Perrin and Loial are great characters. And it's good to keep an open mind as the characters do change through out the series. I've never listened to the audio books, but have
I really feel like I missed something. Everyone loves Mat, and yet the only real scene that I vividly remember him in is where he crushes it with a staff.
The first time I read through the series, Lan was my favorite. But now that's its been a while since I've finished the series, I've noticed that whenever I look back I find that Loial is my favorite character. I also remember really liking Thom and Moiraine.
I plan on restarting the series...