Things you liked, or didn't [WHOLE BOOK SPOILERS]

[Paxam Leratharn]

Kerna: I don't think Mat gave his ter'angreal to anyone, the impression I got was the one given to Galad (and then taken by Lan) was actually one of the imperfect copies made by Elayne, as Galad is still burned by the fire when battling Demandred (sp)?

I disliked the ending with regards to Rand, and him thinking about the women and "which would come after him". I think he should either have died, or lived. Taking on Moridin's form makes no sense; and it's not really plausible that someone the camp believed to have been Nae'blis would just be able to walk off. I, like Jeffan, would have preferred it if Bela had made it through the series. I would have *loved* it if Rand had ridden Bela into the sunset at the end -- despite what I say above. I'm disappointed that Bela never seemed to have a reunion with either Tam or Rand.

I also would have liked more information on The Town, and Shara. Two very different civilisations that I'm disappointed only really got introduced to us in the last book. Something to look forward to in the encyclopedia I suppose.

What I liked? I guess Lanfear's interaction with Perrin. It was one of the main things that had me guessing as I read the book, I wasn't sure if she'd do as she eventually did. I also liked Gawyn, then Galad, then Lan going forward to face Demandred. After Galad's failure, I was expecting it to be Mat who took him down. And though I don't know if I like Lan surviving, I didn't expect it and it fit his character.

I'll probably pick up on more stuff when I reread it in a month or so.

 

[Kerna Shedrian]

Kerna: I don't think Mat gave his ter'angreal to anyone, the impression I got was the one given to Galad (and then taken by Lan) was actually one of the imperfect copies made by Elayne, as Galad is still burned by the fire when battling Demandred (sp)?

Ah, I've just reread that passage and I can see that now, though I think at the time I read it wrong twice. Well it was 2.30 in the morning!

 

[Keelinnea Isyne]

The thing I didnt like...Faile lived. I had hopes for a few pages the she didnt. :tug

 

[Paxam Leratharn]

I thought that was unnecessary, Faile could have died and it would have mattered not a bit. Her surviving was covered in less than two paragraphs and then wasn't mentioned again from what I remember.

I wasn't a fan of the chapter structure, I think I must say. Having a chapter that's 190 pages long... and me coming to it at 11pm and saying "right, just one more chapter"...

 

[Keelinnea Isyne]

True about the chapter set up. I think one of them was almost 200 pages long.

 

[Zimone Zarasri]

I finished the book a few hours ago and it feels so empty now and lots of different thoughts running around in my head that I kinda have to write down to make sense of them.

I found the prologue pretty slow and boring and it took me long time to get through it so my first impression of the book was kinda bad. The only good part was the one with Androl and Pevara (love them!! <3). But then thankfully in chapter 1 things started to happen and I started to love the book.

Pevara and Androl and their relationship and double bond and telepathy thing were super awesome. I liked the big meeting with all the nations represented and that finally finally people were cooperating (ehh trying to at least)! Until Moiraine came in, that was just weird. Wouldn't it have been better if she'd come to Rand before and they could've talked only they two? And we never got a PoV from her, that was disappointing.

Anyway the rest of the book was great. Hated Logain sometimes but he saw sense in the end. Biggest surprise was of course the Sharans popping up though it made sense because where else would Demandred be? (since he clearly wasn't Roedran) Another surprise was Taim becoming one of the Chosen, but that made sense too.

I liked that Egwene died since it would have been pretty late if no one of the original five from the Two Rivers died and well, one of the other four would've been way worse. :P Love that Cadsuane's gonna be the new Amyrlin, laughed like hell when I read that. She's been so friggin' annoying sometimes so she definitely deserves having to deal with the Hall and all that crap

The ending overall was good. Of course the Dark One shouldn't die. It's great that some Forsaken survived, Moghedien being collared again was great. And Rand surviving and riding away.. though yeah it should have been on Bela. Why did she have to die?

Faile should have died, definitely. I was actually quite sure she would and was just hoping Galad would die too so Berelain and Perrin could give each other some comfort.

It was a bit cool how the Forsaken got killed, it wasn't by those I thought it would be. Like, I thought Taim would be Logain's (though such an idiot that Logain was for much of the book he didn't deserve it, go Lan!) And I thought Lanfear would be Moiraine's... really I would have preferred that over Perrin. Perrin had already had Slayer. Oh talking about Slayer, the prologue had another good bit, the one with Slayer in the Town and getting to hear about his childhood. Poor guy.

I agree that there were many other scenes that would have been great to see and characters that were missing. I think someone said that when the book is so long already of course they have to cut parts that aren't that important for the story. But I don't agree cause when the book is so long they could've added some more and it wouldn't really have been a difference in length at all and it would have added a lot to the... not really to the story but to the feelings? Like now it was just a lot of things that had to happen so the story would get anywhere, it had too little deep emotional stuff.

 

[Jeffan Caliarthan]

Oh, I loved that Taim became one of the Chosen. It was awesome.

 

[Keelinnea Isyne]

I loved when Mat asked Hawkwing to go say hi to Tuon.

 

[Zimone Zarasri]

Oh yes! But I would have wanted to read about when it happened. One of those scenes that would have been great but that we didn't get

 

[Aulrick Vendour]

Yeah, I REALLY wanted to get a look at Hawkwing telling the Sancheans how stupid they are

 

[Jeffan Caliarthan]

I didn't like the fact that Mat was no longer bound to the Horn. Hawkwing said that it was because of Mat dying in Caemlyn and being saved by Balefire, but that makes no sense. If Balefire is used, then it didn't happen. It makes something disappear from the Pattern. The Horn is bound to the Pattern, as is everything else, so why the hell would the bond between the Horn and Mat be broken because of something that didn't actually happen?

 

[Ajailyn Morrivinna]

I'm not completely done I have two chapters and the epilogue.. I'm through the 190 paged Last Battle chapter..

WTF.. Bela.. I'm with Jeffan on this.... really?! After all the things she's been through you kill her off?!


I loved Egwene's death, not that she died as she was my favorite character, but it was as if she suddenly realized what her contribution was going to be, her purpose. To me this was the most poetic writing in the book.

 

[Ariadne Davion]

Oh, I loved that Taim became one of the Chosen. It was awesome.

Personally I think TDO jumped on that bandwagon too late. More Chosen should have been made earlier. It would have immensely helped his cause. But whatever.

I'm kinda glad the Bela died. Not because I dislike the horse, but I think giving the horse a god-complex like that would have just been worse from the fans. Yeesh, its just a horse.

 

[Belgareth Kiarc]

Totally Arie! If any horse was a god then it's Mandarb.

 

[Melaine Thayet]

I'll comment later on the main things I liked and didn't like, but one thing in particular really annoyed me... a mistake early in the book. The scene where Pevara and the Asha'man guys are getting the location of where Logain is being held from one of the evil Asha'man - Pevara stops up his hearing but lets him be able to *just* hear the first few comments, then the guy (can't remember his name) asks if he can hear them, and Pevara says "No".
Clearly a lie.
I know she's not Black Ajah, as that is made quite clear, so it's obviously a mistake. I know many will probably either miss it or just assume it's a small mistake, but come on - the Three Oaths are an enormous issue, and to have gone and done that? Frustrating.

 

[Belgareth Kiarc]

I was D: over something but thanks to a later post, I am no longer D:

 

[arema]

Things I liked:

Mat. He's awesome....always.
Perrin's stoic behavior has always been good. Gaul truly earned some man points in the World of Dreams.
Lan...He felt right to me. He was the only one I can think of who was ready to "sheathe the sword" in the fight. Any man would want to kill the enemy...but most were also thinking of what they would do after winning. Lan wasn't. Like he said...he didn't come to win, he came to kill. That part made me let out a pretty loud whoop.
I like Rand living.
Gawyn died. I didn't like him.

Mixed:

Egwene's death. Any who know me would know I held no love for the girl. I thought her brash and selfish....but this book..this book...changed that. She truly became a servant of all. Her death was noble and her legacy strong. Her soul's words to Rand made me cry.
I was kinda sad that Rand didn't godmode everyone back to life...but I can see why he didn't/why that would not have been the best idea.

Did not like:

Rand's bonds while important didn't feel all that right to me. The bonded would be surprised by the others presence/not sense emotions. Not like in the previous books.
It's over.
Bela died.
I was hoping for more of an epilogue.

 

[Hammar O'Justice]

I'll comment later on the main things I liked and didn't like, but one thing in particular really annoyed me... a mistake early in the book. The scene where Pevara and the Asha'man guys are getting the location of where Logain is being held from one of the evil Asha'man - Pevara stops up his hearing but lets him be able to *just* hear the first few comments, then the guy (can't remember his name) asks if he can hear them, and Pevara says "No".
Clearly a lie.
I know she's not Black Ajah, as that is made quite clear, so it's obviously a mistake. I know many will probably either miss it or just assume it's a small mistake, but come on - the Three Oaths are an enormous issue, and to have gone and done that? Frustrating.

This is incorrect. I had the same reaction you did and re-read it. The quote is:

Emarin: "He cannot hear what we say?"
Pevara: "No."

This is creates a double-negative: "He can hear what we say." She spoke no word that was not true, but the colloquial usage had the intended deceptive effect.

 

[Ajailyn Morrivinna]

Ooohh shows how well Emarin knew Pervara's oaths would need to be worked around

I think several times good characters thought about the True Source (as in their own power to reach out for) I think several times I had to gloss over Egwene or Elayne and using the True Power.. gonna have to go back and look for those again to see if I'm right or wrong..

 

[Jaryd Kosari]

True Source = Saidin and Saidar, NOT the True Power. That distinction has existed since before we knew the True Power existed. I think "True Source" was mentioned in The Great Hunt by one of the Aes Sedai.