Rereading years later….

[Kariada Kunai]

Spoilers through the last book….

I’ve read all the books multiple times, but have never up until now read the entire series cover to cover. Back in the day the books were still being released, and I maybe reread some of latest ones, or even the first couple, but never the whole darn thing.

I’m a little bit into MoL now and there’s a few things I find quite interesting.

First off, reading the books at a different life stage makes such a huge difference. I care more about Rand’s storyline now. I can’t believe the seasoned Aes Sedai take a child seriously as Amyrlin. I mean really they’re all children….who keeps putting them in charge? Back when I WAS that age it seemed perfectly reasonable. But now, come on.

The politics are more interesting as are the battles. Perrin still bugs me, and Faile is the worst (I know unpopular opinion) but those chapters aren’t quite the same slog they used to be.

I’m also amazed at some of the detail I remember down to the specific dialogue…..and other things I’ve forgotten completely. Sheriam was Black? How did I block THAT from my memory??

And some things I swear spanned a whole book or more might have only been one chapter. Rand was trapped in a box for what felt like forever but it was like what two chapters maybe?

It’s fun to read back and remember theories we used to have, and questions people used to ask RJ, and how sometimes we were completely off and sometimes we somehow got it spot on.

This whole experience has been quite nostalgic.

Anyway, curious about others who have gone back and done a reread after not reading the books for a long time. What was different? What was surprisingly the same?

 

[Toral Delvar]

For me, the same, but I've always been kind of immersed in it, so there hasn't been much of a chance to forget

 

[Dorian Har'Locke]

I'm definitely in a similar boat, Kariada-sedai, but for different reasons. I set the series aside after starting Book 7 maybe . . . 8 years ago? Didn't look back, didn't participate in the community all that much, got spoilered all to hell by my friends who were huge fans because I still enjoyed their vicarious enthusiasm.

Managed to get over some personal stuff with regards to the writing, enjoyed my first Jordancon so much and was inspired by the Tower to finally tackle the series start to finish.

I'm right back where I dropped off last time, the beginning of Book 7 and the remembered theories, the set-ups that RJ works into the entirety of the text are that much more compelling now that I'm reading the series with maturity. I absolutely adore it, and I'm really enjoying it for the wonderful background we've gotten and alongside the show that much more.

Weirdest thing for me is that I've definitely conflated more than a few characters in my head in that span of time, so I keep waiting for someone to be introduced and then have to be like: "Wait, that wasn't this other person? How come they're already dead . . . "

 

[Amrey Glamdringin]

First off, reading the books at a different life stage makes such a huge difference. I care more about Rand’s storyline now. I can’t believe the seasoned Aes Sedai take a child seriously as Amyrlin. I mean really they’re all children….who keeps putting them in charge? Back when I WAS that age it seemed perfectly reasonable. But now, come on.

Well... The wheel weaves as the wheel wills and we are only a thread of the pattern they get away with kind of a lot because of the Ta'veren thing you know. That's a smart thing RJ did there.

I'm rereading to, read it first about 3 years ago I think? Just finished book 1. At the beginning I was like

Spoiler: book 1 spoiler

that fade on the road behind Rand could have saved us a few chapters by just shooting a bunch of arrows or swing his sword or whatever

 

[Kariada Kunai]

True, ta’veren comes in handy more than once. Though technically Egwene isn’t supposed to be ta’veren. Though she totally should be.

Alright I can’t figure out how to quote from my phone so I’m just gonna roll this way…..

Dorian (no need to sedai me btw)…. how is it reading the later books for the first time already knowing more or less what happens? Also curious to which characters you conflated. I had multiple times where I couldn’t believe how early some characters got introduced. There were some pretty long game setups.

Toral, true I suppose you’ve never put it down to some extent. How many times have you read the books at this point? Have you lost count?

Oh I also had to buy The Dragon Reborn for this reread which was rather embarrassing. I must have lent it to someone and never got it back. I have two copies of most books, three of some….but missing that one somehow.

 

[Dorian Har'Locke]

True, ta’veren comes in handy more than once. Though technically Egwene isn’t supposed to be ta’veren. Though she totally should be.

Alright I can’t figure out how to quote from my phone so I’m just gonna roll this way…..

Dorian (no need to sedai me btw)…. how is it reading the later books for the first time already knowing more or less what happens? Also curious to which characters you conflated. I had multiple times where I couldn’t believe how early some characters got introduced. There were some pretty long game setups.

It's a grand time! After such a long ways, it's kind of satisfying to seeing the connective tissue, and also where I have forgotten the best bits, or possibly didn't appreciate them the first time around. As for characters being conflated . . .

I lumped at least five different nobles (not all of them women) under 'Berelain', in my head. She's a character I like a lot more this time around. Gareth Bryne and Lord Bashere were definitely two I conflated as well, but I already liked both of them.

I always thought Egwene should be ta'veren as well! I just figured Logain couldn't see women the same way, but I know it gets confirmed by someone or another out-of-pocket.

 

[Toral Delvar]

Toral, true I suppose you’ve never put it down to some extent. How many times have you read the books at this point? Have you lost count?

Completely. Eye of the world, over 20, then a little less for the next few. The final ones maybe only 4 or 5 times, but not always all the way through, often just re-reading a specific chapter a couple of times, or a section that mentions a particular character, or object, or place or whatever

Also, that was Kariada, but I think I tried to quote Amreya earlier and it didn't go through and things got confused

 

[Toral Delvar]

Spoiler: book 1 spoiler

that fade on the road behind Rand could have saved us a few chapters by just shooting a bunch of arrows or swing his sword or whatever

What I tried to say, was I don't know the plan here - a bit of bad luck and things would have gone differently, everyone could have been killed. I recall a claim that RJ said none were ta'veren until after they left, but not sure if I ever saw a source for that, and even ta'veren can be cut out of the pattern if they push things too far - Rand could very easily have been killed by that trolloc

Spoiler

And we see when they go through the Portal Stones, that in some versions of reality, he was

 

[Kariada Kunai]

Oooh true! So many things could have turned out differently.

 

[Kariada Kunai]

One thing too that I noticed this go around that I never noticed before

….and this whole post will be spoilers through book 12….

Spoiler

Rand first starts getting memories before he ever hears Lews Therin. Maybe I’m late to the party, but it seems like hearing this voice is a coping mechanism for him to explain the fact that he has these memories he should not have. When he finally has his epiphany and the voice goes away, he then has full access to all of the memories.

I’m not sure why I never caught that before. I think the voice just came in so gradually I never noticed it in relation to the other memories.

 

[Aintza Bisera]

I definitely agree. I put off re-reading Winter's Heart for so long because I hated it so much the first time. But I blew through it this time. And the whole Perrin/Faile stuff was not nearly as drawn out as I thought.

I also remembered almost nothing from Knife of Dreams. But this was only my second time.

I know what happens in the last three, but to my deep shame, I am just now reading them. I just finished the Gathering Storm last night. SO much epic stuff. I'm very mad at myself that I never sat down and finished...I don't even know why.