Active Users:732 Time:23/12/2024 06:49:31 AM
You're unfair to RJ. It had a purpose. DomA Send a noteboard - 04/11/2010 02:44:44 AM
RJ's storytelling style always relied heavily on the 3rd PP, limited knowledge of what really was going on, and the POV traps.

This was the book in which Rand became or lost estranged pretty much everyone he had personal ties with or who could counsel him or whom he could trust: Mat who evaded him, Egwene, Moiraine, Lan etc.m- and the person he confided the most to was his Forsaken teacher, whom he lost at the end as well. From there, he was virtually on his own among strangers, and several new dubious characters where about to enter the stage, and we would see them and make our opinion of them mostly through Rand's POV only - people like Bashere, Taim etc., agreing or disagreeing with Rand about the trust or mistrust he felt for each of those. Rand's POVs were conveying to us his increasing paranoia, which in part we were meant to share, which could only work if we were missing information about stuff that looked relevant but wasn't necessarily important, hiding among the red herrings a few of the important things to notice.

RJ handed us extra info Rand didn't have: Asmodean had not fled, he was murdered. Not revealing why and how he was killed created the feeling there was a hidden plot ongoing Rand was not seeing, obsessed with his notion that Asmodean had fled. This also contrasted Rand's decision to trust Taim, whom nearly no reader trusted from his first scene (nor were we ever supposed to trust Taim, Jordan wove around him the same themes of jealousy and scorn of Rand he had introduced for Demandred, then we the Taimandred phenomenon started he sort of backed off some, probably guessing he had overdone it if people associated Demandred and Taim so fast, to the point of believing they were one and the same).

Of course, it's the most obvious suspect who turned out to have killed Asmodean. Of course the murder actually was "irrelevant". It had played it's role, of getting rid of Asmodean, and augmenting the paranoia about plots around Rand. It had no bearing whatsoever of the rest of the story and what happened really wasn't all that interesting, which was probably why RJ originally intended never to return to this and spelled out who it was.

The rest, it is the readers and the internet, that turned a minor story point into this large mystery. That's only after that happened that RJ started having fun with this... not his fault if readers insisted so much on questioning him about this so-called mystery, mind you. He was actually a good sport to have included enough clues to solve the mystery by eliminating the Chosen who didn't kill Asmodean. All those crazy theories about Lanfear, Slayer, Aviendha, Mat, Moiraine... RJ's not to blame for making a huge deal like this out of it. When the writer keeps insisting that he doesn't intend to reveal something, the obvious conclusion, one many argued about for years, is that the solution must be irrevelant to the greater story, and not interesting enough to include in the books... But readers kept insisting, and RJ gave in - and so there it is, in all it's irrelevance, obviousness and boring glory. If RJ were still here, he could say "well, now you see why I thought it more interesting never to solve this".

The great mystery to solve about Asmodean, and it's been solved by many years ago, was that it was a red herring, that a Chosen had a chance and took it and that was that, nothing more. I never really mattered which Chosen did it, after you puzzled out from the context that this murder happened by pure chance (Asmodean himself didn't know he'd go that way and open this door mere seconds before he did) and wasn't part of any big plot.

The only interest in solving it would have been if RJ had plans to use the spies Graendal no doubt compelled among the servants that day in the palace. Since Rand moved out long ago, and these spies were probably but drops into the ocean of her network.... *shrugs*.
Reply to message
The gratuitous gloating Asmodean feed - 03/11/2010 05:16:23 PM 1995 Views
I'd still like to see a PoV from her thinking about it. - 03/11/2010 05:19:44 PM 1016 Views
I still don't get.... - 03/11/2010 05:42:00 PM 1150 Views
Re: I still don't get.... - 03/11/2010 05:53:37 PM 1079 Views
Re: I still don't get.... - 04/11/2010 05:34:02 AM 1483 Views
slayer still pulled the trigger. - 03/11/2010 06:29:59 PM 981 Views
She was always my front-runner, but I have to admit, I never really cared about this whodunnit - 03/11/2010 06:09:20 PM 951 Views
I used to entertain unusual suspects when I was bored - 03/11/2010 06:11:45 PM 967 Views
Etzel: I told you so *NM* - 03/11/2010 06:20:11 PM 730 Views
Bleh - 03/11/2010 07:00:43 PM 997 Views
What she said! +1 *NM* - 03/11/2010 07:16:02 PM 516 Views
Yes and no but yes =) - 03/11/2010 09:18:14 PM 984 Views
You're unfair to RJ. It had a purpose. - 04/11/2010 02:44:44 AM 1050 Views
I agree that it was we readers who made it a big deal - 04/11/2010 03:11:11 AM 1046 Views
I am being fair, but not generous - 04/11/2010 04:28:34 AM 1076 Views
TOTALLY AGREE - 04/11/2010 05:25:18 AM 1020 Views
I agree completely. - 04/11/2010 07:54:13 AM 980 Views
Re: I agree completely. - 04/11/2010 07:57:29 AM 986 Views
I agree too - 05/11/2010 10:13:52 AM 997 Views
Re: I agree too - 06/11/2010 06:53:36 AM 1066 Views
Yeah it sucks! - 04/11/2010 05:12:55 AM 985 Views
+1 - Totally pointless..... *NM* - 07/11/2010 04:16:46 PM 437 Views
BWAHAHAHAHAHA .... I TOLD YOU SO ETZEL!!! SLAYER MY ASS!!! - 03/11/2010 10:04:13 PM 1081 Views
- 04/11/2010 02:11:13 AM 1071 Views
How boring and pointless this all ended up being. *NM* - 04/11/2010 02:57:32 AM 492 Views
Not at all. It was fun arguing about it for years. *shrugs* *NM* - 06/11/2010 04:40:36 AM 439 Views
I was also right. *NM* - 04/11/2010 03:22:40 AM 541 Views
Here it comes... - 04/11/2010 05:44:38 AM 1187 Views
Too much enthusiasm. *NM* - 04/11/2010 05:45:01 AM 649 Views
Yeah yeah - 04/11/2010 07:20:58 PM 1032 Views
Bad job by RJ - Graendal? - 07/11/2010 04:15:15 PM 1097 Views
Not to be negative or such, but - 08/11/2010 03:43:39 PM 1167 Views

Reply to Message