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kat_lair***
As the Re/Read Book Club over at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tar_valon progresses, I've been doing summaries of questionable taste and accuracy. I'm just cross-posting them here for posterity, 2 books worth at a time.
Previously:
Book 1: The Eye of The World, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
Book 2: The Great Hunt, Kat's Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
Now:
[Banners byr_tt_n]
Book 3: The Dragon Reborn, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
During the Whitecloak Recap Hour prologue we learn that despite trying hard not to declare so much as a time of day 'Rand the Dragon' has become a well known meme, complete with collectible drawings. I assume the sole reason some Darkfriend hasn’t invented NFTs yet is that Ba’alzamon would just declare them all his. Being old and devious does not protect Pedron Niall from the machinations of Padan Fain. The book proper opens and continues with a refreshing lack of Rand’s pov (sorry boo but your brain is full of barely hinged rage and while I dig that in a character it is also exhausting). First we catch up with Rand’s ragtag army of companions, all of who are staying with him for their own reasons: the Shienarans (converted believers), Perrin (loyalty, still avoiding wolves), Min (frustratingly and without any actual interaction to base this on, love, apparently), Loial (he’s writing a book and good for him), Moiraine (destiny has its fight cut out) and Lan (Moiraine). Perrin makes excellent and constant use of his enhanced senses despite his equally constant denial of anything wolfy, including escorting Moiraine’s spies into the camp. He’s trying to be a good friend but Rand is making it extra hard with the brooding and minor earthquakes. After once more reminding us how terribly unusual and unwomanly Min’s short hair and trousers are, she’s still left to do the cooking in between her visions. Perrin gets his turn with Ba’alzamon’s questionable dream dates (notably, he also thinks Ba’al bae is handsome and that ‘darkness molded him like a caress’, so I’m getting an impression that Jordan had a thing for small strong women and handsome evil men and honestly, disaster bisexuals world over can relate) and we learn that if one of the three ta’veren bite the dust, all three of them do. Selene|Lanfear also has a go, but Perrin like Rand is supremely uninterested in glory which seems to be the only weapon in her arsenal, and honestly, how did she get this far with just that?
Back in real world Trollocs and Myrdraal (why are they consistently capitalised?) attack the camp; Perrin goes full wolf and slaughters a lot of them together with some actual wolves who run to help (ngl, this is such a good look for him) while Rand fails to do much else except set some trees on fire and emote. That very same night he runs off, leaving behind a dramatic note (‘there is no other way, too many have died for me already’) and rest of the company to bicker about best way to proceed. Perrin suggests to Moiraine that maybe Rand knows what he’s doing, she’s not convinced. She does remind readers that there are many, many prophecies to be fulfilled which neatly explains why the story stretches across fourteen (14) books. Shienarans get sent off elsewhere, Min is sent off to Tar Valon and the core group sets off to catch up with Rand. I write some angry commentary about why none of Rand’s future wives/lovers get to have poly relationships themselves, why is this so fucking one sided? At the very least I want them to like get with each other and not let Rand watch. Anyway, I digress. We’re back to travelogue with some fishing. In village of Jarra we learn that Rand causes spontaneous marriages (by this logic half of the Shienaran army should’ve married each other by now, why is this not a thing, Uno/Masema anyone?) and general madness. Perrin is faced with a another wolf-brother except this one has forgotten what it’s like to be a man at all, and has some predictable angst about it. Because wolves apparently live partly in the world of dreams Perrin now has a direct access to that and gets to both spy on Darkfriends and their skinning monsters as well as, it turns out later, dream rendezvous with Egwene (criminally underexplored plot point, just saying).
Pov shifts to Tar Valon denizens, mostly Egwene with a little Siuan thrown in and honestly, this is the good stuff. Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne make it to Tar Valon with Mat on the litter and Verin in charge. Hurin is there too but turns back home at the first possible moment and who can blame him. Egwene is still working through her captivity trauma and deals with some Whitecloaks by rending the earth under their feet. Tar Valon is hardly the place of safety it was once assumed to be, but Egwene is now driven by thirst for knowledge and for something bigger than her former life and there’s some honestly nice character growth introspection with her. Turns out that Liandrin had taken a purpose sample of Black Ajah with her and left the White Tower, but not before committing murder and theft of several dreaming related ter’angreal. To protect Egwene and co against the retribution any association with Black Ajah would bring, the Amyrlin Seat gives out public punishments, coupled with a secret order to hunt out the rest of the Black Ajah in their generous free time. Several pots get scrubbed, Nynaeve tugs on her braid every two minutes (this is a quirk that gets massively overused, Jordan needs to find other physical tells to describe), she and Egwene almost get killed by a soulless assassin and develop healthy paranoia about everyone. Red Ajah keeps getting coded as lesbians and I write angry notes in the margins. Both Galad and Gawyn thirst after Egwene, who will hopefully bind both when she joins the Green Ajah because I need someone besides Rand to have multiple partners. Mat gets healed with the OP melding of several Aes Sedai but not before shouting things in the Old Tongue.
We finally get Mat’s pov though and it is only a little frustrating. He is morally grey enough to be interesting, so much so that Selene|Lanfear’s ‘think of the glory’ tactic works at least a little when she pays him a visit (there’s a serious security problem in the White Tower, someone should look into that). After some past life memories of leading Manetheren Heart Guard and a couple of sturdy meals, Mat’s well enough to hatch plans to gtfo. Meanwhile, Egwene pays a visit to Verin’s rooms (Covered in books! She has an owl! To keep the mice down! Absolute interior design goals, I love her so much, please I want fic about her Warder coping with all of that) to receive some metaphysical theorising about parallel worlds and a special dreaming ring. Egwene and Elayne are raised to Accepted and disappointingly we don’t get to see Elayne’s trials, and all of Egwene’s centre on Rand one way or another which, obviously, women’s lives centre on men so. Sigh. Still, the detail about her rise to the Amyrlin Seat is very delicious. Things don’t quite go as planned as having two ter’angreals in the same room turns out to be dangerous, but Egwene makes it out only emotionally scarred.
Elsewhere Mat is trying to find a way out of the Tower but hampered by having his description spread far and wide and the side effects of the healing (need for noms). Knowing that he’s now tied to the Zombie Horn for life and Amyrlin means to take full advantage of that is both helpful and not. The fact that his and Rand’s dads made it all the way to the Tower to ask after their sons only to be sent away is a heart-breaking detail swept aside (oh Tam) too quickly. Mat runs across the Warders in training and decides to bet that he can defeat both Galad and Gawyn with a quarterstaff ‘because it would be fun’ and honestly, perfect character note. What follows is a fight scene where Mat, weak as he is, kicks some princely ass and, ngl, that’s hot af. Egwene and co discover that all the Black Ajah were heading toward Tear, thanks to the clues laid by Selene|Lanfear. Egwene goes adventuring in Tel’aran’rhiod|Wold of Dreams, almost gets eaten by one of Perrin’s wolves and visits the chamber of the mystical crystal sword Callandor. All signs point to trap in Tear that the ladies are ready to spring, so after arranging Mat to take a letter to Elayne’s mum they are ready to leave Tar Valon in their dust once more.
After some kitchen work, fat-shaming the cook, and finally getting to report their findings to the Amyrlin, Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne leave Tar Valon. So does Mat, who saunters out of there bold as you please on purpose, letting everyone thinks he’s an idiot. His plans to sail out immediately are waylaid by magical gambling fever that at least fills his purse with enough coin to make several plot points easier to navigate. He does almost get shanked by a Gray Man, but ends up killing him instead by throwing both of them off the roof and ending on top thanks to his spectacular luck. It also brings him to Thom, who’s been drowning his sorrows but is surprisingly amenable for more adventuring, so the two of them jump (literally) into the first ship out. Mat demonstrates his special brand of manic showmanship that is always just a hair’s width away from tipping into outright dangerous, and ngl, it’s a good look for him. After flashing his swag, they secure a cabin, get some intel on Tear from the radicalised captain who spouts genocide without much commentary from anyone. There’s only one bed (tick on the trope bingo) but the restless sleep is interrupted by another Gray Men attack, which Mat and Thom deal with extreme prejudice (please more staff and knife fights, much more interesting than the swords). Brief interlude with Rand’s pov (he is mostly absent from this book which is not something I remembered) reminds us that he’s full on losing his grip on sanity.
Meanwhile, Perrin, Moiraine, Lan and Loial are still following Rand’s trail, riding from one village to the next, all of them messed up by Rand’s ta’veren pull. Moiraine reminds everyone that the Pattern is neither good nor evil, while Perrin worries about Egwene and co and conducts a one man experiment in self-induced sleep deprivation. In Remen they find an Aielman in a cage, some Hunters of the Horn (don’t you just kind of feel bad for them?) and a love interest for Perrin because he's avoided that plot device long enough it seems. There’s an entirely unnecessary and gratuitous scene of Perrin almost walking in on Moiraine whilst naked, before the much more interesting one where he goes and frees Gaul the Aielman (whom we’ll meet again for sure) and they kill some Whitecloaks (I low key ship the two of them a bit after that ‘dance’). After that display no one gets to sleep (Loial is so sad about his sung wood bed, pls someone scritch his ears) and they board a ship, but not before Zairene|Faile jumps on board, determined not to let and adventure or a hot blacksmith slip through her fingers, even though he needs some of his misogynistic presumptions corrected (‘You cannot be a hunter, you’re a girl!’ like honestly Perrin, how have you been following Moiraine for what, well over a year now, and not worked through these things yet?). Perrin dream-crashes a Darkfriend meetup and witnesses a spat between Ba’alzamon and Lanfear which, I get it, it's awkward being evil and thirsting for the same saviour. He also catches up with Hopper and attempts to do that with Rand but that doesn’t go so well on account of Rand’s ‘making headless corpses kneel for him’ mental state.
On another ship Egwene and Nynaeve are busy puking their guts out and sniping at each other for reasons that aren’t entirely clear for me and sure test Elayne’s patience. Egwene’s prophetic dreams match some of Min’s visions well, promising more one-sided polyamory this time for Perrin (I’m so tired of the gender difference here). All around them Cairhienin burns on account of civil war which Thom accidentally started. After their ship gets stuck on another sunken ship, they decide to carry on by foot, and, much to Elayne’s relief, Egwene’s and Nynaeve’s bickering gets interrupted by some Maidens of the Spear who ask for a medical assist. Nynaeve heals one of them in an impressive burst of power, and everyone gets Aiel historical and cultural lessons including some sapphic coding about how one can become ‘first-sisters’ and then share a man if they really want to. Egwene and Elayne have some thoughts about that. After they part ways Egwene and co get knocked unconscious and taken captive by some brigands willing to sell Aes Sedai to Myrddraal, though their plans are hampered by second-rate sleeping concoctions, several Aiel and the pure burning rage of three women with bad headaches and worse memories of imprisonment. After that little bloodbath Nynaeve and co board another ship and the Aiel go their own way although we already know they’ll all end up in the same place at the same time.
Elsewhere Mat does his best to prove what a tough guy he is whilst giving alms to refugees. He also ends up saving Aludra, the Illuminator whose career Rand accidentally ended back in Cairhien by killing some more people, and gets plot-relevant fireworks as his reward. Perrin and co get to Illian and Faile is allowed to stay on promise not to ask any questions, which seems unfair. Illian is full of canals, unhappy folk suffering from nightmares and one of the Forsaken in charge. Perrin smells a Gray Men assault, rips furniture apart with his bare hands and discovers that Darkhounds are after them. He also fails to understand the reason Faile wants to hang around (it’s fifty/fifty about being part of the story and Perrin’s swole bod) and blabs about Rand being the Dragon. They run from the Darkhounds but end up taking a stand so Moiraine can kill them with balefire which is Very Forbidden of course but also Very Effective, so there’s that. Mat kills some more suspicious people (I… assume they were Darkfriends?), tries to get Elayne’s message to Morgase through traditional means but results to his go to style of Being Sneaky when that fails on account of the Queen’s new advisor Gaebriel (assume he is another Forsaken) who has reorganised the guard to his liking. Mat slips into the Royal Palace, discovers a plot to murder Elayne and others, delivers the letter and finds Gaebriel has the Queen wrapped around his little finger (sigh) and is behind the plot. He makes a big show about being Very Put Out about having to go rescue them but he and Thom hightail it toward Tear to do just that though not before starting some rumours about Gaebriel’s dastardly plan.
Egwene and co are getting to Tear as well, motion-sick and still bickering (I honestly don’t get the purpose of this strife subplot, can’t we just have women supporting women?). They find themselves a local healer (Ailhuin Guenna) to hide with (Nynaeve gets to swap some herb lore) and hire a thief-catcher (Juilin Sandar) to find Black Ajah, who of course know they’re coming. Mat (angry all the time) and Thom (mostly on the wagon) are also in Tear, looking for the trio, mostly in the rain. Thom shows off his sleight of hand and Mat accidentally kills Comar (Gaebriel’s assassin) over dice (not metaphorically, he’s racking up a headcount) and he realises how his luck works, i.e. when things are random. In a classic ‘all plot threads coalesce in last twenty pages’ Jordan fashion, Perrin and co also arrive in Tear but at least there is a nice interlude as Perrin almost admits to missing the wolves and does some smithing, gets ogled by Faile in the process, and earns himself a hammer of symbolic value. It’s clear that one of the Forsaken is in charge here as well. Moiraine admits being more dangerous now, enough to kill Be’lal, Loial shares some Forsaken lore. Aiel are also around (of course they are), Rand is causing slapstick level chaos by just existing, and Perrin is having some ~feelings~ about Faile.
In a genuinely well executed ‘oh shit!’ scene, the Black Ajah, having brainwashed Sandar and incapacitated Guenna, capture Nynaeve and co, cutting them off OP. The mention of Egwene fighting until she lost consciousness is a realistic nod to her Seanchan trauma. However, Thom’s cough leads him and Mat to Guenna to learn what’s happened. Faile springs a trap meant for Moiraine, getting lost in the World of Dreams and Perrin goes a bit berserk about that, diving straight in to find her with Hopper’s help. Meanwhile, literally everyone is breaking into Tear which suffers some serious damage to its ‘unbreachable’ reputation that night. Mat meets some Aiel and Sandar on the rooftops, sets off some fireworks and climbs right in. Lan is climbing up the wall like a Spiderman, Aiel make like mountain goats too, Rand got in by… Well, actually, that’s not explained but there he is, stalking the hallways and mad as a poked wasp nest. Egwene sets about to rescue herself, Nynaeve and Elayne by bitch-slapping Black Ajah members in Tel’aran’rhiod because the girl only needs to see something done once to replicate it, mad skills. Everyone is running around in both physical and dream version of Tear leading into some hilarious ‘o_O it you?’ encounters. Perrin works on finding Faile (there’s another entirely unnecessary scene where her dreamself is chained naked into stone, pls Jordan can you not). Be’lal is upset that Rand doesn’t even remember him but it's not like he needs to suffer about it long until Moiraine snuffs him out of existence with balefire (seriously, where did she learn that?). Enter Ba’alzamon whose plans also go awry the moment Rand puts his hand on Callandor’s hilt, gets supercharged with OP and goes after Ba’alzamon with vengeance. Mat finds Egwene and co in the cells and does not get greeted as a saviour, Perrin gets scratched up by hundreds of dream falcons and admits to his feelings about Faile (now let’s work on the wolves eh), and Rand runs the knife-edge of reality before sticking the glowy sword into Ba’alzamon and declaring himself the Dragon Reborn to the kneeling Aiel and everyone else caught in the events. The Tear now flies the Dragon banner, everyone is alive, Mat fails to notice threesome opportunity with hot Maidens of The Spear, the Aiel are revealed to be the People of the Dragon and we’re introduced to Perrin’s other presumed love interest Berelain. To surprise of no one eyeing the 11 books left, turns out that Ba’alzamon (maybe Ishamael) is not quite as fully dead as Rand thought.
Book 4: The Shadow Rising, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
No prologue in this book as we just use Chapter 1 for the catching-up purposes. Min arrives in Tar Valon, mourning her loss of agency, her foolish heart (incidentally, a big gripe how everyone falls in love without actually knowing the other person in any meaningful way, my demi-leaning self cannot understand) and comfortable clothes. She has visions of mass fatalities, reports to Amyrlin Seat who has enough to worry about as the whole world is going to shit, and who seizes the opportunity for another spy and institutes her in the Tower and in restricting dresses. Gawyn worries for her sister and the others, Elaida ferrets out information but is strongly hinted at not being Black Ajah. Elsewhere, worryingly near Two Rivers, Bornhald Jr, Padan Fail (now calling himself Ordeith) and their Whitecloaks are up to no good including killing some dogs. In the Sea Folk Isles, a Seanchan High Lady Suroth with impeccable manicure is plotting.
After the lengthy ‘state of the world’ report, our story shifts to Tear where people are dealing with the fact that Rand and Aiel conquered the unconquerable Stone in different ways. Perrin and Faile are having a fight that never ends due to their refusal to actually treat each other like adults and just share their fears and secrets instead thinking each is an infant in need of protecting and spanking. A Bubble of Evil brings a flying axe to Perrin and murderous playing card characters to Mat who has been filling his time liberating nobles of their money and women of their inhibitions. The former deserve it on account of not being on board with Rand’s socialist reforms and the latter should be commended for hitting that (have you seen him, his hundred knives and quarterstaff? Hot.). Both Perrin and Mat have realised, if not quite accepted, that their ta’veren threesome binds them together. Rand rejects a scantily-clad Berelain (First of Mayene) who is using all the weapons in her arsenal to keep her micro-nation afloat, and ends up fighting creepy reflections of himself that step right out of the mirrors with intentions to just, subsume his life and become him (genuinely creepy). There is some absolutely tedious jealousy from Faile because Perrin exchanges two words with Berelain. I am in full support of poly relationships but the one-sidedness (only men can have multiple partners) and the jealousy is not how you do it. Everyone is concerned over everyone else, Lan and Rhuarc flirt a bit, Moiraine is unamused and Rand has been reading up on his own prophecies and determined to do Whatever It Takes and What People Least Expect for the sake of just getting one decent nap, the poor boy.
Thom Merrilin has been putting his court experience to good use, securing Rand’s leadership position by eliminating naysayers, though he is tempted by Mat’s offer to just travel the world fluting and juggling. Egwene, Nyaneve and Elayne have been busy interrogating the captured Black Ajah, though learning preciously little expect that something's rotten in Tanchico and there’s a plot to set a false Dragon on a rampage and blame Rand for the fall out. Moiraine and Elayne set out the reasons for Rand to move against Sammael in Illian. And yet, even with all of this going on, everyone is also distracted by men, Elayne ticks the jealousy square on the trope bingo, and Nynaeve tugs on her braid again (pls stop). A plot device in form of Doorframe to Feyland and Three True Answers appears in the Tear’s basement (more on this later, oh yes). Egwene and Elayne visit Rand to attempt an OP lesson (which doesn’t go that well) and to pass him between themselves like a parcel (which honestly goes better because apparently somewhere along the way Rand and Egwene are now full of nothing but sibling fondness for each other). There’s an awkward scene where Rand tries to gift Elayne some dress fabric and she is all ‘kiss me you idiot’ and then they do. Much more satisfying outcome of this pairing is that now Rand has someone who is trained in governance and politics to guide him and in between smooching in alcoves there’s clearly a crash course in So You Conquered A Nation, Now What? Which Rand needs as his go to is ‘do this or I will hang you’, which, tbf, effective. Elsewhere, Egwene tells Mat about the Enchanted Doorway which has predictable results down the line.
Perrin scours the taverns looking for a rumour to entice Faile so she would leave, and Mat does the same to distract himself from knowing that he can’t leave. Egwene bonds with Aviendha (I ship it a bit ngl). Rand puts his lessons to good use and solves Tear’s grain overproduction problem whilst making things up for Berelain by using her ships. He also learns Selene’s true identity in a curiously anticlimactic scene as Lanfear lays all her cards on the table and Rand just can’t bring himself to kill her on account of her having boobies, even if they are evil. She also confirms what we all know, i.e. how inescapably thirsty the Dark One is for Rand: “Kneel to the Great Lord, and he will set you above all others. He will leave you free to reign as you will, so long as you bend knee to him only once.” And I’m not saying it would be worth one quick blowjob to secure momentary world peace and from that position plot for the devil’s demise, but I’m also not not saying that.
Things get interrupted by Trollocs and Myrddraals attacking the Stone, and Rand needs to go and kill a lot of them with his flaming OP sword and then the Crystal Sword That Isn’t A Sword when he figures out how to just, you know, explode them all in dust with one thought. There’s a wall slamming interlude with Lanfear, and another where Rand briefly dapples in some necromancy. In the aftermath, Egwene goes dreamwalking in dream Tanchico, visits a natural history museum, learns to fly, sees Birgitte, and encounters an Aiel Dreamer (Amys, Rhuarc’s wife, because everything is connected) who tells her Tanchico is dying and orders her to Rhuidean for some lessons. Aviendha also gets summons, on account of having avoided her Wise One destiny long enough. In the taverns, Mat learns about Whitecloaks taking Two Rivers, runs to find Perrin who is already packing to go and learns that Rand can’t and won’t on account of having to save the world. Perrin and Mat have an actual meaningful goodbye for a change. Faile and Berelain get into a spat over who gets Perrin and why don’t we have them just like falling in love with each other too? That would honestly be way more interesting.
Meanwhile, Mat does what we all knew he would do as soon as he learned about its existence and goes through the magical doorway to meet some magical snake fey (no iron? classic.). He gets his answers true but none are the ones he’d like, as they include both death (and resurrection) and marriage. He gets namechecked as the trickster and then unceremoniously tossed out despite his delicious, delicious experiences. We also learn that Rand has visited the snake fey but not what his questions or answers were. Perrin is ready to depart to Two Rivers in quest to hand himself over to the Whitecloaks to save his family, although he of course doesn’t tell anyone about his true reasons and instead gets into another entirely pointless battle of wills with Faile (she does not shine either tbf) over the whole thing. I feel incredibly sorry for Loial who just wants to write his book in peace, and maybe protect children from Trollocs. Elayne is peeved that Rand hasn’t told her that he’s upset that she’s going. Lan is peeved that Nynaeve is going and storms in to express this by snogging her thoroughly. Thom is peeved because Moiraine emotionally blackmails him into accompanying Elayne and Nynaeve by promising him the names of the Red Aes Sedai who gentled his nephew, and because everyone is connected to everyone else we learn that Moiraine is the half-sister of a dude Thom killed because he was plotting to kill Morgase, a fact that she’s not even a little peeved by so fair enough. Back in Tar Valon, Min is peeved by having to wear dresses and attempt embroidery in order to remain undercover. Gawyn almost ruins it for her while Galad is busy being radicalised by the Whitecloaks. The Amyrlin Seat is about to make a gamble and throw all the rules out of the window, while all the false Dragons are maybe not so dormant as thought. An Accepted gets murdered by the Black Ajah for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Faile, Loial, Bain, Chiad, Perrin and Gaul head off into the Ways. Elayne and Nynaeve board a Sea Folk raker to get passage to Tanchico, and we learn more about their customs and prophecies of Coramoor (Rand sure collects these titles) via Sailmistress and Windfinder in charge. Thom (sent by Moiraine) and Julian Sandar (sent by Lan) catch up, Elayne almost remembers it was Thom who looked after her when she was little. There are dolphins, musings about the malleability of memory and legend, and the entirely unsurprising revelation that Windfinders can channel. Both of these leavetakings were interrupted by an earthquake, which we learn resulted from Rand first declaring Tairens were to march to Cairhien on a humanitarian mission to feed the starving and stop the fighting, and then drove his Not Really A Sword Apparently But Sure Looks Like It into stone just to emphasise his point. There were some threats of hangings too.
Turns out Rand is Rhuidean bound too, and he, Egwene, Moiraine, Lan and Mat head that way with the remaining Aiel. Instead using fifty pages for a travelogue, we are taking a shortcut via a Portal Stone because Rand can now do that. There are some nice character observations about Mat and his skills and motivations, and an excellent use of Mat’s luck. In Rhuidean they are faced with some Aiel politics and four Wise Ones, some of whom can channel, a fact that somehow is still surprising. Rand immediately asks for permission to go to Rhuidean to make himself a Clan Chief of sorts, and Mat tags along for staying alive purposes. My favourite trope is indulged beautifully as Mat pulls all his knives out and piles them on the ground. For some reason they get to keep their clothes on while Aviendha who is sent off to Rhuidean too for her Wise One trials has to go naked. As does Moiraine because it turns out that she too needs to go to Rhuidean. Honestly, I do want a scene where Lan runs after her and she bollocks him naked for overstepping and he tries very hard to keep his eyes on her face. Anyway, cultural exchange and tea is had, Egwene starts her dreaming lessons.
In Rhuidean proper, they find Avendesora and a mishmash of objects of power, and Rand pulls up water from the reservoir and then leaves Mat to wait while he ventures into the Heart. Mat does his usual ‘I’m going to leave him there to die, see if I care’ stomping while totally planning to rescue his friend. It’s adorable. Mat finds another magical doorway and this time goes to visit the fox fey but doesn’t quite figure out that these ones don’t give answers so much as they grant wishes. For a price. Meanwhile, Rand is having a virtual reality history experience as he travels back in time and slowly figures out the origin of both Tuath’an and Aiel and the great Breaking. Sexual violence allusions make an appearance and the fact that it’s taken four books to get there is impressive in its own right. It is also strongly hinted that the Dark One’s prison was shattered because someone dared to transcend gender boundaries and combine saidin and saidar, and honestly, on brand for the books. We learn about the past that seems to have some rather advanced technology and also species not encountered so far (the Nym?). Rand gets through it in time to save Mat from dying on a noose he’s left to hang in, and they barely escape another bubble of evil.
Back in the Ways Perrin and Faile are still making everyone uncomfortable with their bickering, and honestly, it’s a relief when Trollocs and Myrddraal show up. After some fighting and running from the sadistic Black Wind, the group arrives in the Mountains of Mist. Perrin tries to look for the wolves but finds none, and in the dream world learns (from Hopper and also Birgitte who gets around a lot for a dead woman) that someone called Slayer is, well, slaying them, and hiding in Tower of Ghenjei. The party finds the al’Thor farm torched, and visits al’Veres’ inn where they learn that Whitecloaks are a necessary evil protecting folk from Trollocs, who got Perrin’s whole family. He has a realistic moment of dissociation due to the news but Faile pulls him out of that and into grief he needs to let himself feel.
We continue our story from under Faile’s breasts where Perrin is coming to terms with his loss and generally struggling to accept that crying is not a sign of weakness. The central theme of the book (no not that one, the horny nudity is a recurring theme) starts to emerge as Loial notes how ‘here or there, it is the same fight’, a sentiment that is echoed by Egwene toward the end. The story splits its attention between the various people fighting the good fight.
In Emond’s Field Perrin organises resistance and becomes a Lord and General without meaning to and much to his consternation. First things first: find some troops. Turns out Verin and Alanna together with their Warders are hiding nearby (they’d been looking for more girls who could channel or be trained) as are Tam and Abel (Rand’s and Mat’s dads, who’d been avoiding Whitecloaks and hunting rabbits, as you do). The first two stir-up Perrin’s trust issues, and the latter two roast him mercilessly about Faile, but there’s some solid advice there about not letting yourself be eaten up by hate. Turns out Whitecloaks, well Ordeith (aka Padan Fain, aka Gone With the Shadow) were responsible for the Aybara familicide after all but Bornhald Jr is too obsessed and also drunk to care that much. Perrin and co set out to rescue people held by the Whitecloaks who include Abel’s wife and daughters and Perrin’s adopted fam the Luhhans. On the way there Perrin decides to warn the scattered farms to take their people and seek safety in numbers in villages and because of his natural ta’veren leadership mojo he gets his way. Much to his consternation he also gets a ragtag group of young men and boys wanting to come and kill some Trollocs with him. They also meet Lord Luc who is very sus from the start, and there’s some tedious jealousy again because one farm boy looks at Faile. Perrin gets his general on much to everyone else’s approval, and they amount a rescue at Whitecloak camp which goes more or less smoothly barring some bumps. Verin makes it rain, and the group splits, some taking rescued folk to safety of Emond’s Field while Perrin heads out to hunt some Trollocs.
In the Aiel Waste, Mat and Rand return from Rhuidean, Mat with a chest wound, foxhead medallion, black spear and unlocked memories, language and battle skills of all his previous incarnations, and Rand with two dragon tats on his arms to mark him as He Who Comes With the Dawn. The waiting Aiel take the news with varying degree of acceptance from Couladin and Shaidos’ open hostility to the Wise Ones’ ‘we’ll make the best of this’ determination. Plan is hatched for Rand to go and announce himself at all the Aiels at Al’cair Dal. He learns the names of his farther (Aiel) and mother (Maiden of the Spear but not an Aiel, and still of mysterious origin it turns out, and with another child she had to leave behind so now we’re going to be on a look out for Rand’s brother). Aviendha and Moiraine return from Rhuidean as well (still hoping we will learn what they saw eventually). Rand is determined to tear up all customs to remain unpredictable and everyone better get used to it quick or be left in backwash. Egwene and Elayne have a dream date to exchange key information, but are interrupted because the Wise Ones are not amused Egwene broke her promise not to go to Tel’aran’rhiod on her own and make her wear little girl plats as a punishment. There’s some female bonding and plotting in a sauna (I approve) and Aviendha is tasked with keeping an eye on Rand as well as teaching him the Aiel ways, as well as embarrass him by detailing Elayne’s virtues and physical beauty in detail (she’s clearly been looking, can we have some sister wife love here at least?). Mat contemplates his inability to leave Rand’s side, how he’s ‘pulling him and holding him’ and I battle down several horny plot bunnies. The party is joined by peddlers and a gleeman who are strongly hinted at being more than meets the eye, but not before Jordan takes another opportunity to comment on just how fat and grotesque one of them is and I am so tired of that. They discover a Trolloc-raided Imre Stand, Rand starts practicing the spears. Natael the gleeman tries to get a good story out of Mat and sings a song about a legend that Mat now remembers for himself. Introspection is broken up by a Trolloc attack.
In Tanchico, we catch up with various characters. There’s Egeanin, a Seanchan captain sent to hunt sul’dam who had deserted and generally keep an eye on things. She has been wheeling and dealing, but also funding a soup kitchen and catching doubts in the process, especially after discovering that a’dam could hold a sul’dam. Jaichim Carridin (a DF remember) and his Whitecloaks are in Tanchico too, getting involved in local politics, although he gets a leash put on him right quick by Liandrin (the, uh, non-con smut potential is strong here, that… sure was a scene). Liandrin and the rest of the Black Ajah are plotting and feeding/killing cats. Into this hive of nefarious activity Elayne and Nynaeve arrive, immediately encountering Bayle Domon because why not. He’s been wheeling and dealing and supporting a soup kitchen too (ah compatibility) an upon discovering the plans afoot offers his service, on account of feeling bad about abandoning Nynaeve and co in Falme but also because there aren’t many options. His men, and Thom and Juilin go out to do some intelligence gathering while Elayne gets drunk for the first time in her life and confronts Thom about sleeping with her mum. Nynaeve dunks her head in a bucket before going of on a Tel’aran’rhiod jaunt, has a chat with Birgitte and barely escapes the Slayer. Much is made of him looking like Lan’s brother which is very sus because we remember that he does have one of those running around.
Back in Two Rivers, Perrin and Companions have been hunting Trollocs with varying success. Tip from the suspicious Lord Luc leads them straight into an ambush and Perrin has to deal with the ‘I led my men to death’ angst whilst having a Trolloc arrow stuck in his side. They seek temporary refuge with Tuatha’an, who are obviously the same group Perrin spent time with in the first book. Apparently it takes life-threatening injury for Faile and Perrin to actually be honest with each other, and Faile fesses up about being a daughter of a Lord and cousin of a Queen, and Perrin finally explains about his inner wolf. My relief is fucking palpable. Not one to rest, Perrin utilises even his injured and drugged sleep to go looking for evidence of Trollocs in wolf dream, learns there are a lot of them because the Waygate is open once more and plays tag with the Slayer. Upon waking he barely makes it to the saddle, tries to convince the Tuatha’an to seek refuge in a village and gets flustered by Faile’s promise of a saucy dance. Emond’s Field is fortified for an attack with catapults and spikes and much to Perrin’s consternation there’s also a banner with a wolf’s head in the middle of it all. Whilst waiting for Alanna to come heal him, Perrin Goldeneyes deals with some hero worship, learns a slow lesson about how caring for the living includes himself and tells Loial in no uncertain terms that he is not to go haring off to deal with the Waygate issue. Which, as Perrin learns after waking up from Healing, goes as well as could’ve been expected, though at least Loial took Gaul with him. Despite being weak as a newborn, Perrin find energy to go tumbling down the stairs with Faile and then go riding to witness Emond’s Field pull itself together to defend against a Trolloc attack which is a test for the bigger one yet to come. What’s left of the Tuatha’an straggle into the safety of the village, and one of them Aram takes up a sword and imprints on Perrin and gets instantly disowned. Perrin gets distracted by problem-solving as suddenly everyone wants his opinion on things they already know. Whitecloaks show up and Perrin defuses the situation by offering himself up if they stay and help.
Over in Tanchico, Egeanin rescues Elayne and Nynaeve from a trap set on her behalf and ends up befriending them and learning more about Aes Sedai, which further shakes her worldview. Black Ajah have been located and plans must be made. They get interrupted by a mysterious woman who instantly thralls Elayne and Nynaeve into spilling all they know and then makes them forget about the incident entirely.
A brief interlude in Tar Valon shows Min’s viewing coming true. Elaida and her supporters have seized power semi-legally even and promptly usurp Siuan Sanche from the Amyrlin Seat, kill her Warder, and torture and still both her and Leane. Fighting spreads and Gawyn leads his young troops not in support of Siuan but against those loyal to her, most of whom are killed offscreen. Min, with the help of Lara, frees Siuan and Leane and smuggles them out of the Tower. Gawyn unexpectedly helps. Siuan and Leane find a new purpose in revenge, and the group also picks up Logain on the way out. There are hints of hope that being stilled isn’t as permanent as thought, and I think Rand will have something to do with that.
In the Aiel Waste, Rand is developing some feelings for Aviendha who is continuing her Aiel culture lessons, interspersed with the ‘these are all the things you can die here’ ones. The peddlers’ party each have some suspicious and meaningful chats with Rand, which leave everyone frustrated. Arrival in Cold Rocks Hold reveals a town built into the cliff sides, exotic new fruit and veg being farmed, and Rand observing a healthy poly relationship (next to Amys and Lian interaction I’ve scribbled ‘they be banging’ and I stand by it). He also struggles with the tension of actually learning to like these people, his in blood, and the necessity of using them to fullfil the prophecy. There’s a dinner, Rand gets Aviendha a bracelet, Aviendha cleans some rugs, Rand goes dream skinny-dipping with all his ladies which includes Lanfear who is not about to be left out but lets it slip that Moghedien is the Forsaken spinning her web in Tanchico. Trolloc and Draghkar attack interrupts or previous plans and after some stirring fighting scenes and discovering that Couladin has taken the Shaido and gotten a head start to Al’cair Dal, Rand is done with wasting time on propriety.
In Tanchico, Elayne and Nynaeve are struggling with chopsticks, Bayle Domon recognises Egeanin and reveals her as a Seanchan and some mutual lessons on ‘enemies are just people’ are had. We learn that the Black Ajah have taken over the Panarch’s Palace and possibly the Panarch herself. Nynaeve goes back to Tel’aran’rhiod and this time receives some useful tips from the Wise Ones on controlling one’s dress but also hunting for what one needs. She sees the Panarch being tortured by Black Ajah, discovers some objects of power to be snatched up in the palace and – very importantly – runs into a familiar looking woman. The encounter breaks the memory spell and Nynaeve remembers how she and Elayne had rapturously blabbed everything whilst in her thrall. Birgitte shows up to tell her that the woman in question is no other than Moghedien, one of the Forsaken, and also explain more about the rules that limit the help she can give to the living. Most excitingly though we learn that Birgitte’s boo Gaidal is actually shorter than her. I fill the entire margin with exclamation marks. Back in the waking world, plans are hatched to rescue the Panarch and secure one of the seals to the Dark One’s prison, and a collar-bracelets pair meant to control a male user of OP. Egeanin and Bayle Domon have a semi-clothed moment.
Back in Emond’s Field things are heating up on several fronts. Trolloc attacks are increasing in frequency, while women are on half-rations. Loial and Gaul return having closed the Waygate, Chiad and Gaul clearly have a thing going on despite blood feud. Lord Luc suggests there aren’t that many Trollocs around any more but Perrin goes on a wolf dream trip to figure out that Loial and Gaul’s estimate of thousands is unfortunately closer to the truth. He also shoots the Slayer and in the waking world Lord Luc suffers from unexpected chest wound and rides off. Perrin asks Faile to take a message to Caemlyn, trying to get her out of the way of the attack he knows is coming. She says yes and names marriage as her price, which is promptly held.
Bayle Domon smuggles Elayne, Nynaeve and Egeanin into the Panarch’s Palace, whilst creating a convenient riot as a distraction. Elayne disposes of some of the Black Ajah and rescues Amathera the Panarch. Nynaeve gets distracted by an epic battle with Moghedien (who casually mentions space travel as a thing that used to exist so now we learned that) and wins, even shielding the Forsaken momentarily. Black Ajah throw balefire into the mix but even so Nynaeve manages to rescue the items and everyone makes it out alive. The collar meant to control Rand cannot be destroyed so they decide to go drop it into the deepest part of the sea, which I think may turn out to be a mistake.
Perrin writes a love letter to his wife before Emond’s Field is plunged into depths of battle as hordes of Trollocs and Myrddraal descend on them. Despite everyone pitching in, defeat is frighteningly close, except Faile arrives with reinforcements from nearby villages in a scene that is genuinely heart-wrenchingly amazing. Bornhald thinks he can spoil it all by taking Perrin but Perrin reminds them that he said he’d only give himself up if the Whitecloaks helped which they had not. ‘Goldeneyes!’ rings across Two Rivers. Ordeith is not defeated though but heads off to do his nefarious deeds elsewhere.
In Al’cair Dal Couladin has somehow gotten himself dragon tats as well and is trying to claim to be the prophesied leader himself, but he doesn’t know what Rand and everyone who has been to Rhuidean does and so Rand proves his credentials by speaking openly what was taboo and breaks the Three-Fold Land and the Aiel in the progress. Though he doesn’t learn it until after the fact as he gets busy arguing with Lanfear and then chasing Asmodean through some portals back to Rhuidean. There’s a battle that destroys what’s left of it more or less, but ends with Rand in possession of some powerful ter’angreal and having shielded Asmodean who is revealed to be the gleeman Natael, while Lanfear had been hiding in plain sight as Keille. Lanfear’s plan to have Asmodean teach Rand how to use OP sort of works except Rand has cut off his ties to the Dark One and plans on keeping the man’s true identity to himself.
***
As the Re/Read Book Club over at
tar_valon progresses, I've been doing summaries of questionable taste and accuracy. I'm just cross-posting them here for posterity, 2 books worth at a time.Previously:
Book 1: The Eye of The World, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
Book 2: The Great Hunt, Kat's Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
Now:
[Banners by
r_tt_n]Book 3: The Dragon Reborn, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
During the Whitecloak Recap Hour prologue we learn that despite trying hard not to declare so much as a time of day 'Rand the Dragon' has become a well known meme, complete with collectible drawings. I assume the sole reason some Darkfriend hasn’t invented NFTs yet is that Ba’alzamon would just declare them all his. Being old and devious does not protect Pedron Niall from the machinations of Padan Fain. The book proper opens and continues with a refreshing lack of Rand’s pov (sorry boo but your brain is full of barely hinged rage and while I dig that in a character it is also exhausting). First we catch up with Rand’s ragtag army of companions, all of who are staying with him for their own reasons: the Shienarans (converted believers), Perrin (loyalty, still avoiding wolves), Min (frustratingly and without any actual interaction to base this on, love, apparently), Loial (he’s writing a book and good for him), Moiraine (destiny has its fight cut out) and Lan (Moiraine). Perrin makes excellent and constant use of his enhanced senses despite his equally constant denial of anything wolfy, including escorting Moiraine’s spies into the camp. He’s trying to be a good friend but Rand is making it extra hard with the brooding and minor earthquakes. After once more reminding us how terribly unusual and unwomanly Min’s short hair and trousers are, she’s still left to do the cooking in between her visions. Perrin gets his turn with Ba’alzamon’s questionable dream dates (notably, he also thinks Ba’al bae is handsome and that ‘darkness molded him like a caress’, so I’m getting an impression that Jordan had a thing for small strong women and handsome evil men and honestly, disaster bisexuals world over can relate) and we learn that if one of the three ta’veren bite the dust, all three of them do. Selene|Lanfear also has a go, but Perrin like Rand is supremely uninterested in glory which seems to be the only weapon in her arsenal, and honestly, how did she get this far with just that?
Back in real world Trollocs and Myrdraal (why are they consistently capitalised?) attack the camp; Perrin goes full wolf and slaughters a lot of them together with some actual wolves who run to help (ngl, this is such a good look for him) while Rand fails to do much else except set some trees on fire and emote. That very same night he runs off, leaving behind a dramatic note (‘there is no other way, too many have died for me already’) and rest of the company to bicker about best way to proceed. Perrin suggests to Moiraine that maybe Rand knows what he’s doing, she’s not convinced. She does remind readers that there are many, many prophecies to be fulfilled which neatly explains why the story stretches across fourteen (14) books. Shienarans get sent off elsewhere, Min is sent off to Tar Valon and the core group sets off to catch up with Rand. I write some angry commentary about why none of Rand’s future wives/lovers get to have poly relationships themselves, why is this so fucking one sided? At the very least I want them to like get with each other and not let Rand watch. Anyway, I digress. We’re back to travelogue with some fishing. In village of Jarra we learn that Rand causes spontaneous marriages (by this logic half of the Shienaran army should’ve married each other by now, why is this not a thing, Uno/Masema anyone?) and general madness. Perrin is faced with a another wolf-brother except this one has forgotten what it’s like to be a man at all, and has some predictable angst about it. Because wolves apparently live partly in the world of dreams Perrin now has a direct access to that and gets to both spy on Darkfriends and their skinning monsters as well as, it turns out later, dream rendezvous with Egwene (criminally underexplored plot point, just saying).
Pov shifts to Tar Valon denizens, mostly Egwene with a little Siuan thrown in and honestly, this is the good stuff. Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne make it to Tar Valon with Mat on the litter and Verin in charge. Hurin is there too but turns back home at the first possible moment and who can blame him. Egwene is still working through her captivity trauma and deals with some Whitecloaks by rending the earth under their feet. Tar Valon is hardly the place of safety it was once assumed to be, but Egwene is now driven by thirst for knowledge and for something bigger than her former life and there’s some honestly nice character growth introspection with her. Turns out that Liandrin had taken a purpose sample of Black Ajah with her and left the White Tower, but not before committing murder and theft of several dreaming related ter’angreal. To protect Egwene and co against the retribution any association with Black Ajah would bring, the Amyrlin Seat gives out public punishments, coupled with a secret order to hunt out the rest of the Black Ajah in their generous free time. Several pots get scrubbed, Nynaeve tugs on her braid every two minutes (this is a quirk that gets massively overused, Jordan needs to find other physical tells to describe), she and Egwene almost get killed by a soulless assassin and develop healthy paranoia about everyone. Red Ajah keeps getting coded as lesbians and I write angry notes in the margins. Both Galad and Gawyn thirst after Egwene, who will hopefully bind both when she joins the Green Ajah because I need someone besides Rand to have multiple partners. Mat gets healed with the OP melding of several Aes Sedai but not before shouting things in the Old Tongue.
We finally get Mat’s pov though and it is only a little frustrating. He is morally grey enough to be interesting, so much so that Selene|Lanfear’s ‘think of the glory’ tactic works at least a little when she pays him a visit (there’s a serious security problem in the White Tower, someone should look into that). After some past life memories of leading Manetheren Heart Guard and a couple of sturdy meals, Mat’s well enough to hatch plans to gtfo. Meanwhile, Egwene pays a visit to Verin’s rooms (Covered in books! She has an owl! To keep the mice down! Absolute interior design goals, I love her so much, please I want fic about her Warder coping with all of that) to receive some metaphysical theorising about parallel worlds and a special dreaming ring. Egwene and Elayne are raised to Accepted and disappointingly we don’t get to see Elayne’s trials, and all of Egwene’s centre on Rand one way or another which, obviously, women’s lives centre on men so. Sigh. Still, the detail about her rise to the Amyrlin Seat is very delicious. Things don’t quite go as planned as having two ter’angreals in the same room turns out to be dangerous, but Egwene makes it out only emotionally scarred.
Elsewhere Mat is trying to find a way out of the Tower but hampered by having his description spread far and wide and the side effects of the healing (need for noms). Knowing that he’s now tied to the Zombie Horn for life and Amyrlin means to take full advantage of that is both helpful and not. The fact that his and Rand’s dads made it all the way to the Tower to ask after their sons only to be sent away is a heart-breaking detail swept aside (oh Tam) too quickly. Mat runs across the Warders in training and decides to bet that he can defeat both Galad and Gawyn with a quarterstaff ‘because it would be fun’ and honestly, perfect character note. What follows is a fight scene where Mat, weak as he is, kicks some princely ass and, ngl, that’s hot af. Egwene and co discover that all the Black Ajah were heading toward Tear, thanks to the clues laid by Selene|Lanfear. Egwene goes adventuring in Tel’aran’rhiod|Wold of Dreams, almost gets eaten by one of Perrin’s wolves and visits the chamber of the mystical crystal sword Callandor. All signs point to trap in Tear that the ladies are ready to spring, so after arranging Mat to take a letter to Elayne’s mum they are ready to leave Tar Valon in their dust once more.
After some kitchen work, fat-shaming the cook, and finally getting to report their findings to the Amyrlin, Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne leave Tar Valon. So does Mat, who saunters out of there bold as you please on purpose, letting everyone thinks he’s an idiot. His plans to sail out immediately are waylaid by magical gambling fever that at least fills his purse with enough coin to make several plot points easier to navigate. He does almost get shanked by a Gray Man, but ends up killing him instead by throwing both of them off the roof and ending on top thanks to his spectacular luck. It also brings him to Thom, who’s been drowning his sorrows but is surprisingly amenable for more adventuring, so the two of them jump (literally) into the first ship out. Mat demonstrates his special brand of manic showmanship that is always just a hair’s width away from tipping into outright dangerous, and ngl, it’s a good look for him. After flashing his swag, they secure a cabin, get some intel on Tear from the radicalised captain who spouts genocide without much commentary from anyone. There’s only one bed (tick on the trope bingo) but the restless sleep is interrupted by another Gray Men attack, which Mat and Thom deal with extreme prejudice (please more staff and knife fights, much more interesting than the swords). Brief interlude with Rand’s pov (he is mostly absent from this book which is not something I remembered) reminds us that he’s full on losing his grip on sanity.
Meanwhile, Perrin, Moiraine, Lan and Loial are still following Rand’s trail, riding from one village to the next, all of them messed up by Rand’s ta’veren pull. Moiraine reminds everyone that the Pattern is neither good nor evil, while Perrin worries about Egwene and co and conducts a one man experiment in self-induced sleep deprivation. In Remen they find an Aielman in a cage, some Hunters of the Horn (don’t you just kind of feel bad for them?) and a love interest for Perrin because he's avoided that plot device long enough it seems. There’s an entirely unnecessary and gratuitous scene of Perrin almost walking in on Moiraine whilst naked, before the much more interesting one where he goes and frees Gaul the Aielman (whom we’ll meet again for sure) and they kill some Whitecloaks (I low key ship the two of them a bit after that ‘dance’). After that display no one gets to sleep (Loial is so sad about his sung wood bed, pls someone scritch his ears) and they board a ship, but not before Zairene|Faile jumps on board, determined not to let and adventure or a hot blacksmith slip through her fingers, even though he needs some of his misogynistic presumptions corrected (‘You cannot be a hunter, you’re a girl!’ like honestly Perrin, how have you been following Moiraine for what, well over a year now, and not worked through these things yet?). Perrin dream-crashes a Darkfriend meetup and witnesses a spat between Ba’alzamon and Lanfear which, I get it, it's awkward being evil and thirsting for the same saviour. He also catches up with Hopper and attempts to do that with Rand but that doesn’t go so well on account of Rand’s ‘making headless corpses kneel for him’ mental state.
On another ship Egwene and Nynaeve are busy puking their guts out and sniping at each other for reasons that aren’t entirely clear for me and sure test Elayne’s patience. Egwene’s prophetic dreams match some of Min’s visions well, promising more one-sided polyamory this time for Perrin (I’m so tired of the gender difference here). All around them Cairhienin burns on account of civil war which Thom accidentally started. After their ship gets stuck on another sunken ship, they decide to carry on by foot, and, much to Elayne’s relief, Egwene’s and Nynaeve’s bickering gets interrupted by some Maidens of the Spear who ask for a medical assist. Nynaeve heals one of them in an impressive burst of power, and everyone gets Aiel historical and cultural lessons including some sapphic coding about how one can become ‘first-sisters’ and then share a man if they really want to. Egwene and Elayne have some thoughts about that. After they part ways Egwene and co get knocked unconscious and taken captive by some brigands willing to sell Aes Sedai to Myrddraal, though their plans are hampered by second-rate sleeping concoctions, several Aiel and the pure burning rage of three women with bad headaches and worse memories of imprisonment. After that little bloodbath Nynaeve and co board another ship and the Aiel go their own way although we already know they’ll all end up in the same place at the same time.
Elsewhere Mat does his best to prove what a tough guy he is whilst giving alms to refugees. He also ends up saving Aludra, the Illuminator whose career Rand accidentally ended back in Cairhien by killing some more people, and gets plot-relevant fireworks as his reward. Perrin and co get to Illian and Faile is allowed to stay on promise not to ask any questions, which seems unfair. Illian is full of canals, unhappy folk suffering from nightmares and one of the Forsaken in charge. Perrin smells a Gray Men assault, rips furniture apart with his bare hands and discovers that Darkhounds are after them. He also fails to understand the reason Faile wants to hang around (it’s fifty/fifty about being part of the story and Perrin’s swole bod) and blabs about Rand being the Dragon. They run from the Darkhounds but end up taking a stand so Moiraine can kill them with balefire which is Very Forbidden of course but also Very Effective, so there’s that. Mat kills some more suspicious people (I… assume they were Darkfriends?), tries to get Elayne’s message to Morgase through traditional means but results to his go to style of Being Sneaky when that fails on account of the Queen’s new advisor Gaebriel (assume he is another Forsaken) who has reorganised the guard to his liking. Mat slips into the Royal Palace, discovers a plot to murder Elayne and others, delivers the letter and finds Gaebriel has the Queen wrapped around his little finger (sigh) and is behind the plot. He makes a big show about being Very Put Out about having to go rescue them but he and Thom hightail it toward Tear to do just that though not before starting some rumours about Gaebriel’s dastardly plan.
Egwene and co are getting to Tear as well, motion-sick and still bickering (I honestly don’t get the purpose of this strife subplot, can’t we just have women supporting women?). They find themselves a local healer (Ailhuin Guenna) to hide with (Nynaeve gets to swap some herb lore) and hire a thief-catcher (Juilin Sandar) to find Black Ajah, who of course know they’re coming. Mat (angry all the time) and Thom (mostly on the wagon) are also in Tear, looking for the trio, mostly in the rain. Thom shows off his sleight of hand and Mat accidentally kills Comar (Gaebriel’s assassin) over dice (not metaphorically, he’s racking up a headcount) and he realises how his luck works, i.e. when things are random. In a classic ‘all plot threads coalesce in last twenty pages’ Jordan fashion, Perrin and co also arrive in Tear but at least there is a nice interlude as Perrin almost admits to missing the wolves and does some smithing, gets ogled by Faile in the process, and earns himself a hammer of symbolic value. It’s clear that one of the Forsaken is in charge here as well. Moiraine admits being more dangerous now, enough to kill Be’lal, Loial shares some Forsaken lore. Aiel are also around (of course they are), Rand is causing slapstick level chaos by just existing, and Perrin is having some ~feelings~ about Faile.
In a genuinely well executed ‘oh shit!’ scene, the Black Ajah, having brainwashed Sandar and incapacitated Guenna, capture Nynaeve and co, cutting them off OP. The mention of Egwene fighting until she lost consciousness is a realistic nod to her Seanchan trauma. However, Thom’s cough leads him and Mat to Guenna to learn what’s happened. Faile springs a trap meant for Moiraine, getting lost in the World of Dreams and Perrin goes a bit berserk about that, diving straight in to find her with Hopper’s help. Meanwhile, literally everyone is breaking into Tear which suffers some serious damage to its ‘unbreachable’ reputation that night. Mat meets some Aiel and Sandar on the rooftops, sets off some fireworks and climbs right in. Lan is climbing up the wall like a Spiderman, Aiel make like mountain goats too, Rand got in by… Well, actually, that’s not explained but there he is, stalking the hallways and mad as a poked wasp nest. Egwene sets about to rescue herself, Nynaeve and Elayne by bitch-slapping Black Ajah members in Tel’aran’rhiod because the girl only needs to see something done once to replicate it, mad skills. Everyone is running around in both physical and dream version of Tear leading into some hilarious ‘o_O it you?’ encounters. Perrin works on finding Faile (there’s another entirely unnecessary scene where her dreamself is chained naked into stone, pls Jordan can you not). Be’lal is upset that Rand doesn’t even remember him but it's not like he needs to suffer about it long until Moiraine snuffs him out of existence with balefire (seriously, where did she learn that?). Enter Ba’alzamon whose plans also go awry the moment Rand puts his hand on Callandor’s hilt, gets supercharged with OP and goes after Ba’alzamon with vengeance. Mat finds Egwene and co in the cells and does not get greeted as a saviour, Perrin gets scratched up by hundreds of dream falcons and admits to his feelings about Faile (now let’s work on the wolves eh), and Rand runs the knife-edge of reality before sticking the glowy sword into Ba’alzamon and declaring himself the Dragon Reborn to the kneeling Aiel and everyone else caught in the events. The Tear now flies the Dragon banner, everyone is alive, Mat fails to notice threesome opportunity with hot Maidens of The Spear, the Aiel are revealed to be the People of the Dragon and we’re introduced to Perrin’s other presumed love interest Berelain. To surprise of no one eyeing the 11 books left, turns out that Ba’alzamon (maybe Ishamael) is not quite as fully dead as Rand thought.
Book 4: The Shadow Rising, Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition
No prologue in this book as we just use Chapter 1 for the catching-up purposes. Min arrives in Tar Valon, mourning her loss of agency, her foolish heart (incidentally, a big gripe how everyone falls in love without actually knowing the other person in any meaningful way, my demi-leaning self cannot understand) and comfortable clothes. She has visions of mass fatalities, reports to Amyrlin Seat who has enough to worry about as the whole world is going to shit, and who seizes the opportunity for another spy and institutes her in the Tower and in restricting dresses. Gawyn worries for her sister and the others, Elaida ferrets out information but is strongly hinted at not being Black Ajah. Elsewhere, worryingly near Two Rivers, Bornhald Jr, Padan Fail (now calling himself Ordeith) and their Whitecloaks are up to no good including killing some dogs. In the Sea Folk Isles, a Seanchan High Lady Suroth with impeccable manicure is plotting.
After the lengthy ‘state of the world’ report, our story shifts to Tear where people are dealing with the fact that Rand and Aiel conquered the unconquerable Stone in different ways. Perrin and Faile are having a fight that never ends due to their refusal to actually treat each other like adults and just share their fears and secrets instead thinking each is an infant in need of protecting and spanking. A Bubble of Evil brings a flying axe to Perrin and murderous playing card characters to Mat who has been filling his time liberating nobles of their money and women of their inhibitions. The former deserve it on account of not being on board with Rand’s socialist reforms and the latter should be commended for hitting that (have you seen him, his hundred knives and quarterstaff? Hot.). Both Perrin and Mat have realised, if not quite accepted, that their ta’veren threesome binds them together. Rand rejects a scantily-clad Berelain (First of Mayene) who is using all the weapons in her arsenal to keep her micro-nation afloat, and ends up fighting creepy reflections of himself that step right out of the mirrors with intentions to just, subsume his life and become him (genuinely creepy). There is some absolutely tedious jealousy from Faile because Perrin exchanges two words with Berelain. I am in full support of poly relationships but the one-sidedness (only men can have multiple partners) and the jealousy is not how you do it. Everyone is concerned over everyone else, Lan and Rhuarc flirt a bit, Moiraine is unamused and Rand has been reading up on his own prophecies and determined to do Whatever It Takes and What People Least Expect for the sake of just getting one decent nap, the poor boy.
Thom Merrilin has been putting his court experience to good use, securing Rand’s leadership position by eliminating naysayers, though he is tempted by Mat’s offer to just travel the world fluting and juggling. Egwene, Nyaneve and Elayne have been busy interrogating the captured Black Ajah, though learning preciously little expect that something's rotten in Tanchico and there’s a plot to set a false Dragon on a rampage and blame Rand for the fall out. Moiraine and Elayne set out the reasons for Rand to move against Sammael in Illian. And yet, even with all of this going on, everyone is also distracted by men, Elayne ticks the jealousy square on the trope bingo, and Nynaeve tugs on her braid again (pls stop). A plot device in form of Doorframe to Feyland and Three True Answers appears in the Tear’s basement (more on this later, oh yes). Egwene and Elayne visit Rand to attempt an OP lesson (which doesn’t go that well) and to pass him between themselves like a parcel (which honestly goes better because apparently somewhere along the way Rand and Egwene are now full of nothing but sibling fondness for each other). There’s an awkward scene where Rand tries to gift Elayne some dress fabric and she is all ‘kiss me you idiot’ and then they do. Much more satisfying outcome of this pairing is that now Rand has someone who is trained in governance and politics to guide him and in between smooching in alcoves there’s clearly a crash course in So You Conquered A Nation, Now What? Which Rand needs as his go to is ‘do this or I will hang you’, which, tbf, effective. Elsewhere, Egwene tells Mat about the Enchanted Doorway which has predictable results down the line.
Perrin scours the taverns looking for a rumour to entice Faile so she would leave, and Mat does the same to distract himself from knowing that he can’t leave. Egwene bonds with Aviendha (I ship it a bit ngl). Rand puts his lessons to good use and solves Tear’s grain overproduction problem whilst making things up for Berelain by using her ships. He also learns Selene’s true identity in a curiously anticlimactic scene as Lanfear lays all her cards on the table and Rand just can’t bring himself to kill her on account of her having boobies, even if they are evil. She also confirms what we all know, i.e. how inescapably thirsty the Dark One is for Rand: “Kneel to the Great Lord, and he will set you above all others. He will leave you free to reign as you will, so long as you bend knee to him only once.” And I’m not saying it would be worth one quick blowjob to secure momentary world peace and from that position plot for the devil’s demise, but I’m also not not saying that.
Things get interrupted by Trollocs and Myrddraals attacking the Stone, and Rand needs to go and kill a lot of them with his flaming OP sword and then the Crystal Sword That Isn’t A Sword when he figures out how to just, you know, explode them all in dust with one thought. There’s a wall slamming interlude with Lanfear, and another where Rand briefly dapples in some necromancy. In the aftermath, Egwene goes dreamwalking in dream Tanchico, visits a natural history museum, learns to fly, sees Birgitte, and encounters an Aiel Dreamer (Amys, Rhuarc’s wife, because everything is connected) who tells her Tanchico is dying and orders her to Rhuidean for some lessons. Aviendha also gets summons, on account of having avoided her Wise One destiny long enough. In the taverns, Mat learns about Whitecloaks taking Two Rivers, runs to find Perrin who is already packing to go and learns that Rand can’t and won’t on account of having to save the world. Perrin and Mat have an actual meaningful goodbye for a change. Faile and Berelain get into a spat over who gets Perrin and why don’t we have them just like falling in love with each other too? That would honestly be way more interesting.
Meanwhile, Mat does what we all knew he would do as soon as he learned about its existence and goes through the magical doorway to meet some magical snake fey (no iron? classic.). He gets his answers true but none are the ones he’d like, as they include both death (and resurrection) and marriage. He gets namechecked as the trickster and then unceremoniously tossed out despite his delicious, delicious experiences. We also learn that Rand has visited the snake fey but not what his questions or answers were. Perrin is ready to depart to Two Rivers in quest to hand himself over to the Whitecloaks to save his family, although he of course doesn’t tell anyone about his true reasons and instead gets into another entirely pointless battle of wills with Faile (she does not shine either tbf) over the whole thing. I feel incredibly sorry for Loial who just wants to write his book in peace, and maybe protect children from Trollocs. Elayne is peeved that Rand hasn’t told her that he’s upset that she’s going. Lan is peeved that Nynaeve is going and storms in to express this by snogging her thoroughly. Thom is peeved because Moiraine emotionally blackmails him into accompanying Elayne and Nynaeve by promising him the names of the Red Aes Sedai who gentled his nephew, and because everyone is connected to everyone else we learn that Moiraine is the half-sister of a dude Thom killed because he was plotting to kill Morgase, a fact that she’s not even a little peeved by so fair enough. Back in Tar Valon, Min is peeved by having to wear dresses and attempt embroidery in order to remain undercover. Gawyn almost ruins it for her while Galad is busy being radicalised by the Whitecloaks. The Amyrlin Seat is about to make a gamble and throw all the rules out of the window, while all the false Dragons are maybe not so dormant as thought. An Accepted gets murdered by the Black Ajah for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Faile, Loial, Bain, Chiad, Perrin and Gaul head off into the Ways. Elayne and Nynaeve board a Sea Folk raker to get passage to Tanchico, and we learn more about their customs and prophecies of Coramoor (Rand sure collects these titles) via Sailmistress and Windfinder in charge. Thom (sent by Moiraine) and Julian Sandar (sent by Lan) catch up, Elayne almost remembers it was Thom who looked after her when she was little. There are dolphins, musings about the malleability of memory and legend, and the entirely unsurprising revelation that Windfinders can channel. Both of these leavetakings were interrupted by an earthquake, which we learn resulted from Rand first declaring Tairens were to march to Cairhien on a humanitarian mission to feed the starving and stop the fighting, and then drove his Not Really A Sword Apparently But Sure Looks Like It into stone just to emphasise his point. There were some threats of hangings too.
Turns out Rand is Rhuidean bound too, and he, Egwene, Moiraine, Lan and Mat head that way with the remaining Aiel. Instead using fifty pages for a travelogue, we are taking a shortcut via a Portal Stone because Rand can now do that. There are some nice character observations about Mat and his skills and motivations, and an excellent use of Mat’s luck. In Rhuidean they are faced with some Aiel politics and four Wise Ones, some of whom can channel, a fact that somehow is still surprising. Rand immediately asks for permission to go to Rhuidean to make himself a Clan Chief of sorts, and Mat tags along for staying alive purposes. My favourite trope is indulged beautifully as Mat pulls all his knives out and piles them on the ground. For some reason they get to keep their clothes on while Aviendha who is sent off to Rhuidean too for her Wise One trials has to go naked. As does Moiraine because it turns out that she too needs to go to Rhuidean. Honestly, I do want a scene where Lan runs after her and she bollocks him naked for overstepping and he tries very hard to keep his eyes on her face. Anyway, cultural exchange and tea is had, Egwene starts her dreaming lessons.
In Rhuidean proper, they find Avendesora and a mishmash of objects of power, and Rand pulls up water from the reservoir and then leaves Mat to wait while he ventures into the Heart. Mat does his usual ‘I’m going to leave him there to die, see if I care’ stomping while totally planning to rescue his friend. It’s adorable. Mat finds another magical doorway and this time goes to visit the fox fey but doesn’t quite figure out that these ones don’t give answers so much as they grant wishes. For a price. Meanwhile, Rand is having a virtual reality history experience as he travels back in time and slowly figures out the origin of both Tuath’an and Aiel and the great Breaking. Sexual violence allusions make an appearance and the fact that it’s taken four books to get there is impressive in its own right. It is also strongly hinted that the Dark One’s prison was shattered because someone dared to transcend gender boundaries and combine saidin and saidar, and honestly, on brand for the books. We learn about the past that seems to have some rather advanced technology and also species not encountered so far (the Nym?). Rand gets through it in time to save Mat from dying on a noose he’s left to hang in, and they barely escape another bubble of evil.
Back in the Ways Perrin and Faile are still making everyone uncomfortable with their bickering, and honestly, it’s a relief when Trollocs and Myrddraal show up. After some fighting and running from the sadistic Black Wind, the group arrives in the Mountains of Mist. Perrin tries to look for the wolves but finds none, and in the dream world learns (from Hopper and also Birgitte who gets around a lot for a dead woman) that someone called Slayer is, well, slaying them, and hiding in Tower of Ghenjei. The party finds the al’Thor farm torched, and visits al’Veres’ inn where they learn that Whitecloaks are a necessary evil protecting folk from Trollocs, who got Perrin’s whole family. He has a realistic moment of dissociation due to the news but Faile pulls him out of that and into grief he needs to let himself feel.
We continue our story from under Faile’s breasts where Perrin is coming to terms with his loss and generally struggling to accept that crying is not a sign of weakness. The central theme of the book (no not that one, the horny nudity is a recurring theme) starts to emerge as Loial notes how ‘here or there, it is the same fight’, a sentiment that is echoed by Egwene toward the end. The story splits its attention between the various people fighting the good fight.
In Emond’s Field Perrin organises resistance and becomes a Lord and General without meaning to and much to his consternation. First things first: find some troops. Turns out Verin and Alanna together with their Warders are hiding nearby (they’d been looking for more girls who could channel or be trained) as are Tam and Abel (Rand’s and Mat’s dads, who’d been avoiding Whitecloaks and hunting rabbits, as you do). The first two stir-up Perrin’s trust issues, and the latter two roast him mercilessly about Faile, but there’s some solid advice there about not letting yourself be eaten up by hate. Turns out Whitecloaks, well Ordeith (aka Padan Fain, aka Gone With the Shadow) were responsible for the Aybara familicide after all but Bornhald Jr is too obsessed and also drunk to care that much. Perrin and co set out to rescue people held by the Whitecloaks who include Abel’s wife and daughters and Perrin’s adopted fam the Luhhans. On the way there Perrin decides to warn the scattered farms to take their people and seek safety in numbers in villages and because of his natural ta’veren leadership mojo he gets his way. Much to his consternation he also gets a ragtag group of young men and boys wanting to come and kill some Trollocs with him. They also meet Lord Luc who is very sus from the start, and there’s some tedious jealousy again because one farm boy looks at Faile. Perrin gets his general on much to everyone else’s approval, and they amount a rescue at Whitecloak camp which goes more or less smoothly barring some bumps. Verin makes it rain, and the group splits, some taking rescued folk to safety of Emond’s Field while Perrin heads out to hunt some Trollocs.
In the Aiel Waste, Mat and Rand return from Rhuidean, Mat with a chest wound, foxhead medallion, black spear and unlocked memories, language and battle skills of all his previous incarnations, and Rand with two dragon tats on his arms to mark him as He Who Comes With the Dawn. The waiting Aiel take the news with varying degree of acceptance from Couladin and Shaidos’ open hostility to the Wise Ones’ ‘we’ll make the best of this’ determination. Plan is hatched for Rand to go and announce himself at all the Aiels at Al’cair Dal. He learns the names of his farther (Aiel) and mother (Maiden of the Spear but not an Aiel, and still of mysterious origin it turns out, and with another child she had to leave behind so now we’re going to be on a look out for Rand’s brother). Aviendha and Moiraine return from Rhuidean as well (still hoping we will learn what they saw eventually). Rand is determined to tear up all customs to remain unpredictable and everyone better get used to it quick or be left in backwash. Egwene and Elayne have a dream date to exchange key information, but are interrupted because the Wise Ones are not amused Egwene broke her promise not to go to Tel’aran’rhiod on her own and make her wear little girl plats as a punishment. There’s some female bonding and plotting in a sauna (I approve) and Aviendha is tasked with keeping an eye on Rand as well as teaching him the Aiel ways, as well as embarrass him by detailing Elayne’s virtues and physical beauty in detail (she’s clearly been looking, can we have some sister wife love here at least?). Mat contemplates his inability to leave Rand’s side, how he’s ‘pulling him and holding him’ and I battle down several horny plot bunnies. The party is joined by peddlers and a gleeman who are strongly hinted at being more than meets the eye, but not before Jordan takes another opportunity to comment on just how fat and grotesque one of them is and I am so tired of that. They discover a Trolloc-raided Imre Stand, Rand starts practicing the spears. Natael the gleeman tries to get a good story out of Mat and sings a song about a legend that Mat now remembers for himself. Introspection is broken up by a Trolloc attack.
In Tanchico, we catch up with various characters. There’s Egeanin, a Seanchan captain sent to hunt sul’dam who had deserted and generally keep an eye on things. She has been wheeling and dealing, but also funding a soup kitchen and catching doubts in the process, especially after discovering that a’dam could hold a sul’dam. Jaichim Carridin (a DF remember) and his Whitecloaks are in Tanchico too, getting involved in local politics, although he gets a leash put on him right quick by Liandrin (the, uh, non-con smut potential is strong here, that… sure was a scene). Liandrin and the rest of the Black Ajah are plotting and feeding/killing cats. Into this hive of nefarious activity Elayne and Nynaeve arrive, immediately encountering Bayle Domon because why not. He’s been wheeling and dealing and supporting a soup kitchen too (ah compatibility) an upon discovering the plans afoot offers his service, on account of feeling bad about abandoning Nynaeve and co in Falme but also because there aren’t many options. His men, and Thom and Juilin go out to do some intelligence gathering while Elayne gets drunk for the first time in her life and confronts Thom about sleeping with her mum. Nynaeve dunks her head in a bucket before going of on a Tel’aran’rhiod jaunt, has a chat with Birgitte and barely escapes the Slayer. Much is made of him looking like Lan’s brother which is very sus because we remember that he does have one of those running around.
Back in Two Rivers, Perrin and Companions have been hunting Trollocs with varying success. Tip from the suspicious Lord Luc leads them straight into an ambush and Perrin has to deal with the ‘I led my men to death’ angst whilst having a Trolloc arrow stuck in his side. They seek temporary refuge with Tuatha’an, who are obviously the same group Perrin spent time with in the first book. Apparently it takes life-threatening injury for Faile and Perrin to actually be honest with each other, and Faile fesses up about being a daughter of a Lord and cousin of a Queen, and Perrin finally explains about his inner wolf. My relief is fucking palpable. Not one to rest, Perrin utilises even his injured and drugged sleep to go looking for evidence of Trollocs in wolf dream, learns there are a lot of them because the Waygate is open once more and plays tag with the Slayer. Upon waking he barely makes it to the saddle, tries to convince the Tuatha’an to seek refuge in a village and gets flustered by Faile’s promise of a saucy dance. Emond’s Field is fortified for an attack with catapults and spikes and much to Perrin’s consternation there’s also a banner with a wolf’s head in the middle of it all. Whilst waiting for Alanna to come heal him, Perrin Goldeneyes deals with some hero worship, learns a slow lesson about how caring for the living includes himself and tells Loial in no uncertain terms that he is not to go haring off to deal with the Waygate issue. Which, as Perrin learns after waking up from Healing, goes as well as could’ve been expected, though at least Loial took Gaul with him. Despite being weak as a newborn, Perrin find energy to go tumbling down the stairs with Faile and then go riding to witness Emond’s Field pull itself together to defend against a Trolloc attack which is a test for the bigger one yet to come. What’s left of the Tuatha’an straggle into the safety of the village, and one of them Aram takes up a sword and imprints on Perrin and gets instantly disowned. Perrin gets distracted by problem-solving as suddenly everyone wants his opinion on things they already know. Whitecloaks show up and Perrin defuses the situation by offering himself up if they stay and help.
Over in Tanchico, Egeanin rescues Elayne and Nynaeve from a trap set on her behalf and ends up befriending them and learning more about Aes Sedai, which further shakes her worldview. Black Ajah have been located and plans must be made. They get interrupted by a mysterious woman who instantly thralls Elayne and Nynaeve into spilling all they know and then makes them forget about the incident entirely.
A brief interlude in Tar Valon shows Min’s viewing coming true. Elaida and her supporters have seized power semi-legally even and promptly usurp Siuan Sanche from the Amyrlin Seat, kill her Warder, and torture and still both her and Leane. Fighting spreads and Gawyn leads his young troops not in support of Siuan but against those loyal to her, most of whom are killed offscreen. Min, with the help of Lara, frees Siuan and Leane and smuggles them out of the Tower. Gawyn unexpectedly helps. Siuan and Leane find a new purpose in revenge, and the group also picks up Logain on the way out. There are hints of hope that being stilled isn’t as permanent as thought, and I think Rand will have something to do with that.
In the Aiel Waste, Rand is developing some feelings for Aviendha who is continuing her Aiel culture lessons, interspersed with the ‘these are all the things you can die here’ ones. The peddlers’ party each have some suspicious and meaningful chats with Rand, which leave everyone frustrated. Arrival in Cold Rocks Hold reveals a town built into the cliff sides, exotic new fruit and veg being farmed, and Rand observing a healthy poly relationship (next to Amys and Lian interaction I’ve scribbled ‘they be banging’ and I stand by it). He also struggles with the tension of actually learning to like these people, his in blood, and the necessity of using them to fullfil the prophecy. There’s a dinner, Rand gets Aviendha a bracelet, Aviendha cleans some rugs, Rand goes dream skinny-dipping with all his ladies which includes Lanfear who is not about to be left out but lets it slip that Moghedien is the Forsaken spinning her web in Tanchico. Trolloc and Draghkar attack interrupts or previous plans and after some stirring fighting scenes and discovering that Couladin has taken the Shaido and gotten a head start to Al’cair Dal, Rand is done with wasting time on propriety.
In Tanchico, Elayne and Nynaeve are struggling with chopsticks, Bayle Domon recognises Egeanin and reveals her as a Seanchan and some mutual lessons on ‘enemies are just people’ are had. We learn that the Black Ajah have taken over the Panarch’s Palace and possibly the Panarch herself. Nynaeve goes back to Tel’aran’rhiod and this time receives some useful tips from the Wise Ones on controlling one’s dress but also hunting for what one needs. She sees the Panarch being tortured by Black Ajah, discovers some objects of power to be snatched up in the palace and – very importantly – runs into a familiar looking woman. The encounter breaks the memory spell and Nynaeve remembers how she and Elayne had rapturously blabbed everything whilst in her thrall. Birgitte shows up to tell her that the woman in question is no other than Moghedien, one of the Forsaken, and also explain more about the rules that limit the help she can give to the living. Most excitingly though we learn that Birgitte’s boo Gaidal is actually shorter than her. I fill the entire margin with exclamation marks. Back in the waking world, plans are hatched to rescue the Panarch and secure one of the seals to the Dark One’s prison, and a collar-bracelets pair meant to control a male user of OP. Egeanin and Bayle Domon have a semi-clothed moment.
Back in Emond’s Field things are heating up on several fronts. Trolloc attacks are increasing in frequency, while women are on half-rations. Loial and Gaul return having closed the Waygate, Chiad and Gaul clearly have a thing going on despite blood feud. Lord Luc suggests there aren’t that many Trollocs around any more but Perrin goes on a wolf dream trip to figure out that Loial and Gaul’s estimate of thousands is unfortunately closer to the truth. He also shoots the Slayer and in the waking world Lord Luc suffers from unexpected chest wound and rides off. Perrin asks Faile to take a message to Caemlyn, trying to get her out of the way of the attack he knows is coming. She says yes and names marriage as her price, which is promptly held.
Bayle Domon smuggles Elayne, Nynaeve and Egeanin into the Panarch’s Palace, whilst creating a convenient riot as a distraction. Elayne disposes of some of the Black Ajah and rescues Amathera the Panarch. Nynaeve gets distracted by an epic battle with Moghedien (who casually mentions space travel as a thing that used to exist so now we learned that) and wins, even shielding the Forsaken momentarily. Black Ajah throw balefire into the mix but even so Nynaeve manages to rescue the items and everyone makes it out alive. The collar meant to control Rand cannot be destroyed so they decide to go drop it into the deepest part of the sea, which I think may turn out to be a mistake.
Perrin writes a love letter to his wife before Emond’s Field is plunged into depths of battle as hordes of Trollocs and Myrddraal descend on them. Despite everyone pitching in, defeat is frighteningly close, except Faile arrives with reinforcements from nearby villages in a scene that is genuinely heart-wrenchingly amazing. Bornhald thinks he can spoil it all by taking Perrin but Perrin reminds them that he said he’d only give himself up if the Whitecloaks helped which they had not. ‘Goldeneyes!’ rings across Two Rivers. Ordeith is not defeated though but heads off to do his nefarious deeds elsewhere.
In Al’cair Dal Couladin has somehow gotten himself dragon tats as well and is trying to claim to be the prophesied leader himself, but he doesn’t know what Rand and everyone who has been to Rhuidean does and so Rand proves his credentials by speaking openly what was taboo and breaks the Three-Fold Land and the Aiel in the progress. Though he doesn’t learn it until after the fact as he gets busy arguing with Lanfear and then chasing Asmodean through some portals back to Rhuidean. There’s a battle that destroys what’s left of it more or less, but ends with Rand in possession of some powerful ter’angreal and having shielded Asmodean who is revealed to be the gleeman Natael, while Lanfear had been hiding in plain sight as Keille. Lanfear’s plan to have Asmodean teach Rand how to use OP sort of works except Rand has cut off his ties to the Dark One and plans on keeping the man’s true identity to himself.
***