[Tattersail_]

okay so Terez is the release date still the 2nd of November? I love the fact that this is so complicated, I don't see how it can be wrapped up and that's one reason I love it so much. I'm excited!!

[QuickTidal]

Okay, ignoring any spoilers thus far....

I'm at chapter 14, and loving this series again!

Awesomeness so far:

Egwene! Oh Egwene you are my hero in the first half. The way she is sowing seeds of dissension in Elaida's tower and throwing her Alternate Amyrlin weight around is so great! She's owning the first half.

Rand is a LITTLE less self centered...but he does keep using the word "use" which I am not sure about.

The Aiel Wise Ones finding out that the Seanchan captured and A'dam'ed Shaido Aiel...and threatening a reckoning....so...much...awesome. (Pssst, I hate the Seanchan)

Perrin...hmmm...he's okay, but so far he isn't blowing me away.

Faile. Well holy shit. She's finally done something awesome (in reference to Masema). I give her a slow clap for that and a little less of my ire.

Siuane. Are we getting close to a love connection here Siuane?

Gawyn. That was a nice little reveal, and his chapter with the two Warders and Sleete (name?) not ratting him out for leaving once he found out. That was a good one.

Aviendha. Man, what a cool manifestation of her channeling powers with the river...but finding out that the DKS cover art is the scene where Rand has his "Khan!!!" scene..shaking his fist and yelling at the stormy sky (AKA The Dark One) kind of leaves me thinking...wow, what a boneheaded choice Sweet.

Ituralde. Oh man, this dude is SO one of my fave characters these days. Am I wrong in thinking that he is gonna be a top general come last battle time?


Oh oh oh, I almost forgot. Sorilea's scene with Semirhage...oh man...that was such a blast. Sorilea is the epitome of cool, calm and collected.....but you eff with her and she's mess you up. Cadsuane actually seems a bit less badass when Sorilea is around...or is that me?

That's it so far. I am loving this though.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 14 January 2011 - 07:34 PM

[QuickTidal]

...and I finished it last night in a typical, Scott-marathon read...when something is that good...I GOTTA finish.

Okay, firstly the stuff I didn't like so much:

Rand, for most of the book, especially after he becomes True Source-touching man and is "devoid" of any emotion...though, make no mistake, I FULLY understand the need to do this to his character (see my likes below), it was still difficult to read him like that...though it DOES come across better than his whole angry-man thing he's been doing for books and books.

Tuon. Fuck you Tuon. You stupid Seanchan cow! Grrrr.....

Cadsuane...who I used to somewhat like...WTF Cadsuane?! What is wrong with you...(though again I understand the need to make her character make the choices she does, see my likes below)...she keeps to much close to her chest, like a typical Aes Sedai I guess..but even when Nynaeve tries to call her on it she's a close-minded "Only I know what I am doing and anyone else would wreck my awesome plans!"

Elaida (nuff said, but see the things I liked below)

Rand attempting to fix Arad Doman and stop fighting the Seanchan...I could have told him that was pointless...

Mat & Perrin make only a smattering of an appearance, but if I assume correctly the plotline of ToM covers most of what happens to them?

...and now onto things I liked:

Okay first off....EGWENE!! Egwene wins for the very best character in the whole book. Her progression from badass dissident attempting to undermine Elaida, whilst uniting the White Tower....to don't fuck with me awesome, Senachan Raken fighting, Novice uniting, tower blasting, Amyrlin Seat was flat out amazing. I read all her chapters with excitement.

Siuane bonding Byrne as a Warder, the two finally admitting their love for one another VIA that bond...the sexual tension between them and Byrne's only slightly veiled second "unreasonable" demand was awesome. Also, their joining with Gawyn to rescue Egwene, Byrne killing that assassin seanchan, and Siuane's split second timing in realizing that Min's prophecy came true...but only half...followed by finding the poison dart and healing Bryne. That was excellent!

Speaking of Gawyn...wow. I'm impressed. I hated him so much for so long because he was stupid enough to believe Rand killed his mother and had suborned his sister, even when the love of his life told him that wasn't true. He's more "woolheaded" than any other dude in the books. Thankfully here, he leaves the Younglings, and joins back up with Bryne's army and the rebel Aes Sedai, follows through with his rescue attempt and fights the Seanchan like a true blademaster, surprising even Bryne. Nice!

Sheriam was black! Had no idea.

Verin. Oh man Verin being black, against her will. The fact that she spends her time as black ajah studying them and chronicling them so that somewhere down the line someone would have a list...genius. Verin taking poison to subvert the oath she took to the Dark One....genius. The way she revealed to Egwene that she was Black with the dress comment....Genius. Her legacy to Egwene is actually the catalyst that can finally unite the White Tower. In my head she was one of the bravest Aes Sedai.

The way Egwene takes the Oaths, and then reveals Sheriam as Black (by tricking her into lying like Verin showed her), and Moria follows...and then everyone else in the camp who was listed in her books (and some who weren't)....again, awesome. After being revealed not only as black, but a leader amongst the black I expected more of a fight from Sheriam and it was actually quite refreshing to not have that. she got caught, busted and killed.

Egwene's defense of the White Tower against the Seanchan raid was...probably THE BEST action sequence I've read in the books since Dumai's Wells. She was commanding and her resourcefulness knows no bounds...and to be honest I personally saw her as the Amrylin at that point. If I was standing there I would have listened to her. Also, that proves to me that the folks doing the eBook cover art KNOW what they are doing cause they chose that scene to do for the cover....as opposed to DKS doing the scene with Rand's "Khan!" yell at the sky....which is laaaaaaame.

Elaida...getting taken and leashed by the Seanchan=PURE GOLD. Sorry, I know it's a nasty thing to think but I hated her. It would be nice to see Egwene meet her down the road leashed and kill her to release her proving JUST how superior and benevolent Egwene is as Amyrlin.

Egwene, dressed in red, ribbons and hair flying behind her, on a white stallion crossing the bridge into Tar Valon after being accepted back as Amyrlin by the remaining people in the White Tower. Wow, that scene evoked some powerful imagery. Then she makes Silvianna Keeper, nice touch. Accepting the rebels back into the ranks..again, nice. She knows what is required and I liked that.

I loathed how Rand acted in most of this book...until the end. Those last couple of chapters, the one where he walks into the room and is ready to get coldly upset with whoever is there, only to find Tam there. Quite in the corner. This is a man he hasn't seen since the first book. A man who raised him and you can actually FEEL the wind coming out of Rand's anger. That scene was quite touching. My mind actually reels right back to Emond's Field and that night Rand had to drag his father's Trolloc-attacked body through the woods. Tam brings Rand right back down to earth...until he relaizes it's been set up by Cadsuane...and nearly kills him...with BALEFIRE yet!

STUPID EFFING CADSUANE. I liked when Tam mouthed off to Cadsuane though...that as cool. He was like "Shut up!"....

...and I continued to be SO pissed with her UNTIL...

...Rand's last chapter.

He goes to try to Balefire the Seanchan armies, but then feels for those in the city especially after they see how sick he is and are empathetic...and can't do it...travels to Dragonmount..sits and thinks....and the conversation with Tam finally hits home, and for all her blundering Cadsuane actually succeeded...Rand realizes that he has love in every life...and then Lews Therin has that moment of lucdity which gives Rand his idea as to how to break the wheel-turning, thousands of years madness cycle, and all of the sudden it comes to him, and he uses the power to destroy the Choedan Kal itself, silencing Lews Therin and the storm overhead finally breaks. That was...a breathtaking end. Very cool that it took place at Dragonmount too. That last chapter made me not only like Cadsuane a bit better (even though I still think she's a know-it-all), but also having Rand finally break the streak of madness and upset and anger he's been harboring since...what, after The Stone of Tear thing?..was awesome, and I feel I can totally cheer for him again in AMOL.

Man, what a good ending. I'm excited about ToM....am I right in assuming it will mostly concern Mat, Perrin, Moiraine's rescue (obviously) and then end at roughly the same time as Rand clearing the storm on top of Dragonmount...thus setting everyone up for the final book?

Also, so Lews Therin was in the Choedan Kal?

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 18 January 2011 - 02:28 PM