The Great Hunt (Chapters 36-41)

Annals of the Homestarmy

Wednesday, April 17. 2013

Posted by Radar in Wheel of Time Read-Through

Comments (10)
Trackbacks (0)

The Great Hunt (Chapters 36-41)

I think I enjoy this book a little more. Maybe because I didn't bother to read all the stuff about Selene. Plus things seem to make a bit more sense, this time around. But I still don't like this book that much. Continued in-attempts to make sure spelling is correct. Chapters and summary below the fold.

Ch36 Among the Elders
We meet some more Ogear and Loyal is super stressed out thinking that they will send him home. Ingtar is still crazy for the horn. The group proves that their need is greatest and is allowed to use the Ways. Though not before they are reminded of what can happen there by the Black Wind. Then they encounter the Black Wind because it appears to be following Rand. At least according to Verin.

Ch37 What Might Be
Rand takes them by the portal stones to Toman Head. But somehow they witness things as they might have been. Flicker. Does it really matter what happened here?

Ch38 Practice
The girls talk about crap while in their dorms in the White Tower. Boring. Liandran stops by and gives them secret orders that no one else can know about. Yeah, she seems like someone that I would totally go with.

Ch39 Flight From the White Tower
They leave the tower and meet Liandran and travel through the ways. If the Black Wind shows up Liandran will deal with it. The women talk about crap. Boring.

Ch40 Damane
Nineve and Elain escape from the Shonchan and Domane and soldiers. We are told what they can do with women who can channel the power. They are leashed to other women using an idom. The first idom were made by Isadie some time ago. No idea when. And the entire point of them is to bring in to subjugation a woman who can channel.

Ch41 Disagreements
Ingtar is crazy for the horn... again. It brings to mind the phrase, "I think though dost protest, too much". Disagreements about where to go to find the horn. Rand has another dream from the Dark One. The Dark One offers to help Rand/Luz Therin.

I would like to get some explanation about the Black Wind (where it came from, who controls it, etc). I think I mentioned that before in the first book. Do I like the character of Verrin? She doesn't seem that terrible, though she isn't that helpful to Rand either.

Chapter 37 and 38 are tied for worst chapters of the bunch since I wanted to gouge my eyes out listening to them. Though I was mainly annoyed with 37 because I had to listen to the word "Flicker" get used so many damn times. Do women enjoy 38? I can't possibly see how men would.

This chapter had to happen, but it didn't annoy me. Regarding Liandran and her ability to "deal with" the Black Wind, is that because she is Black Adja, and it obeys the voice of the Dark One?

I got a sense of happiness from Nineve having destroyed the people that followed her. Though it was careful not to say she was actually happy. Maybe it was just the way the reader of the audio read it. Seems like there is more to these idoms. Not sure what though. Would they be considered some form of angrial? Best chapter in the bunch.

Who are the Shonchan and why are they here? How is the Dark one communicating with the Forsaken and Dark Friends? Why is there no one from the "Good Side" helping Rand to fight the dark one? Like maybe an Angel or whatever Deity rules this land. Why does the Dark one have such power over the One Power that he can corrupt it? Can it be fixed? If there is some God above then I have to believe that it can be healed and not make those men who can channel go crazy. But I am colored too much by my chosen religion so this doesn't actually have to be the case. If this has been done so many times then why does the Dark One keep referring to Rand as Luz Therin? Why not use one of the other names that the Dragon has gone by?

Favorite characters so far: Tom, Perrin, Loyal, Lan, and Hearin.

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

Curtis on :

Great write-up Pete. I can safely say that I very much disagree with you! I don't know if being married or getting older or just the fact that I'm re-reading these with a knowledge of what's coming down the road, but for some reason, I'm finding it much easier to get into these character's heads this time around.

I loved chapter 37. I thought it was fascinating. Seeing all the possible outcomes of choices that Rand could make and how it always inevitably led to the Dark One winning (at least in the possibilities that we were able to glimpse.)

This book was written before Harry Potter, but the scenes of the girls in the White Tower definitely have a very Hogwarts feel to them. Of course, these are girls chatting about boys, instead of Ron and Harry talking about snogging...

And yeah, the whole going along with Liandrin is sort of a testament to how overly self-confident Nynaeve and Egwene are. She was very suspicious and you can read between the lines of what she says, if you assume she is Black Ajah. I do kind of like the way she never says anything that isn't true, but because of context, it sounds like she's not saying what she actually is.

The Black Wind. I'm not sure if we'll ever get a more full explanation other than the Ways were created using the male half of the One Power and that because of this, it is tainted - yet not under the control of the Dark One since it clearly attacks Trollocs. It's not clear to me why Liandrin thought she could handle it, other than pure bravado.

The Seanchan. Not my favorite villains/faction. I do find the damane, sul'dam and a'dam interesting. Egwene's time as a "Leashed One" will create interestig repercussions later in the series. Knowing what I do about some future events, I definitely see what the author is doing here. If he were just a little better at writing female characters, this would be a fascinating story arc, instead of what it is.

I found the dream about Rand and Ba'alzamon very interesting. Almost like he was pleading with Rand to let him teach our young protagonist how to use the One Power without going insane or burning himself out. I strongly felt his need to have this nemesis at full power. It reminded me of this song http://www.jonathancoulton.com/wiki/Nemeses/Lyrics

Radar on :

We can do a Harry Potter reread next and I shall complain just as loudly about any chapters where Ron and Harry talk about snogging. I think the problem is that I am not a woman and find their inane babbling to be annoying and pointless to the main story.

The vision of what could have been is something that can be done at any time with any person. But what does it do for the main story? Do we ever actually go live any of those possible lives? I don't think we will. And those lives don't appear to have any bearing on what will happen.

You should check the source on my ch38 write up.

Why does he want Rand at full power? It doesn't make sense. You should want your enemy to be weak. And if you the dark one is trying to get Rand powered up to meet some kind of prophecy that will ultimately release him from his prison then why does he have the Forsaken fighting against him? They should be helping him.

Curtis on :

Oh Peter. I lack the words.

It's not about driving the plot along. This entire book has been about Rand kicking against the pricks so to speak. He doesn't want to be the Dragon Reborn. He wants to go die somewhere alone. But destiny (or the Wheel if you will) is driving him to a certain event. Constantly throughout this novel we see Rand doing something that he believes will set him free, only to find himself more tightly bound than before. In these alternate possibilities, Rand sees the outcome of choices he could have made or will have the chance to make, and in each of them "he raged that this was not what was meant to be."

I enjoyed looking at the source for your ch38 entry (although I didn't need to - I picked up on it already.) Very clever. :)

If you recall back to the prologue of The Eye of the World. Lews Therin's enemy wanted to utterly destroy him. He wanted him to be sane so he could fully understand how completely he had been beaten. Sometimes a victory feels hollow if you win because of some incidental misfortune on the part of your opponent.

Radar on :

That does help make sense of those chapters. It brings up fresh frustration about the way that they refuse to give Rand all the information to help him. Instead it is still just a desire to lead him by the nose because they want to control him.

Curtis on :

We got a glimpse into Siuan (the Amyrlin Seat) and Moiraine's work to find and help the Dragon Reborn, but you are correct in that for the most part everyone around him just wants to use him for their own ends.

There are a lot of questions I have about this that I'm waiting to have answered by the three Sanderson books I have yet to read. Siuan and Moiraine definitely have a plan, and in The Great Hunt we see how Rand has already set things awry by his actions.

So far in our re-read they have only been able to manipulate things such that Rand appears to be a lord of some kind. Moiraine seemed to have a plan of guiding Rand to present the Horn in Illian and declare himself, but so far that doesn't seem at all likely. The ending of this book will have an effect on that and later in the series, events spin even more out of control. I can't wait!

Radar on :

Well if you want to make something happen then you should probably include the main player in your plans. Otherwise you make the other person out to just be a pawn. I'm angrier now than I ever have been. Go to hell morain and take the amerlin seat with you. Rand doesn't need your help. He'll figure it out on his own.

Curtis on :

You tell 'em Pete!

AoD on :

Siuan and Moiraine think of Rand as a child (and, honestly, who can blame them with the way he behaves much of this book?); it's not unusual for a parent to try to bypass explaining every little detail to their child.

On top of that, now you need to add that the Aes Sedai have this organizational arrogance that leads them to think they are the "adults" for the entire human race of "children", much as the Democrats see themselves in relation to the American people.

Does any of this make it less frustrating to read about the Aes Sedai treatment of Rand (et al.)? No. But it DOES make it feel less like bad writing and more like human foibles - at least, it does for ME. YMMV.

Curtis on :

To be fair, Moiraine and Siuan have been searching for Rand since he was born. In their minds he's a small child they've been looking for and he needs their help. Since we get the story from the perspective of a stubborn and willful teenager, OF COURSE the Aes Sedai are going to appear controlling and manipulative.

It doesn't help that they are.

Johnny Elbows on :

I think that the Aes Sedai have just learned from thousands of years of experience that most people are short-sighted and prejudiced. In part because of their longer life spans, and in part because of their education, they tend to have a longer view of things, and they tend to question their prejudices.

This means that they make their own decisions and keep their own counsel. If we look back at the episode where Moiraine sank the ferry, in the short term, her action seemed cruel and callous, but in the long term, any effort to keep Rand and company safe could save the rest of the world.

Add Comment

Name

Homepage

Comment

In reply to

E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.
CAPTCHA