First, I agree with Cannoli that it is obviously Sanderson's work rather than RJ's but that didn't really bother me. The subtlety was missing, but in a way it makes sense and I believe RJ may have chosen the same path had he been writing it. The WoT world now is not what it was before. Tarmon Gai'don is drawing closer, the Dark One is apparently affecting the world more and more, and in a time where things are becoming that dire, the characters who are to play a large part in the coming war (or perhaps, the war that is already happening around them without them really acknowledging it) would completely moronic to be tiptoeing around what needs to be done.

The first quote that caught my eye:

Even the black-veiled Aiel, who had ravaged the land during the Aiel
War, had never taken the city. Many claimed this as a great victory.
Others wondered what would have happened if the Aiel had actually
wanted to cross into the city.

This stood out to me, as well, mainly because 'the city' was repeated, and it really sounds amateurish. At the very least he could substitute another word to describe Tar Valon.

The next quote, which I found infinitely more important due to the information that we were subtly given, IMO:

The rebel army was poised, but uncertain. Over fifty thousand strong,
it camped in a massive ring of tents around the smaller camp of Aes
Sedai. There was a tight perimeter between the inner camp and the
outer one, a perimeter that had most recently been intended to exclude
men, particularly those who could wield saidin.

I think you are reading too much into this statement. As of KoD, the perimeter was intended to keep the Aes Sedai close since they were being murdered by someone who wielded saidin. That person turned out to be Aran'gar.

This has nothing to do with the Ashaman. In fact, we don't even know if the Rebels have Bonded their Ashaman yet. My guess is no. Mainly because if an Ashaman Bondmate is suspected of something, by extension this suspicion incorporates the Aes Sedai. Meaning that the Aes Sedai herself would probably be dwelling with her saidin using Bondmate.



This is due to the death of the entire royal family. Rand doesn't know this, but a few sul'dam being sent back with news of a Forsaken is just going to add to the chaos in that nation. Thus he is spreading chaos by sending them back.

This has nothing to do with Egwene. In fact, I think this has more to do with Mat or Perrin.



My hunch is that he will not face Graendal. She's smart. Her palace was not meant to withstand a direct attack. She would flee, and attack from another direction. Especially since Semirhage had vanished. There would, of course, be rumours among the Chosen about what happened to her.



I actually think this is not foreshadowing - it somewhat goes back to the scene that played out a book ago. When confronted by Semirhage, and unable to reach saidin, Rand did not reach out for his sword or a weapon (useless in this confrontation) - he reached in front of Min to protect her. The implication, IMHO, is that Rand doesn't realize that it is Min that will bring him into danger once again.

7. Alivia wearing red. I found that odd. Rand's thoughts are that she meant to be confrontational, then has a random thought that she had an intensity that suggested a Whitecloak. I know this was likely a random description, but something about it bugged me. Her wearing Red (being compared with someone of the Red Ajah and worse, a Whitecloak) is not a good sign.



I don't really have a problem with this. Especially since, in this context, it really is becoming clear that Rand's descent into madness has something to do with his feelings about women.



I think you missed out on the fact that for all of Nynaeve's blustering Rand considered her an Aes Sedai just as much as he did Cadsuane with only a caveat reminder thrown in that she used to be a Wisdom.



I think Cadsuane basically has a good point, and Rand is only going to seem more insane by refusing to acknowledge it. In fact, what Rand calls "torture" is based on what happened to him at Dumai Wells - I get the feeling that he doesn't really know what the Aes Sedai do to prisoners or what Cadsuane intended. She might very well have created an altered Bond-weave that would inflict pain anytime Semirhage lied. But, personally, I think this has more to do with Rand's overall lack of respect for women as partners or equals. He's used to treating them as romantic objects or sexual creatures, but can't really conceive of one as an equal, enemy or ally. The closest he has come to this is female channelers.



In terms of Cadsuane's POV, she is following their agreement to the word. He said 'No', and she respected it. She doesn't, however, respect temper tantrums, insults or wimpy behavior. The same thing happened at the Cleansing - Rand told her what he was going to do and it was the other Aes Sedai on the scene that objected. Cadsuane merely heard him out, and then set about organizing a defense (with no verbal harangues or tongue lashings). In other words - their relationship has give and take, and she is teaching him respect.



I think that Nynaeve is finally becoming aware of the stakes in this. Egwene has been for quite some time. You can compare their Accepted tests and note that while Egwene's were wrapped with saving Rand (and by extension the world), Nynaeve's were more personal in nature. Now that Nynaeve has had her block removed, and has been studying Cadsuane and other Aes Sedai, she is achieving an emotional balance, and is able to think of herself as being a judge for the greater good.



I think you miss the point here - he considers both Egwene AND Nynaeve Aes Sedai. He is really starting to lose it when he doesn't know what Egwene would do, but is willing to stand up for a Forsaken. This is the second time in the series he has abandoned Egwene (the first was when he let Aviendha and Egwene be tormented by Lanfear) for a Forsaken, and it is a clue that his weakness is starting to distance him from his female allies. This has already happened with Mat and Perrin, but this is the first time we've seen him be so cold and inherently wrong about Min, Egwene and Nynaeve. I wonder what he thinks of Elayne.



I think it is because Nynaeve, from her prior experience as a Wisdom treating incurable illnesses, and Cadsuane, from her experiences with male channelers, know that there is nothing you can do to win an argument against a fanatic...or a mad man. However you can tally up insanity, it is becoming obvious to those around him that he really is going down that path - he has been too deeply tainted by the Dark One's touch at this point to benefit from purifying saidin. In a way, it is worse. Semirhage's claim gains traction because regardless of the "hows" or the "whys", the outcome seems pretty obvious - insanity. Exactly as she said.



I thought differently. I think, in the same way that Egwene "needs to reach the top" by working/trusting a Seanchan woman, Rand needs to do the same with his "friends".

What struck me most about Chapter 1 is that he coldly thinks of using Min as a source of love rather than a person, that he dismisses two of his friends as Aes Sedai (we haven't seen what he thinks of Elayne - if he starts calling her an Aes Sedai, I think Rand will no longer exist) and that at this point, it is very hard to argue that he is not insane (some readers really were convinced that he was merely misunderstood, but I think enough have commented over the past few books that he nosedived into irrattionality around Book VII to make this chapter very convincing).

There is also the possibility that by entering the Dream in the flesh during his desperate battles against some of the Forsaken, that his humanity itself has taken a hard blow.

Victory really does "teeter on the edge of a blade", because Rand is no longer capable of acting - he did this to himself, mainly through ignorance which he cannot be blamed for and mis-understanding his role.

This chapter stood out to me because it was the first time I didn't recognize Rand as a character, but the tenor of the POV's seemed more akin to Lews Therin. He is making the same mistakes that Lews Therin made, and I hope that Cadsuane can show him this before it's too late.