Winter's Heart - Chapters 5-7

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rosene and Nana tittered behind cupped hands.

Wearily he tramped around the hill.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Writing Lessons:

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

The Great Hunt - Chapters 31-34

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Writing Lessons:

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