[WoT] New Spring

[StevenAC]

I felt the same way about Nynaeve losing her block in book 9 - it's such an important character point for her, and it's pretty much entirely glossed over by her and Lan finally seeing each other again. It's almost a side-note, when it really deserves to be the focus of the story at that point. Not that I thought the method was terrible, I actually liked the premise (love removes a block controlled by anger), I think it was just executed very poorly.

I'd agree completely, if that had been what actually happened. However, your description is (to use a Hitch-Hikerism) almost, but not quite, entirely inaccurate...

You may want to go back and read that part again -- although don't go looking for it in book 9, since it's actually chapter 31 of book 7 (A Crown of Swords). Love had nothing to do with the breaking of Nynaeve's block. The reunion scene was when Nynaeve first realised that her block had been broken, but the actual breaking was caused by the events at the bottom of the river following Moghedien's balefiring of her boat.

It was a great fulfillment of a piece of foreshadowing from Lord of Chaos:

"I am not very good at surrendering," she [Nynaeve] said. Unless there was no point in fighting, anyway. Only a fool went on where there was no chance at all. She could not breathe under water, she could not fly by flapping her arms -- and she could not channel except when angry.

What RJ did in ACOS was to put her in that underwater scenario, with the cabin sealed and the air running out almost at once. She was intelligent enough to realise she was out of options, and that realisation was what made it impossible for her to get angry enough to channel, which meant there was nothing left for her to do except surrender -- which broke her block. The whole chain of cause and effect was beautifully worked out. I particularly liked the irony that had she been less mature (i.e. had less self-knowledge, as in the first few books) she would probably have ended up making herself furious enough to channel, and escaped -- but with her block still intact.

 

[Aaron L]

Yeah, I liked Nyneave breaking her block too

 

[drothgery]

RJ's wife Henrietta is his editor, so that may explain some things.

Harriet, not Henrietta.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

I am a HUGE WoT fan, having reread the books multiple times.

That said, I wanted to sling the last book out the window. With all the excitement at the end of 9, you'd have thought 10 was going to be big. Instead we get a very drawn out book that essentially very little happened in.

Seriously, the entire book could have spanned no more than about six chapters and would have accomplished the same thing.

What got me, and I mean REALLY got me, was the THREE PAGES about what the Aes Sedai were wearing as they entered the tent where Egwene is about to drop the bomb on them.

Ridiculous...

Jordan had really better get something moving in the next book, because it was a real struggle to finish the last one.

 

[ASH]

I disliked the last book. I loved book 9. I am really kind of sick of bashing RJ. No offence to anyone but I am interested in the new book, and would like to hear about that.
Has anyone else read new spring..? I am really interested to find out what people thought of it. My sister in Law loved it and I want to know what the enworld gang thought about it.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Erm, I meant Book 7, really!

I completely missed the surrendering, to be perfectly honest, so that's my bad. Certainly throws that in a new light.

Books 7-9 really start to blur together for me. Obviously they didn't make much of an impact on me, since I can't remember them too well. That's what I get for complaining.

 

[ASH]

I will be picking up this book.. New Spring in the next few days. I have heard some really good things about it.

After I read it I will let everyone know what I think.