Looks like I touched a nerve there.
As if being irritating is admirable. You've been whining about this Lanfear/Demandred thing for as long as I've known you.
Just to correct you. I have definitely not contended that Semirhage's humiliation is a new approach to the Forsaken. Sadly, it is not. Instead, it merely takes an existing trend to a greater and unprecedented height.
That's because Semirhage is more far gone than any of the other Forsaken, save perhaps Graendal. Had Rand managed to capture Graendal, it's likely he would have enslaved her in a similar way.
Personally I find it a poor way to maintain suspense in the story. And I find it interesting that the new author who is completing this series seems to share my distaste at the effect such a scene has on the building tension.
Is Hannibal Lecter a better person than Semirhage? No, they seem to be carbon copies of one another.
Now, imagine Silence of the Lambs if Hannibal is totally ridiculed by Clarice's maiden aunt, who takes to his bottom with a slipper and makes him cry in humiliation.
I can give countless examples, from countless suspense novels and movies of where such a scene would have destroyed the suspense.
In any case, I'm not trying to convince you. But I am trying to point out that you're WRONG.
Is Hannibal Lecter a better person than Semirhage? No, they seem to be carbon copies of one another.
Now, imagine Silence of the Lambs if Hannibal is totally ridiculed by Clarice's maiden aunt, who takes to his bottom with a slipper and makes him cry in humiliation.
I can give countless examples, from countless suspense novels and movies of where such a scene would have destroyed the suspense.
In any case, I'm not trying to convince you. But I am trying to point out that you're WRONG.
But there was no lack of suspense. It only made Semirhage angrier. She wasn't stilled, or killed by the scene. She even pondered from her own PoV how she would kill Cadsuane with greater ferocity than she'd ever done before. What's your proof with regards to the tension being let down? In my opinion, you're affronted when the 'majesty' of the Forsaken is challenged - tension is only of secondary importance to you.
Personally, a scene where Semirhage looks on in horror as Alivia blasts her arm off at the elbow, before Min plunges a dagger into her spleen, and Narishma blows her legs off with an exploding flesh weave, would have been far more dramatic, and an equally just end for this "monster" of a Forsaken.
The spanking, in contrast, just had me blinking in surprise and checking the book's cover to make sure I wasn't reading some comedic rip-off of the series.
The spanking, in contrast, just had me blinking in surprise and checking the book's cover to make sure I wasn't reading some comedic rip-off of the series.
But she didn't die in that scene... she was spanked. She died after getting control of the Dragon Reborn with an a'dam, using her one great skill on him, seeing the True Power in action, and her being balefired. We even had some good evil monologue from her, with references to her skills and her abilities with saidin. That's at least up there with Sammael and Be'lal's deaths. Why are you going on about the spanking if it's not the scene where Semirhage demised?
Despite what you and others claim, I think we were poorly prepared for this scene. Semirhage has NEVER been portrayed as someone who cares in the least what others think of her. She is a somewhat deranged loner who dwells in her own fantasy world, and cares solely for the pleasure of torturing people.
She is no coward, and dispassionately isolates her own feelings of fear for later examination and analysis. If anything, she has seemed to go through life oblivious of what other people think, focused only on her own, unique obsessions and pleasures.
She is no coward, and dispassionately isolates her own feelings of fear for later examination and analysis. If anything, she has seemed to go through life oblivious of what other people think, focused only on her own, unique obsessions and pleasures.
Nonsense. In KoD we had a strong hint 'Why should I deny myself? I am Semirhage! Pride dripped from every word.' Her name strikes terror into people and she loves it. She loves that she is one of the most feared people from legend. It was inevitable that she would be immune to pain, but stripping her of her power over others was the key.
The Cadsuane scene came out of nowhere, and the explanation behind Semirhage's sudden collapse into tears left much to be desired. The Semirhage in the spanking scene did not add up to the Semirhage we have seen throughout the rest of the series.
That's because we've never seen Semirhage in the role of a victim. When she's in control she's like a queen on her throne. Cadsuane spent most of the time trying to work out how to break Semirhage. There were no less than three scenes with the Aes Sedai trying everything on her that they could. How could you say it came from nowhere?
What one would have expected to see in this scene, was Semirhage calmly saying to Cadsuane:
"Someone once tried to lay a hand on me before, girl. I ate her liver with a nice Chianti and some fava beans."
"Someone once tried to lay a hand on me before, girl. I ate her liver with a nice Chianti and some fava beans."
I rarely say this to people because I find it offensive, but have you read the book properly? There are multiple quotes that are almost identical to that. She tells Merise that she perfected a weave to draw blood out of a person and that she was going to test it on her... and Merise pales. She threatens them constantly.
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Fan of Lanfear
Fan of Lanfear
Semirhage vs Cadsuane - in Sanderson's words...
- 19/11/2009 09:58:19 PM
3015 Views
The two of you are pathetic
- 19/11/2009 10:09:34 PM
1485 Views
Your problem is...
- 19/11/2009 10:21:40 PM
1397 Views
No.
- 20/11/2009 08:15:32 AM
1178 Views
And now he's not "blind" anymore
- 20/11/2009 08:20:56 AM
1066 Views
You know, I agree
- 19/11/2009 11:12:49 PM
1151 Views
But she gave us a clue as to how she might be broken.
- 20/11/2009 08:17:04 AM
988 Views
I would love to see tSR and tFoH from Moiraine's perspective
- 20/11/2009 08:22:55 AM
966 Views
I imagine it took A LOT of frustration and anger management. *NM*
- 20/11/2009 08:27:13 AM
576 Views
I agree with Cannoli completely. (Did I just say that?)
- 19/11/2009 11:18:09 PM
1150 Views
And I agree with Rand al'Thor.
- 19/11/2009 11:35:55 PM
1022 Views
I didn't like it for the same reason I don't like the Aes Sedai much anymore
- 20/11/2009 07:40:31 AM
1039 Views
WoT isn't pure fantasy - it's humans within a fantasy world
- 20/11/2009 08:20:23 AM
932 Views
Oh, totally- but humans can act in more than one way. "Real" humans can be terrifying, too!
- 20/11/2009 08:33:53 AM
1046 Views
I'm pretty sure that AS are meant to be a parable for the government...
- 21/11/2009 06:20:14 PM
967 Views
Re: I didn't like it for the same reason I don't like the Aes Sedai much anymore
- 08/05/2010 12:46:31 AM
1072 Views
Are you feeling all right? If you are, Cannoli is right, and you're pathetic.
- 19/11/2009 10:18:54 PM
1149 Views
See my response to Cannoli. *NM*
- 19/11/2009 10:25:15 PM
624 Views
That was barely a response...
- 20/11/2009 12:43:07 AM
1009 Views
There's always more than one way for a story to "logically" progress
- 20/11/2009 08:07:44 AM
1021 Views
Evil IS cool! This is storytelling, not a morality play.
- 20/11/2009 08:01:17 AM
1001 Views
Re: Evil IS cool! This is storytelling, not a morality play.
- 20/11/2009 10:50:07 PM
976 Views
Re: Evil IS cool! This is storytelling, not a morality play.
- 08/05/2010 01:17:07 AM
1038 Views
Oh, they're quite good at killing people.
- 08/05/2010 06:47:35 AM
949 Views
Re: Oh, they're quite good at killing people.
- 09/05/2010 06:09:38 PM
1052 Views
Actually, it's why they're still alive.
- 09/05/2010 06:32:22 PM
889 Views
Are they? Why are Mat, Perrin and the Wondergirls still alive?
- 13/05/2010 12:47:57 AM
944 Views
Nobody's even tried to kill them since Ishamael died, until he gave the order again in KoD.
- 13/05/2010 01:13:02 AM
926 Views
It'd be harder to kill them now as they have come into their own power
- 21/06/2010 01:18:31 AM
897 Views
I loved that scene - it's actually dog-eared because it's one of my favorites.
- 19/11/2009 10:37:33 PM
1069 Views
Actually... what happened to Semirhage was BEAUTIFUL.
- 19/11/2009 11:28:29 PM
1095 Views
I agree with your second half
- 20/11/2009 08:27:07 AM
952 Views
I agree with Cannoli and Fionwe's on the best way to handle Semirhage
- 20/11/2009 04:17:41 AM
920 Views
So would you enjoy seeing Moridin pulled over Cadsuane's knee and spanked?
- 20/11/2009 07:48:45 AM
1059 Views
You're upset about the spanking and have missed the reason for it.
- 20/11/2009 03:05:50 PM
1077 Views
Don't avoid the question...
- 20/11/2009 03:27:23 PM
1002 Views
- 20/11/2009 10:36:36 PM
912 Views
I'm not avoiding anything, just pointing out how silly this post is
- 20/11/2009 04:50:17 PM
981 Views
Re: I'm not avoiding anything, just pointing out how silly this post is
- 08/05/2010 01:07:13 AM
1062 Views
- 20/11/2009 10:36:36 PM
912 Views
Re: You're upset about the spanking and have missed the reason for it.
- 08/05/2010 12:58:52 AM
8261 Views
Except that Demandred is the one Darksider who knows about Elayne
- 21/11/2009 06:30:26 PM
1021 Views
Re: Except that Demandred is the one Darksider who knows about Elayne
- 22/11/2009 10:13:44 AM
1250 Views
He was dispatched 'fairly easily' because he was betrayed by Moridin .
- 22/11/2009 08:09:38 PM
881 Views
.
- 22/11/2009 08:09:38 PM
881 Views
I think it was an excellent look at just how pathetic most of the Forsaken are and why they sold out
- 20/11/2009 04:21:36 AM
1045 Views
The weird thing is, (or maybe not so weird), that I feel like she suffered the same way in tGS
- 20/11/2009 08:36:45 AM
1046 Views
Re: I think it was an excellent look at just how pathetic most of the Forsaken are and
- 08/05/2010 12:13:20 AM
986 Views
How many people
- 08/05/2010 12:30:17 AM
955 Views
At least two.
- 10/05/2010 02:10:31 PM
829 Views
Re: At least two.
- 21/06/2010 01:24:53 AM
1071 Views
Shame has traditionally been one of the greatest ways of enforcing public order
- 21/06/2010 02:55:54 AM
936 Views