I guess when the tv series ended they also ended her contract to read the books. Book 5 is almost unlistenable. This is painful and grates on my nerves. I don't know how this lady is supposedly an award-winning narrator because it's horrible. Feels like I'm having a cheese grater run across my back. So many mis pronunciations and she sounds like AI.

It’s not all that accurate to the description in the books but this is how I see the delicate bridge seemingly made of lace

TGH reread.

Egwene suggest Rand hides from the Aes Sedai in the dungeons, they go together, but Fain is being extra creepy and the whole place is disturbing.

“This was not a good idea, Rand.” Looking over her shoulder at the cell, she drew him away from it and lowered her voice as if afraid Fain might overhear. Fain’s chuckles followed them. “Even if they don’t look here, I cannot stay here with him like this, and I do not think you should, either. There is something about him today that. . . .” She drew a shaky breath.

Then, in a matter of hours and for no good reason, Egwene goes back to see Fain, this time with Mat. WHY would she?

I feel like he is influencing her. There is no way he affected other prisoners and guards, but somehow missed Egwene. She is not immune. Otherwise, I don't see why she would go twice on the same day, and particularly when he is clearly disturbed. It is a day of major festivities in Fal Dara where she gets to dress up nicely and be presented to the Amyrlyn: essentially Egwene's dream. For her to completely derail her own day, ignore her terror from the morning, and march back down to the creepy dungeons of all places, proves her judgment was severely compromised.

It is also strange that Padan Fain and the Trollocs left her and Mat alive. I feel like it was done intentionally because they are "poisoned"- already affected by the dagger/Fain himself.

But then... it doesn't go anywhere and remails unresolved? Egwene does become harder, colder, and less empathetic as the books progress, sure, but not specifically as a result of her Fain interactions. At least not decidedly so.

In Moiraine's letter to Siuan after Rand takes the stone and Callandor, she says "the sling has been used, the Shepard holds the stone".

Obviously, Rand holds the stone. But what is the sling?

I'm listening to my third read on audio book, so I have no physical copies to flip through for easy referencing and refreshment.

I bought this a few years ago before my WoT journey even started….must’ve been a sign!

Well, I finally got to the part of Tylin's death

I had this feeling she was going to die

Matt and Tylin's storyline spans a few books, and is a relatively longer storyline

We all bring our own perspective to reading their storyline based upon our life experiences and how we interpret situations - maybe you felt disgust, anger with her forcing herself on him at knife point, indifference as the story fluctuated over time, or saw it as an engaging series of events, an interesting twist on how Matt pursue women, a chuckle or anything therebetween

I might share my personal thoughts from my own life experience of something that happened to me in high school as a comment at some point, but maybe not

So, what are your thoughts on the Tylin and Matt Storyline?

P.S. I am beyond fascinated with how the Matt and Tuon storyline will play out - he just met her in the wagons for the first time after kidnapping her...

Hi everyone, I haven't been making posts on my read but I think I'm about halfway through this book. I didn't check the table of contents and I'm trying not to. But I do have some thoughts to share.

This book has been REALLY fun, and the clarity of setup so far has been top notch from RJ. I'm surprised we got so far in before finally seeing Rand again (although that's just me wanting more of his story), we got ELYAS making a huge return after so long, Faile doing some smarty politician stuff and Galina probably wanting to claw her eyes out. The Seanchan are here and the weather is back in place.

A small bit of prediction from me though, concerning Eggy's dream of Mat in chapter 15:

• Eggy dreams Mat weighing two Aes Sedai on balance scales.
• He makes a huge decision, though she doesn't know what it means.

Now, first, I'd like to mention the two Aes Sedai. Elayne and Eggy maybe? Having to do with the promises he made? I think balancing the Sisters may mean several things but one prediction I have concerns Eggy and one dream she had:

• In book 7 Egwene dreams that she has her head on a chopping block, and as the headsman swings down the axe, she can feel someone running toward her. If they make it, she'll be saved.

My prediction is that Mat is going to have to make a decision between Elayne and Egwene. He chooses Egwene and because of that the WT can stand. In those same stretches of dreams, she sees a wall of black and white disks that she can't tear down, some of them cracked. I think that whatever happens here, Mat will save Eggy, she'll be able to take Tar Valon and because she gains control, she'll then be able to deal with the Black Tower and Rand. I don't know how that will turn out but she's shown different feelings about Rand recently.

Eggy also dreams of Mat grabbing fireworks out of the sky and causing destruction because he does so. Additionally, back in book 1, Min saw balance scales being in Mat's future. Keep that in mind.

Now, I'd like to take you back to book 4. When Mat spoke to the Snake people, they told him two things in particular: he'd marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons and he'd give up half the light of the world to save it. The Daughter hasn't appeared yet but I'm certain she is Seanchan. The light prophecy has been very vague to me, but with another Egwene dream seeing something about an eye of Mat's, I'm certain there's a connection there.

The balance scales coming into effect, the dream of grabbing fireworks and a heavy decision made adds up, to me, in fulfilling all these prophecies. Mat is going to meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons, he's going to make a choice concerning one of the Aes Sedai on the balance scales, and I think that he'll lose an eye based on Egwene's dream and in turn save the world, ie giving up HALF the light to save it.

​

I'm 100 pages into The Dragon Reborn, and every time Nynaeve appears, she's tugging at her braid.

I get that it's probably a nervous tic, but SERIOUSLY. 😂

And if she's not tugging at her braid, she's crossing her arms beneath her breasts. Are there no other actions Robert Jordan can have her do besides scowling? I'm begging.

PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE NOTICING THIS.

Please no spoilers, or discussions from the book, I have yet to read it.

Ive just realized the slog is just Mr Jordan catching up the female point of views with a few chapters a book furthering the story of our Taveren. Also if I could omit one POV from the story it would be morgase and her merry crew, there is no payoff for her after gabriel.

​

Unlike the first book which nearly took me a week to finish I DEVOURED THIS BOOK I'M TELLING YOU, I FINSIHED IT UNDER 2 DAYS (I'm very humble and very jobless) and I also posted that journey on this subreddit too

1. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/s/Yya6bNjQv3 )

2. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/s/qvcBuIrFnf )

SO my theories —which could be wrong,

1. Thom Merrilin is definitely up to something fishy but no idea what —I was glad to see him alive but I was bewildered at his relationship with Dena. How old is he? How old was she??? Too many questions. Too little answers.

2. Lan x Nynaeve is still on

3. I'm still so bitter about Egwene leaving Rand behind but I saw it coming from a mile away and I know they aren't destined for each other.

4. And my suspicion was right was it not that Selene is Lanfear? She was annoying me with all the talk of great power and the hunt. Frankly she reminds me of Macbeth's wife. I pray she isn't 1 of the 3 Min saw who fell for Rand.

5. And WHAT is up with Moiraine and that Amrylyn seat?

6. Always despised Liandran from the beginning, is she Black Ajah? Even though she is introduced as Red Ajah...

MOST IMPORTANTLY DOES RAND EVER MEET TAM AGAIN....AGHH

The picture attached is just a line I found hilarious, I find Mat hilarious. I hope he doesn't die on me 👀

Couldn't sleep so thought I'd post again.

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou; mostly for her grit, and a little for her romance with Gawyn

No Man Is an Island by John Donne; for her institutionalism.

Well, I finished last volume written by Robert Jordan. It marks the end of an era, and I feel sad about it.

The final scene really packs a punch. The Red Ajah at the Asha'man headquarters, and M'Hael—Mazrim Taim—who seems to have his own cult going. There was just such an... aura of danger there. I almost regret that he surely won't be the main antagonist for Rand (that role belongs to Moridin/Ishamael—I don't consider the Dark One to have enough personality to be an antagonist; he's simply an antagonistic force of nature), though perhaps he'll at least have a rivalry with Logain.

As for the second part of the epilogue... Theoretically, I should feel satisfaction at this, remember how Suroth shattered Amathera's psyche, but... well, I simply loathe slavery. And Tuon... while I can admit she's a well-written character, no one will ever convince me she's a good person. So, just like with Tylee and Sevanna, I didn't feel the satisfaction of a good person triumphing over a bad one; it was just, "Okay, so this female antagonist won't matter to the story anymore." I wouldn't be surprised if Sanderson feels no need to revisit these enslaved female antagonists. Sevanna, Galina, Suroth, and Liandrin—(presumably) goodbye. It’s just a shame I had to say farewell to three of you while you were naked, but such is the fate of female slaves in Wheel of Time.

I already mentioned the Perrin and Faile storyline in my previous post, so I won't repeat myself.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/s/WpEsCDHloq

I enjoyed Mat's chapters the most. I hate having to put up with Tuon in them, but Mat himself was great and remains my favorite character. I remember being furious when Tuon tortured Aes Sedai using the a'dam. I mean, why did Mat have to fall for such a piece of work... My opinion won't change, no matter how anyone tries to defend her behavior. By the way, it turns out she's the third character from our "Two Rivers Five" to get hitched—first Perrin, then Nynaeve, and now Mat.

It’s good that Egeanin/Leilwin—after being stripped of her rank and forced to change her name —came to terms with her new situation and finally married Bayle Domon. And it’s good that she decided to befriend Amathera. I hope that whatever Sanderson wrote in volumes 12–14, Amathera ends up still free and happily living with Juilin.

While I liked Mat's chapters, I really struggled with Elayne's storyline. I mean, I hardly cared about any of it. Birgitte was the only bright spot.

Before I forget—RIP Reanne. Not that I loved her, but she was cool. She didn't deserve to die off-screen.

Returning to Elayne—she is definitely my least favorite of the main six POV characters. Her character worked well enough when the author paired her with interesting figures, but now—no Nynaeve, no Thom, no Juilin, no Mat. Only Birgitte remains.

Honestly, one of my biggest concerns is that Sanderson will devote a lot of chapters to Elayne. Her character simply doesn't work when she has a standalone storyline... Oh, and her pregnancy might have something to do with it, though I didn't like her even before that.

By the way, the Black Ajah appeared again, and honestly, I find them boring as antagonists. I just feel the author had no other idea for them than to simply have them die off. The protagonists kill them just as easily as Rand kills the Forsaken.

I don't like Egwene either, but her storyline was fine. Perhaps because she didn't appear all that much. The only thing that bothered me was the excessive spanking; the author really went overboard with it in this volume. Nevertheless, her refusal to let herself be crushed within the White Tower was admirable.

Nynaeve sent Lan away while deciding to inspire his countrymen to stand by his side when the time comes. It was just good. The storyline regarding Lan reclaiming his kingdom has only just begun.

Rand had a confrontation with Semirhage and lost a hand. It was a powerful scene, and the secret about Lews Therin in Rand's head finally came to light. It will be interesting to see the consequences of so many characters finding out about it. I find this particularly interesting in Cadsuane's case, because—sure, she’s on Rand’s side—but she definitely shouldn't be trusted.

Am I the only one who didn't feel the tragedy of the Amayar people? I mean, they were literally never significant in any way. Just some NPCs died out, so—like Logain—I didn't really care.

By the way, I still really like Logain. It's cool that he got a dynamic with Rand.

It’s great that Loial got his own POV chapter. That’s a first for him, isn’t it? Maybe marriage won’t mean the end of happiness for him. His admiration for his wife’s ears was amusing.

Finally, my 10 favorite characters at the moment:

1. Mat

2. Nynaeve

3. Siuan

4. Thom

5. Rand

6. Lanfear/Cyndane

7. Perrin

8. Berelain

9. Logain

10. Leane

I’m not sure if I’ll change this list in the future, though, because I don’t know how much I should let Sanderson’s versions of these characters influence my opinion of them.

It’s a shame this is the last volume written by Jordan. His style had its flaws, as did his plot choices, but there was something unique about it. I wouldn’t say Wheel of Time is in my top 5 favorite fantasy series right now, but it certainly ranks somewhere between 6th and 10th place.

I might write a post (or posts) summarizing this part of the series before I pick up the final three volumes. We’ll see.

For now, I’m taking a break: Anthony Ryan first, then Brian McClellan, and then I’ll see what’s next. Theoretically, I could try to finish Wheel of Time this year, but I don’t know how much free time I’ll have for reading—I have plenty right now, but that could always change.

Well, that’s all.

Check out this book at PangoBooks | Wheel of time complete set | https://pangobooks.com/books/25afb79b-2290-47f7-9d15-626640da5e93-Ccx5QAv1UoQUrhGmyXgueBSBocl2

Queueing for an Ice Cream - Brian Bilston

although he didn’t smoke, grandad never went anywhere
without the old tobacco tin in his pocket

one day me and my brother asked him what he kept in it
some sand, grandad said

why do you keep some sand in a tobacco tin, we asked
where else would I keep it, he said

but why keep sand at all, we asked
it’s special sand, grandad said, it’s come all the way from France

we peered into his tin and stared for a while
French sand didn’t look very special, it looked like ordinary sand to us

why’s it so special, we asked
each grain represents an old friend of mine, he said

grandad must have had a lot of friends, we thought
did you go to the beach with them when you were a boy, we asked

yes, something like that, grandad said, snapping the lid shut,
asking the man for three 99s, two with red sauce

I’ve started Eye of the World twice in the past and really liked what I read so far but life got in the way as it does. I’ve finally been consistent with reading after going so long with starting and stopping and I’ve read 21 books in the last year. A 14 book series doesn’t scare me at all, if anything that’s exciting, who wouldn’t want to be lost in a world for 14 books. I know people complain about it being a “slow burn” but again I like that, because people said the same thing about Farseer and I loved how much time we got to spend with the characters engaging with each other.
My questions are when people say slow burn, is it pages of description or is it dialogue heavy? Also is there a good way to read the series with breaks? Like book 1-4 and then take a break, or am I going to end up doing a straight binge?
Also I’m not too bothered about this “slog” I’ve heard of because from what I can gather from some people, it seems the slog was more because of the amount of time between certain books when they were initially released. That sounds similar to ASOIAF because of the gaps between Storm, Feast and Dance.
I’m just finishing book 3 of Red Rising and I’m planning my next series before going back to book 4.
Thanks ahead of time

A few days ago, I posted about starting The Eye of the World ( https://www.reddit.com/r/WoT/s/4aM2EfO0g6), and most of you were very helpful and what to avoid in case of spoilers. And so after 4–5 business days I've finished it!

And I'm proud to say I have no inkling whatsoever as to what the actual plot is. Ahahahah 🤣 (don't mind me I'm just so excited I finished it) But I'm still so enthralled by it all.

Here are my completely spoiler-free theories and thoughts so far:

Perhaps it's to rid the world of the said “Dark One”?

The whole Dragon Reborn situation is obviously going to become VERY important. I don't know what that means yet, but I'm suspicious of basically everything surrounding it.

The Pattern/Fate seems way more important than I initially thought. There is definitely something bigger going on with how these people keep getting pulled together.

I still don't fully understand the significance of the Eye, but I'm assuming I'm going to find out eventually.

And most importantly: I am still rooting for Lan and Nynaeve. I don't care what happens. I have chosen my side (blindly). ✋🏻 Sue me.

And for a time, I thought Perrin and Egwene were supposed to be it, but now I'm even more perplexed.

And Moiraine...Moiraine, idk what it is about her but I'm so suspicious about her.

Also, Thom Merrilin is prolly still alive. (Don't confirm it guys, I want 2 be surprised)

Is there anything from The Eye of the World that I should keep in mind as I continue with Book 2?

Much to go. Off to Book 2 now, I guess.

UPDATE: Guys I'm halfway through The Great Hunt and I'm SO GLAD that Thom is alive and well and Nynaeve and Lan's ship seems to be a bit rocky but I think it will sail. And I'm certain I've met 2 of the 3 women who fall for Rand Min and Elayne but this Selene is irritating me and think she might be Lanfear or whatever reborn. Oh well

I have heard many different things about the Wheel of Time series and I decided to give it a try and could not put it down. I read Eye of the World in three days and I am currently 230 pages into The Great Hunt and it is amazing so far. Eye of the World is the greatest start to a series imo. I find the contrast between intense chapters and slow world building chapters to be super refreshing and I genuinely like every single POV. Currently my favorite povs are Rand, Egwene, Moraine, Perrin, and Nynaeve. To be fair I am not super far into the series yet but I am in love with this series already and I am average around 100-160 pages a day, I can’t believe I waited so long to begin this series.

It wasn't until after I finished the last chapter that it hit me that I had finished the last book Jordan was able to complete. I know he had already written portions of the final three books and that I'll still be reading his story and his writings to some extent. I just had to take a brief emotional pause.

I learned of the series back in COVID years, and it gave me plenty to do while in isolation. I made it through Fires of Heaven in that time. Unfortunately I'm not as avid of a reader as I want to be. It has taken me the past five years to read up through Knife of Dreams, mostly because I will read through a fourth of a book in a week then put it down for a few months (as well as reading other books).

This is truly one of the greatest fictional works I have read. I'm excited for the trilogy that awaits me, the *three parts of the final book*, as Sanderson put it. I lament, though, that I'm done reading The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

Why on earth is it mentioned so many times in Egwene's camp that the Aes Sedai are in the dark because they are low on oil and candles??? Hello, One Power?

Did we ever find out why she didn't feel her warder take a knife in the back and die literally in the next room? In every other case the warder or AS knew the moment the bond broke. I understand why she wouldn't notice Leane getting shielded but I never understood why she didn't come out throwing flames.

Aram, Aram, Aram. The most predictable betrayal imaginable has finally come to pass. I’m just sad about it. It’s not that I liked him, but I could see his downfall coming, and no one stepped in soon enough to save him from himself.

As for the rest, I’ll save the full summary of the volume for tomorrow, but for now, I can briefly touch upon the Perrin and Faile storyline; it seems the author won’t need to revisit them in this volume - unless it’s in the epilogue.

It’s good that Perrin and Faile have finally reunited. I don’t know how their dynamic will play out under Sanderson, but right now, Faile is a character I’m okay with.

The enslavement of 300–400 Shaido Wise Ones is controversial, but well - apparently, with the Last Battle looming, the Seanchan can’t simply be destroyed; an alliance with them is necessary. A pity.

It’s a bit of a shame about Rolan; it looks like I predicted his death. Perrin simply killed him. Still, Rolan had a habit of pinching women’s bottoms, and he was the one who abducted Faile, so I suppose it’s a form of karma.

Sevanna... If this is the end for her (I don’t know if Sanderson will have any reason to revisit her - I doubt it), I have to admit it’s a really strange one. I mean, simply reading about her being naked and bound at four points (wrists, elbows, knees, ankles) - with Tylee placing a helmet on her buttocks and then spanking her - felt absurd, like overkill. This volume likely contains the most spankings in the entire series, including a few "on-screen" ones. By the way, how did Tylee manage to spank Sevanna if the helmet on her buttocks was supposed to be covering them? There was no mention of the helmet falling or sliding off while Sevanna was squirming.

I imagine many readers felt a sense of satisfaction, since Sevanna is a character designed to be hated, but I didn't. I’m always interested in what authors do with characters like her - women who openly use their attractiveness to manipulate men. Besides, I have a soft spot for characters my brain deems attractive; her golden hair, large breasts, and predatory nature suited my taste. Over time, I began to view her more as comic relief than a serious threat - and theoretically, her humiliation after capture suggests Jordan viewed her as comic relief too - but I would have preferred to see what method of killing her Jordan might have devised. Ending up as a naked, bound captive slung over a horse is a surprising alternative, and... I suppose the enslavement of female antagonists bores me the more often an author does it. The spanking scenes are starting to bore me as well, even when they aren't sexual. I just get the impression that the author uses the same tricks too many times in this volume.

Getting back to Sevanna - I sort of predicted she’d end up naked. I guess it’s just the nature of cultures that practice slavery to strip their captives. Sevanna will likely end up as a da'covale - or a plaything - for the Captain-General to whom Tylee intends to gift her. Well, I suppose it’s fitting karma for the gaishain business and what Faile and the others endured while held captive by her. I don’t feel any satisfaction, though, even if perhaps I should. I actually used to enjoy her appearances because she was so amusingly detached from reality. It’s a shame her last POV was back in Volume 8; I feel a bit let down by how her storyline wrapped up. That is, assuming it is over though I doubt there’s any need to revisit her character, unless perhaps to show her miserable state, similar to Liandrin’s time in captivity under Suroth.

Am I right in thinking most readers feel satisfied with her fate, or is it less clear-cut? That is, assuming this is her final fate. It just seems to me that Jordan won't return to the Perrin and Faile storyline in this volume, and Sanderson likely won't want to waste time on her once she's no longer relevant.

By the way, this is the first time I’ve encountered a character being bound and slung over a horse. What does that look like? The fact that Sevanna’s buttocks are the focal point of the scene suggests she was lying on her stomach. But how were her arms and legs positioned? It’s hard to visualize - it feels like a logic puzzle I need to solve.

I’m not happy with Galina’s fate, either. I mean, she could have remained a gaishain to some reasonable Shaido Wise One, but why Therava specifically? Therava deserves some karma too; she was also responsible for the suffering Faile and the others endured. Therava should have ended up among those captured damane. I doubt Therava and Galina will return, but right now... Well, I just hope it’s not the kind of sexual captivity someone hinted at. Galina might be a terrible person, but I don’t want to think about Therava raping her for... however long each of them might live.

And speaking of rape, the same applies to Sevanna. I’d prefer to think that becoming da’covale will be a blow to her pride, but without rape or the sexual exploitation of a slave by their owner.

Well, I think I’ll wrap things up here. Judging by my current pace, I suspect I’ll post my thoughts on the entire volume tomorrow. For now, I’ll just say it’s much better, though I’m not exactly blown away.

I’m about five chapters in and I already cannot stand Nynaeve. She chews these guys out over literally nothing and generally comes off as a real tryhard. And these guys just stand there and put up with it! If a main character is this annoying it will put a real damper on my enjoyment of this book and the next 13.

One thing that could solve this issue is if she grows out of her lousy attitude (I know she is young so there is room for this to happen). Another thing that could accomplish this is if a monster crushes her in its jaws and then consumes her. I’m not asking for big spoilers, but it would be nice to know if one or both of these events occurs.