A Memory of Light general discussion [SPOILERS FROM POST 171 ONWARDS!]

5starpool

Best place to order this online? I'm guessing book depository as it is cheaper than Amazon with postage taken into account, and I've been waiting so long I don't mind the extra few days rather than pay double in the shops.

lemon_sherbert

I'm so very excited... and it's still ages away. WoT was the first fantasy series I ever got into, has a very special place in my heart. I got the first one for my thirteenth birthday, and ten years later it's going to be over *sniff* (I, for one, would be very disappointed if Nynaeve didn't pull on her braid)

Now to avoid spoilers until then.

fitz

Only ten years?
God, I've been reading this bloody thing for twenty...gonna be great to finish the story.

AnCapaillMor

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Unfortunately no, she was too busy extrapolating the benefits of stout two rivers wool dresses over these fancy new silk dresses, that she can stop wearing at any time. Did have time to mention how useless men are and argue with Egwene and Elayne.

Halfways through the 2nd book on audio and i think the last books needs at least 2 chapters on how each song is known under a different name in different regions.

Sin_J

Re: braid tugging

Nyneave's braid got burned off in her Aes Sedai testing in the previous book. Her hair is too short to braid now so she's not tugging on anything anymore.

ixoy

Sin_J wrote: »

Nyneave's braid got burned off in her Aes Sedai testing in the previous book. Her hair is too short to braid now so she's not tugging on anything anymore.

I was waiting for someone to reply with that

Sin_J

ixoy wrote: »

I was waiting for someone to reply with that

I'd completely forgotten it happened until i was rereading it a few days ago.


I'm not sure how i'm going to feel once this is all over and done with... i've been reading this for about 12 years now.

Though i do at least have a new Dresden book out in November to take the sting out of the wait till January.

Morgase

If you're having withdrawal effects after A Memory of Light, there will be a WoT short story in this book coming out next year:

http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php/News/book-news/unfettered-announced

Grim Oak Press announced today that it will be publishing Unfettered, an anthology of short fiction from an amazing collection of fantasy writers. One of the included short stories is River of Souls, a short story based in the Wheel of Time world. It's listed as being written by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

OwaynOTT

Morgase wrote: »

If you're having withdrawal effects after A Memory of Light, there will be a WoT short story in this book coming out next year:

http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php/News/book-news/unfettered-announced

I think it's just a chapter or a section of A Memory of Light which got cut. Pity there wasn't more cut from Towers of Midnight and Gathering Storm.

Rereading the latter at the moment and Aveindha and Gawyn's chapters are totally unnecessary and skipping doesn't affect the novel at all.

keane2097

OwaynOTT wrote: »

I think it's just a chapter or a section of A Memory of Light which got cut. Pity there wasn't more cut from Towers of Midnight and Gathering Storm.

Or the entire series, so much utter chaff. About 70% of these novels are garbage.

OwaynOTT

keane2097 wrote: »

Or the entire series, so much utter chaff. About 70% of these novels are garbage.

Books 7 and 8 should of been one, I think Jordan wanted them to be but pressure from publishers to release made it into 2.
Perrins story line should be wrapped up in that book as well.
9 and 10 should if been one, dealing with the climax of 9 and its reaction in one.
A lot of Aes Sedai sections can be completely cut.
Other than that, apart from what I said previously about the new titles, there isn't too much fluff.
Elaine's bath was essential.
To say 70% is garbage is pure hyperbole. Stories of this length run into logistic problems just look at the last two George R R Martin books.

AnCapaillMor

There may be a lot of BS, but there's also some of the greatest and epic scenes/chapters in fantasy. The dumai well scene has to be one of the greatest fantasy scenes ever. 70% BS is a bit ott, 20-30 maybe.

Kinda agree and disagree with the aes sedai there was some really bad stuff there but some really good scenes, more bad then good though. That seems to be the general theme with the women, although I liked aviendha and min.

OwaynOTT

Egwene's part in Gathering Storm was excellent and I've always liked Nynaeve, when she breaks her block is one of my favourite moments.
When I said Aes Sedai, I was focusing on the pov of random Aes Sedai whose plots go nowhere and aren't necessary. The 'political' aspect of the them.

Trojan

I particularly like the Verin scene.

AnCapaillMor

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Egwene's part in Gathering Storm was excellent.

The one and only time I shouted you go girl.

Nynaveve is a great and infuriatingly annoying character at the same time.

keane2097

Nynaeve is one of the most poorly imagined and executed characters I've ever come across in a popular novel.

A lot, if not most, of the characters in WoT are extremely one dimensional with a shtick in place of a personality (braid tugging, husband baiting, I got mad honour commitments yo, to name but a few). The guy also clearly resents women deeply.

I wouldn't say resents women. I'd say he nearly falls under Eddings' thing of taking arrogant stereotypes because that's how he sees us - but not through a resentful light, more an amused "oh I'll never understand women and I'm not going to try!" way

ixoy

bluewolf wrote: »

more an amused "oh I'll never understand women and I'm not going to try!" way

Blood'n'ashes! He just doesn't understand women the way Rand or Mat do.

keane2097

There's a few decent examples in this horribly formatted page for anyone who cares to read:

http://abbygoldsmith.com/articles/wot-Sexism.shtml

I remember being appalled particularly at the Faile/Perrin "relationship" but the polygamy stuff is pretty stomach turning as well.

I always thought of the Faile thing as not wanting to be patronised, and getting angry when Perrin treats her like glass.
If my OH was angry about something but kept saying "no dear it's fine dear don't worry about it", I'd be getting annoyed as well.
That person has interesting comments about dominance in relationships, but I've only seen a few examples of it in the books, and in all cases it was when one of them just had a higher rank in public and it was designed for balance? Bit extreme but I wouldn't be reading too much into it?
Polygamy is common enough in reality that I don't care about that one, but I do wish we'd seen some of the reverse, too.
I think it's unfair to say he's one of the few authors with strong female roles: even in fantasy, there are a few that leap to mind instantly.

I definitely 100% agree that it's too stereotypical most of the time and all "oh men are stupid" "oh women are weird"!

Comic Book Guy

Jan 2013 ,

Should give me time to finish Erikson's Malazan series, I'm halfway thru Dust of Dreams. Have read his series book to book without anything else to break it so mite need a few sports autobiographys to give me a break!!

AnCapaillMor

Just listening to the shadow rising, you know there might have been some really boring long winded stories, some cardboard 1 dimensional characters but chapters like rand in rhuidean make this a pleasure to read\listen and well worth slogging through 14 big ass books. Feck it i can't wait the 3months now.

ArthurG

Also awaiting this with a mixture of excitment / trepidation. To be honest, I don't think I have room / time in my life for another epic fantasy series (will of course finish ASOIAF) and might re read Malazan (I got about 1/2 way through last attempt).

I'm not sure if I've outgrown the series, or the sheer length of time means I've lost enthusiasm. Perhaps Sanderson's writing has alienated me a bit.

So, while I'm excited about finding out what finally happens (plus there are a few scenes I'm dead keen on seeing aside from the finale):

1) Rand meeting Moiraine again
2) Moiraine's inevitable healing
3) Rand meeting Lanfear again (in whatever guise)
4) Nyn and Moggy's hopefully inevitable final clash
5) Demandred's reveal.....
6) The Black Tower finale

Amongst others of course......

I'm also kinda sad, as one poster said, as I've been reading this series for almost 20 years, and it feels like such a huge thing to finally end. Probably for the best though......

AnCapaillMor

Yeah there's definately still alot to happen, the book would want to be huge to fit in everything.

Trojan

It's going to be ~970 pages paperback, so that should pack a fair bit in - similar to book 5 (FoH).

AnCapaillMor

Just finishing the fires of heaven on audio, whatever else happens in a memory of light i want a scene with

Elaida getting ass her handed to her by Siuan and leanna and pretty much every other aes sedai. She's a wonderfully arrogant and horrible character

.

ArthurG

Elaida truly is a nasty piece of work, but she'll get her come-uppance I'm sure

Temptamperu

ArthurG wrote: »

Elaida truly is a nasty piece of work, but she'll get her come-uppance I'm sure

Did she not already get it?

ArthurG

Temptamperu wrote: »

Did she not already get it?

I'd guess that's only the start of it.......

AnCapaillMor

Temptamperu wrote: »

Did she not already get it?

Nah she deserves more.

She's an adame alright. But i'd love for her to see what an idiot she was and what she has done and that she was led by nose by the black ajah. Judging by her character, her and alot of the tower being captured and being made adame, she'll still not see not see it as her fault. The ultimate come-uppance for her will be to be made realise how she f***ed up.

There's some weak characters in the book, but i thought she was a fantastic villain in the book, you'd semphirage's cold cruelty, the children of the white, fain etc. There's nothing worse than an idiot who thinks themselves better than they are and blames everyone else. She's nynaveve at her worst on drugs.

Adding to arthurg's answers i look forward to

Where the hell is logain and min's viewing significance?
Where did allana dissapear to and was the letter from verrin
The seanchan, judging by aviendha's future vision, they won't go away.
Will rand and galad get together and recognise each other as brothers
And most importantly of all what is the song "The wind that shakes the willow" known as in seanchan.