2015 Re-Readalong: Eye of the World and The Great Hunt

[Leira Galene]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

But she married into the family, so technically she's not one (I assume, because this isn't GoT ).

 

[Ryu Shadowborn]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Yes but she could easily have been a Coplin, they did make a comment about the two families..intermarrying a great deal.

 

[Myralin al'Ser]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Right, but their stereotypes about things in their town are accurate. I mean, seriously, there's not one Coplin or Congar who isn't a troublemaker? Maybe it's just because I've been on the wrong end of that kind of gossip, but it really bugs me that this stereotype and a lot of the Ajah stereotypes that exist among Aes Sedai are shown as accurate. The implication is that stereotypes about things within one's own culture tend to be accurate.

The ones who aren't troublemakers are probably staying home and not bothering anyone... and not making it into the book either.

 

[Imzadi Hopewind]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Eala Sedai you're right about the early foreshadowing. There's a part in these first few chapters (MIGHT be next week's reading - I accidentally got a little bit ahead) where there's talk about the war in Ghealdan and stories of adventures and wars and Mat says "I like battles." Dun dun dun!

in the chapter where Padan Fain talks about the war, Mat were excited, while Perrin wasn't. Next chapter were Tam talks with the boys about what Council talked about, then Mat says: "Battles interest me." So yeah, that's for sure something to show that Mat like war (Chapter 3 + 4)

 

[Maibella ni Rhoiden t'al'Varrak]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Thanks Imz Seda!

 

[Aduiavas Ida]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

These chapters also show how Rands character is. He never even considers leaving his father behind, and does what he has to, even when he is scared. He doesn't give up on Tam when Nynaeve gives up either

 

[Leira Galene]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

These chapters also make me feel pretty sorry for Nynaeve. From experience, it is incredibly frustrating when people don't take you seriously because of your age, and she clearly doesn't know how to make people respect her without just overcompensating. I feel so bad for her.

 

[Imzadi Hopewind]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

True... But she'll get more respect later in the series... Well, kinda of....

 

[Aduiavas Ida]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I tried to feel sympathetic towards Nynaeve but she sure makes it hard

 

[Roheryn ni Galghandhrei t'al'Djinn]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I tried to feel sympathetic towards Nynaeve but she sure makes it hard

^ this, totally and completely this.

 

[Alora Sionn]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Did anyone else really want to see the celebrations of beltine actually happen? I kept wanting to see them get to enjoy all the fun things they mentioned about it and see the gleeman and the fireworks and Apple brandy and all that, but nooooo :rolleyes that's how I am with movie too, eat that food quit having dialogue

 

[Rhed al'Tere]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I'm not done with the chapters yet, but a couple things that stood out to me so far:

• The weather is already changing, with a bad winter not even done yet when it should be. This really struck me when Rand was thinking about how there was complete silence in the woods, except the wind, and not even birds or squirrels were out, even though he didn't expect them to be.
• As Mr. Fox points out, these chapters show how down-to-earth the Emond's Fielders are. Talking about the North Road changing into the (something I forget) road at the stream in Emond's Field: "[T]hat was the way it had always been [...] and that was that. It was a good enough reason for Two Rivers people." And even though the Two Rivers folk accept things as they always have been just because that's the way they've always been, we see later that they're willing to adapt. They learn to fight, they accept other cultures with open arms and start adopting other cultures' ways, they have a lord and lady in Perrin and Faile. They're willing and able to adapt as needed, and change a hell of a lot.

 

[Myralin al'Ser]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Did anyone else really want to see the celebrations of beltine actually happen? I kept wanting to see them get to enjoy all the fun things they mentioned about it and see the gleeman and the fireworks and Apple brandy and all that, but nooooo :rolleyes

Yes. Having grown up in a town about the size of Emond's Field (although not nearly as isolated), I can really relate to how everyone gets excited for the festival. While it might not be a big deal compared to things that happen in bigger towns, it's their biggest event of the year and everyone puts their heart and soul into getting ready for it.

It also strikes me just how isolated Emond's Field is. After Mat, Rand, and Ewin talk to Moiraine and Lan, they debate whether or not Lan is a Warder. I can understand them not believing in Trollocs, which really do seem like just a story, but you'd think they would accept Aes Sedai and Warders as fact, seeing how the White Tower has such a huge influence on their world.

 

[Wil Cambrae]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

Spoiler

"Just this, lad. People don't always think or behave the way you might believe they would. Those folk back there ... let the hail beat their crops into the mud, and the wind take off every roof in the district, and the wolves kill half their livestock, and they'll roll up their sleeves and start from scratch. They'll grumble, but they won't waste any time with it. But you give them just the thought of Aes Sedai and a false Dragon in Ghealdan, and soon enough they'll start thinking that Ghealdan is not that far the other side of the Forest of Shadows, and a straight line from Tar Valon to Ghealdan wouldn't pass that much to the east of us.
As if the Aes Sedai wouldn't take the road through Caemlyn and Lugard instead of traveling crosscountry! By tomorrow morning half the village would have been sure the entire war was about to descend on us. It would take weeks to undo. A fine Bel Tine that would make. So Bran gave them the idea before they could get it for themselves.
“They've seen the Council take the problem under consideration, and by now they'll be hearing what we decided. They chose us for the Village Council because they trust we can reason things out in the best way for everybody. They trust our opinions. Even Cenn's, which doesn't say much for the rest of us, I suppose. At any rate, they will hear there isn't anything to worry about, and they'll believe it. It is not that they couldn't reach the same conclusion, or would not, eventually, but this way we won't have Festival ruined, and nobody has to spend weeks worrying about something that isn't likely to happen. If it does, against all odds ... well, the patrols will give us enough warning to do what we can. I truly don't think it will come to that, though.”

I read this and thought, this might be why it worked so well when Perrin took charge in the Two Rivers. Why telling people to do what they knew was right, but they wanted to hear Perrin say it was right. Having a leader or a council like they had allowed people to look at their small part of the world and make it work, while they looked at the big picture. Like you hear often, a good leader doesn't tell people how to do things, he tells them what he needs them to do and let's them find the best way to do it. Seems almost like Tam and the Village Council almost knew they needed a real leader instead of just them.

 

[Aduiavas Ida]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

That is a really good point Wil I hadn't really thought about it before, but I agree that when the Whitecloacks and Trollocs started coming, the Two Rivers needed a strong leader, but they would never have accepted an outsider. Perrin was perfect in that regard, no matter how much he grumbles about it

 

[Ryu Shadowborn]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I would say with the Isolation and relative simplicity of what goes on in the town they did not at all need a leader until the outside world began to intrude on their lifestyle, mind you outside of the Long Winter the biggest complaint that anyone brought up was "The wisdom is too young!"

The Two Rivers were so small and it's people so self governing the region as a whole was surprised to find out it was part of Andor.

Spoiler

AND OOOH do I have a rant about that come book 4, there is one gigantic thing that Morgaise and Eylane both need yelled at for regarding that whole situation

 

[Toral Delvar]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I'm not done with the chapters yet, but a couple things that stood out to me so far:

• The weather is already changing, with a bad winter not even done yet when it should be. This really struck me when Rand was thinking about how there was complete silence in the woods, except the wind, and not even birds or squirrels were out, even though he didn't expect them to be.

• I noted this in the Plot summary at the library, but Cenn was also right that it wasn't just a typical late spring

 

[Rhed al'Tere]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

It also strikes me just how isolated Emond's Field is. After Mat, Rand, and Ewin talk to Moiraine and Lan, they debate whether or not Lan is a Warder. I can understand them not believing in Trollocs, which really do seem like just a story, but you'd think they would accept Aes Sedai and Warders as fact, seeing how the White Tower has such a huge influence on their world.

But look at Cenn's reaction to Aes Sedai being mentioned obliquely by Ewan. He treats AS like they're a taboo subject:

This is a decent village of decent folk, and it's bad enough to have Fain here talking about false Dragons using the Power without this Dragon-possessed fool of a boy bringing Aes Sedai into it. Some things just should't be talked about, and I don't care if you will be letting that fool gleeman tell any kind of tale he wants. It isn't right or decent.

So perhaps talk of Aes Sedai has been suppressed, or discouraged, in the past. But because they're so isolated, there's no reason to believe the magical tales of Aes Sedai and their Warders.

 

[Alora Sionn]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

It also strikes me how, of the three boys, Perrin is the one that wanted to go back home the most, and when he was finally able to do that, he still wasn't completely happy because his home had changed. Perrin's biggest character growth doesn't just come from learning to embrace what he is, it's also learning that you can't go forward (his marriage, his new roles as Lord etc) if he's always looking towards the past, he finds out the hard way that no place in the world ever stays the same forever, not even his small town which seemingly the world at large couldn't touch. Change comes for every man whether or not you want it or feel you're ready.

 

[Aduiavas Ida]

Re: 2015 Re-Readalong: EoTW, Prologue - Chapter 6

I also think it is a moment when Mat says that he heard that the Dragon would save them, and the other two dimiss him. That will certainly be turned on its head