I’m thrilled that Vampire Buddha is back with A Song Of Ice And Fire, as his journey through that incredible series has long been one of my favorite works here. And recently I’ve decided to start reading another epic Doorstopper fantasy series, The Wheel Of Time, so I thought, what the heck, I’ll try one of my own again. I’ve done a few liveblogs that were pretty well received, though my last one for Codex Alera didn’t last long, basically because I got impatient and just wanted to tear through the whole series without bothering to write about it. Wheel of Time seems much more suited to this format, as what is apparently a big and sedate story you can just get swept up in.
I know pretty much nothing of the story going in, with my knowledge just being that Robert Jordan suffered Author Existence Failure, though at a time when the series’ popularity was declining anyway, and Brandon Sanderson is currently one book away from finishing it based on his notes, with his work being very well received. Also, that the first book, The Eye of the World, is thick enough that a copy served as a real life Pocket Protector in Iraq. I’m using an Ipad, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s actually far from the most intimidating book in my library (hello, Ken Follett!)
Basically, I hope to at least provide some entertainment for people who have read the series, as well as force myself to really think hard about what I’m reading, as I’ve heard both very positive and very negative things about it. Also, it may help me keep track of what I’ve been told is one of the biggest casts of characters you’ll ever see, either that or provide some cheap laughs as I become hopelessly lost and broadcast my inability to remember anyone I’ve met before.
So, the prologue. It’s the aftermath of a battle, and our viewpoint character is Lews Therin, whose castle has just been conquered and who’s gone a bit nutty. He’s met by the enemy leader, Elan Morin, who is frustrated that he can’t take satisfaction in his victory without Therin knowing how badly his ass has been kicked, so he casts a spell to restore his sanity, as well as a ton of pain, just to be a dick. The writing is vague on what exactly happened, but I think what’s going on is that Therin made a desperate last ditch attempt to tap into a piece of powerful forbidden magic, which backfired and caused him to kill everyone left on his side, including his whole family, in a berserker rage.
Morin goes on a bit about how the two of them have actually been fighting since the dawn of time, as agents of this world’s equivalents of God and Satan, the Creator and Shai’tan. I smell some Screw Destiny coming down the road. Then things get pretty trippy, as Therin begs the Creator to forgive him and...creates a volcano? Whatever it is, he’s gone afterward, which pisses Morin off for some reason. And then the volcano causes a river to change its course and create an island where I suspect we’ll be spending some time.
The prologue has some confusing bits, particularly at the end, but at this point that’s really how it should be. Its job is just to give us a few vague details that are hopefully intriguing enough to want to keep reading. For me, it’s worked. I can’t say Therin and Morin are particularly compelling characters, but I get the sense this is actually a Distant Prologue, so it won’t be a problem if that’s the case. On to the actual story!
Comments
Well, for instance the lightning strike seemed like a huge Deus Ex Machina when I read the book the first time, and Rand's periods of inexplicable foolhardy behavior and/or brief sickness puzzled me. But once you know what's coming...the symptoms Moiraine describes to Nynaeve of a girl learning unconsciously to channel match up pretty well. Refreshes Bela en route to Baerlon (her example, when she says she started to suspect), has persistent headache and stands up to Whitecloaks. Saved from Trolloc by boom swinging loose (which Gelb was sure he'd secured), does his stunt in the rigging several days later. Four Kings lightning strike, comes down with short, rapid fever while Mat takes care of him.
Also if you haven't caught on, Rand can channel, which is not a good thing in the view of 99% of the world, including himself. You probably didn't see my comment since I posted it long after you passed that point, but...this is actually hinted at 3 times earlier (Baerlon, Domon's ship, Four Kings), with Moiraine's talk with Nynaeve being the key. One of those Fridge Brilliance moments when I got it.