Knife of Dreams - SPOILERS!

[iwatt]

I just checked the FAQ. http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/1_dark/1.1_forsaken1/1.1.5_taimandred.html



I think the quote means that Demandred has been using Taim for his schemes.

Also, I think Sermihage uses the phrase as well (lord of Chaos Rule), which ties in with Demandred pulling the strings (Sermihage is allied with Demandred).

I'm wondering how the next book is going to be, myself. After I finished Knife of Dreams, I thought that book twelve is either going to be a 1500 page monstrosity to cram everything in or it's going to be shorter and very anti-climatic. I'm hoping for the 1500 page monstrosity, myself.

Personally, I'm hoping for a book in two volumes.... I don't mind a long series, I did mind CoT not having any significant plot development.


As a side note: Is the killing of shadowspan a function of gateways, or only of deathgates? (and you have to hand it to RJ, his naming of sowrd moves and weaves is pretty cool and evocative )

 

[talinthas]

personally, i love reading the battles between blademasters. Nursemaid Walking Her Dog counters Three Swans Arguing Politics, which leads into A Man Drinks Oosquai And Gets Really Messed Up Before Beating His Children Causing Them To Fight Back, Take Their Mom And Leave The House etc.


But yeah, Rolling Ring of Earth And Fire still brings an evocative memory of that amazing scene at Dumai's Wells, even 10 years later. Probably one of the best battles he's written.

And man, where the light were the wolves in the shaido battle? and why no satisfactory end for sevannah?

 

[Starman]

As a side note: Is the killing of shadowspan a function of gateways, or only of deathgates? (and you have to hand it to RJ, his naming of sowrd moves and weaves is pretty cool and evocative )

I'm sure that the deathgate weave is different from that of gateways, otherwise Rand would have just thought of them as gateways.

But yeah, Rolling Ring of Earth And Fire still brings an evocative memory of that amazing scene at Dumai's Wells, even 10 years later. Probably one of the best battles he's written.

I think that it is easily the best battle RJ has written. I crack open Lord of Chaos from time to time just to read that chapter.

 

[Dragonblade]

Yeah, I love that battle. Especially the visual of the chest they had Rand locked inside just exploding into a million fragments as he finally gets access to the One Power. Then all the Asha'man coming in through the gateways and kicking ass. And of course, Taim commanding the Aes Sedai, "Kneel, or you will be knelt."

Great stuff!

 

[talinthas]

and the whole way he broke their shield by worming a strand of power through the nothingness... god, the last half of that book was fantastic. the pinnacle of jordan. I think dumai's well is why everyone has been so dissapointed with the rest of the books since. They've all just been plot wrap up and talking, and no amazing decisive battles. From Shadow Rising to Lord of Chaos was an amazingly intense stretch of action and plot, and he pretty much emptied the barrel there. One can only hope the Last Battle is worthy.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I think dumai's well is why everyone has been so dissapointed with the rest of the books since. They've all just been plot wrap up and talking, and no amazing decisive battles.

Hrm...you may have something there.

There've been a few fights, but the ones with main characters have been disappointingly brief until KoD. After all, I want to see Rand nuking things, and then going hand-to-hand with his Flame sword. I want to see Mat being the best general EVAR. I want to see Perrin hacking his way through Shaido and Shadowspawn. I don't want to see Rand getting it on with some combination of his girlfriends, or Perrin being browbeaten by Faile.

Brad

 

[Lazybones]

On the other hand, geeking her sends her back to Daddy, who will spin her back out ASAP. It took several books to get the other Forsaken (Forsook?), but presumably the Dark One will want the help at Tarmon Gai'don. Balefiring her out of the Pattern is apparently not an acceptable option, IIRC past books.

I vaguely remember something about that. But my first thought after the Semirhage scene was, "If he Balefires her, he gets his hand back."

I agree with most of the earlier posters in that I thought the Mat chapters were the best, followed (suprisingly, since I disliked her in earlier books) Egwene's. Perhaps because she was out from under Halima's thumb and could exercise her full subtlety and force of will. I guess I am an Elayne hater, though, because her chapters in the last book made me ill (Time for a bath? Eight pages! Getting tea? Five pages!) and in this book I barely slogged through them to get to the better stuff. I think those around her must be getting nervous, because any time she leaves the palace everyone around her ends up getting slaughtered.

Now begins the interminable 14-18 months until the next one...

 

[Ulrik]

I wonder if it is possible to make Tor Books have an editor go over books #8-#10 and edit it down to one book? There's about one book worth (maybe) of plot development in those books, so I think it could be great.

And another thing, is it just me or did nothing happen i CoT? I remember putting down that book thinking that nothing did, and now I can't remember anything about it - and it didn't bother me in the slightest while reading Knife of Dreams... :\

 

[iwatt]

I wonder if it is possible to make Tor Books have an editor go over books #8-#10 and edit it down to one book? There's about one book worth (maybe) of plot development in those books, so I think it could be great.

And another thing, is it just me or did nothing happen i CoT? I remember putting down that book thinking that nothing did, and now I can't remember anything about it - and it didn't bother me in the slightest while reading Knife of Dreams... :\

About the only things that actually happened (and not recaps or repeats) was:

- Logain is a power in his own right, with A'shaman followers
- Elayne has 4 houses with ehr (Dyelin and the 3 kids)
- Egwene is the best Cuendillar maker in the world
- Elayne takes a bath.
- Mat kills a woman.
- Masema is talking to the Seanchan.

 

[Xath]

Elayne takes a bath.

Obviously the most important plot point of the book.