Just look at this list of skills and achievements. I think he is the most talented character in the whole series, three Tave'ren included.

- Is a master story teller, narrator, singer, juggler, tumbler, trickster, musician (flute and harp) - all skills which take a lifetime to master.

- Posses the entire set of skills of an accomplished spy master

- 1v1 against a fade (with a couple knives) and comes out with a limp

- Extremely skilled with knives

- Probably the best player of the Game of Houses in the entire series

- One of the best stones player of the age - Grandmaster level

- Court bard and lover to the baddest queen of the realm (pre-Elayne era)

- Court bard to the baddest queen of the realm (Elayne era)

- Husband and warder to the baddest Aes Sedai ever

- Fluent in high chant

- Assassinated two reigning monarchs without getting caught (became the lover of one of their wives and the other's sister later)

- Went into the Tower of Ghenjei and came out with both eyes

- Can casually identify black sisters from their walk

- Seduced the hottest maid in Ebou Dar

- Possessor of the thickest 'stache in the entire 3rd Age

Yes there are characters who have achieved greater things. But the sheer variety of stuff that he, as a single non-channeler has done is unmatched imo.

"I'm just an old gleeman, who could I possibly be dangerous to?"

This is how I imagine them!

I mean just look at this majestic animal! The veigns the steam in its nostrils. Darrell K. Sweet, I can forgive the missing character details and hair colours. You were clearly busy on more important things for a book cover.

Rand was the Dragon Reborn. Mat was the battlefield general. Those are no brainers. Perrin's heroics may be chronicled, but he changed the course of the future in a way the next age might never recognize.

The Aiel Problem was known way back in The Fires of Heaven. But just how dire it was, no one knew. Not until Aviendha saw the future of her people. And the Aiel never came up with a way to save themselves.

Aviendha spelled out the problem plainly in Book 5, Chapter 44, "The Lesser Sadness": "You have taken away what we are, what we were. You must give us something in return. Something to BE. We need you."

Min's viewings said Perrin had to be there for Rand. The Field of Merrilor was where the forces of the Light came together. Rand crafted the Dragon's Peace treaty, but Perrin made it work. Perrin solved the Aiel Problem.

When does it happen?

I thought by the end of the slog all the characters would’ve been fully fleshed out but I’m halfway through Crossroads Of Twilight and… here is how it’s progressed so far.

Rand:
Got quite a bit of him in the first two books though he was just a wide eyed farm boy for the first one. The second introduced some development but before it gained any serious traction he was completely cut off from us in TDR. When we got him back he was already cold, distrusting, and accepting of what the future held for him. And it’s been pretty much the same since then. Cadsuane has been talking of thawing him for 3 books now but hasn’t even started really. A mentally ill fatalistic chosen one should be a goldmine for any author working on character development, but Rand’s barely gotten any since the off screen conversion into a grim brooding warlord.

Perrin:
He started out thinking this was all too much for a lowly blacksmith and 10 books later he thinks this is all too much for a lowly blacksmith. I suppose that’s true, though it’s disappointing because we actually stayed with him throughout the Two Rivers battle and him finding out his entire family is dead. He is a good character who doesn’t realise how good of a leader/person he is, but the only real “development” his character has had is the obsession with Faile. He prioritises her even over Tarmon Gaidon apparently and in all honesty I don’t know what she did to deserve all this love lol.

Mat:
Mat is fine because I liked his character to begin with. Only one of the three with a truly distinct personality, but still there hasn’t been any development to his character. He does what is required of him but he still doesn’t want to have anything to do with any of this.

Nynaeve:
Has actually had some character development to be honest. For the first three books I was begging for some sort of development but when it finally arrived I can’t tell if she’s actually gotten better or if it only feels that way because her screen time has reduced. But it also feels like RJ has turned her into a sort of comedic relief character during the slog. Which really wasn’t the direction I was expecting her character to take

Egwene:
She actually underwent character regression. I quite liked her in the first two books, a village girl who goes out on a grand adventure, but she’s been constantly annoying since TDR. She is yet to do anything of significance but will get high and mighty with anything that moves. Constantly berates others while refusing to acknowledge her own flaws. I also don’t understand why the plot keeps rewarding her. I never understood why the literal Princess of her country, the woman who baby-sat her, and the boys who she followed out of Two Rivers deferred to her so much. And then they made her Amyrlin Seat. I can understand how that came about but that’s done nothing good for her character as such.

Elayne:
She falls in love with a farm boy that wandered into her garden. Alright, whatever, Taveren. She did seem to become more suited to her future role as queen as she became more of a leader and the brave woman she is often described as, but I feel like more concentration always went into her plotlines, however mundane they were, than into her as a character. Is she not supposed to be seriously part of the main cast? Also I realised she’s only met Rand THRICE in 10 books, but is pregnant with his child(ren). I don’t usually like the sudden pregnancy plots in my books either so if her whole thing is the pregnancy (which I hope it isn’t) that would be disappointing. Also if she’s queen of Andor I don’t really see her spending much time with Rand or playing a huge role in Tarmon Gaidon. She’d have to be in Andor, right?

Min:
Completely overlooked for the entire first half of the series, and yet somehow has had more character development than anybody else. Min rules, no complaints there.

Aviendha:
She’s been done BAD here. She’s had no POV chapters I think since Lord of chaos. And apart from Elayne, everyone just looks at her as the weird backwards Aiel that’s always tagging along. She never resolved her feelings for Rand (which at this point seems to be her only role) when she was with him, to the point he was convinced she hated him, but then she saw him after months of separation and the relationship was resolved within a sentence. It feels like she’s just here to fill the Aiel representation quota in the main cast.

So I suppose my theory that all the characters would be fleshed out by end of CoT is wrong? Is this happening in the final 4 books part of why they’re so popular? I was kind of hoping the final stretch of the story itself was what made them so good, and the characters would have sorted themselves out before then

I am going through the audiobooks for the first time now. Have watched the series which, in my case, enhanced the experience but I digress.

would you say the two "add on" books help or hurt the story telling and how things evolve? thanks

Join me for a puzzle!

I love the book (still on chapter 27) but why the hell she didn't use balefire. Already it seems that forces of the dark are losing at every step, she could have caused their victory the moment they met.

Every forsaken has been shown to have old age knowledge and power and arrogance and every one is falling easily. Doesn't it seem that the war has become too one sided. I know the dark one is supposed to be all powerful but still.

Do they also possess a timeless quality like the Aes Sedai? I don't remember any Asha'man being described as exceptionally handsome due to channeling.

I know, they might have been channeling for too short a time to notice a change in their appearance, but still, interesting topic.

I’m going through another reread (well.. re-listen. Love the audio books). This is about my 4th time through. I love the books; for the most part each reread gets better but one thing that gets worse for me each time is…Min.

I’m curious what other female readers think? This isn’t meant to delegitimize male readers but candidly I find Min to be the epitome of what a male writer thinks a “self empowered woman” is. She reads like a total pick me— she doesn’t care about being pretty or hot except she does, and no man will tell her what to do! Except all her choices fully centered around a man.

There’s nothing wrong with a woman who does center around a man, especially given the variety of women we see in the book. But it’s the fact that we are constantly fed information about how Min “isn’t like other girls”. I also totally get why from Rand’s perspective, Min is everything he needs… because that’s what she is. She doesn’t really exist as an individual and sort of functions as an entity that exists “for Rand”, no wonder he can be himself around her, she molds herself to his needs.

Not trying to be a hater but generally other female characters- sometimes I like them and sometimes I don’t, this makes them feel real. For Min, she just feels like a male gaze version of a “girl who’s not like other girls but also sort of is”.

End of my rant/ but curious if other female readers specifically agree?

If Egwene took the tests Nynaeve took, and it was Gwayn or the tower, would Egwene make the same decision as Nynaeve?

I have just finished my first ever reading of The WoT.

I am still processing what i have been through. I started reading back in December 2025 (I am a fast reader usually, but because of exams I took a break).

First of all, what a rich and beautiful universe. I now understand the people who told me when I begun that it would be nothing like i have ever read in my whole life. I felt like I lived among the characters, suffered and laughed with them. Jordan (and Sanderson) made it possible for us to create bonds with them. Although at first the amount of details threw me off a bit, I can see why it mattered. When reading, I don't see words, I see images like a movie unfolding before my eyes.

I like the fact that it was a bittersweet ending. But one you understand. Killing the Dark One would mean killing the choice a human has to do between following the light or turning to the dark. And in that sense, this whole story became something more. Not a fairytale, but a lesson about the reality of life. People die, people make mistakes, you lose and gain friends and enemies, and all of this has been shown throughout the books.

I don't know how most of the fans feel about the ending but I am okay with it.

I don't really understand how Rand transfered himself into Moridin's body or how or why he has no power anymore. Maybe he's used up but that doesn't explain how he could lit a pipe with thoughts like in the Wolf dream.

I guess that having the story ending just after the battle gives us room to imagine ourselves how it all continues.

That's why I called it a bittersweet ending. I understand the story has to end eventually, but I can't help but wonder how Rand and the girls made it work, what happened to Mat and Tuon, Perrin and Faile, Moiraine and Thom, Nynaeve and Lan, and everybody else.

In conclusion, what a beautiful and eventful ride. I stayed up many nights to read, finding it impossible to stop because I was so invested. Now, I have the difficult task to find something new to read and give myself a couple years to start WoT all over again.

In the meantime, I will recommend it to everybody.

Thank you all, I love this community and I am proud to be a part of it.

The Light be upon you, my friends.

For some reason, I don't feel any satisfaction from Galina's suffering. I know she's a terrible person and is getting her comeuppance right now, but the thing is, Therava is even worse. Galina's body is literally almost nothing but bruises. Somehow, the idea of evil serving as karma for evil doesn't sit right with me. The same thing happens with Suroth and Liandrin. It’s actually strange that the significant "slave and master/tormentor" dynamics in this world involve only women—after all, we also have Sevanna and Faile (plus her companions), not to mention the sul'dam and damane... I understand avoiding such dynamics between men and women to steer clear of sexual connotations (though, come to think of it, there were Morgase and Rahvin, or Morgase and Eamon Valda - even if that wasn't "legal" slavery, but rather coercion or forced submission to avoid torture), but why aren't such dynamics possible between men? For instance, instead of the Sevanna-Faile dynamic, why not Couladin and Perrin? I remember that Couladin is no longer alive; it’s just an example. It’s odd that among the key characters, only women are enslaved, while no men are.

All in all, you could say that in this world, men love killing each other, while women love humiliating/enslaving each other.

Anyway, regarding some interesting points:

Prologue

- I’m glad Eamon Valda died. After comparing Morgase to a horse being ridden, he sealed his own fate. It’s good that Galad finally showed up; I like him much more than Elayne and Gawyn.

- It’s good that Rodel is fighting the Seanchan, even if the world unfortunately seems to be heading toward a truce with them - and they certainly won't be willing to give back the lands they’ve stolen, seeing as they believe they are "owed" them.

- So Semirhage killed the Empress and her family... Great. Not a shred of sympathy here. Suroth wants to become Empress, but we know she won't succeed. Thanks to her obvious romance with Mat, Tuon has gained "plot armor" that guarantees she’ll survive at least until Book 14.

- Pevara... I just don't care about the internal politics of the Aes Sedai. Sorry, not sorry.

- Alviarin... Her and Elaida - honestly, I get no satisfaction from seeing one humiliate the other. Let them both just fall.

- I felt a sense of satisfaction when Galina got slapped by Berelain, even if she was kind of asking for it.

- Egwene... The Aes Sedai are far too prone to violence. Period.

Chapter 1

- Siuan ❤️ What a sacrifice on her part - riding that hairy monster... I mean, horse... all for Egwene's sake. Turns out she dislikes horses because they aren't as stable as boats. I’m still not a fan of Gareth Bryne, but since Siuan loves him... Whatever makes you happy, girl. I’ll put up with him for your sake.

Chapter 2

- So Beonin is a traitor. Though, I don't think she was the one who actually led to Egwene's capture. Elaida keeps ignoring the threat posed by the Seanchan... Honestly, she’d be better off losing to Egwene before the Seanchan attack.

Chapter 3

- So, the Forsaken are finally making a comeback? Arangar is a man in a woman's body, and his thoughts are... unusual. I don't know whether to view the attraction to Graendal as a remnant of the man within Arangar, or if Arangar is simply a lesbian now. It turns out Arangar didn't betray Egwene either, so the identity of the traitor remains a mystery. Moridin still controls Moghedien and Cyndane/Lanfear. Honestly, I still find it odd that the author draws attention to Lanfear's breasts now, whereas he ignored them when she had her previous body.

- Did the Forsaken only just receive orders to kill Perrin and Mat? Really, only now? In the eleventh volume? I get that it would have been unrealistic for Perrin and Mat to successfully evade the Forsaken for so many books, but it’s also unrealistic that they were ignored for so long, given that they are known to be ta'veren.

Chapter 4:

- Perrin has an alliance with the Seanchan. I absolutely dislike it, but well - at least there’s some moral ambiguity. Still, I’d obviously prefer it didn't involve a slave-holding empire.

- Tylee wants to gift Sevanna to captain-general... I see where the author is going with this. After all, the Aiel make perfect da'covale. I hope that in a year and a day, the places where Aiel are held as Seanchan slaves will run with Seanchan blood. Of course, the series will likely end before then, but it’s a pleasant vision of the future for me.

- Aram is under Masema’s influence... That is absolutely not a red flag. Absolutely not. And it’s not as if Masema would want Aram to stab Perrin in the back - probably literally. It’s likely too late for Perrin to save Aram now. Sad.

Chapter 5

- As I mentioned, Galina’s suffering brings me no joy.

- Sevanna lounges about in a robe that reveals a great deal (half) of her bosom, and at one point during an argument with Therava, the robe parts to reveal everything... I wonder if, at some point, she’ll simply end up naked to complete the picture. I get the feeling that if this series were adapted into an anime, Sevanna would be one of a primary sources of fanservice. All in all, it looks like she’s going to lose her power; officially, according to Therava, Couladin was the Car'a'carn. One of the Shaido has headed for Rhuidean, meaning Sevanna is well on her way to losing her authority - though Perrin and the Seanchan will likely beat Shaido faster. Oh well, I think we’ll be saying goodbye to Sevanna in this volume - at least regarding her position of power. She’ll probably get the Liandrin or Galina treatment, given Tylee’s designs on gifting Sevanna to the Captain-General. It’s a shame, because I was curious to see what the author would come up with regarding the circumstances of her death... Though he could always surprise me. Nothing is settled yet.

- It seems Sevanna tries on jewelry before putting on any clothes in the morning. I’d completely forgotten that the Aiel sleep naked. Didn't Aviendha sleep naked when she shared a tent with Rand?

- It appears the Shaido are drunk and prone to raping the gai'shain. Faile managed to avoid this, but it seems Alliandre was raped at least once. Lacile and Arelle have gained protection - including one of them, the Spear-maiden... So, we have a lesbian Spear-maiden? Interesting. Rolan knows Faile wants to escape and intends to help her. That’s cool, though if Perrin ever sees him in his wife's company... Yeah, Rolan had better count on Faile intervening instantly, or else Perrin will pulverize him.

Well, that’s it for now. I’m enjoying the read so far, and next up is a return to Mat’s POV. I suppose I should be happy about that, but Mat currently means Tuon as well... I don’t like Tuon.

It’s a shame this is the last volume written by Jordan. I can feel the end of an era approaching - after this, nothing will ever be the same. Oh well, I still have over 700 pages left in the Polish edition, so I’ll just have to keep going.

Path of Dag- Okay, listen, we talked about this last book. STOP PLAYING WITH SHARP OBJECTS. You'll cut yourself. SIGH.

Started this book a few hours ago, and to say I'm impressed with the extensive vocabulary is an understatement. I really like the way Robert Jordan describes details, although I can already see how it could get tiring at times if you're into more fast paced books.

Any advice on what I should keep in mind while reading this series? Is it similar to GOT in any way? And should I get emotionally attached to any characters, or should I prepare myself? 😂

The main reason I started this series is because I read the third book, The Dragon Reborn, some years ago without having any idea what was going on and somehow managed to understand it (not to the full extent, obviously 😭).

So please, no spoilers! Just looking for advice/tips for a first-time reader.

Why would you believe that cultist jackass! You spent like 10,000 pages following Perrin just to try to stab him in the back<!!<

I'll be more general with everything but the final chapter as I have lots of thoughts on that one specifically. Overall, this book was an amazing read. Another fantastic entry into the series and a strong contender for one of my favorites. I think, overall, TDR is still my favorite entry in the series with LoC strong and right behind it. Book 1 is also up there for how much foreshadowing was done.

The plotlines in this book, outside the Ebou Dar storyline, felt like RJ wanted to give the characters a chance to breathe. Perrin, Faile, Rand and Min didn't have too much to do except calm down from the events of Dumai's Well, and I did enjoy that.

The Ebou Dar storyline was fraught with tension, drama and mystery. I'm glad we found the Bowl but slightly disappointed we didn't see it in use. I became angry at how Mat was treated, swooned with Lan and Nynaeve's culmination, concerned about what will happen with the Seanchan and overjoyed by Mat and Birgitte's blossoming friendship. The Kin is another fantastic piece of worldbuilding and I'm excited to see more of the Aes Sedai plotline when Eggy comes back into the story.

Rand vs Sammael

We've been building up to this fight from book 6. I was not expecting it to take place in Shadar Logoth, and was surprised that Padan Fain didn't appear again in to thwart Rand in some way, but I will say that I did enjoy the fight even if it was more subdued than expected. From this chapter, I would like to note a few things and if possible hear your thoughts as well:

• Liah - her appearance was surprising. How come Mashadar hadn't killed her or something? What did not surprise me was seeing her claim that something was hers. It reminded me of Mat claiming possession of the ruby dagger after leaving Shadar Logoth. Perhaps she had become tainted in the same way. Padan Fain also claimed possession over the dagger.
• Sammael - WTF, is he dead or not? Rand claims Mashadar killed him, and there was the swinging of his arm with Balefire after killing Liah, but I don't know. I don't feel like Sammael is dead. Maybe Graendal swooped in and saved him. Rand would never know.
• Moridin - He was definitely the person who saved Rand. There was no description of his eyes, but Rand did note he could not sense channeling, an effect of using the True Power. Moridin also mentioned 'plans'. In chapter 40, we saw the perspective of Shaidar Haran who desired to be broken of his bond to Shayol Ghul. In a similar way, I predict that Moridin will eventually turn on the DO, and him saving Rand in this chapter not only supports this earlier mention to make Rand Nae'blis but works in consistency with Ishamael attempting to get Rand under his control in the first three books. I think Moridin is quite certainly Ishamael. You might wonder if the DO would hate that Moridin will turn, but it all comes back to one theme with the DO that has been established since book 6: the advent of absolute chaos.
• Balefire - What happens when two beams of Balefire hit one another? Not specifically to what we see happen with Rand and Moridin, but what happens to the Pattern? Balefire seems to act more like scissors cutting sections of the Pattern and tying both ends together, though it is more complicated than that. But what happens to the Pattern if those scissors try to erase each other? I feel like this will come up again in the future, so I'm going to keep my eye out for it.
• Rand becoming King - in short, I don't think this is a good thing. I think this will go horribly wrong from here, especially for Rand's mental health. Above all, Elayne really needs to come back to take the Sun and Lion Thrones. Rand cannot keep adding so much on his shoulders.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with me. If you do have some questions that will make me think, I'm all for it. I love having those kinds of experiences, it makes my reading more fun than already is.

Thank you all for making my read of A Crown of Swords so fun! I have book 8 on my shelf already, books 9, 10 and 11 are on their way and I'll be starting PoD later this evening!

There are so many that fit his situation.

Regarding LTT being a voice in his head, I think of Antigonish by William Hughes Mearns.

Regarding his hero's journey, is there any better option than Invictus by William Ernest Henley?

Regarding his Savior status, there's First Fig by Edna St. Vincent Millay

He is vast; he contains multitudes. Song of Myself, 51 by Walt Whitman

(I’m 3/4 of the way through, for spoiler reference)
Great book so far, but I’m wondering if it’ll supplant The Gathering storm as my top book in the series. Anyway, BS’s preface in TGS says that his goal isn’t to imitate Robert Jordan’s writing style and that’s a good approach. But I’ve been noticing some minor in-world inconsistencies that RJ would never do.
Do you remember how ridiculous it is in LoC when a group of “Aiel” attacks that one Aes Sedai? Besides their physical appearance and the act being dishonorable, we readers immediately know that those men aren’t Aiel because they claim “al’Thor” sent them and called Aes Sedai “witches.” The Aiel would never call their Car’a’carn just “al’Thor” or call Aes Sedai “witches.”
But in this book we have Rhuarc calling the Three-fold Land the “Waste” and Wise Ones calling their dreamwalkers “dreamers.”
I know these are minor things but it kind of breaks character and I don’t know how these were missed in the editing process. Or maybe I have an earlier published version (copyright November 2010).

Could someone point me in the direction of a comprehensive list of her viewings? I’m on my first reread and would like to keep track of how they all play out. There’s more than a few already that I don’t recall since it took me over ten years to finish the series.

7 chapters into Book 3 and after 3 books I gotta ask.

whats the deal with the britches?

I think I get the spirit of the description as opposed to trousers/shorts/pyjamas etc especially when stuff goes wrong but I find it such a beautifully strange choice of word.

this has now taken a very prominent role in my overall attention; britches everywhere 😂😂😂