I just finished book #10 of Robert Jordan's stupid series.

Yeah, i think I started in 1994! I have not read a fantasy book in yonks I think. And yet i am vaguely pondering the impending release date with anticipation...

"Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: It's hard to think of one since I am genetically incapable of lying to women and that takes out 52% of the population right there."

"Q: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
A: That depends. If I'm feeling altruistic, it would be the ability to heal anything with a touch, if that can be called a superpower. If I'm not feeling very altruistic, it would be the ability to read other people's minds, to finally be able to get to the bottom of what they really mean and what their motivations are. "

Also, worst cover yet!

No it was 1992! That is wrong.

I now won't start a fantasy series until all the books have been published. So I'm denying myself the GRR Martin and the Stephen Erikson books that are meant to be really good.

I delude myself into thinking that Jordan means it when he says that it'll all be finished in the next couple of books and that one day I can go back to it and read the whole thing from beginning to end.

I've been tempted, over the years, to write to Jordan informing him of these strange things called "editors". It's been 15 years and he still hasn't got anywhere near the bloody point, I know kids who are reading them who weren't born when the first one was published. And I'm also sick of his characters being trapped in permanent adolescence or (in the case of his female characters) permanent PMS.

omg wtf

Like finishing this lot isn't enough, he has to start on a prequel TRILOGY!!!!

First comment here so funny!

But am I the only one who cares?

Excuse me I must tug my braid and sniff now.

There is quite a bit of chip-cashing going on in this book, FINALLY. Quite a few little endings that feel like endings - i.e. "oh, this character probably isn't going to be seen again." I actually finished the book without being annoyed for once! And a lot of the foreshadowed plot developments that appeared to have gotten bogged down or fallen by the wayside either happen or are set up to happen early on in the next book.

Plus Egwene and especially Mat totally rock in this book. I think Mat gets more pages than anyone else.

Although on an odd note the lesbianism quotient has skyrocketed. As you'd expect it's rather prevalent among the Red Ajah!

"And I woke up, and it was all a dream."

Ha ha! And it gets better too! Come back when you finish it Dan so we can chat.

>Actually there's not so much Egwene, but she makes her two >appearances count. Nyneave only gets one chapter but does likewise.

so true, Nynaeve's final appearance with Lan and its followup was amazing, and Egwene's Tower sequences rocked and tons of Mat which made me happy

Tim, also I see what you menat about the crossing off of characters, a coupleof cases where i thought it was handled a little too fast but he really wrapped up a LOT of the dangling threads. I really could see 12 finishing this and always had figgered it would be at least 14 volumes.

finish the book Dan so we can all chat without spoiling it for you

H, the one that struck me as being kind of glaringly, annoyingly fast was what happened with A***, if only because the denouement had been foreshadowed for about six or seven books and then ended up being almost a trifling aside. I got the impression that Jordan just decided to cut whatever chilling plot development he'd had planned for ages.

The set-up for the impending Mat + Thom + ???? mission actually shook me up! Robert Jordan in surprising "fans" shocker.`

Tim Finney, do you mean Aviendha?

Characters I would enjoy an entire book dedicated to, leaving out all the random baddies and randomer "impressively bosom"ed Aes Sedai: Mat, Loial, Lan, Nynaeve, and more Mat again. And then, at the very end, Rand could go all Lews Therin and kill everyone except his hippie girlfriend with the visions.

So awesome.

Galina's denouement was surprisingly quick (insofar as I expected she would do more damage to Faile and co.) but much better handled - her trundling off to the Aiel Waste with Therava, answering to "Little Lina", was perfect. I suspect the next book will be filled with little endings like this.

and The Golden Crane flies again - i actually really liked nynaeve's trick on Lan coz you can see in the future Lan's ride being stuff of legend but also answers the question of why would someone choose to do that kind of long distabce ride - answer - sneaky wife

Egwene was excellent here, The Mother

incidentally, Time also read New Spring and high lesbian quotient in that too, pillow friends abound in the Accepted, Siuan and Moiraine being the slight shocker

Given the number of women there would appear to be in the White Tower and that for some of their training period girls are in the hormone-rush years, I would argue that sheer frustration (combined with a need for some measure of affection and emotional support) would lead many along that path.