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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 1656 Views
I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 02:58:48 PM 892 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. *NM* - 04/12/2009 03:22:49 PM 429 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 03:29:46 PM 842 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 03:33:03 PM 874 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. - 04/12/2009 04:13:55 PM 769 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 902 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 376 Views
I'm actually pretty comfortable with it! - 04/12/2009 04:12:32 PM 795 Views
Re: I'm actually pretty comfortable with it! - 04/12/2009 06:50:10 PM 821 Views
about Semirhage - 04/12/2009 03:21:32 PM 1207 Views
but - 04/12/2009 03:26:29 PM 803 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:35:52 PM 789 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:46:00 PM 836 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 03:51:03 PM 792 Views
Cadsuane is rather close to perfect herself. - 04/12/2009 08:37:21 PM 882 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 05:04:12 PM 792 Views
Re: but - 04/12/2009 05:41:51 PM 805 Views
She was never THAT person. - 06/12/2009 01:22:39 AM 769 Views
Never WHAT person? - 06/12/2009 10:21:43 PM 798 Views
I'm not sure I agree - 08/12/2009 12:54:43 PM 662 Views
I agree! - 04/12/2009 04:31:24 PM 763 Views
Re: about Semirhage - 04/12/2009 08:16:15 PM 792 Views
Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 04/12/2009 05:03:48 PM 927 Views
Re: Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 04/12/2009 06:42:41 PM 790 Views
If one compares the characters... - 05/12/2009 11:24:16 AM 720 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 376 Views
You are right... - 05/12/2009 12:21:59 PM 749 Views
I disagree - 05/12/2009 05:11:28 PM 748 Views
Egwene had the best mix of teachers and a desire to learn. Most believable, IMO. *NM* - 04/12/2009 10:17:56 PM 399 Views
That's really nonsense - 05/12/2009 11:13:20 AM 728 Views
I think your perception is very skewed - 05/12/2009 05:16:46 PM 728 Views
Agreed - 05/12/2009 06:15:46 PM 757 Views
Bull! - 06/12/2009 02:55:13 AM 758 Views
Rabbit! - 06/12/2009 04:14:10 AM 696 Views
Re: Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot - 05/12/2009 06:11:40 PM 735 Views
Indeed - 05/12/2009 06:30:39 PM 801 Views
And yet Egwene is still a fool regarding Gawyn. - 04/12/2009 05:44:49 PM 863 Views
Gawyn is a fool all of his own - 04/12/2009 08:02:10 PM 793 Views
Re: Gawyn is a fool all of his own - 05/12/2009 05:54:11 AM 700 Views
Please stop - your use of logic here is sickening! - 06/12/2009 04:43:31 AM 766 Views
I disagree with most of that - 05/12/2009 10:58:12 AM 774 Views
Egwene has a long way to go ... - 05/12/2009 06:16:31 PM 770 Views
Hardly a blunder - 06/12/2009 01:43:54 AM 733 Views
Re: Hardly a blunder? Send Egwene back to Silviana. - 07/12/2009 04:03:08 PM 755 Views
Or she her rescue forced her hand. She lost her advantage - 07/12/2009 04:47:56 PM 656 Views
She lost her advantage?!? Siuan probably saved her life - 09/12/2009 11:57:26 AM 756 Views
- 09/12/2009 03:24:34 PM 781 Views
She should have attacked when they first arrived - 07/12/2009 09:35:33 PM 681 Views
Don't damn me, damn Graendal - 09/12/2009 12:51:18 PM 718 Views
Re: Don't damn me, damn Graendal - 09/12/2009 06:11:53 PM 873 Views
A couple of points - 09/12/2009 07:11:18 PM 759 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 747 Views
LOL *NM* - 07/12/2009 04:29:56 AM 300 Views
I think you'll find few people who agree with you on both of those counts... - 07/12/2009 01:53:58 PM 704 Views
Not at all. - 07/12/2009 03:20:38 PM 688 Views
Irritating teen spirits ... - 07/12/2009 04:32:51 PM 773 Views
As long as the bags were Louis Vuitton all would be fine *NM* - 07/12/2009 04:51:13 PM 432 Views
You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 07/12/2009 10:33:23 PM 815 Views
Re: You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 09/12/2009 01:12:56 PM 720 Views
Re: You must not have been reading the same series I have. - 09/12/2009 02:59:04 PM 752 Views

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