Anla

I loved how Moiraine and Rand's relationship developed over time. I definitely think that Moiraine had respect for Rand, both his position as Dragon Reborn and for the man himself, by the time she "died" (she's coming back, I say!). And Rand finally came to trust Moiraine, just as she died. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] There are so few people who Rand trusts and can rely on right now - Min, Nynaeve, Lan, Mat, Perrin (I'm sure he trusts Elayne and Aviendha, but they're not available to directly help Rand with what he's doing right now - they have their own problems). And he sent Mat and Perrin away. He could use someone else who he knows he can trust and rely on for guidance.

Who killed Asmodean? Well, Bela hasn't been completely cleared of all suspicion, has she? [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] At one time or another, I think I've suspected almost every single WoT character of this. I can't believe that we still don't know who did it, and it's been how many books? [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] My friend and I use it as an example of a rhetorical question - "Who killed Asmodean?" is short-hand for one of those myteries of life that we are never going to really know the answer for. I'm not sure what we would do if we actually were given the answer. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

I believe my most recent candidate for the killer was Graendal. At the time, I thought it was either Lanfear or Moiraine (I really have no proof to offer for either one - it was a purely instinctive emotional response). But Graendal was the intellectual, thought-out solution I came up with. I'm rereading the later books right now, so I might change my mind about it again. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] Who do you think did it? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

PepperjackCandy

So I've finished CoT. Now I have to go back and read everyone's comments (if I can still find thread ?-1).

My rereading is progressing well. I'm downloading and relistening to the books (all abridged up to WH (and all condensed down to 3 hours (!) up to ACOS). That'll free my little reading time up to read new stuff, like keeping up with my comic books.

Anla

So, what did you think of it? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

PepperjackCandy

I liked it?

[img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

It was a hoot seeing Egwene on Bela again. I'm increasingly of the opinion that Bela really is some kind of magical beast, and not just an ordinary horse by now.

About the thing about whether Egwene's getting sidetracked worrying about what'll happen to the Aes Sedai "after," I think that what she's doing (building bridges among the channelers in the WOT world) will be necessary at the Last Battle.

I'm more convinced than ever that the Dragon Rebornness about Rand is more possession than reincarnation. Why? Because of the third "entity" that Rand feels taking up space in his head. He also has three "true loves," to match his three souls.

While toying with the idea of sa'angreal -> san greal (holy grail) -> sang real (royal blood), I think that Elayne's babies, Galad, and Sulin, at a minimum (any of them who are still alive at that point), need to be there at Tarmon Gaidon, because they are the "blood" of the "Dragon."

I'm also increasingly of the opinion that RJ's a Doctor Who fan. I've posted a couple of the WOT characters that I picture as Doctor Who characters before, but here's a brief rundown (linked rather than embedded):

Myrddral

Elaida

Lanfear

Loial

PepperjackCandy

Let this be a warning to ye; never get the audiobook version of a book in order to get the correct pronunciation.

DH listened to the first four Harry Potter books with a narrator who pronounced Hermione's name "her-MAH-nee." That pronunciation was finally corrected for OOTP.

And I just listened to the three hour (yes, they can do it -- with difficulty) version of EOTW wherein the "Aes" in Aes Sedai was pronounced "ays," and Loial was pronounced, "l-WAHL." And, yes, the correct pronunciation of "Aes" is given as "EYEZ" in the glossary for EOTW. Not the correct pronunication of Loial, which I only know because Faile (?) says once that it's not just a proper noun but also an appropriate adjective in Loial's case.

~*Quartz*~

Alrighty, I haven't been over here in awhile, but I'll try to put my thoughts together in some sort of orderly fasion!!

I think that the reason everyone around Rand hasn't put their heads together to work with one another and cooperate is within the very nature of who they are. Most of them are Aes Sedai, and although a 'sisterhood' of sorts, and although some of them are even of the same Ajah, something that we've learned through Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene is that every Aes Sedai is not only out for the good of her Ajah and the good of the Tower, she is out for herself and her own purposes. Moiraine and Siuan worked together because of the closeness they had as tower initiates and young Aes Sedai. I don't think their closeness and kinship is very common in the Tower. That is why I think no one around Rand will work with each other. Because they have their own plans and purposes for him and for what he should be achieving prior to Tarmon Gai'don. And as most Aes Sedai are very smart, bold, stubborn and purposeful women, I don't see it in them to just all cooperate for the good of Rand. They each want something different out of him that seems 'right' to them, and, therefore, they will all continue to pull him in whichever direction their own purposes lie.

As for who killed Asmodean, I still think it was Lanfear. I don't know how, exactly, but that was my first instinct, and I'm sticking to it!!

As for the whole idea of Rand's reborn-ness being posession rather than being truely reborn, that's an interesting theory. It would explain a little more about why he has three 'true loves'. Or he just has multiple personality disorder and believe in the rites of the Aiel because it lets him have three beautiful, powerful women instead of one. Heh! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

*nods* yes...that's enough babbling and brain work for one post!! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

~C

[ 08-10-2003: Message edited ~*Quartz*~ ]

Anla

Yeah, my first instinct was Lanfear or Moiraine, based on the whole shocked response Asmodean had upon seeing his killer, and the fact that those two had "died" just a bit earlier in the book. Lanfear made more sense to me logically at the time, but Moiraine was an emotional call, even though I could never fully develop a rational explanation behind it if she was the killer. I just wish we'd find out who it was already! [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

~*Quartz*~

Anla~ It was mostly his shock the 'You!' that made me think Lanfear. I don't know why, but she is to me, the obvious choice, and when Jordan is asked who did it, he always says 'It's obvious', or something similiar to that. And you never know, the little men in the mirror may have indulged her to go back and kill Asmo before they had their way with her.

I still think that Moiraine will be back, because RJ never kills off main characters!!!

~C

Anla

Yeah, that was why I thought it was Lanfear (or Moiraine [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] ). But WH makes me doubt that Lanfear got any wishes at all. Still, it's definitely possible.

Moiraine's not dead. No way. It's one of my core WoT beliefs. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] Moiraine is going to come back and get things back into shape. [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

PepperjackCandy

We didn't see Mat in PoD;
We didn't see Loial in WH;

Who didn't we see in CoT? Nynaeve?

Also, I realized in CoT why the characters are never in contact with one another -- to set a precedent for CoT, in which just about everyone felt Rand and Nynaeve cleansing Saidin.

If they were in contact with one another, word would have gone around relatively quickly that's what had happened, and all of the "Oh, my Creator! It's (insert explanation here)!" reactions would have been skipped.

Anla

No, Nynaeve was in the book. She has a brief scene watching Lan and one of the Asha'man train (I think it was Narishma, but I'm not 100% sure). Cadsuane walks by and notices her watching.

<STRONG> And this would have been a bad thing? [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] You might be right about that being the reason story-wise. It still irritates me, though. The lack of communication is my biggest annoyance with the series. They really are going to have to work on that and soon if they want to have any chance of defeating the forces of the Dark One.

PepperjackCandy

Wow! I just got whiplash from the three-hour version of TGH.

Get this: We start out with Siuan being shot, page 150, skim our way to page 215, with Rand realizing that they weren't where they had been. Suddenly, it's page 221 with Hurin saying that he can still smell Fain. We go straight to Rand's dream of Ba'alzamon on 241, Then suddenly they're on page 285, about to find the Trolloc camp and the chest. No mention of Selene at all.

This, of course, leads to much amusement (and bemusement on the part of someone reading the book for the first time this way) when Lanfear and the grolm show up at Falme.

[ 08-14-2003: Message edited PepperjackCandy ]

Anla

[img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Wow, they really cut out the whole Selene storyline? [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] I could see that causing confusion for those who hadn't read the whole book before.

[ 08-15-2003: Message edited Anla ]

PepperjackCandy

More Doctor Who WoT casting.

I really wonder if RJ was/is a Doctor Who fan, because this is just weird. My previous casting choices included Lanfear, Elaida and Loial (I'm pretty sure there were others, but I can't remember right now).

Amys:



I know; she's not young-looking enough, but that's who I see. I can't help it.

Aviendha (sometimes):



[ 10-03-2003: Message edited PepperjackCandy ]

PepperjackCandy

Another WoT casting, unrelated to Doctor Who this time. I've always seen Tuon as Helena Bonham Carter. Who, according to yahoo's news thing, just had Tim Burton's baby. I'm not sure what I think of Tim Burton reproducing. [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]