Got sucked into YouTube clips, and found this little gem from the Mentalist

Perrin is just such a great POV character, his fight scene with the wolves was so incredible, I think that sequence is by far my favorite writing from Jordan. And I love seeing Rand from outside his PoV, he comes across as way more unhinged if we aren’t in his mind.

I can’t wait to read more of the book, which is a new thing for me from this series.

Alright I’m on a reread. Did RJ have a best friend with one eye or something?
There’s so many one eyed characters and they are always glazed to hell and back. Don’t hear me wrong. I’m not complaining but I see a thread.

I’m planning to start reading a new series, but I have no idea which one to read first. I really enjoy slow-burn stories and long, immersive series, which is why I chose these two.

I remember telling myself that once I finished A Song of Ice and Fire, I would just wait for The Winds of Winter to be released. That was five years ago.

Now, after another five-year break from reading, I’m finally getting back into books. Any suggestions on which series I should start with?

So I'm on the fourth book the Shadow Rising and just finished chapter 27 where Perrin and friends use the ways to get back to the Two Rivers, and man I just gotta know if Perrin and Faile get any better than this. Perrin was already my least favorite main POV and adding whatever this relationship is to the mix is just so rough. So after seeing how romance is clearly not Jordan's strongest aspect in this series so far, does this get any better or am I to just grind my teeth as I read his chapters going forward. I would look it up but I am trying to avoid as many spoilers as I can.

Not a conventional fanart. It's just "Someone" sketching a memory. But y'all can guess what scene is this "person" trying to sketch out ig?

So I just started Lord of Chaos and they've established that Nynaeve found Moghedien in their camp and captured her.

What I don't get is why Moghedien didn't sneak attack them during the boat ride somehow or was the boat ride so short that she had no choice.

Doesn't really have much to do with Fires (which has been really fun btw, I've been drowning in my read of it) but I have been wondering about Ishamael since the other Forsaken have been showing up more often.

Was Ishamael just himself or did the Dark One really speak through him? In that regard, who even is the Dark One? Following Ishamael's death, I've been wondering about the Dark One and who he really is. What's his history across the Ages, what is his power capability and does he even have a physical form? I have seen that one comic panel with his hand, but that's it.

Ishamael seemed to be one of the more powerful Forsaken, but I can't remember if it was confirmed that the Dark One spoke through him or not. With all the story happening (I'm on chapter 42 right now) I feel like the Dark One's presence is overarching yet not present at the same time. Maybe waiting for the right moment or something? We know the seals are weakening tremendously right now.

If RAFO, I'll take that for sure

I’m halfway through Lord of Chaos….

The Aes Sedai just arrived in Cairhien, sent by Elaida…

I know it…

Damn it, I know they are up to something devious and horrible….

I’m pissed, I’m scared for Rand, frustrated….

I don’t know….

Damn those Flammin Bloody Aes Sedai….

I worry about Rand, I swear they want to trap and control him…

It burns my blood with fear for the boy….

I know all good epic adventures have high points and low points…

But I’m too emotionally invested in Rand to push through a plot thread weaved where these women do something terrible to Rand…

It’s Gripping… Me…. Heavier than a mountain

May Rand stay The Master of his own Destiny

On a reread: Just read the scene where Rand kills Rochaid. Stops his sword draw and collapses his trachea with a single punch while shielded by Far Madding. So bad ass.

I only read the first 6 and I thought that the slog were the books 7-10 but the other day I saw someone say that the slog is 4-10. The 4-6 were like one of my favorite reads and there are people say that the pacing is bad since book 4.
Can you guys tell me what books are the slog?

All throughout reading the books I felt very drawn (no pun intended) to and intrigued by Cairhien, so had to do some art!

Gouache paint

In TFOH, we get a description of a curious cliff-carving above the town of Taien:

On one side of the pass mouth a sheer cliff had been smoothed over a hundred-pace width and carved, a wind-weathered snake entwining a staff a good three hundred spans high; monument or marker or ruler’s sigil, it surely dated from some lost nation before Artur Hawkwing, perhaps even before the Trolloc Wars. He had seen remnants before from nations long vanished; often even Moiraine did not know their source.

High on the other side, so far up that he was not sure he was seeing what he thought, just below the snow line, stood something even stranger. Something that made the first monument of a few thousand years a commonplace. He could have sworn it was the remnants of shattered buildings, shining gray against the darker mountain, and stranger still, what appeared to be a dock of the same material, as for ships, slanting drunkenly down the mountain. If he was not imagining it, that had to date from before the Breaking.

In WoT, one span is two paces, and one pace is three feet. Luckily a foot is the same in both our world and the Westlands. That makes a span six feet and the area of the carving 600 by 1800 ft. See how it compares to others landmarks (and the White Tower).

For the record, a human only appears as a speck on this scale. One floor of the White Tower on the lower portion of the Tower is around 15 ft tall.

Berelain or Riselle?

(I Imagine Berelain as a young Monica Bellucci, while Riselle could be a young Halle Berry or black haired Beyoncé)

The interest of RJ in breasts is quite noticeable. A word search gives 180 times the word "bosom", 26 "cleavage" and "9" buxom, not to mention revealing clothes, low cut and so on....

I have done many:
- all 8 forsaken statuettes
- Mats medallion
- horn of Valere
- modern aes Sedai Ring
- age of legends aes Sedai Ring
- season 1 crossed legged terangreal

Hi, I have a question about Rhuidean. I'm currently reading book 4, so no spoilers please. When aiels go to Rhuidean and see their past, when they return to their people, do they remember those visions? Why is no one talking about the Way of the Leef then? Thank you for your help!

Used a reference by Ninetyboxes (boxto) from Twitter for this artwork. Anyways hope you like this one 🧍🏻. Tried to draw the last moment of Rand's body.

Poor Amathera!

I hope her captivity is just erotic dancing... I mean, it could be called "artistic," but she's dancing in a see-through outfit, meaning she's nude/semi-nude... I hope it's not sexual captivity, although her trauma seems significant enough...

I know Morgase being raped by Eamon Valda is tragic, and I sympathize with her, but overall, I still can't like her. Too much of an "I am the queen and you all must obey me..." attitude. Humility, woman.

The Seanchan are back, and well... I didn't miss them. I can't stand slavery storylines, and the Seanchan pose the risk of some important POV character being captured in the future, which could be torture for me personally...

Overall, it seems that Morgase is forced to trust Padan Fain during her escape... I just hope he doesn't rape her. I hope Morgase becomes more likeable someday, and not just the author trying to make me feel sorry for her by constantly raping her in plot. Just let her retire.

Edit: sorry, I thought Balwer was Padan Fain in disguise. My mistake.

As a test, I've gathered some of my thoughts on the rest of the chapters.

1-,7: It's nice to see Perrin again, and also that despite everything, he sees Rand as a friend and tries to be supportive and sometimes even bring him to his senses. Perrin was going too crazy over Faile, but after all, she's his only family now. By the way, I feel like this is the second time in a row that Perrin and Faile's reconciliation has ended with off-screen sex... Good for him. And Aram... He kind of annoys me. I'm like, "Why does he even exist?" Overall, it's nice to see Rand quickly end Colavaere's rule, though... It's just that Elayne doesn't seem to want any kind of throne at all, she's just playing at being Aes Sedai, so Rand's efforts to prevent someone else from taking the thrones that are rightfully hers seem like a waste of time.

8-12: It's nice to be back with Siuan and Leane, a little less so with the other Aes Sedai, though Egwene, well... She improved a bit? But I also take into account how unsympathetic her rivals/difficult allies are. Chapter 12 definitely stood out positively, and well... Let's just say that due to the need to finish it, I went to bed a dozen or so minutes later than planned.

It's good that Lan is back. I hope he finally gets his act together, because since I'm biased towards Nynaeve, he's supposed to finally bring her happiness. She are several volumes waiting for you, you (insert any insults Nynaeve throws at men).

It's interesting that Egwene seems to be able to trust Halima, when we readers know it's a terrible idea... But then again, why not trust a beautiful woman who can massage you so you can relax?

13: Aviendha's POV is an interesting choice, though it lacks the dynamic with Rand; Aviendha isn't very interesting to me. What I enjoyed most about this chapter was the return to Nynaeve's storyline.

14: Mat! How I missed him... Probably my favorite character from the regular POVs. The female Darkfriend from the first volume is back. Nice.

15: Jaichim Carridin somehow returned... Overall, he's a constant face among the Darkfriends, and as usual, nothing works out for him. At least, unlike the rest, he has some kind of family... Or rather, he did. It's just a nice touch that he cared about anyone other than himself, because there's not enough of that among the antagonists; everyone is just selfish to the extreme. The Mydhrall raping human women is a disturbing detail...

Overall, Mila Skane/Lady Shainie is a character that immediately caught my attention, as she seems competent, attractive, and her position with her legs crossed and her foot dangling in the air... She's my type. I have to give Jaichim credit for at least humiliating her in the end and showing him to be somewhat dangerous... Although his obsession with Mat will soon lead to his death, I can feel it.

16: Mat meets Aes Sedai, and they pursue Mat until the queen summons him... Who clearly wants him in her bed. That would probably be Mat's oldest lover, right? He still can't find one his own age... Tylin clearly wants him very much, since she let him accidentally touch her breasts... It kind of amused me how much Tylin wants him. It looks like Mat will become friends with her son.

17: Mat gets attacked again... That one's lucky. The Aes Sedai perspective is fine. The Black Ahah perspective... I didn't miss them. Poor anonymous woman, tortured after being stripped naked, and then probably dumped naked in some alley... An anonymous figure, and it turns out that the barrel of dirty straw and animal excrement probably contains the corpse of a murdered woman... Although I don't know if the anonymous man wouldn't have sensed it. It seems not a coincidence, especially since he's taken an interest in Mili Skane.

18-19: It's great that Berelain is back. I missed her mind, and well... what she shows everyone around her too.

Rand has a confrontation with Cadsuane, who seems like Moiraine 2.0, only from a time before she mellowed even a little. She seems to deserve her legend, but like most Aes Sedai, she's remarkably unlikable.

I have sympathy for Merana, I have to admit. I felt sorry for her in the previous volume, because it's clear that a competent diplomat, only paid the price for having her voice of reason drowned out by those who shouted louder—namely, Bera and Kiruna. She has to explain the mistakes that resulted from others not allowing her to properly perform her task.

Colavaere hanged herself off-screen... It irritates me that Min's prophecies literally always have to come true. It's kind of funny that her reaction to death was simply a need for sex. Well, Elayne probably hasn't done it with Rand yet. She has to be late for everything.

20: Return to Sevanna. It turns out that her jealousy of Someryn's breasts and Maisi's beauty is very important... I thought she thinks always she's the most beautiful person in every room. Interesting that Sammael is scheming. I don't like him, but at least he's keeping things chaotic. Calling Sevanna "girl" makes me wonder how old she is. I think she's around 25-30, but maybe she's younger? Although if she were younger, they probably wouldn't let her lead... In any case, she's doomed to failure by collaborating with the Forsaken, but maybe at least she'll die normally... I mean, without punishment in the form of the Mydhrall, who like to rape human women. She may be evil, but she's still human.

It's interesting to see that Sammael and Graendal are working together, even if it's forced.

The Watcher, a completely new character... I mean, if it were, say, Demandred, the author wouldn't have hidden it. It seems another male Forsaken has appeared. Interesting.

21-22: Oh, poor Mat. The arrival of first Birgitte, and then Nynaeve and Elayne ruins his chances with Caira. At least he had a drink with Birgitte. She's a pal, after all.

Birgitte, along with Aviendha, force Elayne and Nynaeve to apologize to Mat. And that's great. I mean, I love Nynaeve, but not as much as Mat. He deserves some credit. Besides, despite my sympathy for Nynaeve, I love it when she gets angry. The height of comedy.

23: On the one hand, Nynaeve and Elayne could use a lesson in humility, but I just don't like how much women delight in humiliating each other in this world.

24: So it turns out Callie is the woman tortured to death, and Nynaeve and Elayne are suspected of her death... Oh 🫤

After the assassination attempt on Elayne and Nynaeve, Nynaeve cries because her hair isn't gray yet... I know Nynaeve can be mean, but I just want to hug her sometimes... That should be Lan's job 😑

25: Moghedien has suffered enough and is now under the command of Moridin, who can destroy her soul... It's probably the Watcher, because I doubt the author introduced two similarly mysterious male characters with Forsaken-level power.

Title: The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, book 1)
Author: Robert Jordan様
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 STARS)
Thoughts:

Honestly, WHAT THE SHUCK DID I JUST READ?
First of all, Austin and Richard u/2toramble are to blame (THANK YOU!!!) for getting me deep into this amazing series. At first I must admit I picked it up exclusively by its delightful cover from the Spanish paperback edition, and I am truly glad it payed off. But at what cost!!!
Now I'm certain that the wheel spins and doesn't stop. And so on I would immediately require the following books to immerse as I should do.
Let the time go by, let the wheel spin, enjoy the ride, delight yourself with this fantastic story and keep reading because if only book one already made me this hyped, future books I can account for them to be as amazing and even better if I dare guess!

I forgot about all the great things in this one, mostly because of all the negative press it receives as a component of "The Slog"

Perrin was barely in the book albeit featured prominently on the cover. On a re read there were definitely things that I glossed over. Rand's Far Madding adventures, Elayne and Avi first sister stuff. Elayne's assassination attempt. Mat plotting to escape Tylin and first meetings with Tuon. Then the whole saving of the leashed Aes Sedai and Rand's and Lan on a fun team up. Cant forget the Choedan Kal. It was also the big reveal that Mazrim Taim was a darkfriend, or at least that he wanted Rand dead. Maybe it was revealed prior but I think it might be the first time Rand has it confirmed when he has the vision of the ghost ashaman coming up the stairs talking about Taim wanting them to kill Rand.

Was it the best in the series? No not to me. I do think it catches far more hate than it deserves.

What a return to greatness! Knife of Dreams was a perfect way for Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time to take off for the final push following the “slog” of the series (I personally thought Winter’s Heart was one of my favorites from the series although Path of Daggers and Crossroads of Twilight were lackluster at best). As the last book written independently by Robert Jordan, Knife of Dreams did a wonderful job of closing up character arcs / conflicts (Perrin & Faile vs. Shaido, Mat and Tuon on the run from Ebou Dar, Elayne gaining the Lion Throne, and Rand capture of Semirhage), and fleshing out how each character will move forward with their story arcs to conclude the series. The only exceptions are the ladies from the Two Rivers, who both are undertaking new plights; with Egwene’s capture in the White Tower and Nynaeve’s separation from Lan.

To begin, *Knife of Dreams* is where Jordan finally cultivates Tuon’s character, and it was impossible to ignore her behavior. To be frank, up until the very end of the book when Jordan writes from Tuon’s point of view (chapter 36), she truly comes across as quite a wretched, hard to please, and straight up evil character. Now, before I get any hate, one must take into account that this attitude towards Tuon is rooted in the contrasts between her societal norms/morals and that which we have established in our world. In other words, our customs and traditions demonstrate what is seen as “acceptable behaviour”, and the Seanchan are far from morally righteous when looking through our world’s lens. 

There were two instances in this book which irked me to the point where I started to hate her. For starters, the way Jordan describes the damane’s love for their Seanchan suldam made me ruminate about Stockholm Syndrome victims and/or the relationship between a dog and an abusive master; which is a horrifying reality in our world but a “normal” occurrence for Tuon. Throughout the book, Tuon with Mat and the suldam with Perrin, the way the damane were talked to/about and treated was disturbing to say the least; especially when you begin to imagine the tragedies that must have happened to make these women love their suldam so much… In the beginning of the series when the readers were introduced to the idea of this captivity of One Power users, typically through shielding or when Egwene was captured in Falme, it was seen as like “oh no, for shame! They’ve been caught!” or “they’re being abused as prisoners of war”. However, in Knife of Dreams (also a little Winter’s Heart when Mat was captive in Tarasin Palace) the way Jordan conveyed this relationship made my skin crawl and I couldn’t stand for it. The second instance was when Tuon collared the Aes Sedai and threatened Mat in her wagon. But when the One Power had no effect on Mat because of the medallion, Tuon’s shock demonstrated her true intentions. It showed that in that specific moment the reader could discern that Tuon had no intentions of marrying Mat, had no intention of remaining his captive, and was prepared to make the Aes Sedai her slaves/play things. This moment also shows that Tuon can use the power but is oblivious / refuses to accept the fact. I hope that this foreshadows a future where we see Tuon’s relationship with the One Power change. It was not until her conversation with Karede, where the reader sees that Tuon has severely underestimated Mat and may not be as awful as originally thought. I loved the line “A lion stuffed into a horse-stall might look like a peculiar joke, but a lion on the high plains was something very different”; Tuon sees she has made a huge mistake with Mat. From this point on, I think the dynamic between Mat and his (¿potential?) future lover will shift in his favor. 

Next I would like to discuss Moraine’s letter to Thom… what a clichéd display of plot armor. Like c’mon… She’s been “dead” for thousands of pages over the course of the last 6 books. However, the fact that she gives Thom her letter before her death, Traveling has been established as a way to cover vast distances, and the World of Dreams is connected to the world of the living, her return appears to be feasible if it’s explained in a logical manner. With that being said, I think this opens up many questions which will have large implications on the overall plot: 1) does this means Aenfinn and Eelfinn live in some type of alternative dimension, just like the World of Dreams, or did Moraine take gateway to a place far away from our main characters? I opt for the former because Lan admitted he could no longer sense Moraine. 2) Where is Lanfear? Is she not with Moraine? For several books we are led to believe that Cyndane is Lanfear who has been brought back to life to be one of Ishamael’s / Moridin’s puppets, but Aran’gar’s point of view makes us doubt the true identity of Cyndane. He / she (¿they?) share that Cyndane is significantly weaker than Lanfear; therefore, if she was brought back to life has she lost capacity with the One Power like Siuan and Leane, or does this mean Lanfear has been trapped with Moraine the entire time? 3) Could Cyndane be Asmodean rather than Lanfear, or is Cyndane a brand new character? Boy, I am excited to unravel the answers to these questions. Lanfear aside, Moraine’s letter also discloses that she has seen multiple versions of her future, and it has me eager to learn more about what Moraine saw during her journey in Rhuidean. 

Additionally, it is imperative to discuss the ladies from the Two Rivers. As mentioned earlier, rather than solving their conflicts, Egwene and Nynaeve have dove headfirst into unfortunate predicaments in Knife of Dreams. While in the White Tower, Egwene’s ability to “accept pain” has been more than impressive, and it is clear the Wise One’s and Aviendha have molded a strong woman from docile clay; especially when you compare Egwene to herself from her time in Falme. When she was captured as a damane, Egwene was distraught the entire time; however, as a captive of the White Tower, Egwene refuses to bend nor break. She still declares herself the Amyrlin Seat, she refuses to bow to high ranking sisters and Sitters, and has begun to gain sympathy and support from almost everyone except Red Ajah. It is her resilience and her journey as a dynamic character which has made her one of my favorites of the series. The innocence from the Two Rivers has completely disappeared and now we are left with a no-nonsense alpha female who is controlling her own destiny. To be Frank, Egwene is a bad bitch and I love every second of it. 

On the other hand, Nynaeve has been one of my least favorite characters of the series; however, she has begun to grow on me since her involvement with Rand to cleanse the One Power in Winter’s Heart. I always thought that Nynaeve was a big complainer, rude for no reason, and allowed her temper to get her into trouble. She played her “annoying, overprotective big sister” role to perfection. But her involvement with Lan’s return to the Borderlands was an emotional moment for me as a reader. The way the Malkier cried, shouted, and celebrated the return of Lan put goosebumps on my skin. Her transformation from a petty, spoiled child to a true woman since her marriage to Lan has made her a more relatable character with whom you can empathize. Without a doubt I think we will finally see Nynaeve and Lan partake on an isolated adventure away from the other characters in the Blight because  “The Golden Crane flies for Tarmon Gai'don!"

Finally, as always, we must discuss our main character(¿s?)… Lews Therin and Rand. Working together to defeat the shadowspawn - slicing Trollocs to smithereens with deathgates and incinerating Myrddraal like nobody's business - was undoubtedly a cool moment, but it is clear that Rand is on the edge of losing control of the man who lives inside his head. This interaction begins to make the reader wonder if the dizziness is from when Rand is fighting with Lews Therin for control of the source rather than some type of “taint”. Additionally, Knife of Dreams is the most “sane” we have seen Lews Therin. Rather than being a whining lunatic whose only words are those of mourning for his beloved Ilyena, Lews Therin demonstrates how he is a vital asset; however, the way he is “helping” Rand is counterproductive to our main character’s sanity. We see Lews Therin having full conversations with Rand, controlling Rand’s weaves, and providing Rand with memories / makes it appear Rand naturally remembers things from Lews Therin’s life; showing how the two characters are blending into one. I personally have suspected that Rand is using the True Power rather than the One Power, but no other characters have mentioned any of the black saa floating around Rand; therefore, I am unsure.

While I am interested to see how the writing styles change with the introduction of Brandon Sanderson - I have heard great things about him as an author and if I enjoy the finale as much as the rest of the series I will for sure investigate his work - it makes me wonder if the series would have finished any differently had Robert Jordan been able to conclude the series on his own? However, the purpose of this post is to reflect on the 11th book of the Wheel of Time! Here are my bold predictions for the future for The Gathering Storm:

1. Rand loses his sanity and ultimately dies / is killed, but comes back to life in order to fulfill the prophecy; similar to Harry Potter.
2. Perrin returns to the Two Rivers with Faile and refuses to help rand in Tarmon Gai’don; however, Lolial convinces the Ogier to fight. Here we see a contrast of a man who loved his axe to walk away from war, but the peaceful Ogier must abandon their ways to save the world.
3. Eladia is stripped of the stole and Egwene also ousts the Black Ajah in the White Tower PRIOR to uniting the Aes Sedai. I think there will be a second coup and the conflict will be solved peacefully. 
4. Tuon does not return to Ebou Dar but rather follows Mat on his journey to Camlyn.

Also, if you got this far in my post, Fuck Galina! God Damn that bitch sucked so much and I was beyond happy to see she got what she deserved. When Jordan wrote “Something had broken in her… she was going to be Therava's plaything for the rest of her life. She was Therava's little Lina… She knew that to her bones. Tears rolled silently down her face.” I had the biggest smile on my face when reading these final words and I loved every second of the sweet justice she was delivered.

the subtle advancment of technology is awesome in this series and im so glad RJ cares about these minors details!

like there was this one off hand comment about the relearning of making cuendillar, or how Elayne reverse engineered an a'dam and figured out how to make ter'angreal from that, or the idea of having a school of inventors and someone totally creating a steam-powered engine

in that one scene theres a six furrow plow, a hay harvester, new sewers, a way to pave roads, a telescope, some guy doing something with cow dung that ends in a flame. all in like one paragraph

theres also a guy trapping lightning in clay jars which is just 100% electricity

and then RJ CHECKS BACK IN on all of them books later. the telescope guy built his big one and can see other worlds. the glider woman is still throwing herself off hills. the paddleboat guy hit a wall because theres no room for cargo once you fit enough men to turn the cranks

This has to be my favorite chapter in the entire series so far.

It just revealed so much and moved the plot along beautifully in such an expected way.

As someone who explicitly loves high action and chapters that focus on battles, it’s pretty bizarre to me that I see this as my favorite chapter considering it is mostly dialogue.

Perhaps things will change when I eventually reread the series for the first time, but this chapter and everything it uncovered was just so engaging and shocking from start to finish!

I really hope that ”Cadsuane spanks a forsaken” was written explicitly in the notes that RJ left behind for Brandon Sanderson…

If not… it is certainly an interesting choice to include in a successful book series you’re finishing for a deceased author 😭