Many people have written about stylistic changes that have occurred since RJ passed away and BS took over. Maybe my real problem is that I can't figure out if this was one of Jordan's classic dumb ideas or if this was an overblown element added by Sanderson. I'm not sure.

For my part, I am happy to have Cyndane and/or Lanfear back in the story. I try not to be an unreasonable reader, but "Gathering DFs" and off-screen fights, and eye-Air-ing random people is simply too little attention given to a part that's supposed to be a big deal. Is this how I want her back?

I am happy to have a re-forged Rand confront an evil person of significance to him (which almost sounds lame, given how rarely they really met). Still, it felt awkward and silly when I was baldly told that Rand ("totally in equal love with 3 women" Rand) gets all sweaty over Lanfear's new incarnation.

We've been asked to accept Rand's raunchy-at-a-pin-drop, childishly-chaste-otherwise, affectionate-yet-indecisive (I think that covers it) horniness. And we're to believe that he's a fair guy who'd still ask 3 women to marry him. Now we add desire for "the bad girl" or "the bondage girl" or "the damsel in distress" (depending on your interpretation) with only one entry left.

To some extent, I could believe that this "event" is supposed to signify Rand's integration. Which could've received more build-up, really. Now that he's whatever he is now, he's gotta deal more directly with things that mattered to Lews Therin. Still, even LTT was a man that we should believe was happily, perfectly in love with Ilyena before he married her, much less left Lanfear. Before the War was official, really...

So how would either part of Rand - Lews or, um, Rand - feel desire to a woman who sort of dimly assumed that her gorgeousness and connection to the Dragon was playing out beautifully? That her dumb little notion of controlling everyone was totally cool with this kid who just barely managed to not openly defy her, and only part of the time at that?

That's certainly one way of looking at Lanfear. Still, we all know she's the sort of woman who tortures and kills good people. The sort that wanted Ilyena dead, and would think nothing of anyone's life, much less a dead child's corpse.

Actually, if you pretend she is the most perfect-est woman you could imagine, it sort of makes sense that she might have some kind of dizzying Glamour. Something that might possibly make people glide over ruthless avarice and sociopathy.

Now she's a short, busty, silver-blonde woman whose new, different beauty would still be ruined by Mierin's awful personality. Am I the only one, male or not, to think that Rand's dream-arousal was a bit OTT? And should this really be an element to deal with, much less satisfactorily resolve, in the last book of the series? Why undermine the working conceit of his "reasonable" tripartite love life?

Things that effectively have to occur in the final novel: saving Caemlyn, Graendal's fate, treaty/resolved war with seanchan, egwene to ally with seanchan, eggie to be saved by gawyn, Moggie/Cyndie resolving the mindtrap issue (or not), lan to live/die in the blight (saving the borderlands in so doing), Logain finally doing something again, Demandred, The Black Tower Clearance Sale, Morishamael, Padan Fain, (probably) Taim, Moiraine's contribution to the lb, Avi's efforts to change the Aiel's lot, whatever part of Aiel prophecy hasn't been fulfilled ("take them back?", the Sea Folk contributing something, (probably) Isam's big showdown, what becomes of Loial and the Ogier, perrin (and wolves) to arrive at the LB, Rand's fight and death (assist going to Alivia), and the resulting victory or defeat at TG.

And probably that funeral we've read so much about. Wives only, I guess... Or are all his other friends dead/gone?

In the closing moments of the penultimate book we get dream bondage/torture for a shockingly-perceptive Rand, who finds the new obsessive, attractive, rotten-as-hell chick hot. And he thinks he's maybe gotta rescue her. He's got 3 weddings bands already. Odd.

What think you?