Over all, I enjoyed it... really.
The only issues I had were small...
1. I disliked how quickly Semirhage was killed. RJ spent how many books building her up into practically a nightmare... then she cries because she gets humiliated and then dies in a puff of glittering dust? I was not pleased. I expected an epic duel between Semirhage and Nynaeve... evil Healer gone bad against cranky Healer gone good.
And we got none of that... she latched the collar on Rand, had Elza kill some nobody Aes Sedai, and then tried to make Rand kill Min... and poof, she's gone.
2. Graendal... pretty much the same problem I had with the treatment of Semirhage.
Honestly, with these two, it almost felt like RJ/BS realized they couldn't wrap up the book with that many Forsaken running around, so they make Moridin tell Rand about Balefire permanently removing Forsaken from the playing field... and suddenly, wham, bam, thank you Rand, a few more Forsaken are gone.
3. Mesaana. I liked that Verin revealed that she was in the Tower... but we never got any closure as to who she was. We never got to have the big reveal... and unless she appears as a damane in the next part of the last book, we never will.
Just be patient. She'll turn up eventually...
Some parts that I really liked, and might take over as my favorite scene, were:
1. A visit with Verin. That scene was perfect... the shock on Egwene, the fact that you were still guessing until Verin connected all the dots for you, and the way she died. It brought to mind Socrates taking his own poison knowing it was for the greater good. Verin gets mad props from Phelix.
In a sense, Verin really was the Purple Ajah. She was a truly undercover BA working to study the DO, and learn his weaknesses, and also to bring the BA down. It turns out she was one of the most truly brave characters in the series, in her birdlike way; a perfect counterpart to Sheriam, who seems to have gone to the BA for Power and perks, and turned out to be a total coward in the end...
2. Egwene's throw down with the Seanchan. In fact, I've been so impatient to finish the whole Egwene/White Tower Split story line, that all of her scenes made me smile, clap, and/or cheer.
Absolutely wonderful; especially how she united the two by making sure the rebels didn't have an edge over the Tower Aes Sedai. Choosing a Red for her Keeper was pure brilliance...
3. Faile and Masema... on the one hand, it was sad to see such an interesting character just disappear... but on the other, it made Faile just a bit more badass in my mind.
Sad, true, but it had to be done, perhaps. Masema was, as Faile said, a rabid dog that needed to be put down, and Faile was willing to do that particular bit of dirty work.
If the human brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't understand it.
I finished tGS last night... and really had to come back to you all.
09/12/2009 02:11:05 AM
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Silly Verin! She did not need to die.
09/12/2009 03:53:23 AM
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Re: Silly Verin! She did not need to die.
09/12/2009 06:11:02 AM
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And does she know that Stilling breaks the Oaths? *NM*
09/12/2009 06:16:54 AM
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She should. Some of the Aes Sedai who swore to Rand had been Stilled and then Restored by Flinn.
09/12/2009 03:18:10 PM
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Then, wouldn't the BA/Shadow just kill her off? I think it'd be kind of obvious what she did. *NM*
09/12/2009 03:23:05 PM
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Doesn't mean they experimented with it.
09/12/2009 08:48:23 PM
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Rebels had no reason to research a way to break the oaths. Verin did.
10/12/2009 02:00:21 AM
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You're going at it upside-down.
10/12/2009 02:33:41 AM
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Verin should have figured it out
10/12/2009 03:03:14 AM
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I was just rereading that section yesterday....
10/12/2009 10:52:23 AM
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It all seems intuitively obvious to me!
10/12/2009 07:58:46 PM
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I don't think those would work
09/12/2009 07:03:38 AM
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She should and could have found a better way.
09/12/2009 07:41:28 AM
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I always thought Masema was an irritating distraction and was glad he was killed quickly.
09/12/2009 03:53:44 AM
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Re: I always thought Masema was an irritating distraction and was glad he was killed quickly.
09/12/2009 04:21:35 PM
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Great to see you again!
09/12/2009 05:01:01 AM
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It's great to see you around again!
09/12/2009 07:06:45 AM
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Good to see you too.
17/12/2009 10:01:57 PM
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Re: Good to see you too.
19/12/2009 06:12:11 AM
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Hee... gotta love zoos.
19/12/2009 06:18:35 AM
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Mine added up to many vet bills this week.
19/12/2009 07:22:40 AM
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