The Wheel of Time sidenotes: This is not the beginning.

[SpaceChampion]

Chapter 25: An Answer (Finale)

Er... are you missing pages?

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

I mean finale part of chapter.
Because of quote limits I have to divide my sidenotes in three posts.

Of course there are Chapter 26 and Epilogue still waiting.

[Disputatious]

Same question from me.

BTW you will encounter Moiraine and Lan again early on in The Eye of the World, but Cadsuane does not reappear until book 7 of the series ("A Crown of Swords").

[SpaceChampion]

Does he want to be told details like that?

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

No he don't!

OK, I already knew Lan's gonna be in TEoTW. Who else could be this samurai guy on old cheesy cover. Still!

[Disputatious]

I do not know, but it seemed clear that the Wicked Woodpecker would be interested in seeing more of Cadsuane.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

Yeah, just like I was really interested about who will die in A Storm of Swords before reading it. ;)

[fionwe1987]

Yeah, just like I was really interested about who will die in A Storm of Swords before reading it. ;)

Well, you'll see a LOT more of her. She's pretty damn important.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

That's not exactly my point. Anyway. Spring has come and with it's first day I'll give you final chapter of New Spring. But you know, laundry first.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

Chapter 26: When to Surrender

- Spring came, and with spring I give you last chapter of New Spring. Behold.

- Still I don't really feel its finality.

- Also: surrender what? Or to whom?

Lan slipped through the corridors of the Aesdaishar alone, using every bit of the skill he had learned in the Blight

- Like for instance ability to kill venomous rodents?

Anya and Esne took Edeyn’s commands ahead of his, now, as though they believed that some part of Malkieri ways.

- That would be basically the truth.

He felt a fool for wearing his sword. Steel was no use in this battle. But he felt naked without it, and naked was one thing he could not afford to be against Edeyn.

- You should think about it fifteen years ago, boy.

- Also: I thought that Lan's gonna escape Palace to avoid wedding (which would mean that leaving unbreakable family sword is not exactly an option). But apparently not. Where the hell is he going?

- Oh, wonderful. Iselle is trying her doubtful charms on Merean.

- Ha, I was right. Edeyn literally used Lan's hair to lock him in his room.

By custom, most of her power over him would end once Iselle had the cord of his hair among her keepsakes, no longer any more than a token of the past, yet he was certain Edeyn would use Iselle herself in its place. And Iselle would cooperate.

- And by common sense you should take this bloody hair, and put it into candle flame.

He doubted that she had the strength to stand against her mother openly. The only thing to do when faced by an opponent you could not defeat was run, unless your death could serve some greater purpose, and he very much wanted to run.

- But you can defeat her. Just be rude. It's easy. It's worth of it.

- Apparently running away is more honorable than facing wrath of ex-girlfriend. Geez, now I get why Malkieri lost war with shadow.

- Oh, men, that's really annoying me.

Only Bukama held him here. Bukama and a dream.

- Right, because last time we met him, he was all like "yeah take our army of refugees and die in the Blight".

Running would end Edeyn’s schemes of marriage. If he avoided her long enough, she would find another husband for Iselle. Running would end Edeyn’s dream of reclaiming Malkier; her support would fade like mist under a noon sun once people learned he was gone. Running would end many dreams. The man who had carried an infant tied to his back had a right to dreams, though. Duty was a mountain, but it had to be carried.

- Just do it. Bukama knows this plan is totally nuts.

- And obviously he failed. And fell.

Something had jerked his ankles up there. Something had hit him between the shoulders. There was only one thing it could have been, however little sense it made. He would have known had anyone been close enough to touch him physically. An Aes Sedai had tried to kill him with the Power.

- OK, so there is Black Ajah around. But why did she tried to kill Lan? That doesn't make sense.

- Damn. They killed Bukama. You bastards!

- Really unfair. Couldn't it be Edeyn or Iselle instead?

He hoped Bukama was reborn in a world where the Golden Crane flew on the wind, and the Seven Towers stood unbroken, and the Thousand Lakes shone like a necklace beneath the sun.

- Was reborn? Are those rebirths go like back in time? You are resurrected in past? I mean if we can really talk about past and future in circular timeline.

How could he have let anyone get close enough to do this? Bukama could feel steel being unsheathed near him.

- Maybe they used silver knife?

- Now, Lan's gonna kick some butts. Well finally some action.

- Still. Poor Bukama.

[Disputatious]

"Now, Lan's gonna kick some butts. Well finally some action."

That usually means that the corpses start piling up.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

- Apparently Moiraine's butt first in line. Weird, I would think about Merean first.

- Also: I wouldn't be surprised if it turns to be Larelle that is Black Ajah, and she's wandering around incognito, burning babies and pushing people off the stairs.

Lan shook off the liveried women clinging to his arms, shut the door in their faces, and put his back to it, meeting Moiraine’s startled gaze. Purpling bruises marred his angular face, and he moved as if he had been beaten. From outside came silence. Whatever he intended, they would be sure she could handle it.

- Damn. Pity it had to be friend's death to make him assertive towards women.

“Bukama is dead with a knife in his heart,” he said calmly, “and not an hour gone, someone tried to kill me with the One Power. At first I thought it must be Merean, but the last I saw of her, she was trailing after Iselle, and unless she saw me and wanted to lull me, she had no time. Few see me when I do not want to be seen, and I don’t think she did. That leaves you.”

- Really? That's what you think? Have you forgotten all bloody tricks that Moiraine showed you? You think Merean doesn't knows her stuff?

She should have known the fool girl would go straight to Merean.

- Even Black Ajah doesn't deserve Iselle's company.

- And really Moiraine should be more shocked about Merean breaking bad.

- And now prince and his son are in danger. Are Merean making some political chaos?

- Moiraine can see a pattern. Wonder what? Obviously narrator jumped off her head for a moment.

- Doom is coming and Moiraine is still worried about showing some legs.

She let the Power fill her as she ran, till sweetness and joy bordered pain in their intensity, and tried to plan what she would do, what she could do, against a woman considerably stronger than she, a woman who had been Aes Sedai more than a hundred years before her own great-grandmother was born.

- Uh, so Merean is really quite old.

- So, Ryne was also evil. I suppose that explains his visit in Aes Sedai inn in Canluum. Pity. He was quite interesting as anti-heroic mercenary with gigolo personality.

- Also: aren't Merean attacking princes in the palace where anybody can see it, isn't bit risky. Couldn't she just make their hearts stop beating?

- This time Iselle did as she was told. Obviously it had to end in disaster.

- And obviously it was Ryne that killed Bukama. Bastard!

“You appear too often, Moiraine,” Merean said as though they were simply chatting.

- You met only two times before. And you knew she's coming to Chiachin!

Moiraine just managed to sever a weave of Fire that would have burned off her clothes and perhaps most of her skin, and Merean smiled, a mother amused at the mischief young women get up to.

- At least Lan and Bukama wouldn't see Cairhienin in her skin.

“Don’t worry, child. I’ll Heal you to answer my questions. And answer, you will. Out here, no one will hear your screams.”

- Are we in space?

- Well, technically yes.

If Moiraine had had any lingering doubts that Merean was Black Ajah, that weave of Fire would have ended them. In the next moments she had more proof, weavings that made sparks dance on her dress and her hair rise

- Oh, so inherently evil ones.

When she could, she tried again and again to cut the bonds holding Diryk and the others, to shield Merean, even to knock her unconscious. She knew she fought for her life − she would die if the other woman won, now or after Merean’s questioning − but she never considered that loophole in the Oaths that held her. She had questions of her own for the woman, and the fate of the world might rest on the answers.

- Good way to get yourself killed.

- Oh, shit! Damn! He killed a little boy! Like, wow. Really. Wow. I mean so George pushing Bran out of the window wasn't the first. (And he even couldn't get this job done).

- And I was thinking I'm reading classic epic fantasy.

- Oh, wait. No, sorry. New Spring was written after A Game of Thrones obviously. It's not a first novel written. Still, yay Jordan!

- Also: thanks to George children defenestration is kinda new fashion.

- Also: but what if kid'll survive the fall. He did it last time.

Until that cleared, she had as much chance of embracing saidar as a cat did of singing.

- Well, evidently Moiraine has never been in any cat area early spring.

Iselle was trembling, snuffling and weeping and staring wide-eyed at where the boy had fallen.

- And obviously she didn't think about kicking or hitting Merean from surprise. Such a spare.

- Now Brys is also dead. Such a slaughter in this last chapter.

- So Merean just turned away to kill Brys and Iselle, and she didn't noticed that shielded Moiraine is rising from the ground until she has knife in her back? That's kinda lame.

- But when you think about it, it's basically the same way Rincewind kicked Trymon's butt in The Light Fantastic. Magic people tends to forget about possibility of psychical assault.

- Also: it's kind of poetic justice. It's only thanks to Merean and her "motherly attitude" that Moiraine and Siuan managed to put their hands on possible Dragon children list, and they wouldn't be here to kill you. It's like self-fulfilling prophecy... only without actual prophecy.

- Also: I'm quite sure that knife in one's back would need more than two seconds to kill.

- Well, at least one happy ending. Iselle's dead. Man, girl was asking for it, really.

“Never watch a death you don’t have to,” Lan said, setting her on her feet.

- Always good time for bad-ass one-liner.

Bending, she withdrew her belt knife from the woman’s back and cleaned it on the traitor’s skirts.

“You are a cool one, Aes Sedai,” Lan said flatly.

- Well it was really good knife, you know. Killing instantly. It would be pity to just left it in traitor's body.

“It seems Ryne was wrong as well as a Darkfriend. You were better than he.”

Lan shook his head slightly. “He was better. But he thought I was finished, with only one arm. He never understood. You surrender after you’re dead.”

- I don't know Lan. I suppose if she was reckless enough to let crippled enemy kill him, he wasn't really so good. Fighting is more than fencing ability.

- Also: epic duel between Lan and Ryne played totally off-screen. Pity.

- Also: so that's what the chapter title was about. Cool, definitely. Cool chapter title is something that woodpeckers really enjoy.

- Also: never compromise. Not even in the face of Tarmon Gai'don.

- Also: is this whole "surrender when dead" way to make people read through those presumably more boring parts of saga? Like: oh, I cannot read this bloody Twilight part. Shut up, you surrender when you are dead. Are you playing with our subconsciousness Mr. Jordan?

- Those falling bodies had to be really weird for people down there.

Understandably, he seemed less eager to inform the Lady Edeyn of her daughter’s death.

- Yeah, he's probably much too happy about it, to do it in proper way.

She should have been able to save the girl. That death lay on her as much as on Merean.

- No, you are not Moiraine. And don't even think that way!

- No body, no murder.

- So they're going to remain silent about all this stuff. Well, as much as I'm usually annoyed by Aes Sedai machinations I suppose not revealing truth about Black Ajah can be really necessary. We don't want witch hunt to start, even if there's a need for one. Friendship between Tower and Borderlands are quite precious, but I'm not sure if they will be happy when it will be revealed that Aes Sedai knew about Black all the way.

- FIN.

- Also: Yeah, Epilogue.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

That usually means that the corpses start piling up.

Indeed. Finally some serious on screen killing. Six deaths in one chapter. Bloody hell.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

Also: Merean is probably how I would spell Meereen if I wouldn't frequently checking it on Wiki.

[Disputatious]

I am convinced that people misspell "Meereen" out of subconscious resentment of having to read about the place.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

Epilogue

Next dawn found the Aesdaishar in mourning, white banners flying from every prominence, the servants with long white cloths tied to their arms.

- While it should found it in a middle of really intensive investigation.

Rumors in the city already talked of portents that had foretold the deaths, comets in the night, fires in the sky.

- Great job, Moiraine. Incinerating Merean and Ryne just above the castle walls for all people in the city to see.

People had a way of folding what they saw into what they knew and what they wanted to believe.

- Aes Sedai First Rule: people are stupid.

The disappearance of a simple soldier, and even of an Aes Sedai, escaped notice alongside bone-deep grief that had strong men weeping in the corridors.

- Right. Someone killed our ruler, his son and guest foreign noblewoman by mysteriously throwing them out of palace walls without anyone noticing that. Let's weep, and grief, and cry, but certainly not be suspicious about mysterious disappearances of some other people including Aes Sedai.

Returning from destroying Merean’s belongings − after searching in vain for any clue to other Black sisters − Moiraine stepped aside for Edeyn Arrel, who glided down the hallway in a white gown, her hair cut raggedly short. Whispers said she intended to retire from the world. Moiraine thought she already had. The woman’s staring eyes looked haggard and old.

- Really? Crouching lioness retiring from the world? Without bloody hunt and destroy the murderers? Cersei Lannister disapproves.

- Also: It's just happened! Like few hours ago! And Iselle were like less important victim of all. And you're saying there are already whispers in the palace about what will she do?

Rahien was born in a farmhouse almost two miles from Dragonmount. Merean hasn’t been near him, as of this morning. I don’t suppose she’ll harm him on suspicion even if she is Black

- Yeah, just like she didn't harm this could-be-Dragon boy in Canluum. Because, oh, she's was so into careful checking.

- Oh, luck. So Blacks don't hunt for would-be-Dragon, but for lucky people. Damn, I should see it, there was so much talking about lack in the second part of the book. Lucky soldier in Canluum, lucky merchant from Arafel who Ryne failed to protect, Lan, Diryk. OK, but why hunt lucky people.

- So, father was a target, not a son. Nice played, Mr. Jordan. Chekhov's guns just in right places. I would probably miss some of those if I weren't typing down recaps of Canluum chapters just before reading it.

- Also Ryne's failure was probably really active.

- Also: so guys who attacked Lan in Canluum were probably sent by Ryne or other Darkfriends. But who sent archer guy? I mean his primary target were Moiraine, but whoever sent him knew that she's travelling with Malkieri. But how. I mean they met in the road, how could anyone manage to sent archer in time with proper instructions. Black Ajah? Or Cairhienin? Damn.

- So, lucky men are potential channelers. Like Harry Potter or X-Men Magican they're warping reality around them. But shouldn't that make them mad over the time? I mean unconscious using of saidin is still using of saidin.

- Also: Black Ajah doesn't know when Dragon was reborn so they chose "better safe than sorry" doctrine of extermination of all possible Dragons. Well, OK, after all there could be more than one Sarah Connor around. But it's also completely chaotic, dumb and risky strategy that makes real chances that your whole conspiracy will seriously be screwed.

- Also: even if Black Ajah didn't manage to extract age information from Tamra, how dumb they are to fail noticing Gitara's death and Tamra's bounty, add two and two, and then put their hands on potential Dragons list? Damn, that's kindergarten level of Daes Dae'mar.

- Also: if a lucky man was killed by Black Ajah because of his luck, can he still be counted as lucky?

- Also: so it is possible that Lan is able to learn how to channel. Damn, that would really make him total Jedi.

We have more time than we thought. Not enough to be careless, though. Any sister can be Black. I think Cadsuane is.

- Just because she's rude doesn't means she's Black. She's much too cool. And if she were Black, I'm quite sure they would choose another strategy of hunting.

They know others are looking. If one of Tamra’s searchers locates the boy and they find her with him, or if they decide to question one of them instead of killing her as soon as it is convenient

- I think it's safe to assume all Tamra searchers are cold and dead.

Together, they could search no faster than one could alone, and if they had to be apart, what better place for Siuan than working for Cetalia Delarme, seeing the reports of all the Blue Ajah eyes-and-ears? While Moiraine hunted for the boy, Siuan could learn what was happening in every land, and knowing what she was looking for, she could spot any sign of the Black Ajah or the Dragon Reborn.

- Well, you could always divide your notes and go searching for Dragon in different parts of world. But I suppose Siuan installed high into Blue Ajah intelligence is a better solution considering that Amyrlin is probably one of Blacks.

“Burn me! Hung out on a drying rack in the Tower! I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t have me birched! Moiraine, the politics are enough to make you sweat buckets in midwinter! I hate it!”

- It's really funny that in the end it's Siuan who stays in Tower to play in Game of Thrones, while Moiraine will roam countryside looking for adventure. Still, poor girl.

- And Lan's finally coming home. However I think it would be polite to wait a bit, you know. There are gonna be some burials.

“I have unfinished business with the man,” Moiraine said over her shoulder. She had made a decision about him the first day she knew him, if he turned out not to be a Darkfriend, and she intended to keep it.

- Finally, time for cover scene. Although I think it wasn't exactly wise to put in on a cover. I guessed that Lan will become Moiraine Warder like ages ago. At least Deathly Hallows cover were more ambiguous.

“A Malkieri?” The skinny merchant in a dark blue cloak looked startled. “Well, my guards told me there’s one up there. Dangerous fellows, those Malkieri.”

- And who isn't dangerous in Borderlands of Australia.

Lan barely looked up when she dismounted. Kneeling beside the remains of a small fire, he was stirring the ashes with a long twig. Strangely, the smell of burned hair hung in the air.

- Finally Lan's get rid of his hair problem. Pity, considering her state, he probably couldn't go all assertive with Edeyn.

“Burning my past,” he said, rising. “Burning memories. A nation. The Golden Crane will fly no more.”

- Wanna bet?

“No one will sorrow for me when I die, because those who would are dead already. Besides, all men die.”

“Only fools choose to die before they must."

- Well, if there is reincarnations then why not?

“You said you burned your past. Let the past have its ashes. This is the same war, Lan. The most important battle yet in that war. And this one, you can win.”

For a long time he stood staring north, toward the Blight. She did not know what she would do if he refused. She had told him more than she should have anyone but her bonded Warder.

Suddenly he turned, sword flashing out, and for an instant she thought he meant to attack her. Instead he sank to his knees, the sword lying bare across his hands. “By my mother’s name, I will draw as you say ‘draw’ and sheathe as you say ‘sheathe.’ By my mother’s name, I will come as you say ‘come’ and go as you say ‘go.’” He kissed the blade and looked up at her expectantly.

- Whoa, whoa! That was truly EPIC! Worthy ending of the book. Possibly best scene of the book. Maybe equal with pond. Give us more epicness!

On his knees, he made any king on a throne look meek. She would have to teach him some humility for his own sake. And for a pond’s sake.

- Oh, man. Lan maybe you should reconsider your decision. Saving world isn't worth it.

- Still I'm not sure if revealing final scene on cover is wise move.

- But after all there weren't better scene in whole book to paint.

“Men who weren’t there call it the Battle of the Shining Walls,” he said abruptly. “Men who were, call it the Blood Snow. No more. They know it was a battle."

- That says something about nature of war. And history.

- So, now the story truly begins. Aye.

We win this battle, or the world dies.

- No pressure, then.

- FIN.

- Well, that was really cool epilogue. Final fight somehow lack its intensity, but this scene was just so, so awesome.

- Also: officially shipping Lan and Moiraine.

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

New Spring: Recapitulation

So, that's it. Prequel time is over. Now I'm gonna take little a break, because I want to prepare ASOIAF tournament for Breivikon. So full-fleshed review of New Spring and beginning of The Eye of the World gonna wait few weeks but I'm not leaving it totally aside. Now it's time for recapitulation and then post about Ravens. That will be it.

So New Spring. Well, it wasn't so bad. It wasn't thrilling or especially poetic either. It was quite funny (although mostly because of my OCD recap reading). Most of fears I have after reading "is it worth reading" topics here were dismissed (but well there is 14 books in the row, so I still remember them). I'm ready to read another book.

Style: it was correct. Nice. Fluid. Not especially poetic though, and in my opinion Sanderson's opinion is bit overrating. But it doesn't annoys me at all, it's not a problem while reading. But I won't remember this book because of style. It would have to be more magical or much more darker for it.

Action: usually decently paced, there was a moment in White Tower when it was dragging a bit. I would even say that finale was much too fast.

Plot: there are two. One of Moiraine and Siuan in WT, second of Moiraine and Lan in Borderlands. In a way those two are quite separate. No wonder second one was published as a novella. First one is classic Hogwarts Story, some nice world-building, sometimes too slow, some chapters were unnecessary, while finale of this part Ch. 14 'Changes' should be seriously divided and better built, Second one could be quite thrilling with all those mysterious murders, and quite funny with Moiraine - Borderlanders interactions but finale somehow lacks intensity. It's just like, oh, they bump into evil Merean killing people, bam! It deserve something better.

POVs - I'm obviously fan of POV-shifting, and I'm quite disappointed Jordan stayed to Moiraine unless he had to otherwise. Siuan 1/3 chapter was totally spare. We could learn about it from Moiraine perspective, or we could have more chapters written from Siuan perspective (and some more Lan war chapters) that could give as quite interesting tri-voice. But then I suppose that after GRRM I'm gonna be fan of his way of POV management till I die, so sorry RJ.

Characters - I probably like Siuan most. All three main characters are kinda good guys without any serious character flaws, although Lan and Moiraine have those weird custom stronger than ethics and common sense stuff, that I think is somehow over the top. Siuan just say fish rather than fuck, which is still way better than Kara Thrace. Anyway, they are still complicated enough to play for me, even if their overall goodness are kinda over...

About other characters I really liked Bukama, I also liked Ryne and Merean because they TURNED TO BE EVYYYYYL. Because. Which was kinda disappointing. OK I know serving Chaos... I mean Dark One changes men, but still they went from interesting characters to EVYYYYL impostors pretending to be interesting characters little to fast.

Sierin and Elaida, well I hope they'll die any time soon in books, because mehs. They are even worse than Severus Snape, srsly.

Rest of Aes Sedai, kinda straws so far. We will see.

Overall: it was nice, it was good read, but definitely I root for some more vivid darkness in the future. Hope future villains won't be as straw-EVYYYL as Merean and Ryne, because. Or so annoying as Sierin, because even if she's not a straw, she should die.

Rate: 7/10. (scale without half-points)

Sentence: some roof in Chiachin (with Iselle at your side)

So tomorrow some less serious things and Ravens, and then Easter break.

[fionwe1987]

POVs - I'm obviously fan of POV-shifting, and I'm quite disappointed Jordan stayed to Moiraine unless he had to otherwise. Siuan 1/3 chapter was totally spare. We could learn about it from Moiraine perspective, or we could have more chapters written from Siuan perspective (and some more Lan war chapters) that could give as quite interesting tri-voice. But then I suppose that after GRRM I'm gonna be fan of his way of POV management till I die, so sorry RJ.

There's a lot more POV shifting in the main books, though not so much in the first. By book 4, its as frequent as aSoIaF.

Also... why do you think Seirin is evil?

[Wicked Woodpecker of West]

Also... why do you think Seirin is evil?

Now sir, that's basically the white spoiler (implicating she's not).

But then even if she's not Black Ajah, she's plain, common and ordinary human evil.

Like in Warhammer, there are many ordinary bad guys that aren't worshippers of Chaos.

There's a lot more POV shifting in the main books, though not so much in the first. By book 4, its as frequent as aSoIaF.

Fine.

[SpaceChampion]

Now sir, that's basically the white spoiler (implicating she's not).

Or, we don't even know.