I initially had the same thought, but it fits too well, and seems to important overall. With the CK gone, Callandor becomes the defacto "power weapon" for Rand and Co. We already knew about it's "flawed" creation....which I'm beginning to think is no longer a "flaw" but a deliberate design....which requires the small circle in order to properly operate. It does take 3 to function, and in effect those 3 do become 1 when doing so. Maybe this time a duck is just a duck?
You may be right. Occum's Razor could be the answer here.
Oh, for sure. I was yearning for a post-Semi Moridin POV. What the hell could the "merge" mean for him? Did Rand channel the TP via Moridin? Or did the DO grant it directly to Rand himself? Moridin noted during their visit how similar the two where becoming...pointing out the fatigue and wondering from whom it came...and Rand's actions after the incident scream "Moridin" in terms of mannerisms, perception of events, ability to influence those around (ie: everyone's just a tool), etc. The shift in Rand was not soley due to "the last that could be done" IMO, but also having to do with Moridin and/or DO's corrupt influence. Moridin himself seemed perplexed as to the nature of the merging and exactly what it would mean for both, and the events at the end upon DM have also surely influenced how this will play out. I'm fairly confident we haven't heard the last about this 
I couldn't agree more. This issue is likely the one I'll be most interested to see play out, to the extent that it does at all, in ToM.
Recall that Egwene was rather upset at the "rescue" by Siuan/Gawyn/Byrne. She saw it as a failure, and not as a rescue at all. It may be that had they not pulled her out of the WT at that time Mesaana would have caught and killed her. Egwene may have misplaced anger in this regard. She doesn't know it, but given the viewings we as the reader are aware of, we do.
I tend to think Mesaana had to have fled during the raid...just in case, as an adam would work just as well on her....and returned sometime after, if at all. Given that many of the BA fled...and by Egwene's estimation were given warning to do so...it's not implausible to think that Mesaana sent word out to flee, and followed her own advice. Also on this topic, Egwene may be fooling herself at the end, when she thinks that Mesaana may have the knowledge to defeat the Oath Rod. That may well be true, but Egwene seems to have blinded herself to the fact that Mesaana may not be hiding as a sister at all. I don't recall if we have definitive proof about this one way or the other, and both Verin's spoken report to Egwene and written report do not stipulate that Mesaana has to be hiding as a channeler....only that she is hiding within the Tower itself.
I tend to think Mesaana had to have fled during the raid...just in case, as an adam would work just as well on her....and returned sometime after, if at all. Given that many of the BA fled...and by Egwene's estimation were given warning to do so...it's not implausible to think that Mesaana sent word out to flee, and followed her own advice. Also on this topic, Egwene may be fooling herself at the end, when she thinks that Mesaana may have the knowledge to defeat the Oath Rod. That may well be true, but Egwene seems to have blinded herself to the fact that Mesaana may not be hiding as a sister at all. I don't recall if we have definitive proof about this one way or the other, and both Verin's spoken report to Egwene and written report do not stipulate that Mesaana has to be hiding as a channeler....only that she is hiding within the Tower itself.
The question of how much evidence we have on whether Mesaana is hiding as a channeler occurred to me too. I doubt RJ would have given her (and only her) the ability to skirt the Oath Rod; that somehow doesn't seem to constitute fair play with us readers
While on the subject of Egwene, did you also think her reaction to the rescue went a little overboard, especially where Siuan was concerned? Any reasonable person would have assumed she was in grave danger under the circumstances, and for her to fault them for doing so smacks of 20/20 hindsight to me.That's true, and I've gone back and reviewed the info on this. It may still hold information about DF's....and IMO this is part of it....but clearly there were some form of "instructions" included. Bascially, putting together what Verin told Mat and what she told Egwene, the letter (and all the others like it) are Verin's hedge against her needing to die to carry out her task with Egwene regarding the BA-AS. She told Mat that she actually hoped to return and relieve him of the letter...indicating it was something she was doing out of necessity. She informs Egwene that because she had to use the "backup plan"...poison...she had several of her "plans" seen to, to be put in motion should she not return. Mat's sealed letter is one of these "plans". And as she won't be returning anytime soon, it's expected that Mat will be the one to put that particular plan in motion.
Right. I wonder, then, if she decided to take the risk of dying before Mat opened the letter because the contents of his letter were less crutial than those of Egwene's, because she felt sure he would open it, or for some other reason.
But I also can't help but wonder if there's just a little something more to what Verin did. She seems to imply that she might return from death! She notes that "I am not eager for death; there are still things I need to do" and states that she "set several of them in motion to be....seen to, in case I do not return". Implying she did not set them all in motion, and for some reason expects to return to take care of them. Or not, perhaps it's simply what it is and I've read too much into it.
The passage you mention struck me too, but it could be argued that she betrayed the DO in her final hours and thus wouldn't be eligible to return to life at all, for better or worse. I'm not sure if that argument would hold here, but I think it would be worth considering.
Initial observations and questions on finishing the book
- 25/10/2009 08:56:37 PM
2615 Views
Re: Initial observations and questions on finishing the book
- 25/10/2009 11:10:41 PM
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Looking ahead to ToM
- 25/10/2009 11:47:31 PM
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Re: Looking ahead to ToM
- 26/10/2009 01:33:47 AM
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Re: Looking ahead to ToM
- 26/10/2009 01:42:50 AM
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Re: Looking ahead to ToM
- 26/10/2009 04:27:56 AM
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Some responses
- 26/10/2009 03:46:31 PM
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Re: Some responses
- 26/10/2009 07:14:51 PM
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Re: Some responses
- 26/10/2009 08:26:32 PM
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Re: Some responses
- 26/10/2009 09:45:58 PM
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Re: Some responses
- 26/10/2009 10:22:07 PM
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Rand and Moridin revisited
- 27/10/2009 01:28:55 PM
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Re: Rand and Moridin revisited
- 27/10/2009 02:46:54 PM
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Nice idea about the TP turning in on itself to defeat the DO. I like it!
- 27/10/2009 02:52:03 PM
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Re: Initial observations and questions on finishing the book
- 29/10/2009 07:19:08 PM
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I'm thinking the same. The 3-1 prophecy is about Rand Elayne and Aviendah
- 12/11/2009 11:19:44 AM
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Rand fulfilled the Seanchan prophesy...
- 30/10/2009 01:18:50 AM
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That's a really really good point. I Hadn't thought of it that way before. *NM*
- 30/10/2009 03:33:29 AM
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