There's a really good quote : "The successful criminal mind is always superior. It has to be, to avoid defeat."
No. All that is needed for success as a criminal is the absence of intelligence on the part of the law.
Of the vast number of successful criminals in this world, few are genius super crooks, who lay subtle, twenty year long plans to confound the genius police forces (which rarely exist).
The quote above seems appropriate for some Agatha Christie novel, where the detectives are so clever, that only the master crooks can almost beat them. Crime in reality is more a competition of lower stupidity than greater genius.
I think it's so pertinent. The Forsaken are obviously flawed, but RJ has made them so lame they can't get anything right. The score is about 500-0 to the Light, which is very one-sided if you ask me. I have doubts that the Shadow will affect the Light significantly in the last three books. Graendal has been sent to devastate Rand emotionally - as an experiment let's see if this can be achieved to any reasonable degree.
Their score is 500 to 0? In which book series? You make the mistake of measuring their success by the body count of a gang of 15 people! You ignore the vast suffering, the major wars and the sheer chaos they have spread to the common man.
Maybe that is RJ's greatest flaw. That he failed to show us how Graendal's actions affected the common Domani, how Semirhage's actions have wrought unspeakable suffering in a huge continent, how Sammael, Asmodean and Rhavin sent thousands to deaths. Because we can only appreciate these in a cerebral fashion, too many people tend to write off the evil of these characters.
Imagine writing off Hitler as one of humanities greatest evils because he never won a duel and in the end shot himself. Imagine writing off all the deaths of the millions of Jews because Hitler was a moron whose idiotic policies saw the most brilliant minds rush to America to help in the construction of an atom bomb. Imagine writing off the instigator of the most destructive war human kind has seen because he was paranoid and a megalomaniac who failed to use his best generals out of fear.
Because that's what you're doing here.
TGS Prologue - your thoughts (part 2) *spoilers*
16/09/2009 04:55:21 AM
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Where can i find it at? Can someone give me a link? *NM*
18/09/2009 02:21:10 AM
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mobipocket.com
18/09/2009 02:53:13 AM
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Thanks, It was interesting especially the last part of the prologue *NM*
20/09/2009 02:42:28 AM
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A pointless survey - take your guess at who wrote what of the Prologue
18/09/2009 01:30:24 PM
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Re: A pointless survey - take your guess at who wrote what of the Prologue
18/09/2009 07:08:43 PM
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The prologue gives us strong evidence that Graendal is weaker than Demi or Semi
18/09/2009 03:55:58 PM
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I'm a little surprised nobody is discussing this. I thought this would get more attention. *NM*
20/09/2009 09:17:57 PM
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Is it me or do the Forsaken seem more viscious?
18/09/2009 04:17:22 PM
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yep, leaner and meaner...except for mesaana-she's still twitchy after shadar haran *NM*
18/09/2009 05:09:29 PM
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Trollocs!
18/09/2009 05:35:12 PM
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Why not a gray man then?
18/09/2009 07:52:55 PM
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Because they wanted to destroy as much of the force as possible
19/09/2009 12:07:57 AM
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But there's no plausible deniability
19/09/2009 12:50:42 AM
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But even several grey men or slayer aren't going to get the deed done
19/09/2009 02:28:36 AM
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Who is Graendal going to wack?
18/09/2009 06:00:12 PM
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I think it could be Tam. *NM*
18/09/2009 06:05:12 PM
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Great idea.
18/09/2009 07:12:40 PM
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Its about time for Perrin to reunite with Rand he's got Faile back
18/09/2009 08:15:47 PM
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Re: Its about time for Perrin to reunite with Rand he's got Faile back
18/09/2009 10:41:12 PM
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Mesaana's statement gives us a big clue about Demandred's and Moridin's whereabouts
18/09/2009 09:11:49 PM
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My favorite quote: "Who will win? The child or the fool?" - Graendal
18/09/2009 09:48:55 PM
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but she didn't say 'the fool or the fool'
19/09/2009 02:07:20 PM
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Yes, because Cannoli has long valued the opinions of the Forsaken...
20/09/2009 06:10:58 AM
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Forsaken Chapter
18/09/2009 10:30:10 PM
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I agree that Graendal will die in this book.... her and A'rangar *NM*
19/09/2009 08:14:07 AM
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Various comments
19/09/2009 05:38:21 PM
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The Dying Man
19/09/2009 06:48:09 PM
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After a reread I think I know who sent the Trollocs
19/09/2009 08:28:08 PM
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Another reason why Moridin is not Taim
19/09/2009 08:41:03 PM
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This isn't evidence.
19/09/2009 08:51:54 PM
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It isn't evidence, but it is another perspective to add to the table
19/09/2009 09:11:15 PM
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Why is Moridin and not Demandred marshalling the Dark Forces in the Blight?
19/09/2009 10:35:06 PM
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I think there are many issues here
19/09/2009 10:51:13 PM
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The Malign Influence of the Forsaken
19/09/2009 11:08:00 PM
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I have doubts about that degree of conversion
19/09/2009 11:17:44 PM
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Re: Why is Moridin and not Demandred marshalling the Dark Forces in the Blight?
20/09/2009 09:44:06 AM
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Did Demandred make the connection between Moridin's phantom hand-pain and Semirhage's firebolt?
20/09/2009 12:11:32 PM
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I don't think that Demandred will be a key player at the end with Rand
20/09/2009 01:00:58 PM
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Some sweeping statements there...
20/09/2009 01:21:46 PM
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Not at all
20/09/2009 03:34:59 PM
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A lot of twisting my words there, and direct contradictions of your own points...
20/09/2009 04:19:57 PM
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Not really
20/09/2009 05:12:42 PM
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I couldn't have summarized it better myself...
20/09/2009 05:25:56 PM
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But...
20/09/2009 06:01:33 PM
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Possible...
20/09/2009 06:08:21 PM
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So that's your argument now?
20/09/2009 07:35:52 PM
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I think you took that the wrong way...
20/09/2009 08:53:28 PM
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Wow, then I think you're in for a surprise
20/09/2009 08:38:37 PM
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Just a general comment...
20/09/2009 09:13:51 PM
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Re: Just a general comment...
20/09/2009 09:59:51 PM
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I reject the cult of the "cool" villain.
20/09/2009 11:24:40 PM
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I don't really agree
21/09/2009 05:02:10 AM
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But these aren't criminals...
21/09/2009 05:47:40 AM
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