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Semirhage and Egwene redqueen Send a noteboard - 04/12/2009 02:31:45 PM
I've just finished reading tGS and overall I thought it was great. I'll need to re-read it a time or two before I can write any kind of comprehensive review, but two things that I do want to write about now are the portrayal of Egwene and Semirhage.

When Semirhage was captured at the end of KoD, I was convinced that Rand would be an idiot and she would end up escaping due to his softheartedness and the Aes Sedai's incompetance. I was pleased to see this didn't happen. She was guarded well - though not stilled, which she should have been - and only escaped thanks to Shaidar Haran. But I found myself disappointed in her - this legendary figure, the Mistress of Pain, did nothing with her captivity except spout ridiculous threats. Where was the divide-and-conquer? Where was her subtle, clever plan to escape? I know that whole spanking scene with Cadsuane had been about showing her to be 'only human'. But I was still disappointed. I would have expected more from the newest-raised Aes Sedai.

And at the other end of the spectrum was Egwene. A lot of the book was devoted to her undermining of Elaida, and it was a tense, gripping plot from beginning to end. Throughout it all, Egwene bore near-intolerable pain, indignity and fear. She plotted and planned and played politics with a masterful skill far beyond her years. When the Seanchan attacked, Egwene fought them off with nothing more than a circle of novices and a sa'angreal. Oh, and in a spare moment, she destroyed the Black Ajah that had infested the Tower for over a thousand years.

In every page that was written about her, she was faultlessly noble and completely self-sacrificing. Her sections of the book were a thumping good read. But tGS has finished the job begun in CoT of making Egwene into a character who is simply too good to be true. She is wise, clever, never makes mistakes, and seems to utterly lack flaws. Beside Egwene, other characters start to become insignificant and washed-out. Elaida went from being a stubborn, blind megalomanic that you could still, somewhat, relate to and sympathise with, to simply violently insane. Two books of careful, nerve-shredding detective work by the BA hunters was made irrelevant in an instant.

In short, for all that I liked her sections of the book, she has become a Sue of the highest order, and I really hope Sanderson tones her down a bit in the next two books.
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Semirhage and Egwene - 04/12/2009 02:31:45 PM 1755 Views
I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 02:58:48 PM 992 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. *NM* - 04/12/2009 03:22:49 PM 476 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 03:29:46 PM 939 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 03:33:03 PM 962 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 04:13:55 PM 855 Views
The entire cast is full of Perfect Sues and Stuarts (I may have just made latter up) - 04/12/2009 03:14:27 PM 992 Views
If you plan to write that review before the last two books are out, you better get re-reading now. *NM* - 04/12/2009 03:20:31 PM 417 Views
I'm actually pretty comfortable with it! - 04/12/2009 04:12:32 PM 894 Views
Re: I'm actually pretty comfortable with it! - 04/12/2009 06:50:10 PM 916 Views
about Semirhage - 04/12/2009 03:21:32 PM 1308 Views
but - 04/12/2009 03:26:29 PM 886 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:35:52 PM 879 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:46:00 PM 957 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:51:03 PM 893 Views
Cadsuane is rather close to perfect herself. - 04/12/2009 08:37:21 PM 978 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 05:04:12 PM 891 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 05:41:51 PM 901 Views
She was never THAT person. - 06/12/2009 01:22:39 AM 867 Views
Never WHAT person? - 06/12/2009 10:21:43 PM 898 Views
I'm not sure I agree - 08/12/2009 12:54:43 PM 748 Views
I agree! - 04/12/2009 04:31:24 PM 849 Views
Re: about Semirhage - 04/12/2009 08:16:15 PM 886 Views
Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 04/12/2009 05:03:48 PM 1027 Views
Re: Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 04/12/2009 06:42:41 PM 872 Views
If one compares the characters... - 05/12/2009 11:24:16 AM 808 Views
Did I miss Rand's marriage ceremonies? I always thought the three girls only bonded him *NM* - 05/12/2009 11:27:36 AM 410 Views
You are right... - 05/12/2009 12:21:59 PM 853 Views
I disagree - 05/12/2009 05:11:28 PM 827 Views
Egwene had the best mix of teachers and a desire to learn. Most believable, IMO. *NM* - 04/12/2009 10:17:56 PM 435 Views
That's really nonsense - 05/12/2009 11:13:20 AM 794 Views
I think your perception is very skewed - 05/12/2009 05:16:46 PM 825 Views
Agreed - 05/12/2009 06:15:46 PM 856 Views
Bull! - 06/12/2009 02:55:13 AM 845 Views
Rabbit! - 06/12/2009 04:14:10 AM 781 Views
Re: Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 05/12/2009 06:11:40 PM 845 Views
Indeed - 05/12/2009 06:30:39 PM 892 Views
And yet Egwene is still a fool regarding Gawyn. - 04/12/2009 05:44:49 PM 950 Views
Gawyn is a fool all of his own - 04/12/2009 08:02:10 PM 876 Views
Re: Gawyn is a fool all of his own - 05/12/2009 05:54:11 AM 792 Views
Please stop - your use of logic here is sickening! - 06/12/2009 04:43:31 AM 864 Views
I disagree with most of that - 05/12/2009 10:58:12 AM 870 Views
Egwene has a long way to go ... - 05/12/2009 06:16:31 PM 905 Views
Hardly a blunder - 06/12/2009 01:43:54 AM 832 Views
Re: Hardly a blunder? Send Egwene back to Silviana. - 07/12/2009 04:03:08 PM 858 Views
Or she her rescue forced her hand. She lost her advantage - 07/12/2009 04:47:56 PM 747 Views
She lost her advantage?!? Siuan probably saved her life - 09/12/2009 11:57:26 AM 841 Views
- 09/12/2009 03:24:34 PM 856 Views
She should have attacked when they first arrived - 07/12/2009 09:35:33 PM 785 Views
Don't damn me, damn Graendal - 09/12/2009 12:51:18 PM 807 Views
Re: Don't damn me, damn Graendal - 09/12/2009 06:11:53 PM 974 Views
A couple of points - 09/12/2009 07:11:18 PM 852 Views
I'm re-reading the series now for the first time in years. Egwene has always been a weak character. - 07/12/2009 01:12:15 AM 835 Views
LOL *NM* - 07/12/2009 04:29:56 AM 345 Views
I think you'll find few people who agree with you on both of those counts... - 07/12/2009 01:53:58 PM 800 Views
Not at all. - 07/12/2009 03:20:38 PM 784 Views
Irritating teen spirits ... - 07/12/2009 04:32:51 PM 880 Views
As long as the bags were Louis Vuitton all would be fine *NM* - 07/12/2009 04:51:13 PM 474 Views
You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 07/12/2009 10:33:23 PM 909 Views
Re: You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 09/12/2009 01:12:56 PM 810 Views
Re: You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 09/12/2009 02:59:04 PM 879 Views

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