back, her and Elayne’s blankets were laid out under the wagon and the two men’s under the branches of one of the twenty-foot willows, a good supply of firewood had been stacked, the teakettle stood cooling beside the ashes of a fire in a circle cleared of leaves, and the thick pottery cups had been washed. Juilin was grumbling to himself as he caught water in the tiny stream to refill the water barrels. From the snatches Nynaeve heard, she was glad he kept most of it to an inaudible mutter. From her perch on one of the wagon shafts, Elayne hardly tried to hide her interested attempt to make out what he was saying. Both she and Nynaeve had put on clean dresses on the other side of the wagon, switching colors as it happened.

Nynaeve’s personality makes it hard to remember her recent accomplishments.

Writing Lessons:

Vagueness can create confusion and disinterest. If you are vague about important details, have a good reason to do so.

The Fires of Heaven - Prologue to Chapter 1

In this section, lengthy prologues explain the current situation.

In the White Tower, a host of Aes Sedai are introduced. The point is to show that the Tower is made up of factions, and a crowd of new faces and names are necessary to convey this idea. A few are made to stand out, Shemerin and Joline particularly, the first Yellow, and a new Green. The most important thing is that Elaida and Alviarin are contending for power. Later Moiraine will describe how Siuan should now be approaching leaders of nations to unite them behind Rand, but the reality is that the Tower is unstable, and that anything might come out of Rand showing up there, most of it detrimental to him. There is a sense that Elaida is worse than Alviarin, simply because we know how bad she is while Alviarin is portrayed as cool and logical, and she must have been misled by Elaida.

Padan fain is in the Tower, doing to Elaida what he did to Pedron Niall. He tells her to tie a thread to one Rand trusts. It is now certain that whatever slim potential help Elaida might have been, she is now bad, bad, bad.  

Carrying over from last book, we are reminded Mazrim Taim is on the loose. Since the entire Black Ajah was in Tanchico, it is easy to overlook the supposed plot to control Mazrim Taim. Other happenings in the world are easily conveyed by the meeting of Elaida’s entourage. These briefings are used frequently to pack in information that is not worth showing to the reader directly.

This is the first time a point of view is given for a Forsaken. This makes it possible to give personalities to the Forsaken, since they won't usually be talkative in front of heroes. It is also the only way to reveal the villainous plot, unless the eavesdropping (Mat), dreams (Perrin or Egwene) or interrogation (Amico and Joiya) methods are used again. Typically, overusing any one method is picked up by the reader, except for direct revelation by the villain’s point of view, which can be done frequently. There is also now less reason to keep the Forsaken mysterious, since Rand has access to one and the air of mystery will quickly be undone.

Lanfear contrives to stay near Rand and keep some 'allies' away. Rahvin considers that knowing Lanfear’s activities is better than not knowing. Important information about the differences between men and women linking, or strength in the Power, are given by a true authority in the matter. This information would be somewhat untrustworthy coming from Asmodean, who may have ulterior motives. Internal thoughts about it from an authority outside the captor-jailor relationship are a better way to make the reader believe what is being said. Similarly, Rahvin confirms how the protection from the taint works. He describes the Dark One as a ‘greater power than the Light, or even the Creator’. He differentiates between the two. The ‘Light’ therefore represents the One Power, so earlier passages about Rand wielding a ‘sword of the Light’, or other references to the capitalized word ‘Light’ can now be put in a correct context.

The prologue and Chapter 1 act like continuation from The Shadow Rising’s 4th storyline. The focus on Min is a shift from other books, where she has played a peripheral role. Putting her front and center in Chapter 1 means she is a central character. The switch in viewpoint from Elaida to Siuan’s group is logical; it completes the White Tower characters updates. Bryne is portrayed as a cowboy leading a posse, a significant change from his days in Caemlyn. Under the pseudonym Jackson O’Reilly, Robert Jordan wrote his first book, a Western titled Cheyenne Raiders. Bryne reflects on whether the Nations will stand for or against Rand, a concern that Moiraine will echo.  

From Bryne, the logical people to look in on next are in Caemlyn. Alteima and Morgase have viewpoints, such that by page 55, not one of the original Two Rivers characters has been shown. Readers may now be anxious to get back to the central characters they know. All of the characters in this chapter are in Andor.  An expectation that they will meet up is being created.

Alteima's role is largely to provide Rahvin with information in a convincing way. Rahvin could get it elsewise, but information from someone with firsthand knowledge is more convincing. Alteima's role is also to heighten danger to Morgase. Morgase has already been described as stubborn enough to try get out of the Compulsion, and she is portrayed as being of two minds about many things. Morgase is well liked by Thom, Gareth, Elayne, Galad, and Gawyn, and may even be part of Elaida's foretelling about the Royal line of Andor (Rand is still the more likely though). She is therefore instantly identifiable as a good guy, and reader sentiment is with her.

Rahvin is interested in Rand's allies and friends. This is the second mention of tying strings to his friends. Unlike Elaida, Rahvin is a master manipulator, and uses everyone.

The very 2nd paragraph of Chapter 1, where a wind blows from Braem Wood can be contrasted with the situation of the refugees from the White Tower.  This is not simply telling readers about the geography, it tells how Min and her group are alone, exhausted, without relief, in danger of being exposed.

South and west it blew, dry, beneath a sun of molten gold. There had been no rain for long weeks in the land below, and the late-summer heat grew day by day. Brown leaves come early dotted some trees, and naked stones baked where small streams had run. In an open place where grass had vanished and only thin, weathered bush held the soil with its roots, the wind began uncovering long-buried stones. They were weathered and worn, and no human eye would have recognized them for the remains of a city remembered in story yet otherwise forgotten.

Wow, that is a great paragraph.

Writing Lessons:

Make sure the benefits of revealing the villain’s point of view outweigh the downsides.