Not at all - Edit 1
Before modification by Sidious at 20/09/2009 03:36:53 PM
One could argue that the point has repeatedly been made that Demandred takes no joy from military strategy, that he is in fact a reluctant general, and that military strategy is merely a necessary sideshow for him in his primary quest of destroying Lews Therin. This has been made very clear. It was made yet again in the Prologue to TGS.
That point has never been made. Demandred describes himself as a general at the Cleansing! Graendal merely remarks that he seems get no joy from battle despite being a great general. It's no shock - everything he does is to either thwart Lews Therin or prove that he is better, and considering he has never achieved that even once, he's remained unfulfilled. That is why Graendal thinks he holds on to foolish grudges - he's reaching for the sun.
The confrontation between Lews Therin and Demandred has been built up from both sides (by both Demandred and Lews Therin himself), throughout the series. You don't think that it would be quite an anti-climax if nothing comes of it? Certainly, RJ could have gotten a lot more mileage out of Demandred's character than he has up to now. The only reason for keeping him in the background would be for the brief bits of foreshadowing to culminate in this epic confrontation at the end.
It hasn't been built up by Lews Therin. If you are referring to Lews Therin's offhand remark that he would like to kill Demandred AND Sammael, then that would be the limit of the 'climactic build up'. Demandred has never been one of Lews Therin's priorities - he's mentioned Demandred as often as he's mentioned killing Sammael, or making Semirhage suffer, or referring to the justice in Lanfear dying.
Besides, Demandred is not a match for Rand, which is a fact you continuously ignore. Demandred was always second to Lews Therin. Why would the author torture us with the most predictible fight in the series? Demandred isn't going to offer a better fight than Sammael or Rahvin did. I don't see how you can think the series will end in that way when his own ally thinks that Demandred will never face Rand without a sa'angreal. To suggest further that Demandred will actually beat Rand and kill him goes even one step further.
One could equally argue that the theme of the Shadow being brought low by its very nature - by the infighting and betrayal within its own ranks - would be equally well demonstrated by Demandred thwarting Moridin on the cusp of victory by killing Rand instead of letting him be turned.
Well that's a theory you're entitled to grasp to, but I can't see Demandred killing Moridin when he couldn't manage it in the War of Power, and Rand has done it several times. Graendal also wants to make Moridin into a slave, and Aran'gar wants to kill Moridin - it doesn't mean that any of this is true foreshadowing.
It is pretty clear now that Moridin's only hope is for Rand to be turned to the Shadow rather than being killed. His decision to bring Graendal into his fold is driven precisely by this need. He needs her to use her specialist skills to start preparing him psychologically for covnersion to the Shadow. Rand being killed would be the exact opposite of what he needs to happen - and yet that is exactly what is going to happen. Rand WILL die -at least this incarnation of him will. That much has been heavily foreshadowed. Whether his soul lives on in another body is yet to be revealed. But he will die, somehow. And the above is a likely way for it to happen, in my view.
There are many Forsaken who want a piece of Rand - Cyndane most of all, but they might all be cut short.
Moridin directly said he wanted to fight Rand in the Final Battle, and there's no evidence that he'll renege on this deal. He made it clear as early as TDR that conversion was no longer part of the Shadow's plot with al'Thor.
Moridin isn't going to fight him. Because killing him will kill Moridin as well. I agree that no one is going to beat Rand in a face to face confrontation. But the end won't be a face to face, one on one battle to the death. It will be a complex, multi-faceted engagement, with plenty of opportunity for treacherous balefiring from the sides, and no doubt with more than one unexpected twist thrown in for good measure.
Treacherous balefiring which could claim Demandred as much as anyone. It strongly hints at the theme that pride comes before the fall, and that Demandred will be taken out by someone rather average - much like Lanfear was pushed through the door by Moiraine, or how she balefired Be'lal, or how Nynaeve burned Rahvin. There is no evidence that Demandred will get any greater death than these mentioned above. The whole point of Demandred is for us to see that he should have stayed on the Light and remained Lews Therin's friend and ally. The author isn't going to grant glory to a traitor and potential Dragon who sold his soul - he's going to have him lose everything. It's happened to most of the Forsaken, it will happen to Demandred.
The whole secret behind Demandred is his hidden land, and for us to see his army and his strategic skills. RJ already popped the balloon surrounding his channeling prowess at the Cleansing when he himself said he wasn't made for this lowly work, and when Flinn and friends chased him away. Demandred has little value as an individual - but great value as a strategist, which is why he's obviously been left for the Final Battle. That's why I think Mat will compete against him - he's got a thousand generals knowledge in his brain, and it'll be good to see if he can match Demandred.