I must begin by saying that I did not enjoy this book on first read through. So I am hoping that a second go round will improve matters. I am almost late in posting this so please forgive the hastiness of some of my writing. Continued in-attempts to make sure spelling is correct. I typed too much. Chapters and summary below the fold.
Ch6: Dark Prophesy
Rand has bad dream, the keep is attacked, Ingtar acts suspicious and the faed gets away, blood and dead people everywhere, padan is gone and there is writing all over the walls. Liandran is just a spiteful evil seeming woman who accuses everyone at the drop of a hat.
Ch7: Blood Calls Blood
Matt gets healed as much as he can and Rand is told that the keep was not sealed. The Amorlan/Verin/Morain discuss what it all means, Verin reads the writing on the wall (in more ways than one), and guesses that it was meant for one of the 3 boys. Perin has guilt and doesn't like the icedaye touching him and picks her up and moves her. Perin gives rand an earful for his actions, rand is called to the amorlan.
Ch8: The Dragon Reborn
The meeting with the Amorlan, she tells him that he can channel, and that he is the Dragon Reborn. He talks back to them. (This is a big deal but I don't have anything to say about it) Nineve talks to Lan and gets a special ring. Then she argues with Morain. Rand says goodbye to Igwayne.
Ch9: Leavetakings
They leave the castle and an arrow is shot at The Amorlan. Bale Doman is introduced, though I don't know why. He seems interesting enough. He accepts a commission to deliver a person and is handed a fat purse full of Tarvalen marks. Once on his ship he opens the sealed letter and finds that he is being set up to take the fall as a dark friend. He decides to sail West instead of East to get away from the people trying to set him up. He muses about some items he has, old items. A light stick (precursor to the flash light) and a black and white disc with eyesadie symbols.
Ch10: The Hunt Begins
On the trail for the horn. Talk about the Ieel. Won't waste time burying dark friends. Ingtar is obsessed with the horn. The find a town. Changtoo and Rigan are found brutally skinned alive and left for dead. Ingtar gives them a religious burial. A monument, carrying the names of everyone who had fallen in their battle, built by Hawkwing that was torn down by those that followed him. War of a hundred years came after hawkwings time because people desire power. Another town is found. Rand comes in on a scene and blinks many times. A faed was staked to a door alive and tortured and left for dead. Matt needs to be punched in the gut for the way he treats Rand. Especially considering the way that Matt acted in the previous book.
Ch11: Glimmers of the Pattern
Uno says he saw a woman and also says bloody... a lot. Rand is told that he is second in command if Ingtar goes down. Rand finds the banner of the Dragon Reborn that Morain had put in his things. Perrin tells Matt to shut up. But they forgive him a bit now that they know more. Hearin finds a strange stone with worn markings that everyone is sleeping around. Padan Feign had been changed. No longer just a dark friend, but changed by the Dark One to smell out the 3 boys. Padan was the one that did the thing to the Faed. He is in charge of the trollocs now. Padan has the horn and the dagger. He is more than a little crazy. Why does he hate Rand so much? It seems to go beyond just a mere dark friend doing what they are told. This is something much more.
Not much to say about the attack other than I hate Liandran. Also Ingtar seems fishy.
Why was rand told by the guards that the keep was sealed? Or more accurately, who had it sealed? The most enjoyable part of this entire set of chapters was the description of Perrin picking up the Ice-Adaye and moving her out of his way. The looks on everyones faces must have been awesome.
The poem/song lyrics that were found in the dungeon must mean something. I can only assume that they will be born out as we continue with the series, or maybe it's all answered in this book, I do not know. (special thanks to
Encyclopedia WOT for the text)
"Daughter of the Night, she walks again.
The ancient war, she yet fights.
Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still.
Who shall stand against her coming?
The Shining Walls shall kneel.
Blood feeds blood.
Blood calls blood.
Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be.
The man who channels stands alone.
He gives his friends for sacrifice.
Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.
Which will he choose? Which will he choose?
What hand shelters? What hand slays?
(refrain)
Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom.
Isam waited in the high passes.
The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill.
One did live, and one did die, but both are.
The Time of Change has come.
(refrain)
The Watchers wait on Toman's Head.
The seed of the Hammer burns the ancient tree.
Death shall sow, and summer burn, before the Great Lord comes.
Death shall reap, and bodies fail, before the Great Lord comes.
Again the seed slays ancient wrong, before the Great Lord comes.
Now the Great Lord comes.
(refrain)"
The most interesting part of this chapter is that Lan gives Igwayne his special ring. Though I doubt she will ever use it, since she is nothing but a stubborn pig-headed witch. What Lan sees in her I don't know. I assume she must be very beautiful, but it seems that there are many other women more attractive. Maybe Lan just enjoys pain. Listening to this story when it comes from the womens point of view is grating on me. Can't we just make this about about the men on an adventure? It sounds like the horn of valeer be sounded for the dark. Has it ever happened? Who made the horn that it can control those long dead warriors? Too many questions surround the horn. Actually the biggest is how it ever managed to get out of sight of the Eye-Said-I. If it is so powerful why wasn't it guarded by any powerful wards to prevent that from happening?
Most interesting chapter for me was about Bale Doman. It was just enjoyable. But what is that disc that he has? Is it one of the wards that keeps the dark one imprisoned? If not, then why spend so much time on it? Oh who was the target of the arrow: Rand or the Amorlan? We also meet Hearin who has the gift of sniffing out where violence and murder have happened, like a blood hound. Would have been interesting to know what gifts his brothers Seein, Smellin, Touchin, Tastin had. I shouldn't be mean since I kind of liked him.
The blinking scene was very confusing - is he seeing the past? It's not clear that he was using the power, so I assume he wasn't. The faed getting staked to the door is meant to be very disturbing - why would this happen to a faed, presumably by a dark friend? Or Padan Feign as we learn at the end of ch11.
Padan Feign is one creepy guy. But I am confused as to his motivation. Hoping that they flesh that out. Also Ingtar is weird. He is way to interested in the horn. Obsessed is more like it.
