I'm just starting TSR ... I started with NS this time ... I had forgotten a bit how fast paced the first books really were! So many things happen between the TR and Tear it's sort of astounding! I'm going to start making a bit more time for myself to read as I find the series is better when taken in all at once.

I have always been a fan of the Egwene storyline, mostly because I like that sort of intrigue. She is already starting to show the instincts Moiraine comments on early in the series and I am enjoying her inner struggles with her bitchiness toward Nynaeve and her feelings about Rand. Funny, I actually want her to not be in love with him, but she clearly was up until some point in TDR ... her real transformation seems to start in TSR.

Nynaeve is such a great character IMO ... she grows in practically every chapter into a more capable women with each step in her journey, but she never loses the fundamental parts of who she is.

I'm actually enjoying Perrin this go round, which is new for me ... maybe knowing how things turn out for him makes his journey in hindsight more compelling.

Verin is amazing now that I know exactly what her purpose is. She clearly managed to hold back Black despite the fact that they have many ways to ensure otherwise. I find myself craving more POV from her now because every time she's onscreen now I tend to start wondering how she is determining who's BA and who isn't.

Without NS I think Moiraine isn't a good character. She makes a flood of errors and is dead wrong on a ton of information. I almost suspect RJ dumped he for so long because he decided to elaborate on the OP system and needed a different set of characters to do it without having Moiraine being a liar. I haven't gotten to Cadsuane's introduction just yet, but I wonder if I'll like her more now.

Mat still makes me laugh.

RJ made a lot of little shifts in the OP after TDR, even things as small seeming as men and women being able to sense the other sex channeling to some degree. Be'lal clearly knew what was about to happen to him (why he didn't do something about it is anyone's guess) when Moiraine balefired him. Ishamael, on a number of occasions, seemed to know how powerful the women he was dealing with were as well, I suppose it's easy enough to retcon the idea that he and Be'lal were using weaves of some sort for these detections.

So far the early Foresaken are more interesting than they became later. Lanfear' direct interactions with Rand and the girls are fun and give off an air that she could crush them all with very little effort. But I still want to know how Moiraine figured out it was Sammael in Illian and Be'lal in Tear ... does anyone recall an RJ quote on the subject?