I know how lots of people feel on this Reddit but I personally thought that in the latest episode the actor did a very good job of looking slightly mad with the line “I can do anything” which Rosamund Pike also did an amazing job of narrating in the book. It was a great moment for me to see, and also very sad.

I am now on book 5 and the narrators are well enough, but it’s really difficult to listen to different narrators when I’m so used to Rosamund Pike.

I think, even though I have lots of Audible credits, I may have to just start reading the books!

I’m a wine lover and am studying to be a sommelier. Multiple characters comment on the fact that the wine of the current age doesn’t compare to the age of legends.

From a viticulture POV, this makes so much sense. The quality of wine is very deeply tied to its terroir (climates, soil, altitude, etc).

It makes sense that the wine would be inferior post-breaking considering how everything got so scrambled geographically.

Many of the greatest wines irl come from classic regions where people have been planting and producing wine for thousands of years (ex: Italy since the Roman times). Wine makers have a deep understanding of the land and grapes which is a result of agriculture history. The most expensive wines come from places that have been identified throughout history as having a ton of subtle factors that make them grow superior grapes like slope, relation to bodies of water, the direction it faces in relation to the equator.

It makes sense that the knowledge and quality of land would be compromised by the breaking resulting in the shittier wine. Awesome detail from RJ and makes me love the series even more.

I have to say, as someone who's never read the books, I'm having the time of my life! It admittedly took me two tries to get into season 1, but when I did and saw just how expansive the worldbuilding is and all the love and labor that's gone into this adaptation, I was hooked. Maybe because I've worked on tv sets before and know intimately the amount of creativity that goes into every aspect (even the things people like to hate on), I don't really have any notes for the show. All I care about is being entertained, and I am.

It's also always amusing to me because "fans" are always the hardest to please. They need to realize that they aren't the only people sitting in the audience and will never be the target demographic. That's just simply how things work. When Fellowship of the Ring came out, Peter Jackson also had his share of book fan haters who are virtually impossible to please in a completely different medium. Books and TV are fundamentally different mediums. Today, the LOTR movies are classics that have stood the test of time despite weirdos on the internet having tantrums about discrepancies and changes made to make the story more visual and compelling. Massive changes MUST happen to translate one to the other. It took me some years to realize this as a fan of many books, but since I have, I am able to enjoy these adaptations for what they are and am just a much happier consumer of media in general.

In short, I love this show, and I feel bad for the people who can only sit around and hate on it. Could NEVER be me. 😝

Favorite:

• How they depicted Rand’s and Moiraine’s journeys in Rhuidean - portrayed better than I could have imagined.

• How they depicted the Dark One being released. Insanely cool and way different than I imagined in a good way.

• Lanfear. They’re doing her justice.

• Most of the other Forsaken

• Moiraine and Siuane Sanche’s relationship. At first I thought it was unnecessary but have come to appreciate the add.

• Queen Morgase. Felt they nailed her too.

• The damane and Egwene’s S2 arc. Really well done and feel they’ve mostly done a good job with her character.

Least favorite:

• Perrin having a wife, her dying, it barely being addressed again - what was the point?

• Min. They totally fucked her character up. Can’t put my finger on how. Maybe it’s the pants suit.

• Aviendha and Elayne’s romantic relationship. Won’t comment further to avoid spoilers.

• The Aiel all look super different. I like the diversity in the show, but wish they all had very clear red hair. It was a big part of Rand’s identity struggles.

• The implication that Egwene was a candidate to be the Dragon. A MAJOR point in the books is imbalanced gender dynamics, the taint, etc. Making Egwene a possibility cheapens that. I am a woman and feel it was a misguided attempt at “hey women can be badass too”. There’s plenty of women badassery in the show, this was a total miss IMO.

• Not enough braid tugging!

• Mat’s character has fallen pretty flat for me so far. Hope he’s salvageable - I think he is (unlike Min….)

Neutral:

• Egwene and Rand’s extended romance. I can see why they added it - def adds tension, but curious to see where it goes.

• If I hadn’t read the books I don’t think I’d have any idea what is going on lmao

• Faile is just as irritating a character in the books as in the show.

Overall have been really enjoying the show though, and wish people would give it a shot on its own legs! Curious for others thoughts.

It has been years since if finished the books. How are Tigraine and Morgase related? Are Rand and Elayne cousins?

I just finished eye of the world(kindle), after a few weeks of starting it. That prologue was sooo good, had me reading it after every few chapters in the book 😂😂 My favourites were definitely the perrin chapters, rands dreams and those last few chapters.

After I finished , I was gonna wait for my friend who I'm reading with to catch up. BUT!!! My finger slipped and I accidentally ended up reading the prologue of book 2 aswell😅, Now I'm itching to start with the next one 👉👈

P.s if I end up finishing book 2 by the time my friend starts it, I blame Robert jordan.

I just lost a lengthy post courtesy of Reddit glitching, so I'll keep this brief. Long-time book reader on probably 15th read through, have never settled in my mind how exactly Rahvin is so prepared for Rand & Co's attack. The idea of "someone close to him will die" to keep him focused on Sammael and Illian kind of backfires. Do they somehow know Melindhra failed AND that she hit the nail on the head when she guessed Rand was headed to Caemlyn? How did they know to trap the area where Rand first met Elayne? Did Trollocs arrive via Amazon same day delivery? {Free! Special gift! One linked Myrrdral with every fist of Trollocs ordered!} How did they keep the populace from stampeding in terror? And when Rand teleports to Rahvin, he's chatting with his mates as if he wasn't the one who unleashed death from the skies on the Aiel. Any help?

There was drinking, fighting, magic, singing, romance, sex (nearly), monsters, evil in various forms, treachery, murder, tragedy, comedy all thrown in, a real kitchen sink episode. At times it reminded me of playing Baldur's Gate 3 and that's the highest compliment. The earthy atmosphere of Tanchico reminded me of the Inn at Bree from LOTR, great to see proper rough settings.

The death at the end literally had me mouth open in shock and crying.

It's amazing the heights this show has hit now, it's currently the best fantasy content in TV/film since the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy.

I’m on 4!

Is there anyone willing to give out a couple old books if they no longer have use for them? I'm a fan of RJ in Nigeria and his books are incredibly hard to tind here.

Im behind on the show, slowly catching up. This post contains spoilers, but don't give me details on the next episodes please.

If i got that episode correctly, The "Breaking" of the world happened on account of Merlin (Lanfier) breaking through to the other side of the wheel, thinking it would help the world. In turn freeing the dark one

Then, the Aiel were tasked with getting the life tree saplings out before the city collapsed. With the one being tasked with protecting the white orb, can't spell that name its called. and taking the oath to the way of the leaf, Peace without violence.

From there, the Aiel over the years kept breaking the oath of the way of the leaf. Spiting the Aiel.

Ending with Rand, being the son of the Aiel leader who killed Moran's uncle. Making Rand part of the Oath breakers.

Explaining that they don't use swords because they are "weapons of war" while a spear puts lunch on the table.

If i missed anything please let me know. There is so much being explained i think i missed some details.

I'm sure this has been asked, and I'm on something like my 15th read-through, but I have never had an answer to this that satisfied me. We know Lanfear, Sammael, Graendal, and Rahvin are plotting to trap Rand, and are mainly trying to point him toward Sammael so the other 3 linked can take him from behind.

But, ofc, when he gets to that little secluded area behind the palace in Caemlyn where Rand climbed a tree and fell into Elayne s garden, down go the walls and out come a zillion Trollocs. It's like Rahvin knew Rand's entire plan and got his Trollocs from Amazon Prime same day delivery. {Special! Free linked Myrrdral with every fist of Trollocs ordered!}

So, did he have the whole city trapped and packed with Trollocs in case Rand attacked him? Trollocs also come pouring out of buildings around the palace that are either homes or businesses. Didn't anyone notice this? Rand remarks that they arrive late enough in the early morning that people should be out and about, but they're not. It seems the only way he could have picked this spot was if he had some prior knowledge of Rand {and later Mat} using it. How? Were the Forsaken able to time travel? Also, by this time, Lanfear had gone through the Door frame. Graendal might be here so she happens to be in position to nuke you know who. Sammael might be here. We do know from a messenger of Sammael's in LOC that Sammael can booby trap his agents. Is it possible Melindhra was similarly booby trapped and her death signaled him that Rand was headed for Caemlyn? Or did Sammael have her rigged so that he could overhear their conversation? When Mat announces that Morgase is dead, is this just a rumor Rahvin started? But leaking a rumor like that works against his idea that, if Rand looks elsewhere than toward Sammael, someone close to him would die.

I remember when RJ cleared up one of the mysteries he had said you had enough info to solve and we all screamed "WHAAAAAATTT???!!! he remarked that he was not a murder mystery author. Might this just be one of those things where he didn't tie up all the loose ends? It just strains credulity that the remaining Forsaken could have pre-pinpointed the exact spot in Caemlyn where Rand & Co would arrive, imported this many Darkspawn and hid them so the entire palace {really, the entire city} didn't flee in panic, trapped the wall with a bunch of explosives so they caused multiple rifts at just the right time. And then, when Rand makes a gateway and finds Rahvin, it almost suggests it wasn't Rahvin sending the One Power attacks against Rand and the Aiel {no line of sight from deep within the palace, and he's chit-chatting with his flunkies}.

Sorry for the length and randomness, but like I said, I have never put all the pieces in the right order to get a cohesive narrative. Anybody have any good ideas about all of this?

Hey people of the WoT subreddit! It's a big day, as it is finally the day of my last post on the Eye of the World! It's been really fun to share my thoughts on this book with you all, and I hope to do the Great Hunt sometime in the future, but for now I have to focus on some irl stuff. For now, I'm going to put June as the month I'll hopefully be able to start TGH. I think this should give me enough time to sort crap out while it not being too far away.

In this post, I will be discussing chapters 52 and 53 of the Eye of the World, which focuses on the aftermath of the Forsaken encounter in the last two chapters. These chapters do a really great job at setting things up for the next book.

Please remember that these posts are first-time reader friendly, so please refrain from spoiling anything that happens after these chapters. Anything before is fair game though!

As usual here's the last 3 posts that I have done!

Post #18: https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/comments/1j5h75g/travelling_through_the_dark_first_thoughts_the/

Post #19: https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/comments/1jboxr9/journey_to_paradise_first_thoughts_the_eye_of_the/

Post #20: https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/comments/1jh5e0b/the_eye_of_the_world_first_thoughts_the_eye_of/

For the final time, let's get into it!

Chapter 52: There is Neither Beginning Nor End

Summary: Rand finds the rest of his friends injured and tired, but alive. He finally realizes what he has done, and quickly tells Moiraine everything. Within the Eye, the group find the Horn of Valere, the Dragon's Banner and a broken seal.

Thoughts:

- Rand finds himself back in the grove, and realizes that Aginor is dead. I'm a little confused to what exactly happened with Aginor in the last chapter, I think he died from magic overload but could someone confirm this for me?

- Rand remembers the sword he wielded in the last chapter against Ba'alzamon. This confirms that he does remember everything that happened. This might seem like "duh", but I had a little feeling that there was a chance that Rand might remember nothing about the Ba'alzamon fight or Tarwin's Gap.

- Rand says the Dark One is truly dead. Yeah, sorry Rand but you have 13 more books to go! Because of how long this series is, I think that the Dark One is very far from being dead, and I think Ishamael isn't even dead. We only saw him on fire, and like Thom, if I don't see a dead body or corpse I will not believe it. I also think Rand deep down knows that Ba'alzamon isn't dead either, but he is trying to convince himself that it's all over and they can all go back to their normal lives.

- I find it interesting that Moiraine doesn't want to hear the name Shai'tan, like Voldemort in Harry Potter. Did Rowling copy off Wheel of Time? I wonder if this fear of the name Shai'tan will be a recurring theme across every Aes Sedai, and even commonfolk for that matter.

- When Rand says he killed the Dark One using the One Power, all three of the women were obviously scared of Rand. Like Mat's dagger, Rand being the Dragon and using the Power seems to be having a big impact on his relationships. Will his friends continue to trust him?

- Moiraine says Bela didn't need to be cleansed of tiredness way back in the Two Rivers, as Rand had already done it! I didn't even think of this! It just shows that there is foreshadowing on literally every page!

- Rand immediately gets defensive about using the One Power, and I think he's angry and scared that Moiraine, Egwene and Nynaeve all showed signs of fear towards him. I think Egwene's reaction probably hurt the most to Rand, and he lashes out at Moiraine saying he will not get gentled and used like all the other False Dragons.

- Rand talking about Logain reminded me of the prophecy that the Dragon will lift the sword out of the ruins in Tear. When will Rand go south and do that? I think this is where the story is really going to start branching out and we will get to explore every corner of this amazing world. There's no longer one goal of getting to the Eye, but now Egwene and Nynaeve have to go to Tar Valon and probably will meet Elayne and Gawyn, Rand has duties down south in Tear, and my guess is that Mat and Perrin will go to Illian for the Horn (which is coming up soon!). I'm starting to get really excited! And this isn't even including the Whitecloaks, or Thom and Domon, or Logain himself in Caemlyn!

- It's interesting that Lan is the only one that seemingly doesn't care about Rand channeling the One Power. I would've thought that Moiraine would have the most neutral reaction as I thought she would've seen it coming, but I guess not.

- Now we get onto the three items! Firstly, one of the seven seals was revealed in the Eye, which is forged with Heartstone and cannot be destroyed. Obviously this seal was made not to be broken, but this brings up an interesting question to what possibly could've destroyed this indestructible object. My theory is that Aginor broke it by pulling saidin from the eye, and this was also partly caused by Rand. I also think that this was Ba'alzamon's plan all along, to get Rand to essentially break the seal!

- The Horn of Valere is also at the Eye! All those stories from Thom are going to have a large role to play now! Apparently it can "call the heroes of the Ages back from the dead to fight the Dark One". Are we going to be seeing Lews and Artur in this present Age!?!

- Finally, there is a white banner with a scarlet and gold serpent. It's Lews' banner; the banner of the Dragon! Not much is said about what this can actually do, except maybe unite the armies under the one banner.

- Moiraine wants to take the Horn down to Illian. She doesn't say about where the others are going, but I assume they'll be going to Tar Valon to be taken to the Amyrlin Seat.

- Moiraine answers my question from last post about what happens to the grove when the Green Man dies. It does look like the Blight will eventually take over it and it will not last, which is very sad. The Green Man, whilst his death wasn't in vain, it doesn't help protect the plants he cared for.

- It looks like these three items are now the plot devices moving forward. I think the Horn especially will have a strong focus in the Great Hunt, and it'll be interesting to see who will travel down to Illian. I really want it to just be the three boys by themselves, as we haven't seen that yet.

Chapter 53: The Wheel Turns

Summary: The Blight is very different on their return journey back to Fal Dara; it's eerily silent and spring is starting to bloom! Rand is extremely torn on what to do next, but he eventually decides he needs to leave his friends before he goes mad from the taint of saidin. The chapter ends with Moiraine realizing that the Dragon is reborn!

Thoughts:

- The Green Man's garden has been devastated. What really hits me is the line that says "all the flowers were gone except for a few clinging desperately to the edge of the clearing". All the work that the Green Man has done to protect these plants, which we saw when the group was walking towards the Eye as the Green Man went out of his way to fix that flower on the path, all that work is gone...

- Rand also seems to get hit with that realization, as he feels the battle is a loss instead of the win it should be.

- Something amazing happens at this point in the book. Loial starts singing the Song! The song is extremely beautiful and touching, so much that time seems to fly by. It also seems to reverse part of the carnage of the battle.

- The battle has also had a large effect on the Blight. It is super quiet when they exit the grove, and even the sun is less red and more yellow than before.

- Perrin and Mat are still confused about what could've happen to strike such a blow towards the Dark One. I feel a little bad for them, they must be wondering what the hell is going on...

- The army won in Tarwin's Gap! It looks like Rand saved the day! However, none of the soldiers seem to recognize Rand from the battle. I know the chances of someone recognizing him in the heat of battle seems very low, but still does this mean Rand wasn't REALLY at Tarwin's Gap and was more like a ghost figure?

- Ah so Rand doesn't get seen directly, but some soldiers thought they saw the Creator himself on the battlefield. Agelmar claims he did see a man though.

- Agelmar is very shook when Moiraine says the Green Man is dead. It shows how much of a big deal this big hippie giant was to everybody.

- When the Horn is revealed, Agelmar is so surprised it makes the Green Man's death look like a minor inconvenience. It's interesting how Agelmar's confidence goes up by a thousand when the prospect of having the heroes of old on their side. These heroes must be next level powerful! However, Moiraine is still insistent on the Horn going to Illian, and not remaining near the Blight.

- Moiraine asks for an escort of men. It sounds like none of our major characters are going to Illian with it, which I'm very surprised about.

- Rand also wants to go somewhere away from his friends, probably because of the realization that he isn't going to be welcomed with open arms in Tar Valon. Rand doesn't want to go to Emond's Field, and I think this has to do with the combination of not wanting to put loved ones in danger, and also the feeling that Emond's Field might not be his real home.

- I think Rand is also feeling a lot of loneliness right now. He remembers Min's words of how the danger of the madness means he can't be with Egwene. I also can feel his loneliness when he talks about how he can't go back to Emond's Field.

- However, there's a really nice piece of symbolism in Rand's decision to keep the heron sword, and therefore his memory of Tam, close to him. Even though he's accepted he isn't Tam's son biologically, he still calls himself Tam's son. This isa good way of showing family isn't what you make of it, and not just what ties you by blood.

- It's really interesting that Moiraine completely ignores Rand while they are staying in Fal Dara. It's like Rand doesn't even exist since the meeting at the Eye. I wonder what's going on here, this feels really weird.

- The book finishes with Moiraine exclaiming that the Dragon is Reborn! Things are getting GOOOOD!

Predictions and Conclusion

My prediction of the Great Hunt is that the group will split up into smaller parties again. I think Moiraine and Lan will take Egwene and Nynaeve to Tar Valon and they will start learning how to channel. They will then meet Elayne and Gawyn and relationships will start to build there. I think Mat and Perrin will go with the escort of men down to Illian with the Horn, and I think Perrin's feud with the Whitecloaks will continue to escalate, and maybe a cameo from the wolves and Elyas will show Mat what is really going on behind the yellow eyes. I think Rand and Loial will go down to Tear to remove the sword, as Rand will learn he is the Dragon Reborn, and therefore fulfill the prophecy. Finally, Rand will have a showdown with Ba'alzamon in the flesh, and maybe another Forsaken will join Ba'alzamon in the fight. Maybe one of the women Forsaken might start hunting the girls or something, but that's a wild guess.

Thanks so much everyone for all the support across this entire series! I really love all the comments you guys have posted on all these posts! Now I'm going to lock in for university, and I'll see you all on the other side for the Great Hunt (hopefully)!

Fucking hell, the glow-up that show has gone through is one of a kind. This is such a far-cry from season 1. Take note Witcher and Rings of Power.

That was another fantastic episode.

I must confess, I was already having a tiny-weenie bit of a crush on Elayne, but after her singing session this episode, I have to say with all due respect... Ceara Coveney can serenade me all night long whenever she wants.

Also, gotta love when a fantasy series embraces the songs of its world. We need more of that. And it was great to see Thom Merillin again. Love the actor and the typical rogue-bard that he seems to be. Yes that's an archetype but when it's done right, it's just... good.

Also, that scene of Elayne and Nynaeve with Moghedien was mesmerizing. I wasnt really sure about the chararcter of Moghedien so far, I kinda found her cartoonish and over-the-top but this scene did a lot to build her up and the actress was terrifying... softly, softly from the shadows.

Sadly I cant say the same about Nynaeve... I gotta admit, in a show with a lot of interesting characters, there is something that still is missing for me when it comes to her. It's frustrating cause she's are part of the lead characters, but I find it hard to really invest with her. I really need her to have an arc of her own to show me who she really is. I liked seing her loosen up a bit with Min though... and I kinda hope we'll get more of these two together. I think Min can bring something more in Nynaeve.

I'm a tiny bit frustrated at Egwene's arc as well. Last season with Renna was absolutely fantastic and her learning to walk the dreamworld is showing a lot of promises, but I feel like I need a bit more from her. That being said, Rand's line about Egwene always needing something more was spot-on and reminded me of all her drive, ambition and resilience. And I'm really interested to see where her story will go. Weirdly, even more than Rand, I have a feeling Egwene has as much capacity for destruction as she does for creation. I sincerely wouldnt be surprised to see her journey taking her on a dark path.

Not much to say about Perrin for now... not the most engaging story of the show, sure, but it's slowly shaping up nicely and I personally find his relationship with Faile to have grown organically. The scenes between them make sense and have a lot of promises for the future.

Also, I have to mention the Cauthon sisters... can they both channel? It was really nice to see Alanna recognize their potential and guide them. I wonder what's in store for Alanna and Maksim... if the Two-River region is indeed rich with women who can channel, Alanna could become some form of mentor... or maybe the new Wisdom since it seems Nynaeve has abandoned them without apointing her replacement. :)

Now, I have to talk about Rand's last scene... Josha Stradowski is fucking good. He has really come into his own as an actor... or maybe it's the material that allows him to shine, but man is his acting stellar. You can feel all the power bubbling below the calm and controlled surface. I totally buy him as the Dragon Reborn. Or at least, the Dragon Reborn as he is right now, on the road to somewhere but not fully there yet... I see the potential. And yeah, he did bring a couple tears to my eyes when trying to revive Asera. That was a beautiful scene.

Really, despite some flaws here and there, the glow-up has been incredible. And I love this experience as a non-book reader carefully navigating these subs. I dont mind light-spoilers and have avoided major ones so far, but it's fascinating to me to read y'all.

Sometimes when carefully lurking on the book-spoiler threads, I'll feel like a historian trying to piece and parsel a knowledge that eludes me through the glimpses you book-reader offer. In how you compare scenes or speculate on foreshadowing, or what the writers meant for the long-term with such or such decision... or when I see tease of big events to come, usually just name-dropped without any further explanation (or with me dodging the bulk of the explanation), it feels like I have a glimpse at a whole wider word that I have yet to discover.

For instance, I know there's something big coming in Tear in the forseeable future (I have no idea what) and it's been fun seing y'all debate if it will be for the finale or next season (though the consensus seems to be on the latter).

Anyways, I'm just blabbering out at this point, but wanted to share this with you guys.

Take care y'all. :)

I was doing a Wikipedia hole and wound up reading about Sikhism. I am not claiming any expertise on the subject but it seems like a strong tradition in their faith is formal organized sword fighting. There seams to be two schools, a performative and a practical. The practical one interests me as a coincidental thing with the WOT world. They have specific stances for offense and defense with specific names. I can imagine in WOT the Randlanders practicing a Japanese influenced school of sword while the Seanchan or the Sharans practicing the Sikh traditions, and the different approaches between masters creating beautiful duels. How they would adapt and use their respective teachings to counter the opponent. Anyway, seems pretty cool.

One question I've been seeing a lot online is, "Do bookfans hate the show?" or "Why do bookfans hate the show?" or "Should I read the books if they will ruin the show for me?"

The thing is, these questions take as a given that book fans are united in their "hate" for the show, when actually I think a it's more of a "mixed" reaction. (Lately with season 3 it might even be "mixed but overall positive.") So if you are a show fan, I definitely would not let the negative reaction of some book fans keep you from starting the books. Plenty of people enjoy both - to one degree or other!

Here is my (totally non-scientific) breakdown of different kinds of book fans who watch the show, based on what I've seen in the fandom. For the record I think all of these fan reactions (except the two polar extremes) are 100% valid.

5% Bookcloaks: People who hate the show intensely and yet keep watching it just to post hate videos or angry posts. (And therefore have a totally disproportionate presence on social media.) Two types of these - Dain Bornhalds: people who have totally unrealistic expectations of what is possible for a TV adaptation, and Eamon Valdas: fans who don't like the roles that women, queer people and people of color have been given on the show.

20% Cilantro Fans: Certain decisions made, especially in earlier seasons, have left a bad taste in their mouth. To them watching the show is a horrible experience, like eating soap. Enjoying the show (or not) is a matter of taste, and the taste to them is really bad.

25% Hopeful Grumblers: People who take issue with the show, but enjoyed specific scenes and aspects, and are hoping the show gets better while managing their expectations.

25% Happy Nerds: People who might not have liked everything but seeing WoT on TV is SO COOL they are willing to overlook it the weakpoints, and are very excited when the show does something well.

20% Book Fan/Show Fans: People who wholeheartedly love both the books and the show and tend to find the changes interesting ("Hmmm, why did they make that change, I wonder?") rather than concerning. (As of Season 3, I fall into this category, while before I was a Happy Nerd.)

5% Elaidas: Toxic show fans, basically. People who will brook no criticism of the show and accuse everyone who doesn't share their opinions of being a Bookcloak.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts. The Dusty Wheel also has a really good video on this topic as well!

As in when and how did you discover the series. Mine is probably a bit more disjointed then most. Came across Book 6 in the mid-90s in my schools library in my high school in Fiji. It blew my mind. Then maybe 4, 5 years later found books 3 and 4 in a thrift store and then a cousin who came over from another country brought me books 1 and 2. Once the Internet was a thing, managed to get most and then all of the books online. Been some journey but the Wheel wove well eventually.

I decided to get into this show, made a pizza and sat down to watch last night, and for some reason could find no episode earlier than episode 4 season one? I am in the UK and have Amazon Prime. I found the Amazon prime page for wheel of time, could select season 1, 2 or 3, but when I select season one the first three episodes are missing? Any idea?

Wow! Another great entry. Books 2-4 have really delivered so far. It was not a perfect book (for me) because I did bounce off the Rand Aiel flashback chapter. For me, that scene was a real struggle to absorb the information, but almost everything else about the book I loved. I thought the characters and the plot lines all were really well executed and interesting.

Let’s talk about the characters:

Rand- This was Rand’s best book so far by far for me. I loved him in this book. He had these little quips about him that were laugh out loud funny. I loved the decisiveness and confidence that he showed here. It’s a real growth from his whininess in books 1 and 2.

Mat- he was sort of a background character in this one, but he did have the two scenes where he got to ask questions in the tarangael. Based on the answers, I feel like he is going to have something to do with the Seanchan at some point soon (don’t tell me, no spoilers please. Just thinking out loud)? I don’t know if I love or hate that since I really hate the Seanchan (in a good way though. I don’t hate reading about them, I just want to root against them)

Perrin- He was the star of this book. I really was dreading going back to the Two Rivers, but boy did it deliver. It was action packed fun, with its fair of share of mystery. Yeah, that plotline was really good, and it did a great job elevating a character that I already liked in Perrin.

Elayne- YES!! I asked for more Elayne in my last review, and this book gave me more. She is the perfect combination of Nynaeve’s level headedness and Egwene’s boldness. She is just a really good character. I don’t think her and Rand are destined to be together, but I did enjoy their scenes together here.

Egwene- She took a backseat this book, but I did like her learning to dreamwalk better. That will be useful later. I love how she’s fully embraced her learning and her Aes Sedai’ness. I think it’s what separates her from Nynaeve and Elayne. And right now she is clearly the best of the three with the magic even though Nynaeve is stronger. I also liked when the Wise Ones made her put her hair in two braids like a child for her insolence. That was so Egwene. Perfect!

Nynaeve- I loved how this book questioned her biases but also showed us just how strong she is with her magic when she can wield it. She has so many layers it’s hard not to love her.

Thom- Give me more Thom please. His and Elayne’s scene together was so heartwarming. He has grown on me, after book one I hated him, now I’m a huge fan.

Faile and the Ogier- Huge improvements for them both. They were great here. I have not been a fan of them up until this point. The spotlight really worked for them this book, bringing them into their own and letting them develop.

Moiraine- She is like the teacher that kept the wild student from going off the rails that you hated as a kid, but admire as an adult. I know she can’t be around forever, eventually she has to not be by Rand’s side so he can screw up, but I really hope it doesn’t happen. I love her, she’s the best.

Let’s talk about some plot points

Okay Lanfear time. I have no idea if I’m supposed to like or hate Lanfear. I feel like the book wants me to be sympathetic and like her, but I just don’t. I think she’s evil and up to no good. I want Rand to stay away!!! But I know he probably won’t 😂. Really good character addition.

Let’s talk about Elaida. That evil hag overthrew and STILLED Siuan?!?! I was so mad. I hated her so much going into this book. I knew she was up to no good. I wasn’t surprised she overthrew the Amyrillian Seat, she has clearly wanted power, but STILLING her too?!??! Really? Oh I hate her so much. I felt so bad for Siuan and her keeper 😭. And I know that she is going to be trouble for Egwene and Nynaeve. I said last book based on Egwene’s accepted test of “what will be” that I thought she would become Amyrillian Seat eventually, I still think that, but can it happen soon? I can’t take Eladia in power. If it’s going to be a lot of books it’s going to be torture. Great villain though (even if she’s supposed to be a grey character)

Let’s talk about the Perrin plotline. It was so freakin good. Bringing the Whitecloaks in it only elevated it because they are so easy to hate. Then bringing in Luc too added a lot of mystery. I still have no idea what Luc actually is? Like is he a Forsaken or something else? And then the Faile/Perrin was really heartwarming. And the Ogier waygate plotline was perfect. And Verin too! She’s great, very dry sense of humor.

The Nynaeve/Elayne plotline was also really good. I liked how the Seanchan was involved in it because it showed us the difference between Elayne and Nynaeve, and how they deal with their trauma. And it also showed not all Seanchan are slave wielding monsters.

I have thought the Black Ajah storyline has been a highlight of the series and it continued in this one. I like that it still hasn’t wrapped up yet, because I think there is more to tell. I can’t wait to see who finally stops Liandrin, I hope it’s Nynaeve, but if it didn’t happen this book it could very well be someone else.

The Nynaeve forsaken fight was a great way to show off just how strong she is when she can channel. I do hope she learns how to channel without being angry at some point.

Finally let’s talk about the Rand plotline. I thought it kicked ass. I enjoy this version of Rand a lot. His first meeting with Lanfear in the Tear and the fight with the trollocs was really a great action sequence to kickoff the opening act. Calladhor was so much stronger than I envisioned.

The tension and mystery with the Aiel that he had going on was exciting. I loved that the whole time he knew there were two forsaken following them.

I loved the final act both when he was declaring himself the dragon to the Aiel and then the fight with the forsaken. I thought that was a really good way to get him a teacher to learn how to use magic.

Like I said I bounced off the flashbacks, but everything else I loved!

Oh, one other thing I want to talk about before I give my rankings! I noticed this in Eye of the World but forgot to include it in my thoughts, I read The Once and Future King last year and The Warlord Chronicles in January, and there sure seem to be a lot of Authorian inspired names in this series! I don’t know if it’s foreshadowing or not (don’t tell me), but as a fan of the Authorian legends I love it :)

Overall rankings:

1. The Shadow Rising: **** 1/2

2. The Dragon Reborn: **** 1/2

3. The Great Hunt: ****

4. The Eye of the World: ** 1/2

Key:

5 stars= perfect book. I wouldn’t change anything.

4 stars= great book. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading. And would reread it in a heartbeat.

3 stars= good book. I enjoyed my time reading it and am happy I did so. It’s not a book I will ever probably reread unless it’s part of a larger series of books that are great or perfect.

2 stars= can fall in one of two categories: fine book. I neither liked nor hated my time reading it. Or it’s a good book but it’s just not for me.

1 star= I hated my time here

***** Spoilers ******

okay got that out of the way. I'm a first time reader. I fininshed ToM a few nights ago and I just had to sit with it for a few days before starting aMoL.

First, my reaction to ToM:

[Spoiler]

WOW! What a read. it was very hard to put down, though Perrin's POV made me want to at times. I've never taken notes but I started to for ToM and I suspect I will have to for aMoL.

Rand vs the trollocs with Rodel was incredible. That much power being used to destroy the enemy forces was awe-inspiring. Rand just walking into the Tower and telling Egwene what he plans to do.... makes me think he has other plans for the Fields of Merrilor. I know he said at the end he's still going to break the seals but I think this mass meeting has other purposes as well.

THE GOLDEN CRANE FLIES FOR THE LAST BATTLE - Lan's POV was awesome this book. I audibly lol'd when he said (thought?) "Burn that woman" in reference to Nyneave.

Finally Elayne's zealousness has bitten her in a real eye opening way. I really enjoy Elayne's story but man she can really be a wool-headed sheepherder sometimes. She lucked into the black ajah and almost died. Cementing her rule in Caemlyn and Cairhien is ambitious and after reading the epilogue it appears she might lose Caemlyn with the Trollocs coming through.

Loved the stories of Birgitte in the Tower of Ghenji

Speaking of Tower of Ghenji, NOAL! I mean Jain? Did not see that coming! Mat losing an eye! MORAINE IS BACK! HER AND TOM ARE MARRIED?!?!? AHHHHHHHHHH!

I thought Mat vs the Gholam was kind of underwhelming.

Aviendha's future blood line!!!!! that was an incredible, heart-breaking, and wild few chapters.

Perrin - Trial was meh, I know it's his character and he's stubborn/ trying to find himself but good lord his POV dragged for most of this book. Until the fight w/ Slayer and the dreamspike I was not looking forward to his POV.

Speaking of Slayer, he's one of the forsaken right? I think Taim is a forsaken but I ahve no idea who's even left at this point. But we know Moridin said there were two dreamspikes and one was given to another and since the Black Tower can't form gateways....

and now, my predictions/anxieties/thoughts for aMoL:

WHO ARE WE GOING TO LOSE????!?!!?!

I'm so scared to even start this book because I'm anxious about what's going to happen.

We've been beaten over the head that Elayne's children will be born bc of Min's vision but I don't think she survives the book. Min's viewings can be wrong.

Speaking of viewings, What is Logain's glory yet to be? (please don't actually answer, I know it's RAFO).

also along the lines of viewings, we know Avi has children by Rand. so that must mean he survives the last battle in some capacity.

I think Perrin dies as well. Surely not all of the Ta'Veeren will live. I don't see Mat dying but it would be fitting that his luck finally runs out at some point.

What's the Seanchan role to be played, if any, in the last battle? From Avi, we know they want/will conquer the world but how does Rand fit into this? and also Mat, seeing as he's the Prince of Ravens??

I'm so scared but so excited! I will probably start aMoL tonight!

I am reminded that some networks have cancelled good series that Netflix picked up, then the series grew in popularity due to Netflix’s superior platform and algorithm. Thinking of “You” and “Lucifer”. Considering many networks want their own GoT, they could buy 3 seasons of a show with a lot of white space.

I love Lorne Balfe work since Assassin's Creed 3 ( Assassin’s Creed 3 / Lorne Balfe - Fight Club (Track 17) | Youtube ) and more recently he brillantly worked for the OST of His Dark Materials ( His Dark Materials - HDM Main theme | Youtube --- Love Across Worlds | Youtube --- Until The Day I Die | Youtube , probably the best OST I listened in the last decade (RIP Ramin with Westworld)).

But in fact, except with the excellent "The hills of Tanchico" (that Lorne Balfe didn't compose) and the incredible main theme, I specifically listened to no tracks of the Balfe's work in WoT.

So, what are the tracks you'll recommend to listen to? What's your favourite? (of Lorne Balfe, for the show or an other, or an other composer that fits WoT mood in your opinion).

PS : As I read somewhere, yes, Lorne Balfe has a huge and kindly "special" discography: He worked The Penguins of Madagascar (WTF), Megamind (WTF), a few Call of Duty games, Terminator Genisys (WTF), Pennyworth, Bad Boys For Life (WTF), Black Widow, Black Adam the Skylanders game series (WTF) etc. Very heterogeneous.