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Don't think so. Rand put the bruises on her, and since the collar wasn't fixed, she wasn't balefired to before she used that on him and hence wasn't balefired to before she used it to force him to try and kill Min.

 

I am just finished reading it, pretty awesome. I am glad that

Spoiler

Rands insanity was finally resolved. Whilst it has been interesting, I am looking forward to the next book now he is sane, and what every ones reactions are going to be. The fact that he will start smiling again hopefully is a plus, it just brings you bloody down when all he gets is gloomy and angry. Angst is all good, but I am glad it is over.

I hope he still keeps on bitch-slapping Cadusane (spell correctly inside your head please, because I can not) & co. around. With the many pro-Moraine comments thrown throughout this book by the author, it seems the bitch-slapping will continue until Moraine is saved and able to put Rand on the straight and narrow.

On a side note, the battle scenes in this book do not seem as interesting, but I am not sure why. Maybe the fact that Rand goes apeshit and Balefires forsaken dims down the excitement. Whilst pivotal character building devices for Rand, it seems wasted potential on a good written battle that would keep me excited.

Oh well, more Rand whooping asses squished together in the next two books should just make them all the more awesome.

EDIT: Just had a thought, Min will at least be able to tell straight away Rand is sane again. She should no longer see the vision of Rand and another person becoming one anymore.

Overall a lot better read then I was expected with this new author. You can easily see the difference in writing styles, a lot faster paced and not as descriptive, but it still fits very well with the series. As stated by someone above, better then the last couple books R.J (may he rest in peace) released, if only because the pace has picked up.

Though I find myself missing R.Js descriptive writing and tendacy for expanding plot-devices to better explore/resolve them, but that is the price you have to pay to pick up the pace.


Now how friggin' long till the next one?

 

It's due late 2010.

 

I love this series but I've haven't manage to get past book 8. Is it really important to read 9-11, or can I skip them.

 

Your personal choice really. You don't need to read them, but I recommend you do. If you want a summary just search some wikipedia out there for Wheel of Time book 9,10 and 11. They should give a vast summary on what happens in each book, without having to read the whole thing.

 

Forgot about that battle scene in book 9, where

Spoiler

Rand cleanses the source, and whilst doing so most of the Forsaken come after the group in an epic battle. I like to imagine battles in my head, most people probably do, and this scene makes me jizz my pants now I remember it.

Definitely the best fight scene in the series so far, better then the one where he is in the box at the end of book 6 (7?).

 

I've skipped most of the boring parts about Perrin/Faile and a couple of chapters about that bitch Elayne and it didn't hurt my reading at all.

About The Gathering Storm, I liked a lot the fast pace - I think it's one of the better books of the series, my second favourite. If only there was more Mat Cauthon (with the long awaited Moirraine's rescue) and less Perrin, it would have been the best book. =D

 

Lulz. Any less and he could be written out. I do have to agree that Mat replacing the parts with Perrin in it would have been great though. He was hilarious.

 

Very decent read. It has all the hallmarks of Jordan. Three hundred pages in and you could sum up the plot with "Rand and some people talked, Mat and some people talked, and Perrin and Some people talked." Jordan all the way.

Not to beat a dead horse, no pun intended, but only Jordan could write one of the seminal works of fantasy and still you could easily cut one million words out of it without losing a thing.

After the first third of the book though, it really picked up nicely.

btw, is it just me or does WOT and Wizards First Rule (the series) by Goodkind have striking similarities? Who ripped who off?

 

From the words of both authors, apparently neither. Goodkind doesn't read other books while he's writing, and Jordan wrote the first books of WOT before Goodkind started writing.

Just coincidental, I guess.

 

WOT > Wizards First Rule

 

I'm tempted to get into this series but I don't know if I'll like it or not. Honestly I've never liked fantasy stories (the possible exception being The Gentlemen Bastard series).

I've heard alot of good things about the series and checked out the wikipedia page and it sounds pretty awesome but is it worth getting into?

 

@J22: Oh yes, certainly worth it. Go get a copy now.

@topic: I have exams going on right now, so I'll have to wait for a while yet, but then I have a month long vacation in which I'm going to read the entire series through from the first again, just to make sure I don't miss even the most minor of references. That will just about cover me till at least March.....

I can't believe I haven't even seen the Book 12 and I'm already salivating over the next one....

 

I haven't read the latest book yet, but for the last couple books I've felt that I'm only reading b/c I've already invested so much time in the other books and I'd like to see how it ends. There are a few characters that I simply don't care about and several chapters are devoted to them before the story moves back to something interesting.

That said, the series does have lots of interesting ideas, and when it's good, it's good.

 

I think a friend of mine might have the series. I'll probably borrow the first book and invest in the rest if I happen to find it enjoyable. I shall return with my findings post-haste!

 

Bought the new book for my mom but I really need to reread at least the last three books to get back into the story before I tackle it.

 

After a lot of procrastinating I finally picked this up and I'm glad I did, one of the best in the series with some great plot and character development.

Perrin's chapters were as always the weakest part for me, Faile just ruins anything practically and Perrin is to meek to overcome her drag.

Disappointed in the lack of Mat but what chapters he was in were some of the funniest in a while. The town was interesting, but struck me as pointless, I wonder it it'll be important later. I'm eager to see

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what Verin's letter says.

Egwene and the tower were interesting, the climax of that plot line was quite satisfying, and Elaida's fate is just too funny. I'm afraid Egwene's stick may end up going farther up her ass though, I hope Rand's kneeling and "knowing her anger" isn't too pathetic.

The greatest part was Rand, very glad to see him back in the limelight again, his gradual decent into madness was very well done. And the ending was just beautiful in so many ways, his frustration and resolve were so well done I'm not ashamed to say my eyes felt a little damp at the end there.

Cadsuane is still a raging bitch who I hope gets it from Min and

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Tam.

Min is still my favourite one of Rand's girls, I was so glad at the lack of Elayne.
Nynaeve I felt got some nice development and seems to have mellowed a little, I'm glad.

So, yeah. Can't wait for Towers of Midnight I hope it ties up Taim and the Black Tower, that's a plot I missed in this book.

 

I'm way behind everyone else with this. The next book was something I'd check on every six months or so, then forget about, so it was forever before I even realized it had already come out, and then I took a very slow pace with it, since it was so good and I didn't want to finish it.

Best volume in years, and has rekindled my interest in WoT, to the point where I'm rewriting my old WoT fic, Altered Destiny.

I have to admit, some of the resolutions were a bit anticlimactic, and the bit at the end should have happened within the first five books, so we could all move on with our lives, but otherwise I was absolutely satisfied with this one, and the fact that I only have to wait a few months for the next has me on the edge of my seat.

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"Cadsuane," he said softly, "do you believe I could kill you? Right here, right now, without using a sword of the Power? Do you believe that if I simply willed it, the Pattern would bend around me and stop your heart? By... coincidence?"

That might be the most badass line in the entire series.