...I will come back to this post and LMAO.
The chances are that you will have a good laugh. Almost all of my predictions have been well thought out, at least in my opinion even in hindsight, but they have been almost universally wrong. It is VERY hard to predict anything of any substance in WoT. RJ holds too many cards close to his vest and there are just too many options. What I would like to see is Chapter 1 being a teaser with the actual meeting occurring around 2/3 in the book after everyone else has caught up.
Seriously, I just want to challenge a few of your points.
As you should!
Others must do the heavy lifting from now until Rand confronts the DO and beyond. Rand will still be present as will his aura. But his days of reckless attacks are over. His job now is to keep his serenity and prepare himself for the final battle.
Don't forget, there are still prophecies Rand has not fulfilled yet. The 'Finn prophecy regarding the land working in unison does not directly relate to Rand. However, he is the only one with the knowledge that this must happen in order for the world to win. Others may come to see the logic in this (ie Egwene or Tuon), but Rand alone is aware of the absolute necessity of it. Therefore I predict he will actually have quite an active role in this.
Furthermore, Rand's death/rebirth prophecy is bound to have a lot of action and drama surrounding it. This prophecy may or may not be in this book, but I predict it will close out the story.
True. I think that Rand will play a prominent role. I just think and hope that he gets a little bit of a break now and let the other main characters clear the board of the rest of the Forsaken and a good portion of the unity that needs to occur. The vast majority of Rand's successes to date have been due to extremely brash and often reckless decisions that have turned out good only because of the will of the pattern. I don't think that Rand can afford that type of recklessness.
On a related note, what must it be like to realize that the world depends on your mood?
Whether in jest or in seriousness, I think you are incorrect in this statement. I don't think Rand's moods are so much affecting his newfound powers so much as his outlook or maybe his understanding of how the universe works and how he fits into it. Rand's conversation with his father highlights the point. It's not about fighting, it's about why you fight. What you fight for. Or, to borrow from Sanderson: life before death, journey before destination.
I don't think it is just outlook. There were several instances in tGS where Rand gets angry and VERY bad things happen at that very moment.
The worst thing about chapter 1
- 05/10/2010 04:14:31 AM
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If chapter 2 turns out to prove you wrong...
- 05/10/2010 05:49:05 PM
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When have I ever been right?
- 06/10/2010 05:47:27 AM
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About the "fanboy" part...
- 05/10/2010 08:38:23 PM
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Wait there was ever a doubt who the Dragon would turn out to be? I never had any question. *NM*
- 05/10/2010 08:45:15 PM
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tEotW's story moves quickly and surprises you often. Perrin's has a wolfening, and could be the DR. *NM*
- 06/10/2010 04:53:04 AM
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Funny I always thought that Perrins becoming a WB excluded ohm for being the DR
- 11/10/2010 04:02:43 PM
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Didn't BS say something about ...
- 05/10/2010 10:46:52 PM
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Yes he did, but I am hoping that he is wrong 
- 06/10/2010 06:09:08 AM
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- 06/10/2010 06:09:08 AM
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I don't think chapter 1-7 will be about Rand (or Egwene)
- 06/10/2010 06:21:57 AM
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Agreed, or perhaps we'll hear from Elayne or other less interesting arcs to the casual reader. *NM*
- 06/10/2010 09:09:17 PM
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