So you finished the series...(spoilers)

Alora Sionn

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What did you think after finishing your first read through the whole series? Are your favorite characters the same from beginning to end? Do you vibe with Jordan style or Sanderson style the most? What do you think happened in the year immediately following the end?

Lay it on us!!
 

Idril Alfauro

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I thought the story and characters were very engaging, and the world building is really phenomenal. I wasn't prepared for that last book.:cry I started out not really liking Egwene, but really liked her a lot by the end. I really grew to like Avienda too. I wish Loial and the Ogier had gotten a little more focus. And Mat, he quite annoyed me in the beginning but you can't resist that rogueish charm :laugh:. I also appreciated how these books were full of strong female characters and are very ethnically diverse, and even feature a polyamorous relationship! I hope the show doesn't skimp on any of these details. As for the different writers, I thought they were both good ( But Robert Jordan slightly better).

I am not really sure about what could happen in the year after the Last Battle. Elaine would be rebuilding her kingdom, Avienda would be figuring out what the Aiel should become, Nynaeve and Lan would be taking care of his people. Everyone would just be trying to pick up the tatters of their lives and rebuild. And of course Rand would just live wild and free for a while. Who knows what Mat and Tuon would be doing. I can say I still miss reading these books, they sure were quite an adventure!!
 

Jocasta Braithe

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I can barely tell the difference between Jordan and Sanderson, honestly, and I think that's a credit to Sanderson, and how hard he worked to keep the series seamless, because his style is different in his own books.
 

Aduiavas Ida

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I noticed a little bit the difference between Sanderson and Jordan, but mostly for the better. Sanderson made the story move forward again :P

As for what happens after, I worry about Cadsuane as Amyrlin. Will she keep Egwene's progressive reforms? Keeping the novice book open for all, the agreement with the Kin, not to mention the deal with the Aiel and the Sea Folk? Then again, Egwene became quite a legend in her relatively short term, will Cadsuane even be able to change the things she decided?
 
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Sanderson did a phenomenal job finishing out the series, I am fairly sure some events would have played out differently had RJ been able to finish it, but you'll hear no complaints (okay maybe one complaint) about how it ended.


The first year is going to be hell with people just trying to rebuild their lives.

I think Mat will eventually convince Tuan that no All channelers have to be leashed. I think it may eventually serve as a "prison" sentence instead of stilling.

Rand, I think will spend most of the first year after the battle trying to figure out his new power. And afterwards seek out his wives, when it's safe to do so.
 

Hal Bahalla

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I finished my first read about 2 weeks ago and have started my first re-read I was so not ready to be done. A couple of thoughts I’ve had.

I did notice a difference in writing styles, but enjoyed them both. I found Sanderson’s style to be much faster paced and focused on the action more than RJ. Chapters were much shorter and tended to focus on a single character and event rather than including side jaunts to another viewpoint. That is until the Last Battle chapter in Memory. That chapter went on and on, though it made total sense why the choice was made.

I was a bit disappointed to not get a little bit more of a post battle rundown at the end. I was hoping for maybe a look at the world a year or five after. Not an entire additional book, but just a flavor of where things were going to go. How did the relationship evolve between the Black and White Towers? What happened to the Spider as a damane? Did Perrin return to The Two Rivers, or did Tam stay on as steward while Faile became queen? Whatever happened to the Shaido back in the threefold land?

One thing I’ve considered is that the Rand’s resealing of the bore, not a patch, and certainly not ridding the world of evil was kinda “destined” to happen. With it back to sealed, that puts the world back on track to eventually turn back to a new Age of Legends where power hungry Aes Sedai drill back into it looking for more power. Does that mean that Rand/The Dragon is the “Creator” in that it was he who sealed the Dark One in?
 

Merena Orithana

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I thought it was Ishamael who opened the Bore and freed the DO.
I'm not sure that the DO is always sentient - I think he might just be the compilation of dark thoughts/emotions until he was released and then eventually became sentient.

Also not sure there really is a 'Creator'. If Randland is really cyclical in nature, perhaps something did initially create the Wheel, but I don't think that force still exists in the world, otherwise other changes would happen and time would no longer be cyclical...?
 
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I thought it was Ishamael who opened the Bore and freed the DO.
I'm not sure that the DO is always sentient - I think he might just be the compilation of dark thoughts/emotions until he was released and then eventually became sentient.

Also not sure there really is a 'Creator'. If Randland is really cyclical in nature, perhaps something did initially create the Wheel, but I don't think that force still exists in the world, otherwise other changes would happen and time would no longer be cyclical...?
Lanfear was the lead researcher who opened the bore
 

Merena Orithana

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Thanks Lin for the correction - was Ishy on her team, though? I can't quite remember where he fit in...
 
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Her and Asmodean were the least "Evil" of the forsaken. Asmodean Asmodean turned to the Shadow during the Collapse for the opportunity to take revenge on every musician said to be better than him. Asmodean was also lured by the promise of immortality, which would allow him an eternity to attain musical perfection, and just as importantly the recognition of his talents that he sought.

Lanfear basically turned to the shadow out of jealousy over loosing Lewis theron and hoping that the Dark One could help her get him back
 

Hal Bahalla

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I found it quite depressing and realistic how petty and minor the reasons some people turned to the shadow in the series.

Self-interest, revenge, jealousy, personal vendettas…
 

Arella Mathara

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Thanks Lin for the correction - was Ishy on her team, though? I can't quite remember where he fit in...

No, Ishamael was a philosopher so his field was very different.

He theorised that the fight between the Dark One and the Creator was a repeating pattern but that the DO had an finite number of escapes. Since his theory was that the Light winning only led to a repeat of the pattern, while the DO only had to win once, he saw it as more logical and a safer bet to follow the DO as the DO would ultimately win.
 

Merena Orithana

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I found it quite depressing and realistic how petty and minor the reasons some people turned to the shadow in the series.

Self-interest, revenge, jealousy, personal vendettas

..... or Lews Therin being a donkey. :laugh:

I did think it was kind of strange how so many of them turned dark 'because of' Lews. He must have been a real piece of work (as Rand notes, I think, later in the series).

It is also interesting later on in the series how they allude to the fact that the AoL had some major underlying issues...
I wonder what those were. They had pretty advanced healing (via One Power) and farming techniques (Somestra). It must have been something social - I assume there was a huge social gap between Aes Sedai and non Aes Sedai, but maybe rifts within Aes Sedai, as well?
 

Hal Bahalla

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I assume there was a huge social gap between Aes Sedai and non Aes Sedai, but maybe rifts within Aes Sedai, as well?

In the AoL the Aes Sedai didn’t use the Oath Rod and so lived hundreds of years longer than even the 3rd Age Aes Sedai. When people with so much power live 6 or 7 times longer than “normal people” that can only lead to a real separtion of classes and power. Accumulation of knowledge, wealth, influence, etc is pretty easy if you have 600+ years to do it in. I bet the Aws Sedai didnt even seem themselves as the same species as non-Aes Sedia. Probably a step up from animals.

Look at how they treated the Aiel. Those final two AS that was traveling with the train basically saw it as perfectly acceptible to hijack the entire people to act as a kinda of breading ground and army for Lews to have when the wheel finally spun him back out.

And boy, I’m sure you can hold a grudge and build real cliques over that time. As the leader of the Hundred Companions, and wearing whatever that fancy ring thing was, probably did lead to Lews having a big head and a bit tough to be around.
 

Dnae Ila

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I can barely tell the difference between Jordan and Sanderson, honestly, and I think that's a credit to Sanderson, and how hard he worked to keep the series seamless, because his style is different in his own books.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Everyone's always said how obvious it is when Sanderson took over and I'm over here like :look:
 

Alora Sionn

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Style was the thing that made it obvious for me, Sanderson loves giant pages full of nothing but dialogue
"What do you mean dialogue?"
"Just like this"
"Oh I see what you mean, and there's no descriptions in this wall of dialogue?"
"Nope he just loves filling a page with Mat and Rand talking to each other"
"Huh that's kinda odd"
"I know right"


I don't like that lol it always threw me off...
 

Ilverin Matriam

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I'm glad I'm not the only one! Everyone's always said how obvious it is when Sanderson took over and I'm over here like :look:

This is me :look:

I think I understand what you're saying Alora, I do quite enjoy both though! I like long descriptions to get a better feel of the scene, but sometimes I enjoy long dialogues, especially when Mat and Rand brag what they've done in the last couple of books :P
 
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