I(18m) have lot of free time,i was reluctant then I remembered who I am, i have finished one piece twice I already have Read through realm of elderling

I can do this

The travel in Wheel of Time breaks me a little. Rand basically runs a multifront war while teleporting armies around and I have no idea how the food works. The Aiel crossing the Spine of the World with thousands of people should be a logistics nightmare but it just kind of happens. I get that channeling changes things but even with gateways you still need to source grain and manage distribution. The Seanchan invasion is another one. They bring an empire across an ocean and somehow keep everyone fed. My business deals with shipping delays from weather and that is just one country. These people are moving entire populations. The part that actually impressed me was the Band of the Red Hand. Mat figures out that an army needs pay, supply lines, and people who know how to run things. That felt like someone who understood operational scale. Curious if anyone else thinks about this or if I just ruined the magic by thinking too hard about grain routes.

The White Tower really said “we are the shepherds of the Light” and then proceeded to do f*ck all
Alright, I’ll ask again. What exactly was the use of the white tower since the start of the book till before the last battle(where everyone was already of use)?

I saw a comment yesterday as to how Egwene’s problem with Rand, the black tower was that she didn’t want anyone or anything to affect the white tower’s place in the world, their monopoly on power and all. And I agree, and it’s one of the things I equally respect and despise about her. But atleast we see how she actively works towards that. Now this is not an Egwene criticism post. Theres plenty of that on here. I came here for the tower.

So, I just finished reading this chapter in ToM..”return to bandan ebar” where we see Rand basically do a Jesus, with his miracles and renewing hope of the land. This is arguably one of the scenes where you see him transcend human. But that’s btw. This chapter on every reread makes me ask what Exactly was the use of the tower. Egwene and her “the white tower is a beacon of hope”, “people should look to the white tower for leadership” and all that bs is just ridiculous to be honest. What exactly have they done to even lead or guide these people.

It’s actually bothersome that she has the mind to talk down on rand and call him names when he’s ended wars, liberated nations from couladin(she was present here); liberated Andor from Rhavin. Changed odious laws and customs in these nations. He’s united the Aiel and ended all conflicts with the wetlands by binding them, he went to arad Doman to make peace there(he failed initially but he went and tried) and achieved it eventually. He sent Loial and Ashaman to guard all the waygates. He cleansed saidin(maybe this was his fault to begin with) but he cleansed shadar logoth with it too. He actually went to the borderlanders and commanded them back to their posts. He sent Perrin to deal with the prophet and the unrest in Ghealdan too

Now, the tower whether under Siuan, Elaida or our know-it-all Egwene. Have been all about having the upper hand on the dragon and directing or guiding him. But I wonder how they thought that would pan out since they are not even doing anything to stop the mayhem in the land outside of kidnapping kings.

You may say that she didn’t know about some of the things Rand did(arad doman or Ghealdan etc), but she has spies no? And to the argument that the tower was divided, I’d say while valid it’s not an excuse. Rand was facing a lot, fighting wars and invasions, within and without and he still managed to do those things. Egwene was raising an army, she had traveling, she could go to some of those nations and DEMAND TAXES, with the knowledge that they were already taxed by Elaida. But couldn’t spare a couple of greens to man the border to the blasted lands and track the progress of the blight.

She and Elaida did nothing to stop the riots and chaos in arad doman and tarabon, or amadicia and altara. Nothing. They did nothing. I just think it was galling of her to write a message to tear(which was just recently divided in a minor rebellion) or illian(that Rand liberated from Sammael, fed for months and defended against the Seanchan (the first time they’d ever retreat) and ask for assistance. Where was she when they needed those help, where tf was the tower.

I think what I found funniest was how useless both embassies from Elaida and salidar later was. It was the third group of aes Sedai (not tethered to tower or the rebels) that seemed to atleast contribute to healing the world. Heck the Aiel did more to keep the peace in the wetlands than wetlanders.

Yet, she’d seat pretty in her glass tower and spit on the name on the one person who’s withering away by holding those lands together. Rand met with the Seanchan THREE TIMES. THREE BLOODY TIMES. While these lot couldn’t even defend themselves from an ambush.

Now I know the division affected a lot, but whose fault was that? Why were they divided? Is that not a testament to the fact that they are not fit to be the beacon of hope and lead the forces of the light? I mean if indeed they considered themselves the shepherds of the forces, then a THANK YOU was the least they could offer Rand.

I think about two scenes lol. First was when Perrin saw Rand through one of those visions and was aghast at how Rand had aged and had so many lines on his face. Mat also noted that Rand looked older, more weathered. He has too cancerous openings in his side that would literally kill any other living human, his brain is infected with insanity, all of his body is branded, he lost his hand, and almost lost his sight too, yet he did these things.

I’m not saying Egwene should commit her forces to those tasks. In fact unification should still be her primary concern but those other things should be discussed and atleast efforts made. But no. All they cared about was unification, the world could burn to crisp before then. Oh wait, they cared about something else too, a handful of aes Sedai that got themselves bonded from a botched execution.

P.S. some of the use of “Egwene” here is more the seat.

Many of you have probably seen my comments dogging on the Aiel for their weird and mostly nonsensical honor/ obligation system and their participation in the slave trade etc. however I really respect the hell out of them for the stance they took against the Seanchan. They simply said that if they didn't release their people in a year and day the invaders would eat Spears.

I wish a certain magic Jesus type guy would have had the same energy for Tuon and those scumbags.

Actual costumes from the show which I feel was designed so well. Is anyone else considering buying from the auction? I just wish the show made it a bit further so I could bid on mats hat.

So I want to start with the fact that I love Wheel of Time and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love that Jordan wrote a story about hope and resilience. I’ve read the series a dozen times and will continue to read it every couple of years.

That said, on my most recent reread I’ve been thinking about consequences and what-ifs. In many cases, our heroes experience limited consequences or costs for their choices. It got me thinking about some interesting what-ifs to ponder. I’ve thrown out my list below. Interested in what others think.

Note: I’M NOT SAYING I WISH THE STORY HAD GONE THIS WAY.

Siuan and Leane: Acting like addicts going through withdrawal post-stilling.

Nynaeve: Something similar, or maybe goes a little crazy after all the power pumped through her at the cleansing.

Elayne: Doesn’t get the throne after choosing to run away with the circus and go to Tanchico instead of Andor after her mom disappears.

Faile/Perrin: Faile goes to the Waste with Rolan because Perrin was a shit leader and incompatible with her.

Mat: More negative effects from losing an eye. Can’t throw knives anymore? Accidentally kills an ally thinking he still can? Maybe he also gets the clap?

Egwene: Gets her ass handed to her at least once by the Hall. Real consequences for making sisters swear fealty…maybe gets birched?

Salidar sisters: Someone should have died when they got caught in that nightmare.

Cadsuane: Darth Rand collars her as punishment for allowing Semirhage to escape, or maybe maims her like he was, or breaks her like she did to Semirhage.

Min: Gets PTSD after Rand strangles her and isn’t the same with him, or maybe struggles more with how Jesus Rand feels like a different person.

Rand: Loses a chunk of Maidens/Aiel for being bad at ji’e’toh. I know there are the Brotherless, but that’s always tied to his Rhuidean revelations, not to Rand constantly breaking promises.

Tuon: Suroth escapes and breaks off a fraction of the Seanchan army and makes a rival claim for the Empire, meaning Tuon risks a lot by committing her forces to the Last Battle.

Loial: Gets the Longing. His POV reveals he chose it because writing Rand’s story was important enough to make the sacrifice.

Moiraine: Loss of channeling strength was real, but it was totally mitigated by getting the powerful angreal.

Lan: Died/stayed dead fighting Demandred.

Thom: Doesn’t stop being an alcoholic at the drop of a hat and it causes a real problem…tips off a Listener while drunk, leading to Besslan getting caught and executed for rebellion?

Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever like the Aiel. The way they humiliate Aviendha—pushing her until she’s had enough and asserts that she’s the equal of the Wise Ones... I get that it’s a custom, but this particular Aiel custom, like so many others before it, just really annoyed me.

I like this series, but I don’t really care for the peoples within it. Beyond the Aiel, there are the Seanchan (it’s probably obvious why I dislike, or even outright hate, them) and the Sea Folk (the women of that culture are exceptionally irritating).

At least this storyline has finally come to an end; I’d reached a point where I’d feel a sense of aversion whenever a chapter shifted to Aviendha’s point of view. And, to be fair, Sevanna did manage to use one of the Aiel customs to her own advantage—so credit where it’s due. I still maintain that the Shaido were a punishment for the Aiel’s arrogance. Does the mention of Sevanna mean she’ll return to the plot? I doubt it; Tylee was present, but there was no sign of a golden-haired da'covale by her side. Perhaps if the captain-general—to whom Tylee intended to gift Sevanna—shows up in the story... On one hand, I’m curious about her current fate, but on the other, I have no desire to read about her being humiliated in captivity—just as I didn’t enjoy those parts when it happened to Liandrin or Galina.

As for my general thoughts on this volume: there’s a noticeable difference, but fortunately, it’s not too jarring. I’m slowly getting used to it.

On the bright side, I really enjoyed the chapters from Siuan’s perspective. I still adore her.

Gawyn’s POV chapters have been fine so far. It made sense for him to finally become significant as Egwene’s beloved—though, honestly... I have a feeling that even if he saves her, she won’t thank him; instead, she’ll yell at him, because, in her own mind, she obviously didn’t need saving.

As for Egwene, her POV chapters have been surprisingly enjoyable. Does that mean I like her? Absolutely not—but I much prefer reading about her than about Elayne.

By the way, it’s great that there haven’t been any Elayne POV chapters yet. I was worried Sanderson would dedicate a huge amount of space to her, but for now, I’m happily getting a break from her.

It turns out a important female antagonist has finally been killed off. Well done, Rand! Of course, it’s a shame you almost choked Min in the process, but perhaps this means you’ll finally drop that "don’t kill women" rule. If your next targets happen to be women from the Seanchan empire, I certainly won’t complain... Well, Mat might be upset if it involved Tuon, but honestly, it would be better for him. He deserves a normal woman—someone like Aludra, for instance.

I didn’t expect Semirhage to get a spanking from Cadsuane. I assumed Sanderson would steer clear of that—having read many of his other books, I’ve always thought of him as a... more "well-behaved" author. But then again, perhaps it’s just a quirk of this world, and it couldn’t be avoided.

By the way, in the original edition, was Shemerin also referred to as "Sheriam" at least twice? Whenever names get mixed up like that, I always wonder if it’s a translator’s oversight or an error in the original text.

Anyway, well, that’s all for my impressions for now. I’ll definitely finish this volume in October, and then I’ll have two months and two volumes left.

Does Olver remind anyone else of the kid from MAD Magazine?

I don’t know man. But the whole confrontation thing merrilor didn’t make any sense from Egwene as far as realism is concerned. Maybe Jordan hadn’t worked that out before he died. But all it felt like was that it was done so Faile could point out to Rand outmaneuvering Egwene with his divide and conquer tactics. But like I said, unless Egwene is an idiot, I don’t see how she imagined she could stop him.

For starters, if it was indeed an “arms race” or “Alliancerace”, Rand won. He has the Aiel(all 11 clans, tear, Illian, arad Doman, kandor, Arafel, sheinar, Saldea, Perrin’s force, whitecloaks, Ghealdan, Mayene, seafolks, Mat’s Band(14), 15 if you count Cairhien which would cast Elayne away if Rand only hints at it. Egwene has the tower, Gareth’s forces, Andor, kinswomen and a handful of
Wiseones (5) or 7 if you count Cairhien and tear(now these two nations cannot possibly bear arms agains Rand not only because of the fear of what he can do, but he’s technically still ruling there, he conquered them)

So, If it was to be democracy, or whatever it was she had in mind, she lost because there’s no way she wins with force. And her whole “I’d fight you Rand” is laughable.

Now that’s even the most reasonable aspect. It struck me as bothersome how everyone, the white tower especially couldn’t decide if Rand was human like them to be “opposed” for he may be rash or was something more and to aided and assisted in every way possible, as Cadsuane and those with Rand had come to realize. Because if he was just a man, then why do they need him so bad? Surely a full circle of 72 should be able to do what one man can do.

But then, it seems they never do decide or in the case of Egwene, is too hypocritical to come to terms with that for it would be admitting that he far transcends her authority and could even go as far as demanding things of her. I really laughed at the whole “he defies the authority of the Amyrlin seat, Moiraine” coming from someone that never respected Rand’s authority as king/car’a’chan/conqueror when she was nothing more than an accepted(a nobody).

I say this because, they are all preparing to fight a foe they could see. He’s the only one walking to face the unknown. I’m sorry if someone who’s done that fight before tells me he wants to break the seals, as crazy as it is. If your first reaction is No! It’s understandable. If your only reaction is No though, without alternatives then you stupid, but if you considered breaking it but have a problem with the timing, but you never bring it up with the dragon? Nah, you just the biggest fool ever because that compromise could’ve caused irreparable damage. Especially since her “just seal untop of the crumbling seals” would make sense if she knew how to bloody seal it in the first place, or bothered to ask if Rand knew how to. But no, she didn’t, none of them did, they just assumed he’d know how.

But are so quick to oppose that same source of knowledge or discernment when it came to something they didn’t like or were scared of. Honestly, at a point it felt like she was telling him to give his life for nothing (seals that may last probably less than half the time this time). Atleast when LTT did the dragon stuff, nobody asked him to give his life. Everyone knew Rand was gonna die, but they still wanted to dictate how he fights the fight of his life for him, when none of them had never actually sat down and given that face off any thought. They’ve all been rather preoccupied with their immediate problems.

I blame Rand actually, I’d have told them that’s the only way to seal it properly. I mean, I’m all for “let’s make sure he’s not putting all our lives in danger” but I doubt blatant oppression works when he’s going to be the only one facing this superior force and he’s telling you the seals are handcuffs but you will not listen or compromise bcos of ego and you did when Moiraine came and said as much.

I particularly found it funny upon the reveal that LTT made the seals. So it was even his handiwork lol, talkless of the fact that he found it.

The other lords too, crying over him telling them they should have peace and not kill each other for Territories. All it looks like is they want a Jesus to solve their problems but want to tell him how to do that even though none of them have the faintest clue what the devil looks like or how to fight him

Yet another trek through The Ways where all is well until the last possible moment when Machin Shin shows up and they narrowly escape through the waygate. Again. This is like the third time now, how many times are we going to repeat this in the series?

I just started Crossroads of Twilight. Pray for me.

“And it shall come to pass, in the days when the Dark Hunt rides, when the right hand falters and the left hand strays, that mankind shall come to the Crossroads of Twilight and all that is, all that was, and all that will be shall balance on the point of a sword, while the winds of the Shadow grow.”

—From The Prophecies of the Dragon, translation believed done by Jain Charin, known as Jain Farstrider, shortly before his disappearance

I’m sure this has been posted before and I’m sure it will be posted again but as there are no beginnings or endings, maybe that’s okay!

I’m trying to decide my next read. I’ll have finished my second read-through of WOT by the end of next week. Probably sooner.

Should I start into Sanderson’s Cosmere? If so, which series should I start with?
Should I go with Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Robbin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings?
The Dark Tower Series?
The Witcher?
Something else?

Just some of my book loves (not in order and don’t judge me I’m including my teenage book loves that I still read sometimes):
LoTR, Inheritance Cycle, GoT, Harry Potter, Dune, Percy Jackson, the Talisman, etc.

Holy stamina wtf

Okay, hi, my brain is reeling like Birgitte after having drank too much oosquai. I might need some myself, I won't lie.

But the girls and Rand have Bonded now, and everybody seems to be happier. I love the depiction of Rand's feelings as 'golden veins'. The visual imagery depicting preciousness like gold while running through veins as if blood is such a strong literary depiction. The red roaring through a tinder dry forest is also a surprising but understandable piece of imagery. Throughout this book, visual imagery has been strong and I'm very glad to see that because it makes you pay attention to what RJ wants to show you.

Nynaeve groaning and Lan seemingly taken aback was hilarious. And toes. TOES MAN XDD

But, let's talk about the implications of this new Bond and also Min's viewings.

Viewings

• "She'll get with child from this. Two of them; a boy and a girl; both healthy and strong."

Is this Elayne? The way it written, I'm not sure if Min said this about Elayne, but if she does mean Elayne, well GODDAMN. Elayne is going to become pregnant soon. Which to me just means that Rand will push himself even harder to try and stop the DO because now he'll have children.

But let's talk about this with:

• Aviendha would have Rand's babies, too. Four of them at once! Something was odd about that, though. The babies would be healthy, but still something odd.

Why are these children going to have something happen to them? Min didn't mention anything about Elayne's kids having something happen, but my thought process has to do with the Ward Dalmer Flinn placed over Rand's wounds. My prediction is that when Avi becomes pregnant, either the ward will have weakened or disappeared entirely and the darknesses will affect the children. Either way, it's worrying what's going to happen because quadruplets won't be easy on Avi. I'm worried whether she'll survive in the coming books.

Not going to speak about Birgitte because she's pretty straightforward. Although hot damn the woman can drink. I don't like alcohol but I'll drink with her XD

Implications

Now, this mainly has to do with Rand because of one thing: shared feelings. We know that Bonded people share feelings between each other, and now we know that the girls can feel the heron brands, the Dragons and the fighting darknesses in Rand's side wounds.

It didn't really cross my mind until they said it, but when Rand goes into the Last Battle and faces the DO, the girls will be able to feel all the pain he does. If I know this series, Rand is going to experience the worst pain anyone has ever experienced by the DO. I am very concerned for the girls.

And by Min's viewing of three women around a funeral pyre...well, I think we all know what's going to happen here.

The angreal and ter'angreal

I was told from my vet reader that I do know what these two are, but I don't remember which I'm supposed to know of. I do recall the blade/dagger Avi became entranced over, that one woman with her hair around her. There's the gold bracelet and rings that I think Nynaeve used during the Bowl sequence so ig that would make sense for familiarity sake. But I'll RAFO for that one.

Anyways, this is my post. I'm off work now so it's time for me to read on

So, I just wrapped up Book 1, and got to say I really enjoyed it all throughout. I’d always been wanting to get into the Wheel of Time, ever since I first read the Lord of the Rings, but I never could. But I am so glad I did, because even though it is quite similar to the way LOTR begins, I found this to be quite different and unique in a way.

I enjoyed the long winding descriptions that Robert Jordan uses, it made me feel like a part of the world. And my favorite parts of the book were when Mat and Rand were by themselves and just kept running into trouble one after another, it felt very bleak and realistic.

Overall, a solid 4/5 and I’m really looking forward to reading book 2!

I'm listening to The Tower of Midnight with my 10-year-old son, and we just hit the scene where Mat sneaks into Caemlyn to talk to Birgitte.

Out of nowhere, he pauses and asks: "Is Jain Farstrider a Hero of the Horn?"

I looked him straight in the face and said, "No, Jain is not a Hero of the Horn."

He looked so sad and said, "Oh... so in that case, Noal won't get to meet Jain Farstrider again."

"Yes, son. Sadly, Noal won't get to meet Jain again."

Now I am really lookimg forward to listenning to the Tower of Ghenji scene and the Olver scene with him.

Inside, I was crying tears of joy. I have finally turned my son into a true fantasy lover.

PS: He also noticed how Bela somehow survives every ordeal. Obviously, I told him Bela is an avatar of the Creator.

PPS: He's finished every Brandon Sanderson book and is almost done with WoT. We will need a new series soon. Recommendations welcome!

EDIT: Thank you for reminding me about Discworld... next series will probably be Discworld.

EDIT2: Thank you everyone who have replied. After seeing the recommendations, I just remember how many of those books I have read when I was younger (for the past few years, I have been cycling through WoT and BS/Cosmere only and have forgotten of most other books). The only series I have in my Audible is Discworld so I guess i will start with that one next.

Dude, I just made a reaction to chapter 12 and now this happens.

Okay, this is strictly about the Demandred POV cause HOLY LIGHT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT GOT DROPPED HERE

Okay, so, it's cool to see Demandred again. I don't think we saw him since the ending of book 6 where the DO sipped his tea, bit from his oreo and cackled. BUT LET'S DO THIS

• Semirhage and Mesaana

Wtf is keeping Semirhage? Demandred has an alliance with both women, but he says that Semi has difficulties attending these meetings and Mesaana is 'shy'. Difficulty, meaning something is going on with Semirhage as opposed to meaning that she's just busy. I think that Semi has been working on something we know nothing about yet (maybe to do with Isam?), but something has gone wrong and that's why she's not appearing. We'll learn about that soon, but maybe RJ hasn't had time to introduce that yet. Mesaana is busy with the WT stuff, although I have a name that could potentially be her in disguise. Waiting to see more info though

• Osan'gar, Demandred and the Wheel of (Time) Fortune

Come one, come all, guess who Osan'gar and Demandred are cosplaying today! I think, respectively, they're Dashiva and maaaayyyyyybe Taim.

Evidence: On several occasions, Dashiva was described as having a 'normal' face, the same thing Osan'gar described when he first appeared, and Rand overheard him speaking in the Old Tongue. Not to mention, when Dashiva sensed the weirdness with saidin, he became really frightened but curious, almost like SOMEONE WHO IS NATURALLY A RESEARCHER. EH, AGINOR???

Taim appeared in book 2, and Halima says that he was responsible for watching Rand. Where else to watch the guy than right behind his back? I don't have much else tbh XD

• Graendal

She's hot. That's all I got.

• Moridin, Isam and Cyndane

MORIDIN. Ah, my old nemesis. Ye who might be Ishamael but atp I'm not too sure because if Cyndane isn't Lanfear, who tf is she? Demandred saying he could have touched the TP blew my mind, and that mention of a dozen Chosen being killed out of suspicion brings me back to Moridin mentioning there were 29 other people who used the TP in the past (this was it right? Can someone confirm whether he meant 29 others for the TP or for knowing that game he was playing in book 8?).

We'll see how Isam plays out BUT where is Luc? What is he doing? How are they joined together because when Perrin had hurt Isam in the wolf dream, Luc got hurt in the same place as well. Evidence of the TP in use?

I officially have nothing on Cyndane. She's kind of meek, very subservient to Moridin (because of the mindtrap I expect), and is weaker than Lanfear according to Mesaana. Which means Mesaana has met Cyndane off page at some point. She has knowledge of the AOL, her name means 'Last Chance'.

If I remember correctly, Moridin or one of the Forsaken had said that during one lifetime of the Champion, that Champion had fallen to the Shadow. And it's very coincidental that when Cyndane appears, Rand begins seeing this third person in his head and also hears Lanfear's words telling him he could challenge the Creator with the statues. Idk if this makes sense but my brain goes back to that and the possibility of the Champion having been a female in a past lifetime. If I'm wrong, I'll take it, but I'll keep this in the back of my head as well

Long post, so I'll end here

New reader just finished The Eye of the World.

So I always thought the common consensus among WOT fans was book 1 is good but it came out during the lotr clone era and Jordon to make the book successful had to borrow some of the tropes etc but wait until you get to book 2 thats when he takes things in a more interesting direction. But I have seen some ppl saying its book 4 when it becomes the real WOT!!! And the first 3 books will be similar to Eye of the World. I enjoyed Eye of the world but I don't think I could read another 2 books that dont evolve from what was established in that book.

The world seems really promising and I really felt immersed in the story and I did feel like I went on a journey with the characters. Though I don't think we needed to show Rand and Matt go to every single inn/village on the road to caemyln. The end though felt so fast paced compared to the rest of the book.

Re-reading the series for the first time in years. I’m on book 3 and…is it just me? Or is Tar Valon shaped like a vagina. Robert Jordan really wasn’t playing about matriarchy!

I came here a while back looking for help getting through “the slog,” and you encouraged me to stick with it. So I did. I won’t lie: it was hard to stay invested at times, especially when Jordan introduced his 752nd Aes Sedai, but looking back, I’m glad I kept going.

Now that I’ve finished book 11, it’s sinking in that I’ve read the last book Robert Jordan completed himself. Next up is Brandon Sanderson, and while I’m excited to see how the story ends, it feels bittersweet to leave Jordan behind.

I know he passed away many years ago, but after spending so much time in his world, with his characters and his voice, it somehow feels like I’ve just lost a friend.

Rest in peace, Robert Jordan. Thank you for the journey.

Whewwwww! What a ride! I started in February. There’s so much to think about. It definitely didn’t end like I thought it would. Hope. Duty. Loyalty. Idealism….

About halfway through the series I thought people were crazy to re-read this over and over again but I definitely can see my rereading but maybe in a few years from now.

I loved the show. I’m going to go back and watch it and see how I feel about it now.

“If you ever meet a Malkieri, you tell them Jain Farstrider died clean!”

HOOOOOLY SHIT!!! I just finished the final book and what an INCREDIBLE journey it has been. I cant believe that I have actually gotten to the end of a story and a world that I was so immersed in for almost the last year and a half.

Parts were very sloggy and slow paced for sure but the final 3 books more than made up for it. I think this final book might be the best book I have ever read. Every single part of it was just pure perfection and so well thought out and written.

Im kind of in shock over the conclusion and the absolutely epic finale that I know the post series depression is gonna hit super hard.

Was the siege of The White Tower not supposed to start at the end of book 8? I'm so confused. I went and re-read the last page of The Path of Daggers and Egwene gathered everyone and opened the portals to The Dragon Mountain, then it was said that she could see the White Tower? And Sheriam said "It begun, Mother." Then, in book 9 none of this is mentioned. I LOVED book 8 and 9, they were my favorites along with book 4. (I'm on book 10 now and I'm fighting for my life during this prologue, its boring 😭). Maybe i should make a full post of my thoughts so far. I miss Moiraine. Bye.

You see, I was gonna come here and rant about how the modern-day Aes Sedai are undoubtedly the most useless set of people, glorified frauds, and how they’re so far in over their heads that they don’t even see it. I label them useless not because they do nothing or don’t eventually help out, but because when weighed against what they claim to be or what they say about themselves, it’s just laughable.
That’s one thing they unironically have in common with the Whitecloaks. And obviously, you can blame the Black Ajah for some of it, but the truth is that most of them are drunk on that “we are the shit” Kool-Aid. They’re far gone.

But then I realized there’s really one person who stands out, and I think she’s arguably (should be objectively, IMO) the best and most competent of them all: Verin. Especially when you weigh her against what the Aes Sedai set out to do.

I know many would disagree and say it’s Moiraine, but honestly, Verin is what the Aes Sedai claim to be but so constantly fail to live up to. This woman craved knowledge to the point that she found herself among the Blacks (that’s as Brown as you can get). Not only did she survive that, but she used her duplicity so well that you really couldn’t have seen her coming on a first read-through.
But that’s not even the best part about her.
She easily (the only one, BTW, not even the Keeper at this point) saw through the charade of Moiraine and Siuan and made them include her in the most subtle of ways. It’s almost as if she out-Aes Sedai’d them and put them off balance.

When she joined Ingtar’s party, she didn’t impose herself or take charge like Moiraine, Cadsuane, and every other Aes Sedai seems to itch to do. Yet they did everything she wanted.
When she got to Rand, she again didn’t impose herself but was subtly guiding and edging him along.
I particularly love how she gently let Rand know she knew he was the one who used the Portal Stone (although that part about his more recent use was an outright lie, but hey, he didn’t need to know).
When they arrived at Falme, she again did something no Aes Sedai would’ve done. She followed the prophecy’s blueprint of “five” and didn’t include herself. She figured Egwene was a Dreamer, gave her an item to aid her, and gave her a writing that would expose Ishamael. And she did it so smartly that Egwene wouldn’t have figured out in a thousand years how she’d been led by the nose.

She was part of the Dumai’s Wells party, and you wouldn’t even know it. Even though she’s as strong in the Power as the leaders, she investigated those who kidnapped Rand, weighed and almost poisoned Cadsuane if she hadn’t deemed her worthy, left Rand with great advice, and left Perrin with great advice too in the Two Rivers alongside Alanna. And, well, she single-handedly defeated the Black Ajah.
The subtlety of the reveal with Egwene was one of the most beautiful chapters. Verin dictated the tempo of that discussion, gave Egwene all she needed, and gave us all we needed to know about her too.
And I don’t think it was mentioned, but I think she was the one who left the letter for Rand, knowing he’d come to the Tower.

Now, she orchestrated all of this without being in the limelight. Isn’t that how Aes Sedai claim to guide events? The only thing she got wrong was her assessment of Mat, but that was just one thing.

Now, after Verin comes Cadsuane.
Hear me out. I don’t like her either, but, to summarize, the Rand she met was a lot worse and a lot more unstable than the one Moiraine met. Yet I think she beats Moiraine in how she managed to stand up to Rand at a point when everyone else was at his feet.
More importantly, she never meddled in his plans. All she did was guide him and make sure he knew what he was doing (it took Moiraine knowing she was going to die to realize this was her role).
Her defense at the Cleansing against the Forsaken was nothing short of amazing. The way she recovered Rand from Far Madding, how she kept reins on him when he was rude to his followers, and how formidable and capable she was at the Last Battle all put her ahead of Moiraine in my opinion, albeit by an inch.

BTW, the argument that she pushed him over the edge is valid, but I’d argue that anybody in her place would’ve gotten the same results. Even Moiraine. Darth Rand and Dragonmount were all but inevitable from the kidnapping, and the male a’dam and Rand strangling Min sealed the deal. Also, he needed to become Zen Rand.
Bonus points for having a manor in every city. That woman was resourceful. Look at how she handled the sea folks too. Although I must say that she acts like it’s her reputation that helps her gain advantage over all other aes Sedai, but constantly ignores the fact that she was stronger in power than everyone else but the wonder girls and the tower had a strength deference thing

Now, Moiraine is a close third. She did a lot right, and I love her,she’s my favorite, and she was very competent and iconic. Although I think she was buffed up to be more resourceful than she had any right to be, and given certain powers that she didn’t have again and no other aes Sedai did. I mean her staff just disappeared (but I guess Jordan was still deciding on some things) but she messed up a lot by not communicating with Rand. Her isolation tactics were the beginning of his paranoia and his lack of trust in anyone who wanted to help him.
She also almost lost him, if not for swearing the oaths and taking a few steps back. And that was because she finally understood that he needed to be his own man and that she wouldn’t always be there.
But most importantly, most of Moiraine’s importance was in her absence.

I mean, thank the Light Rand didn’t follow her first Illian plan with the Horn, or her second plan involving a war with Tear. Sammael would’ve killed him.
Rand was already very capable and had grown significantly in strength, had a general and Mat to help make his plans, and still barely survived his encounter with Sammael. Moiraine just wanted to throw him to the wolves with a flawed weapon and hope the Pattern protected him. For someone whose whole life has been dedicated to a person, she almost blew it, a lot of times.

Now I didn’t count the wonder girls as they’d not spend much time at the tower. But if I were to finish the top 5, I’d say pevara…. Then maybe Siuan. Although there a gap between them and the top three