Things that surprised you

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Things that surprised me:
Mat no longer bound to the Horn. And Hawkwing telling him that the hanging from the tree was not the reason, but something other? Did I forget something? I think I have to go and reread the books...
Rand being the one who made Tuon see reason, finally! And in fact by telling her he supersedes Hawkwing! I didn´t see that one coming!
What I saw coming, but just in the fast few lines before it happened: Lan killing Demandred by Sheathing the Sword.
 

Sorcha Al'Verdan

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Mat was never bound to the Horn. When he asked Hawkwing, hawkwing said he is NOT a hero of the Horn.
 
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Mat was never bound to the Horn. When he asked Hawkwing, hawkwing said he is NOT a hero of the Horn.

Sorry, it came out wrong. English is not my native language...

I meant when Mat first sounded the Horn at Falme, he was bound to it (and it to him). He was the only one able to sound it, for all others it would have been just an ordinary horn. So what happened to cut this connection? I think Hawkwing said something like "It wasn´t the tree, it was something Rand did and you (Mat) don´t even renember." That´s what I´m looking for.
 

Sorcha Al'Verdan

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When Mat and Aviendha and Asmodean were killed by one of the Forsaken (I forget if it was Rahvin or Sammael), who was in turn balefired by Rand so strongly that their thread burned back past the point where he (Forsaken) killed them (Mat, Avi and Asmo), thus restoring them to life.
 
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When Mat and Aviendha and Asmodean were killed by one of the Forsaken (I forget if it was Rahvin or Sammael), who was in turn balefired by Rand so strongly that their thread burned back past the point where he (Forsaken) killed them (Mat, Avi and Asmo), thus restoring them to life.

Now I renember! Thank you!
 

Raevyn Tsornin

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surprises for me - Egwene figuring out how to heal the cracks and counter Balefire by being the Light, then dying. that just hurt. Like I told Keisha - the fantasy part of me knew people would die in the war but I didn't want it to be any of the main characters - just the incidental people :( (like killing red shirts in Star Trek) but at least her death was beautiful.
Rand using all three powers was a surprise but made sense as i was reading
The how and when the Sharan showed up
Graendal's compulsion turning on her and her being enamoured with Aviendha.
I thought Rhuarc's mind was stronger than that.
and the return of Padan Fain was odd.
 

Raeviendha al'Toma

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I agree with every single thing you just said. Egwene dying had me in tears. I wondered about Olver for awhile, his thoughts and actions made me wonder if he wasn't going to turn to the Dark in some way. I was very glad he didn't! The ending quite surprised me as well.
 

Morrighan Daghdera

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Raelyn, welcome to the boards. Nice to see another Tennessean here. :)

I also feared that Olver would turn to the Dark since he seemed so bent on revenge. I was a bit surprised that he wanted to train with Aiel, but his reasoning for doing so made sense.
 
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When Mat and Aviendha and Asmodean were killed by one of the Forsaken (I forget if it was Rahvin or Sammael), who was in turn balefired by Rand so strongly that their thread burned back past the point where he (Forsaken) killed them (Mat, Avi and Asmo), thus restoring them to life.

Rahvin during the assault on Caemlyn.

We've long debated here if this death met the requirements of the Horn to break the link, and it seems that it was.

highlights as follows:

The death:
Lightning stabbed from the cloudless sky.
Rand wove Fire and Air to meet Fire and Air, a slow-spreading shield racing lightnings' fall. Too slow. One bolt struck the shield directly above his head, shattering in a blinding glare, but others grounded themselves, and his hair lifted as the air itself seemed to hammer him down. Almost he lost the weave, almost the Void itself, but he wove what he could not see through eyes still filled with coruscating light, spread the shield against bolts from the heavens that he could at least feel hammering at it. Hammering to reach him, but that could change. Drawing saidinthrough the angrealin his pocket, he wove the shield until he was sure it must cover half of the Inner City, then tied it off. As he pushed himself to his feet, sight began to return, watery and painful at first. He had to move fast. Rahvin knew he was here. He had to...
Surprisingly little time had passed, seemingly. Rahvin had not cared how many of his own he took. Stunned Trollocs and Myrddraal on the slope were falling to spears in the hands of Maidens, many of whom moved unsteadily themselves. Some Maidens, those nearest Rand, were only now pulling themselves up from where they had been flung, and Pevin stood spraddle-legged, holding himself upright with the red banner's staff, his scarred face still blank as slate. More Trollocs boiled through the gaps in the wall above, and the din of battle filled the streets in all directions, but it might as well have been in another country so far as Rand was concerned.
There had been more than one bolt in that first volley, but not all had been aimed at him. Mat's smoking boots lay a dozen paces from where Mat himself sprawled on his back. Tendrils of smoke rose from the black haft of his spear, too, from his coat, even from the silver foxhead, hanging out of his shirt, that had not saved him from a man's channeling. Asmodean was a twisted shape of char, recognizable only from the blackened harpcase still strapped to his back. And Aviendha... Unmarked, she could have laid down to rest – if she could have rested staring unblinking at the sun.
Rand bent to touch her cheek. Cooling already. It felt... Not like flesh.
"RAAAAHVIIIIN!"

The balefire:
Saidinraged inside Rand, and he loosed it all. Not to Heal.
"Rahvin!" he screamed, and balefire flew from his hands, molten light thicker than a man, driven by all the Power he could draw.
It struck the Forsaken, and Rahvin ceased to exist. The Darkhounds in Rhuidean had become motes before they vanished, whatever kind of life they had had struggling to continue, or the Pattern struggling to maintain itself even for them. Before this, Rahvin simply... ceased.
Rand let the balefire die, pushed saidinaway a little. Trying to blink away the purple afterimage, he stared up at the wide hole in the marble balustrade, the remains of one column a fang above it, stared at the matching hole in the palace roofs They did not flicker, as if what he had done was too strong even for this place to mend. After everything, it seemed almost too easy. Perhaps there was something up there to convince him Rahvin was really dead. He ran toward a door.

the return to life:
There. A woman in a white blouse, one hand holding up her bulky skirts as she slashed at a fleeing Trolloc with a short knife; an instant later flames enveloped the bear-snouted figure.
"Aviendha!" Rand did not know he was running until he shouted. "Aviendha!"
And there was Mat, coat torn and blood on his sword-blade spearpoint, leaning on the black shaft watching the Trollocs flee; content to let someone else do the fighting now that that was possible. And Asmodean, sword held awkwardly and trying to look every way at once in case any Trolloc decided to turn back. Rand could sense saidinin him, though weakly; he did not think much of Asmodean's fighting had been with that blade.
Balefire. Balefire that burned a thread out of the Pattern. The stronger that balefire was, the further back that burning went. And whatever that person had done no longer had happened. He did not care if his blast at Rahvin had unraveled half the Pattern. Not if this was the result.


Even after how many books later, Rand screaming RAAAAHVIIIIN! is still one of my fave moments of the series
 

Sorcha Al'Verdan

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Ok, one thing I noticed then. Mat's amulet didn't save him from being killed by Saidin during the battle with Rahvin. How, then, is it of any use in the battle against Demandred? I remember Demandred being surprised by its presence with Galad, so it must have stopped a flow. WTF??
 
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Alicia Schairen

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I remember the talk of Demandred and the Sharans, but I also thought it got shot down because of something RJ had said.
I didn't expect him to be Roedran, as he had talked of a very large army, so logically it must be the Sharans, but in my head, it had been ruled out

I haven't read all of this thread (I don't want to get spoiled silly - I've already given myself enough spoilers, I like spoilers, but I don't want to be spoiled silly, then there's little point to reading the book *shrug* - so sorry if this has been done to death)

Yeah that was me - I got shot down in a ball of giant flames ... I had wanted to trounce in here and go "I told you so", but then thought better of it :laugh:, although is there a thread around where everyone goes "I KNEW IT", like when Verin turned out to be Black? I'm having trouble keeping up with the threads and reading the book as well ... spoilers and all ya know ...

I just wanted to mention the Demandred thing, 'cause it was a loooooooong time ago that it was discussed (like 18 months or so), which is probably why you don't remember it well, I remember it because I suggested it plus I got destroyed pretty quick, which was swift even for one of my crazy ideas, I don't think I'll ever forget it :laugh: it was kinda fun, but once we got ripped up (I wasn't the only one who thought it, I was just the one stupid enough to say it first :P), it was kinda just dropped and never mentioned again ... But really I simply couldn't think of a better place for him to be - especially as all the other Forsaken had no idea what he was up to - why not jump into a forgotten people, the other Forsaken wouldn't bother ... great place to hide, consolidate a rule, then march out with it and surprise the hell out of everyone ... But yeah, it was me and then a few others who went "well where else could he be, that makes the most sense, he's dropped off the map", and the Sharans are pretty much off the map as well ... I was kinda pleased that good old Demandred actually showed up with them, as himself and not in a 'mask of mirrors' (or whatever that weave is called - I have an addled brain, I'm not quite through the book yet) ... But I do also remember something about RJ saying that he wasn't there or something to that effect, but I don't remember what it was that RJ actually said, but it strongly implied he wasn't on the other side of the Waste ... Just being helpful in jogging your memory Toral Gaidin :) (I'm not gloating, promise!)


ON TOPIC
The only surprise I've had so far is that Gawyn put on the 'death ring', I have skipped to the end and read the last chapter and a half, (the forementioned spoilers I gave to myself) so I kinda know who lived and who died, some people aren't mentioned, but hey ... In terms of surprises, there haven't been many for me yet - putting Elayne in charge of the armies did give me a bit of a shock, but it made sense as well, well it this makes sense, it was a shock but not much of a surprise ... BUT I am enjoying the book so far - I'm about 3/5's through, just over half way, it's been a great way to loose sleep so far LOL -- our bookshop was late on deliveries, I only got it last week, 2 weeks late *grump* ... but hey, I might get a surprise yet ....
 

Taika Vinh

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There had been more than one bolt in that first volley, but not all had been aimed at him. Mat's smoking boots lay a dozen paces from where Mat himself sprawled on his back. Tendrils of smoke rose from the black haft of his spear, too, from his coat, even from the silver foxhead, hanging out of his shirt, that had not saved him from a man's channeling.

Ok, one thing I noticed then. Mat's amulet didn't save him from being killed by Saidin during the battle with Rahvin. How, then, is it of any use in the battle against Demandred? I remember Demandred being surprised by its presence with Galad, so it must have stopped a flow. WTF??

I always thought the bit I bolded on Axis' quote meant that when the weave hit, the medallion wasn't touching Mat's skin.
 

Sorcha Al'Verdan

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That's a possibility I hadn't considered. I thought if he was wearing it, it would protect him. I assumed the chain was part of the medallion. Thanks Taika :pleased-1:
 

Pip al'Dealys

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I felt Bela's death was unnecessarily cruel to the readers and didn't really add much in the way of story development. I'd much rather have seen another proper main character -Lan for instance -snuff it, rather than that poor, much loved horse. At least she had a good innings :(.

I was surprised Egwene was the one picked to die but I suppose the main three would always be safe and someone from the original crew had to go. Shame though.

And I was surprised Thom had such an easy time of it towards the end whilst defending Moiraine.

The Ogier were a huge success to me.

Finally, I would have liked the Tinkers to have found their song and even though I felt Morgase's role was successfully finished in the last couple of books I did think there'd be a bit more to come from her in the end.

I'm not entirely convinced I like the ending yet but all in all I thought it was a fantastic way to finish off a series I've thoroughly enjoyed over the last ten years. :)
 

Sorcha Al'Verdan

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And I was surprised Thom had such an easy time of it towards the end whilst defending Moiraine.

I'm not. channeling near Shadar Logoth has bad consequences, so I'm sure the Mirrors of Mists were tied off. Also, even Aes Sedai might be hoodwinked by such a subtle and skillful player of the Game of Houses.
 

Taika Vinh

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I always thought that the reason he was killed was because at least one bolt exploded at his feet. A lightning bolt crashing into the ground at your feet should be enough to kill you and knock you out of your boots. The medallion only protects him directly, not from the blast itself in a ground strike. But my knowledge of how lightning works is a bit low.
 
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I've always thought that there are two ways to create lightning with the One Power. First, you could actually weave the lightning. Use a weave to direct the bolt all the way to the target, so if the weave unravels, the bolt disappears immediately, causing no harm. The second way would be if there's already lightning in the air, and you'd only use a weave to attract the lightning. The medallion wouldn't protect anyone from that.
 
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