Knife of dreams

Posted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Actual Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

As originally posted on Reviews of a Self Proclaimed Bibliophile.

He had accepted what he needed to be. Why was he so bothered by it, then? A voice deep down—one not in his head, but in his heart—had begun to disagree with what he did.~Rand al’Thor

Lo and behold, Rand al’Thor has finally woken up and realized that his hardness wasn’t the answer in how to fight against and defeat the shadow. Rand has needed to snap out of this self imposed hardness, he has needed to allow himself to feel emotions because what is life if we are unable to feel? Rand was left believing “Anything that made him think of living through the Last Battle, anything that made him hope, was dangerous. He had to be hard enough to accept what was coming to him. Hard enough to die when the time came.” From my understanding, none of the prophecies regarding Rand outright say that he is going to die. It is fair to say that there are allusions to the possibility of his death in the Last Battle, specifically, a passage of the prophecy referencing his blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul. All things considered, blood is abundant on the field of battle so the possibility of Rand’s blood spilling on the rocks of Shayol Ghul isn’t all that far fetched especially when one takes the time to consider the injuries to his side which can’t be healed. Those two injuries constantly re-open themselves, especially when he fights, so his blood falling on the rocks of Shayol Ghul is not immediately indicative of his impending death.

Rand’s story arc is utilizing a very familiar trope in the form of an individual sacrificing their life for the greater good. It is incredibly similar to the Christian mythos and story surrounding the death of Jesus Christ – the son of God upon the Earth who sacrificed himself, suffering on the cross and dying for the sins of all men. The fear of the Last Battle is that should the Dark One rise victorious, he plans to destroy the very fabric of their reality by destroying the Pattern itself, destroying creation and ruling over nothing more than a world of corpses. Rand somehow interpreted that his death would ultimately lead to the death of the Dark One and prevent the destruction of the Pattern and creation. Based upon his interpretation of the prophecies, Rand hardened emotionally hoping that he could convince himself that he was willing to be a sacrifice for the greater good, for the survival of their world. It is only after Rand meets again with his adoptive father Tam al’Thor that he is forced to re-evaluate his decision and forced to acknowledge, “The choice isn’t always about what you do, son, but why you do it.” Rand was forced to evaluate his reasons why and sometimes being asked why is the most difficult question possible.

Tam’s questioning of Rand is similar to the discussion which occurred between Gareth Bryne and Gawyn Trakand about why they are both part of the fighting among Aes Sedai at Tar Valon. Gareth goes so far as to say, “When I was young, I fought for honor. Eventually, I realized that there was little honor to be found in killing, and I found that I had changed. Then I fought because I served your mother. I trusted her. When she failed me, I began to wonder again. What of all those years of service? What of the men I’d killed in her name? What did any of that mean? You wonder why I’m here, instead of in Andor? It’s because I can’t let go. It’s because the world is changing, and I need to be part of it. It’s because once everything in Andor was taken from me, I needed a new place for my loyalty. The Pattern brought me this opportunity.” Gareth Bryne’s reasons for fighting are because he wants to have a say in how the world changes, he wants to impact the events in play and hope to make the world better than it was. Over the course of his long life, he has come to be a man of great honor and is noble in his reasons why he is willing to fight and who he is willing to fight for. Everyone will have different reasons for their actions, that is just human nature, but having a reason for why you are willing to fight is still important especially when facing the reality that you may die for this cause. Ultimately, your death should mean something. I am greatly looking forward to this renewed point of view from Rand and hope that with it will come great success.

The story arc of Egwene al’Vere, the young woman considered to be nothing more than a puppet rebel Amyrlin has come to fruition with Egwene being raised as Amyrlin in truth inside the Hall of the White Tower in Tar Valon thus unifying the White Tower once more. I greatly appreciated the actions and efforts of some of the more minor characters around Egwene because I believe those seemingly small things are going to have a major impact on future events, especially the actions of Verin an Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah who became Black Ajah in a moment of self-preservation, yet remained entirely true to her Brown Ajah roots and kept a meticulous record of her time in the Black Ajah including who she came into contact with and how the Black Ajah was able to function within the White Tower. Egwene demanded every Aes Sedai retake the three oaths upon the oath rod in order to confirm that they were not Black Ajah, therefore it is safe to say that every Aes Sedai currently within the White Tower under Egwene is true to their oaths and is not Black Ajah. Yet, Egwene’s raising to Amyrlin can also be interpreted as an act of self preservation by the White Tower after the capture of Elaida during the Seanchan raid. Elaida’s capture, however, should be considered much more carefully than a seeming mention of the obvious because Elaida knows the weaves for Traveling. One of the greatest advantages select Westland forces had was their ability to Travel, now that the Seanchan have access to that knowledge the advantage is nullified and the fights will be left up to strength of forces and the intelligence of generals. I am so excited to witness Egwene’s actions as Amyrlin in truth, with the full strength of the unified White Tower behind her – it is such an exciting prospect!

We still have the story lines of Mat and Perrin developing. What visions will Aviendha experience during her second trip to Rhuidean? With the Lion Throne of Andor secured, what impact will Elayne have on the Last Battle? I can’t wait to read the two remaining novels of the series!

TL;DR Review: This novel is a well written introduction to the final trilogy in the Wheel of Time Series and I am excited and looking forward to the epic conclusion. This is a conclusion many years in the making and I am excited to see what is in store for these characters who I have been following for what feels like a long time. I am so ready for Towers of Midnight!

Posted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Actual Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

As originally posted on Reviews of a Self Proclaimed Bibliophile.

"Well, heroes got patted on the head and pushed out of the way until the next time a hero was needed, if they survived being a hero in the first place. Very often heroes did not."~Matrim Cauthon, The Prince of the Ravens, General of the Band of the Red Hand

To readers of The Wheel of Time Series, the moment you complete Knife of Dreams will fill you with very conflicting emotions for two reasons. First, this book is the final book before the last trilogy and the ending of the series – A Memory of Light actually encompasses the next three books titled The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and the final book A Memory of Light. Secondly, Knife of Dreams is the last novel in the series to have been completely written by Robert Jordan prior to his death in 2007 which makes this book all the more special. I really really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to continuing to enjoy the series, so thank you Robert Jordan for the wonderful story and world you created.

The majority of Knife of Dreams focused on the completing of certain story arcs as well as continuing to set up others. This book isn’t flashy nor does it end on an aggravating cliff-hanger, instead it serves its purpose as a sequel and building block towards the final trilogy in the overall series. I really appreciated that from this book, I appreciated that the book flowed well and that the events of each story arc ultimately came together in a way which made sense to either complete or further the arc in question. The story arcs which came to fruition in Knife of Dreams included: Mat and Tuon’s marriage, Perrin reuniting with Faile, and Elayne claimed the Lion Throne of Andor – all of which are sure to have a huge impact on the future course of events. Yet, Rand’s story line continues to be hindered with difficulty, some of which is self inflicted, and is only more pressing as we continue ever closer to Tarmon Gai’don. Another story line which wasn’t completed and is going to continue into the next book is Egwene’s “capture” at the hands of Elaida’s White Tower. Let’s examine each of these story lines a bit closer.

Mat and Tuon

"Matrim Cauthon is my husband. Matrim Cauthon is my husband. Bloody Matrim Cauthon is my husband"~High Lady Tuon, Daughter of the Nine Moons

And there you have it folks, the words we were all waiting to hear, thus Mat and Tuon are now husband and wife. We knew it was going to happen eventually, we just didn’t know the exact circumstances. One of the things which strikes me most about the marriage between Mat and Tuon is that in no way is it a traditional novel wedding. In most books, relationships are developed out of attraction and love – there are some exceptions to this, but for the most part book marriages stick to a predefined set of circumstances. Mat and Tuon were brought together by prophecy which stated they would ultimately marry each other – here is how each explained their prophecies:

"I went through a ter’angreal to somewhere else, another world maybe. The people there aren’t really people – they look like snakes – but they’ll answer three questions for you, and their answers are always true. One of mine was that I’d marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons."~Mat explaining the Aelfinn prophecy to Tuon

"Beware the fox that makes the ravens fly, for he will marry you and carry you away. Beware the man who remembers Hawkwing’s face, for he will marry you and set you free. Beware the man of the red hand, for him you will marry and none other."~Fortune told to Tuon by her damane Lidya

Tuon has some difficulty believing Mat’s prophecy only because she has no knowledge or experience with Aelfinn, however that doesn’t change the truthfulness of their words – ultimately, Mat did marry her. I mentioned the obvious lack of love currently between Mat and Tuon, at times it doesn’t even feel as if she has any sort of affection towards him, yet I like what Tuon says to Mat regarding this observation:

"Love? Perhaps we will come to love one another, Matrim, but I have always known I would marry to serve the Empire."~Tuon

Mat was raised in a world with a strict outlook on tradition and the tradition surrounding marriage does include feelings of affection and love for the person you choose to marry which clashes greatly with Tuon’s outlook at marriage, as well as the outlook of most nobles as well. The truth is, the majority noble born individuals aren’t allowed to even consider the idea of marrying for love because marriage is utilized far more as a tool to either form or strengthen alliances in the present and for the future. Perhaps the marriage between Mat and Tuon will have this type of impact on hostilities between the Seanchan and the Westlands. The two of them briefly mention this very thought:

"The next time I see Seanchan, I expect it will be on the field somewhere, Tuon. You’re not my enemy, but your Empire is."~Mat

"Nor are you my enemy, husband, but I live to serve the Empire."~Tuon

I am excited to witness just how their relationship grows and how their story continues to develop, Mat and Tuon have been my favorite story arc for the last couple novels!

Perrin and Faile

I am going to take a moment for some blunt honesty about this story arc because I became rather angered reading some of it and I need to seriously address my issue. While Faile, Morgase (calling herself Maighdin), Alliandre, and the others were taken gai’shain by the Shaido Aiel they were being protected by members of the Mera’din (or Brotherless) society – something which the Brotherless didn’t have to do. However, when Perrin arrives looking to rescue Faile she does nothing to help protect Rolan – a man who had done nothing except protect her since she was taken gai’shain – before her husband ultimately kills him, I mean, how fucked up is that? Three Mera’din who were undeserving of death, died because Perrin wanted his wife back – Rolan who protected and had come to care for Faile, and two others killed by Faile herself and Lacile. This was such a huge betrayal and I just couldn’t believe it – I was and still am incredibly angered by this because I greatly dislike unnecessary death and I don’t understand what the purpose of these deaths were especially since they were easily preventable had Perrin given Faile the opportunity to speak to him prior to attacking. I only became further infuriated upon reading this exchange from Perrin’s point of view:

"Did they hurt you?" he asked gently. "No. They….No, Perrin, they didn’t hurt me." There were other smells mixed in with her joy though, laced through it inextricably. The dull, aching scent of sadness and the greasy aroma of guilt. Shame, like thousands of hair-fine needles pricking. Well, the man was dead, and a woman had the right to keep her secrets if she wanted.

Perrin knows so little of what actually occurred within the Shaido camp that he is beginning to draw conclusions, appearing to assume that Faile had feelings for another man. rolls eyes I mean, I understand that as a reader I have the benefit of objectivity and getting to see both sides of the story, but it just really bothered me that this was his immediate reaction. Faile is going to have to live the rest of her life knowing that she killed someone undeserving of death and I can only imagine how that feels or how she is going to handle it or how she will even justify her actions…I really don’t know.

Ultimately, I am glad that Perrin and Faile have been reunited – but I am ready to move on to the next stage in their story, I am curious as to how they will continue to deal with the Seanchan and what their role will be in Tarmon Gai’don.

Elayne and the Lion Throne of Andor

"Continuity provides stability, and stability brings prosperity."~Dyelin, High Seat of House Taravin

I have had a love-hate relationship with Elayne over the course of the last couple novels, specifically, because of how she is handling herself due Min’s reading regarding Elayne and her pregnancy. Min had a viewing of Elayne’s aura that she would bear Rand’s children – twins, a boy and a girl. Due to the fact that what Min views ultimately does happen, Elayne has interpreted Min’s vision to mean that no harm can come to her until the children are born and as such tends to put herself into some questionable and dangerous positions. Honestly, this is not behavior becoming of a future leader and is incredibly reckless, yet, Elayne takes risks and they continue to work out to her benefit. Even at the hands of Darkfriends, Elayne remains confident that nothing will harm her and that she will ultimately be saved – which she was thanks to Birgitte and the Windfinders. I don’t want to see anything happen to her, but I really do hope that Elayne will learn a lesson from her recent capture and will act with more caution.

Now that Elayne has secured the Lion Throne, I am curious as to how her story is going to continue and develop from here. How will she and Camelyn prepare for Tarmon Gai’don? Will she make a move for the Sun Throne of Cairhien? How will relations change between the White Tower (still controlled by Elaida) and Andor? We know that Elaida sent a representative of her White Tower to attempt to become an adviser to Elayne, however, she was immediately dismissed from Elayne’s presence and the castle not just because of her association with Elaida but because of her sheer rudeness as well. Elayne is also the first Aes Sedai ruler in recent history, what kind of affect will this have on her rule? I want to see her develop into the successful queen that she hopes to be.

Egwene and the White Tower

"You may have convinced yourself I am no longer Amyrlin, but it’s time to start convincing yourself that I still am."~Egwene

I am absolutely in love with Egwene al’Vere!~ What I love so much about Egwene is that she remains true to who she is even in the face of adversity, unwilling to compromise who she is no matter how many times they attempt to strip her of her identity as Amyrlin Seat. To the Aes Sedai of the White Tower, acknowledging Egwene as the Amyrlin Seat in truth would be seen as a betrayal of the White Tower, yet, it is known to the readers that Elaida didn’t follow Tower law completely in the removal of Siuan Sanche and her own eventual ascent to the Amyrlin Seat. Yet, Egwene was raised Amyrlin Seat in truth following the letter of Aes Sedai law except that it took place outside of the White Tower in Tar Valon after the controversial raising of Elaida. It is a complicated issue and I am more impressed by what Egwene has done as Amyrlin than what Elaida has done, especially since Elaida has done nothing but alienate not only herself, but the White Tower from Rand by attempting to capture him. I mean, it is common sense that if you want to form some sort of relations with someone that you shouldn’t just blatantly capture them. I am excited to see how Egwene’s story is going to continue to progress – I hope that she is able to bring down Elaida from the inside and take on her role as Amyrlin Seat in truth inside the White Tower.

Rand al'Thor, The Dragon Reborn - An Emotionless Rock?

"Stone cracks from a hard enough blow. Steel shatters. The oak fights the wind and breaks. The willow bends where it must and survives."~Cadsuane

There are so many powerful quotes which have been said over the course of this series, but I think that Cadsuane continues to hit the nail on the head in regards to Rand and his continued lack of emotional response with this quote. Rand is just…so disconnected from everything around him – I would go so far as to say that he is living in a dissociative state, constantly living in a state of shock after the major traumas he has endured. Rand has gone through so so so much since he left Two Rivers, he has suffered a lot but he has also gained a great deal as well. What frightens me the most about Rand is that he has resigned himself to accepting his impending death, a death prophesied to him by the Aelfinn when he asked: “How can I win the Last Battle and survive?,” the Aelfinn responded by saying, “The east and north must be as one. The west and south must be as one. The two must be as one. To live you must die.” While this brings to light why Rand was attempting to create alliances across the whole of the Westlands, there isn’t much information given as to what is meant by “To live you must die” other than possible allusions to sacrificing himself. I honestly don’t know what the Aelfinn meant and am going to have to just wait and see. I only hope that Rand learns how to feel again…

Moving on from Rand’s emotional needs, I admit that I was a bit surprised by Rand’s choice to meet with the Seanchan though I do agree that it is necessary. Although, coming across Semirhage, one of the Forsaken, attempting to impersonate the heir to the Seanchan throne wasn’t exactly expected and that meeting definitely didn’t go as expected. What exactly is Rand going to do with Semirhage now that he has her? I mean, I am not sure how exactly he could benefit from holding her captive, yet it isn’t like he can just let her go either. Is he cold enough that he can torture her? Granted, Semirhage is the Forsaken that specializes in pain and torture, so I highly doubt that Rand and his group will be able to garner any information from her utilizing torture. Plus, we all know Rand's feelings towards women and he can't stand the thought of killing or torturing them though this one would do the same to him were the situations reversed without a second thought. Semirhage impersonating the Seanchan heir is pretty shady and I am curious how this is going to impact further relations between Rand and the Seanchan? I know that Tuon had nothing to do with this and even went about punishing the one responsible for it, but Rand doesn’t know that yet and I can only imagine that Rand is going to see this as a huge negative against all Seanchan. I do hope that Rand will give Tuon a chance and that they will come to some sort of agreement prior to Tarmon Gai’don.

TL;DR REVIEW: 4.75 out of 5 stars. Knife of Dreams was close to perfect and I greatly enjoyed everything about it. This book has given me so much to look forward to over the final trilogy and I can only hope that Brandon Sanderson did well to honor the memory and the world created by Robert Jordan. It is time to begin the A Memory of Light Trilogy, starting with The Gathering Storm.

Posted Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Actual Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Originally posted on Reviews of a Self Proclaimed Bibliophile.

People never really changed, yet the world did, with disturbing regularity. You just had to live with it, or at least live through it. Now and then, with luck, you could affect the direction of the changes, but even if you stopped one, you only set another in motion.~Cadsuane Melaidhrin, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

Crossroads of Twilight did not live up to my expectations of what makes for a successful series sequel at all, perhaps part of the blame for that could be placed on the events at the end of Winter’s Heart. The events at the end of Winter’s Heart provide a lot of set up towards future events because the cleansing of saidin removes some of the danger surrounding the Asha’man because the threat of their (and Rand’s) impending madness has been removed. I am willing to bet that this single event will have a major impact on the overall progression of events in preparation for Tarmon Gai’don, yet the impact is almost glossed over because of how this book is written! Crossroads of Twilight felt as if it were multiple novellas which were glued together to create some semblance of a novel and this style just didn’t serve the book well at all. I even went so far as to Tweet out this very thought while I was gathering my notes for this review. Yes, there were redeeming qualities across each story line, but the book overall still felt disjointed. Granted, this disjointed feeling can become an issue for any author who utilizes multiple points of view in their storytelling. However, I think this is the first book in The Wheel of Time Series where I felt the point of view switches actually took away from the story. The overlying theme for this entire novel was this: Hey, we are going to tell you what everyone else was up to while Rand was cleansing saidin and their reactions as well – oh and no one actually fully knows or understands what was done except those who were actually there and the Asha’man who can sense the change in saidin! I am not looking to discount what anyone else was doing because each character has their own role to play in preparation for Tarmon Gai’don and it is important as the reader to know these things as well, but again the disjointed feeling of this novel made reading incredibly difficult.

My favorite story line was Mat attempting to court Tuon, his Daughter of the Nine Moons. As a reader, we are given the luxury of knowledge because like Mat we have the advantage of knowing the prophecy given to him by the Aelfinn stating that Mat would, “Marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons.” Tuon doesn’t have this same knowledge, at least as far as the reader knows she doesn’t, though we do know that Tuon did have her future told by one of her damane, but we don’t know what was said. I don’t have a feel of Tuon’s character aside from her extreme self-confidence and security in her position as a High Lady and heir to the Seanchan Crystal Throne, though she is considered to be Mat’s prisoner it always seems as if she has the upper hand with not only Mat, but the rest of their group as well and this makes me question her feelings and motives towards Mat. Tuon demeans Mat, calling him “Toy” as Tylin did in Ebou Dar, and seems rather cold towards him in his attempts to build a relationship with her. Part of this could be strictly due to cultural differences, not much is actually known about Seanchan etiquette other than interactions between individuals which is highly impacted by the social hierarchy in place. I am hoping that Tuon will continue to warm towards Mat and that we will find out just what was foretold in her future.

Another part of Mat and Tuon’s storyline that I have found interesting is observing the Seanchan sul’dam in their party come to terms with knowing that they are women with the spark, women who can be taught to channel, which puts them on a level with damane in the societal hierarchy. This is a secret which has the potential to destroy the very foundations of the Seanchan Empire and possibly bring about their downfall from within. This same observation can be made in regards to sul’dam held prisoner in Camelyn, though they have so far continued to deny that this is true. The Seanchan are actually coming to have a large impact on the story though they have only been mentioned in a few of the books up to this point in the series, specifically the attack on Falme where they were pushed back by Rand and company and now their successful invasion in Ebou Dar and further expansion inland. Both Rand and Perrin are being set up to have dealings with the Seanchan in the next book and I am curious what they are looking to accomplish through these dealings. I am interested how this will continue to progress and the impact it will ultimately have on the relationship between the Seanchan Empire and the Westlands.

Elayne is still attempting to secure herself on the Lion Throne of Andor pregnant with two children by Rand, hoping to keep the identity of their father a secret. I am actually curious just what type of impact the naming of the father of her children would have on her claim to the throne, logically, who is to say that it couldn’t further secure her claim by giving Andor a permanent connection to The Dragon Reborn? Also, her children are even further legitimized in the future as heirs to the throne through not only Elayne’s pedigree but Rand’s as well who can trace his lineage to Tigraine former Daughter-Heir of Andor who disappeared leading to the subsequent rise to the throne of Elayne’s mother Morgase Trakand. Egwene is sieging Tar Valon with her army and fellow Aes Sedai, lying in wait for an optimal opportunity to launch their attack. Egwene’s story line deals with a great deal of Aes Sedai politics over how to handle reunifying The White Tower. There were talks among sisters to seek negotiations with Elaida and those who remain in the Tower, however, these negotiations haven’t really progressed as Elaida is only willing to accept a full surrender from Egwene’s faction. I really didn’t like how Egwene’s section of the story ended because she went all noble and wound up getting herself captured. This is going to have a major impact on the progression of events surrounding Tar Valon, but I doubt it is going to be to anyone’s benefit. Knowing Egwene though, I sense that she will be able to do a lot of good for her faction even as a prisoner inside the Tower – her sheer ability to walk Tel’aran’rhiod is a huge advantage as she will still be able to communicate with her fellow Aes Sedai who are also able to enter, though none of them have her skills. Perrin is still hoping to rescue Faile and the others from the Shaido Aiel while his army faces hunger and dealing with Masema and his followers. It is looking like Perrin is going to have to look into receiving additional help from the Seanchan, who he still sees as a possible enemy, if he has any hope of rescuing Faile. I worry that Perrin is in danger of becoming so focused on rescuing Faile that he is going to leave himself open for an attack from a supposed ally, I could honestly see Masema double-crossing Perrin if he felt it was in his best interest to do so. With Masema, he continues to proclaim himself as The Prophet of the Lord Dragon and as the only way to receive redemption in the light and in service of the Dragon Reborn – yet, here is Perrin lifelong friend and ally to the Dragon Reborn who doesn’t fashion his life according to the constructs claimed right by the Prophet receiving glory. Mat and Perrin are actually two of the greatest threats to Masema’s fanaticism (other than Rand or even Masema himself ruining a good thing through his craze) because they prove that you don’t have to follow Masema’s constructs and can still receive blessings and glory in the name of the Dragon. I am interested to see how all of these story lines will progress and just how they will come together in the end.

TL;DR REVIEW: 3.00 out of 5 stars. The disjointed feeling of this book sadly ruined the entire feeling of this novel and made it incredibly difficult to read. I feel that had more attention been paid to how the story progressed overall, it could have been a successful novel. I felt as if I was catching up with one story line, only to be immediately dropped into another story line without any seeming rhyme or reason. Hopefully Knife of Dreams won’t suffer from the same mistakes.