The Dragon Reborn Review (WOT 3)
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- WHERE TO FIND ME:
► My Patreon: / merphynapier
► Twitter: / merphynapier
► Goodreads: / merphy-napier
► Instagram: / merphynapier
► E-mail: merphynapier@gmail.com
► Mailing Address:
PO box 22
Science Hill KY 42553
By the number of times Nynaeve tugged at her braids in this book, it's a wonder she still has hair left by the end of the book
One of my favorite scenes was Perrin in Tear when he was helping in the blacksmith shop.
Definitely one of my favourite Perrin scenes in the whole series.
thats where he gets the hammer
Only topped when he makes a hammer.
I just finished reading this book and couldn’t agree more. It’s so nice to see Perrin in his element, and it makes the reader so happy for him. And then when Faile said “so you really are a blacksmith, blacksmith”, oh man that was an awesome scene
For sure. Re-read that on its own a few times. So good.
Mat vs the princes is one of the best things ever, but he didn't need to be sword trained. All the two rivers men are trained with quarterstaffs and bows
My mistake!
Also.. it's been thoroughly documented (IRL) that a somewhat skilled staff/pike/spear user will have an advantage over a much more skilled sword user. Hence why ancient armies had many spear users and not so many sword users. It's simply easier to connect blows or stab someone if your weapon is 2 to 3 times the size of your opponent's.
Definitely one of my favorite brief sequences in the books, and a great hint at Mat's unique skill set that is often obscured by the prankster.
@@Mikus011 the trainer even said that the greatest swordsman in history only lost 1 fight and that it was to a farmer with a staff.
@@merphynapier42 The main reason Mat won the duel was not so much of his skill with a quarterstaff, but that - he _made a wager_ on it's outcome.
Mat's main _ta'veren_ power is winning bets.
I always thought Matt won the duel with the two princes was foreshadowing of his super natural luck. Since he had made a wager that he would win.
Nynaeve is only 5-ish years older than the boys (7-ish years older than Egwene), but she acts as though there is a much larger age gap because she considers herself to be one of the adults and them to be children.
Also she was the main healer/advice giver of the two rivers so she had to always use her weight to bully older people put of their perspective so that us her experience. Idk my thoughts
I'm an adult and I know people like that in real life
nynaeve gets on my nerves so much. I cant stand her chapters and her straight up irrational hatred of moraine
@@alexmartini3283it's very irrational indeed, she even knows it so I'm hoping it will have a deeper reason in the coming books
I recommend going back to the part of book one where Loial explains how Ta'veren works. all those "convenient chances" are directly related. I'd say the whole Ta'veren thing is the single most brilliant part of Jordan's writing. Just about every book has those moments where you think "that's way too convenient, i don't buy it" and Jordan built the world in a way that directly explains it, and in fact turns it into a huge part of the story itself.
Do you know the chapter?
@@altheasedai2606 Chapter 36 - The Eye of the World
I love how RJ wrote plot armour and convenience into the fabric of his world and story 👏
I just finished The Dragon Reborn the I realized that I’m still at the beginning after three books in.
The ladies were not almost free. They captured the black ajah guard but had no idea how to open the door because they were still blocked from the source
Oh I'm so glad you liked Rand in this book. I love how Robert Jordan went a completely different direction than what you would expect with him, especially in this book.
You are right, Perrin and the Girls are going to the same place. The simple name is The World of Dreams, the complicated name is Tel'aran'rhiod
Darkfriends are just normal people that have pledged themselves to the shadow, they dont have any special powers of their own. The guy that Mat overheard is a bit more than a normal darkfriend, but I wont explain more than that.
Nynaeve is about 25 I believe, so grown ish.
Piggybacking off that last point; most Darkfriends are just any average Joe that pledges to the Dark One like Ingtar or any of the baddies chasing Rand/Mat from book 1. Some are "blessed" and get special Talents/abilities (Fain), some can channel (Forsaken/Black Ajah), but in general a normal Darkfriend won't have any powers. I know it can all be rather confusing so thought I'd help clear that up for you a bit further.
Doesn't the book make it clear about the forsaken? (Kept vague so as to not post incredibly obvious spoilers for anyone who accidentally stumbles upon this)
I always liked Rand but this book was the want that make me love his character. He is by far the most complex character of the series.
"having never trained with a sword" - … Mat didn't fight them with a sword though.
My mistake
Yeah, I think his father taught him how to use the quarter staff to an effective degree in the Two Rivers.
Also the exciting thing is that there is an explanation and it’s cool
@@KndKdad Jordan also indicated Quarter Staff have an advantage over swords ... in fact the training warder mentioned the best warder swordman in history only lost was to a farmer and a quarter staff.
Still, his quarterstaff skills seemed to come out of nowhere, he didn't even bring one when they left home.
I am reading the book along with you and I loved it. I loved how although the book is called the Dragon Reborn, Rand was gone, but even without him the book was still about him. Mat and Perin both had great storylines. Looking forward to the next one for sure.
Remember Mat is Ta'veren, and as it says on the Fandom site...his ta'veren nature causes virtually every situation that depends on chance to work out in his favour. Darkfriends are simply humans who serve the Shadow because they have been promised rich rewards. Their abilities are no more or less than those possessed by any other person.
As others have pointed out, Mat was trained in the quarterstaff by his father who "always wins the quarterstaff competition at Bel Tine, except once or twice when Rand's da would win". That may not sound that impressive yet, but it will once you realize just how badass the Two Rivers people are. These people are the remnants of proud Manetheren after all. They might as well be a valley full of ancient kings in hiding.
But beyond that, the quarterstaff also has a distinct advantage against the sword. It has reach, and when fighting in the open Mat can make full use of that. He's got the upper hand, and the nobles underestimate the peasant weapon. It's a theme we'll get more of as warfare becomes a bigger part of the series. And it's very realistic. After all, the greatest weapons of medieval times were probably the infantry brandishing polearms.
As someone who has done some sparring, I can confirm. Reach is everything in a fight, and overcoming a large reach disadvantage is extremely difficult, even for an experienced fighter.
Mat's father was also a swordsman in the war of Aiels.
@@arvaakuka8568 You mean Rands father.
I thought it was mentioned that Abell Cauthon joined the mercenaries together with Rand's father, but I suppose not.
@@arvaakuka8568 no its made very clear that rands father is the only one that left the village
I love watching you go through these books for the first time! So cool to see a fresh perspective on things 😆
I'm actually reading this series for the first time, and managed to find your channel just as I finished the first book! I disagree with you a little here - I really enjoyed the chapters focusing on Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne. I didn't agree with how they handled things, but the way they were constantly roasting and arguing with each other felt so relatable, haha.
I loved how unsure all three were when trying to find the Black Ajah. There were several characters I would have NEVER suspected until one of the three started thinking paranoid thoughts, which lead me to me thinking them as well. It was almost a relief when they departed from Tar Valon!
I also really liked how Egwene has started to become much more assertive after her run-in with the Seanchan - the fact that she doesn't know how to channel her rage besides "I'M GONNA BLOW EVERYTHING THE FUCK UP!" made her feel SO real. I lived for her berserk rage moments!
Don’t worry, Merphy. If you are wanting the slower pace books, they are definitely coming. It might a problem then that they are too slow paced in some cases :D
The good thing with the "slog" is that you get a lot of character deph. I personally like a lot Winter's Heart for that reason but also for the epic ending.
@@pinpunk13 don't worry - she likes Perrin, she'll have no problems with the slog lol uh, hopefully
@@pinpunk13 i was literally thinking in my head about Winter's Heart and the Perrin storyline just before I read your comment!
@@jonhall152 I stopped reading when book 10 was taking so long and that untasteful rumor (which sadly was true) was going around and he introduced a whole new faction.
Meanwhile waiting unexcitedly for WInds of Winter.
Dragon Reborn is my favorite of the first 3 books because there was such a setup for Rand and Callandor at the end. It made the entire book worthwhile. But I understand how you liked the Perrin and Mat story arcs in here too.
"Matt, who has progressed from his dead weight status..."
lol lol lol
I never thought of it that way, but yeah, that's pretty much accurate. And to think that now he is my number 1 favorite character in all of Fantasy literature (not counting SF though).
Matt has always been a 'im not going to save you'...while doing his all to save everyone. It gets hilarious once you notice that anything he says he wont do...he does.
"I'm not a lord."
You don’t get Mat yet. First the sparring match was all him. He did not beat them with swords but with a staff. Which is was already quite good with. And as the Warder running the spar ground said, a good staff can beat swords. And darkfriends don’t have ‘powers’ they are just evil people pledged to the shadow.
My mistake
Merphy Napier
there are no mistakes with WOT, just happy little accidents
@@merphynapier42 oh and also Gawyn and Galad were the best among the warder trainees not the best among the warders. .....
not gonna lie i kind of wish i could spoil Mat so as to properly explain him. but i guess to break it down simply Taveren are those who influence the pattern. that doesnt necessarily mean every Taveren does it in the exact same way....
Im really glad you are reading Wheel of Time. always happy to get another WoT fan. Enjoy!
this is where I started to love Mat.
Wait, I thought dark friends pledged to the shadow for long\deep enough do gain the sense dark friends\shadow spawn abillity?
Mat remembered rand climbing the wall so him deciding to do this after being refused makes sense.
Oh, your confusion with darkfriends sensing Matt. It was mentioned, it was not Matt. It was the dagger that some darkfriends could sense. That’s most likely what threw you.
Ohhhhh, that helps a lot. Thank you!
Merphy Napier my pleasure!
Nynaeve is 25 to 27 over the time period when the books take place. Her relative young age is actually quite important for her character. Since she's very young (and she looks even younger than her age), she's had a lot of pushback from people who felt she was too young to be Wisdom of her village. This in turn has molded her...taciturn...personality. It's going to take her a bit longer yet to come to terms with how her situation has changed and the fact that she no longer has to/can bully her way around.
Something it took me a couple of reads to grasp was how different their culture is to ours. An important part of the culture that has built after the Breaking that doesn't get plainly stated is but informs all the social interactions: Men Cannot Be Trusted With Power. That has permeated beyond simply magic down to even the local council and internal family decision making process. And if you can remember that when you read how men and women interact with each other you may not be less annoyed, but it won't seem completely out of nowhere. Why can't the ladies accept that Mat was helpful? Because Men Cannot Be Trusted With Power, accepting his assistance means giving him power, and culturally that just isn't done.
A whole video series can be done on feminism in OUR culture vs the culture of women in WOT. Normally I despise woke feminist stuff in books/movies, but WoT doesn't just have wokiness, it has a REASON for female power, it has feminine women, man-hating women, strong women, weak women...it really doesn't put women into a feminist "box" and it the world seems real given the circumstances.
God I love these books...
Darkfriends are just people, they don't have the ability to sense people. Darkfriends that can channel can detect other people only when those other people channel.
Thank you for the clarification!
Great review Merphy. I loved Perrin too. He is such a cool man. I can't wait for more from him. I want more Lan and Morraine time.
Nyneave was a bit intense this time around. I think she needs some more humbling situations to being her down a bit. I look forward to those.
Xoxoxo
I really liked Egwenes arc from the Great Hunt, but idk I felt like she took a step back. Also I was pissed off when they blasted Mat after HE JUST SAVED THEM! I just hate how they are just always so angry all the time, especially Nynaeve! Maybe it's just me, but they get on my nerves.
It’s not just you, my friend 😳
How they treated him was just wrong
I was livid when they not only didn't even bother to say as much as thank you but they attacked him afterwards I almost hopped that they would get captured again and Mat just leaves
david chehab yep me too...so many times!
My favourite thing about Nynaeve is the fact that she’s just mad all the time at everything, but yeah, I’m inclined to agree with you; the way they treated Mat... anime levels of ridiculous
Darkfriends are just like everyone else, so they can be eavesdropped on just like everyone else. If I recall correctly, Mat was hiding next to a window into the Palace where this conversation took place
For a minute I was confused, not remembering having posted this comment.
Just read for the first time this book too ! And for me Mat' being really lucky is the aftermath of him being a ta'veren. Moraine said that Arthur (or something like that) was very lucky when he needed to, because he was a Ta'veren.
About the combat Matt vs the two swordsmen - Matt used quarterstaff which is much better than swords in duels and he is very skilled in quarterstaff. They practiced it constantly in the village.
About Matt hearing "Gabriel" giving orders - Gabriel simply didn't notice him. He would notice if Matt had One Power but he doesn't.
Was it Gabriel or his lieutenant I can't remember.
Even if Mat was a channeler Gaebril wouldn't have noticed him unless Mat was holding the power since male channelers can't sense the presence of other male channelers like female channelers can with other female channelers
@@captainwilhelm9657 IIRC they can sense presence of male one power but unable to predict the potential.
Male channellers can't sense each other unless they're holding the power, its why they have to test it. Only the women can
@@nickywal Women same as men must be tested for power. Only if woman has already awakened her powers she can be sensed. There was even a scene where one of Ashamen was rebuked for being unable to tell that Rand is an extremely powerful channeler.
Edit: furthermore, how would Logain be able to tell that Rand is even more powerful channeler when he first saw him? He saw the halo of teveren, but thay's something else. And I highly doubt that Rand held the power back then.
Mat is lucky, that is one of his main tav'earn abilities. When he relies on luck he does well, you see him starting to understand it in Tear when looking for the girls.
I love the aha moment when he realizes that the house lit up by the lightning flash, when he first enters Tear, is the house he needed to go to in the first place. This of course is after he spent days searching the city for them.
I loved how the palace guard was even like we really have to do something about that garden wall. Lmao
This is great. Just found this channel through Daniel Greene. I look forward to hearing from you as you move through the series for the first time. I never finished the series, but I'm currently re-reading it.
You are confusing dark friends and The Forsaken.
The Forsaken are all Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends.(super powerful and knowledgeable)
Dark friends are people from the current era. Even the Black Ajah. They are hoping to gain power are whatever their goal.
Yes the females other than moraine all need to grow up. And mat heard that conversation since that dark friend (idr what you called him) wasn't using the power. He thought he had everything in control so he didn't got through the power wielded traps.
Book 3 is... all right. Personally, book 4 is my favorite. ;) I think you're going to love it
I'll second this. You will really love book 4.
Nothing beats book 14 imo. It's like 1 giant book of helms deep, minas tirith and mordor all happening at the same time lol. Such a satisfying conclusion to the series.
I guess a case could be made for book 4 not being the best in the series... but... not many people would buy it lol - 14 was good though too. I honestly couldn't say what the 2nd best book was after book 4... I could say that book 5 is quite a bit of a disappointment coming right after book 4, book 6 is so awesome at the end that just for that it must be one of the best books of the series.
I love how in The Great Hunt you said his pacing is to slow....and in this you say you wish there was more exploring the world and taking time
You are going to love the next book for Perrin's arc
Everyone's arc! Love the new perspective form first time readers though
you mean the best book?
Be careful what you wish for... You wish for a bit more of a slow pace, and Robert Jordan hits you with Books 7 through 10. Well, 7-9 are actually quite enjoyable despite the slowness thanks to some good world building and awesome Mat chapters.
See I dont find 7 that slow because of how great the stuff in Ebou Dar is. Mat does really carry The Plod.
Don’t worry. Character growth occurs for everyone (especially Nynaeve). It just takes a long while. Nynaeve really seems to struggle with losing control of the other Emond’s fielders. Deep down I think she’s bossy because she feel responsible for their safety and as she loses control she feels like she can’t protect them.
And don’t worry slower pace is coming. Book 3 is good but it’s no book 4 or 5. Also I totally agree with you the first two books are better than the third!
I’m dying to watch this video, but hubby is home and he’s only an hour into The Dragon Reborn audiobook 😹 must hunt for headphones!
So about the darkfriends’ ability to track down ta’veren, that actually wasn’t what it was. In book 1 they were able to track down Mat specifically because of the taint of the dagger from Shadar Logoth. Just wanted to point that out. Don’t worry though, I totally forgot that detail until literally just a second ago lmao
Hard agree. With everything.
I'm so far behind you in this series, but I just finished this book today and this video is like you read my mind! Can't wait to keep watching these reviews as I work my way through the rest of the books.
ik this is years old but by favorite part in this book is on the rooftops in tear when Mat is like, “why the FUCK are there so many people on these rooftops tonight”
To clarify about the powers of Darkfriends: They are ranked by their results, rather than their power. Some have no power. But that's what makes them scary; they find a way to get results regardless.
To my understanding the dark friends can't just sense them I think all the past ones have just been told to look out for certain people and have been given names and they've just been recognized everytime previously.
They were also drawn to the dagger.
Yeah, before they were able to sense the evil of Shadar Logoth. Since he has been healed of that, they can no longer sense him all willy nilly.
I really appreciate how you do reviews on your channel. You're one of the few booktubers who consistently post reviews and it's great!
Watching your reviews on this series have been great. It's cool to see how your views on each character shifts and realizing how mine shifted so much from book to book as well.
Egwene and Elayne are 16 at the beginning of the series, the boys are 18, and Nyneave, I think, is between 22-25.
Looking forward to your progression through this series ! New perspective will be great. Matt certainly gets no respect from the woman he saved !!! Books 7-9? Chug a bit but very much enjoyed them still. Love the book shelves in background ! Nothing beats holding a real book. Even though do take up space. Look forward to viewing other videos from you! The women do indeed bicker and snip alot for while...
I love that whenever someone corrects you, you reply with "My mistake." The first time it seemed like just a nice little admission, but every time I see it now it feels more like "Whatever". I love it.
Also, it's interesting seeing someone react to the books when you know everything that's coming up. I keep wanting to say things that would be spoilers! I probably had some of the same questions myself on my first read-through.
This book was the tipping point for Rand with me, too. It kinda took me by surprise because I also expected him to be the dull chosen one.
Mat used a quarterstaff and was trained by his dad who is the best in the two rivers. Plus he is lucky AF.
Yea, the wonder girls do bicker a lot in this one. I find them quite insufferable when they're talking about, or interacting with Mat in particular, but otherwise do really enjoy them. Nyneve's arc through book 4 and especially 5 is really good imo. Keep in mind that shes used to being a figure of authority, and has swatted Mattrims bottom numerous times...some not that many years ago...and her biggest challenge is coming to terms with the Emmonds Fielders no longer being children, but adults and equals. But yea, she is a bully, you're not wrong. She grows though.
Excellent review, Merphy. I just finished this book and really enjoyed it, here are some of my thoughts (Sorry if I misspell names, I'm listening on Audible and I don't want to Google the names for fear of spoilers):
1. About Egwene and the girls, I actually really liked all three of them in this book. I thought they ended the second book strongly and they continued on that good note throughout this book as well. My favorite part was when they teamed up with the Aiel to kill those Myrdrals. I liked them UNTIL that Mat scene, I can't believe they did that to the one character whose entire arc in this book revolved around helping Elayne and the other two. To add insult to injury, they didn't do shit to the thief-catcher who ACTUALLY betrayed them. Big thumbs down to the girls after that scene. I guess it was supposed to be comedic or something but after everything Mat risked to save them it really left a sour taste in my mouth.
2. Baalsamon so far is a weak antagonist. He's like the Team Rocket of this series, every episode he shows up at the end for some reason and ends up getting defeated with ease. I really hope (and assume) he either steps up his game in the later books or that he isn't the real antagonist at all. I find Lannfear to be much more intimidating and mysterious than Baalsamon for example. The fear I had for Baalsamon in the first book is completely gone at this point. Dude is a joke.
3. This is the second book in a row where the main plot consists of getting something back that we already had in the first place which makes everything feel kinda.. pointless, like we've only managed to get back to square one. In the second book we spend the entire book trying to get the Horn of Valyr back, even though we already had it in the beginning of the book, in this book Rand has to make sure to himself that he actually is the Dragon Reborn even though we already knew that by the end of the second book. Again, we're just getting back to square one even though a lot of things are happening along the way. I hope they change up the formula in the next books with more unpredictable main plotlines.
4. Everything about Perryn and Morayne was straight up Balefire ;)
Looking forward to the next book and I can't wait for the TV-show to start. I guess I started listening to this amazing series at the right time.
I really have to agree with your last point about the travelling disrupting Jordan's world building abilities. Perrin's group travels across around 3 nations to get to Illian and there's not really anything distinct about any of it, then when he gets to Illian you get a description of the mood of the city and one tavern and thats it. Mat gives you a decent look at Tar Valon outside of the tower, but there was nothing further required to describe Camelyn, and he did help flesh out Tear a bit.
I liked the focus they put on the girls and Mat/Perrin. I'm excited to see what happens to the wolf and the gambler.
The reason the darkfriend in the palace never saw mat is because he overheard them through a window which was right over him. He scaled over the wall, but he had decided to reach the queen directly without encountering anyone, so he spends some time sneaking around and that's when that happened
Nainaeve is probably my favorite female character in the series, closely followed by Moiraine. Granted she can be quite bossy sometimes and acts like she knows what right/best , but especially early on in the series I think she usually is in the right. She is older than all the other guys and girls that came out of the village and has an overprotective mother hen instinct but she really is well intentioned.
The way the 3 of them treated Mat really annoyed me too in this book (it does comes up in the future ...at least once or maybe more I can’t recall)
As for the 3 guys...aside from Mat, there are chunks of the series where I was not such a huge fan of Rand and Perrin. I sometimes found some stuff tedious or slow or just a bit hard to read cause I guess I did empathize with what they were going through emotionally and it was hard to read in that sense...but it’s all purely subjective. This however never happened with Mat . Even when he was high on the dagger 🗡 I still found him interesting and now that he’s no longer possessed, he just keeps getting better and better. It’s almost always fun and kinda mood elevating for me reading his chapters. I can’t really recall too many of his chapters that were downers/depressive. I really need to have a reread of the series.
Well the DRAGON REBORN was the FIRST book of this series that I laid eyes on... I then went back and excitedly read the first and second books and then reread the dragon reborn... And everytime I had to wait the whole year for the next series to come out I started the series all over so that I could be up on the whole story when the next one came out... Love em all
Lol i pretty much ready them all 19 times lol. And i listen to them all like 10 times on audio... how coming that tavren lady who got burned out didnt get cured? Fukinh brandoj samders droping the soap.
Old video but I feel like I must defend my boy Mat here. He’s been training since he was a child with the quarter-stave and long. Everyone in the Two Rivers does. He’s dad is apparently the best at it
I'd just like to correct something. Mat is not a swordsman, he's good with a quarterstaff, which he learned to use in the Two Rivers and his father is known to be an expert with the quarterstaff, so it's no surprise Mat learned well from him. He didn't magically learn to use a sword.
I love how the 3 came to Matt after becoming accepted and I feel like a little full of themselves and Matt is not at all impressed with them. I'm reading the shadow rising now about 200 pages in but Matt is the arc i'm most curious about with all his "I'm not a hero" talk he's always willing to sacrifice to save his friends.
I'm reading it now, on chapter 2, hopefully it's great cause I was thoroughly disappointed with book 3
Harry is actually one of my favorite characters in the series.
Yes, he's so sassy and funny! I think he's actually one of the better Chosen Ones in fiction, because he's not defined by that status. There's more to his character than just that. A lot of people miss that, maybe because of the movies. His character is far more interesting than people give credit, especially for a children's story. It's extremely hard to write good child characters that aren't Mary Sues, and I think Rowling did a fantastic job with him.
@@janhavi1977 agreed. He's pretty hotheaded and impulsive, which are massive flaws he pays dearly for in the series
Can't wait to see how your thoughts change and grow about the series over all the reviews.
Dont worry about mat all of that lucky and other stuff has use. He is my favorite character
Book 4 is even better. Perrins arc in it is awesome. And Mat isn’t good at swords. He used a staff.
My mistake!
Np
About mat defeating both galad and gawyn without sword training, is not entirely unrealistic, he wasn't using a sword and he had training with the staff. The staff has longer reach so it can actually be a weapon superior to swords.
I'm assuming you haven't finished book 4 yet (my favorite for sure) since I don't see a review video yet, but by some of your comments I think you might be reading "too fast" at times where you're missing details that actually do kind of explain things you're asking questions about. lol But.. having said that.. I've been through these books multiple times so I might have felt the same way the first time, it's just been so long I don't actually remember. =D
Can't wait to see your review for Shadow Rising though!!
Edit: Just watched your latest Reading Vlog (sorry - working my way through from older to newer vids!). Sounds like you have a TON on your plate! The good thing about books is that they're not going anywhere so take your time! :)
100%, definitely got this vibe from the video, but like you said it's understandable considering how much she's currently reading and working on. I'm currently on book 4 and appreciate the subtlety with which Jordan writes certain plot points or character interactions. The series would certainly benefit from a more measured reading approach, as the vast majority of the "issues" mentioned in the video were clearly explained, just not overly drawn out or repeated, meaning if you missed the explanation, you weren't going to get it again later on.
Nynaeve is in her early 20s, but she looks much younger. She essentially stopped aging when she began training as a Wisdom, so she looks like she's 16. That's why she acts like such a bully, she's struggled for years to be taken seriously in a position of authority.
I've been re-reading WoT for the first time since jr high, and listening to your reviews as I finish each book, looks like I've caught up to you. And I definitely agree Eye of the World is the best book so far.
I think the main reason is that in the great hunt and dragon reborn the main plot of the book was too clear early.
We're all going to Toman Head, you've told me 50 times now. And then we're all going to Tear, I get it.
I'm excited for the next book, worried about the following slog, but then I really want to actually finish it. I never got past book 11 the first time through.
Oh when book 1 start Egwene was 15-16 years old and Nynaeve is 7 years older than her so 22-23 and book 3 is a little over a year from the where book 1 started
I have loved mat since book one and him being able to knock those two prince (really good swordsmen) is actually just two rivers blood talking rn atleast. They have this competition where rand and mat's dad always win and do mat is good with a stick. Which the two prince didn't expect at all hence he won.
Oh that's makes sense
Mat is more than good at gambling. He had always been called a gambler, though he was not. The trick was in knowing what risks you could take. And sometimes, in knowing which ones you had to take.
I appreciate that Nynaeve isn't perfect but I still really like her. She and Perrin are my favourite characters.
in Matt’s fight with Gawin and Gallad he never uses a sword. He uses a staff, and that he has trained in firing with a staff, and the person who trained him was considered vary skilled. Also he almost collapsed afterwards.
Ahm, Mat was kneeling below a first floor window on the outside and the others are inside. And windows in Randland don't automatically have panes of glass or similar. If they're talking about casements, then the windows have a case fitted into them, which can have panes of glass or shutters.
Hmm, I don't see how they had freed themselves. Sure they kinda gained control over the BA sitting outside, but they were still locked in and unable to channel. Mat truly freed them, they don't even have that as a saving grace.
RJ adheres a lot to show don't tell. So the super girls bickering and having no effect and stuff is because they are young, and have not a lot of effect and stuff. See also the Aes Sedai, they are seen as sooo great and see themselves as even greater. But their actions are kinda stupid and inconsequential and stuff. That's because they have a totally overblown sense of their importance.
Seraphim can also chennel it seems to probably remember why35
If I recall correctly the first three books were originally plotted as a single book, but as Robert Jordan was writing it he found he had too much material for a single book and had to split it up. I feel that caused certain characters as you noted with Rand to feel absent from time to time in the first three books. Book four, by contrast, feels more tightly plotted to me which may be why it is popular opinion that this is where Robert Jordan hit his stride in the series. Similarly the last 3 books were originally going to be a single book, but with the amount of material and subplots that needed to be tied up, it was also split by Brandon Sanderson.
I haven't found it in the comments, and I know this video is old, but Mat was in the garden Below the Darkfriend when he overheard pieces of their conversation. He climbed up to the balcony to get a better view, but only saw the big guy with the striped beard. Later he decides not to out the Darkfriend because that would have clearly gotten him killed at that moment. I haven't read past Book 3 at this moment, so please no spoilers later.
Old video I know, but I just am getting to reading wheel of time now in prep for the show. Just finished book 3 and about Mat beating the two swordsman while still recovering, I think it said something about his dad being a quarterstaff champ in Edmonds field, or something like that. I still agree his luck was definitely part of him winning too, but I didn’t think he was “being handed” being good with a quarterstaff necessarily either. I can imagine mat having a stick or a staff of some sort in his hands a lot growing up, if his father was a champ with them
Nynaeve isn't really a bully in The Dragon Reborn. The problem was she was mostly seen through Egwene's eyes, and Egwene is actually the immature one in this book. This book is about Mat, Perrin & Egwene having to grow up and stop being kids. Mat had to take responsibility and make efforts to save people. Perrin had to stand up for himself and not just let Moiraine tell him what to do. Egwene has to learn that violence isn't the answer to her trauma and to accept that she can accept comfort or care without being infantilized. So she spends most of the book acting out and bucking against Nynaeve who represents authority in her eyes. Egwene is an unreliable narrator, and it is her view that Nynaeve is bullying her, when in reality, Egwene is sulking and being contradictory and thinks she should be in charge.
Look at how they recruit Mat to carry Elayne's letter - Egwene tries to push Mat into it, Elayne tries to sweet-talk him, and then lets slip that Egwene said Mat was a sucker for an attractive woman, but Nynaeve is the one gets Mat to do it by appealing to his better nature. Her presentation is forceful, but the gist of it was, "stop being a baby, you're better than this. We're your friends, we helped you and we really need you to help us." And then she defied her superior, the Amyrlin Seat, and helped Mat circumvent the strictures the Amyrlin put in place to keep Mat in Tar Valon.
During their journey, Egwene is all huffy, saying that Nynaeve believes she's in charge. Well, Nynaeve is seven years older, she is much more powerful, she has been an Accepted for almost a year, while Egwene is newly promoted, and Egwene was right there when the Amyrlin said she would have promoted Nynaeve, except for a channeling technicality. Their ultimate boss thinks Nynaeve's judgment is good enough to be a full sister. Since they have left the Two Rivers, Nynaeve helped rescue Egwene from the Whitecloaks, and rescued her from the Seanchan, before Egwene spoiled their escape by freaking out and throwing fireballs around so the enemy could zero in on her and almost kill her friends with their counter-attack. What, out of all those details, suggests Nyaeve should NOT be in charge? Before they set out on their mission, Nynaeve is the one who gets the final briefing with the Amyrlin. Egwene COULD have been in that meeting, but she blew it by back-talking the Amyrlin, despite Verin telling her multiple times to keep her mouth shut and not contradict her superiors, and seeing the Amyrlin almost flip out at Nynaeve when Nynaeve gets annoyed at the Amyrlin's insults. After all that, she still hasn't learned to keep her mouth shut, and while Nynaeve recognizes the Amyrlin's ruse to get them some privacy, Egwene starts arguing and gets kicked out of the room.
And if you pay attention, you can clearly see that Egwene's judgment is pretty awful in this book. She wanted to spend their money on fancy clothes for their trip, and it was the princess who had to point out that they could still maintain their cover with cheaper dresses. When Elayne is troubled at the sight of a war-torn countryside, Egwene's response is "Why do you care? Didn't they fight wars against your country in the past?" Elayne actually has to explain to Egwene that she has empathy and seeing people starve is not pleasant. Elayne has to talk Egwene down so she doesn't freak out and kill the Aiel women they meet, and even though Elayne is closer to Egwene than Nynaeve, Egwene's treatment of Nynaeve is so vicious and nasty that Elayne finally slaps her face, and Egwene can't even blame her for it. She does not start to get better until they are in the dungeon together and she finally accepts Nynaeve's efforts to comfort her.
Just finished today. Love it. Looking forward to book 4, I think I’ll read something in between though...
mat isn't trained in the sword, he is trained in the quarterstaff. something that is normal in the two rivers. and his da is the second best in the whole of the two rivers with a quarterstaff (maybe the best, i can't remember if tam or abel was better)
I am also doing a first time read through and it is wild to see someone with literally all the exact same views as me about this book! Dragon Reborn was definitely my least favourite out of the 3 (even though I still really like it) and it really was for all the reasons you said, and I seriously cannot wait to read book 4
Love your reviews and channel! Subbed!
Mat has been training with a bow and quarterstaff from childhood....
I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking they were mean to Mat and that they were a little annoying and overbearing sometimes.
Mat is is the Jackie Chan of WOT. Like he open and freezer door and it slams into a bad guys face.... or Domino from Marvel he is just super lucky and it works in his favor be he does not know why
I think my favourite characters have to be Thom Merrilin and Loial
Fun review! Love this series!
The shadow rising has quite a bit of, not necessarily downtime, but you learn a lot more about other cultures and background stuff. Nynaeve's character arc eventually is one of the best in the series
Also you finally met my favourite character in this book
Who's your fav?
Rhuarc you know the Aiel clan chief?
@@nickywal oh okay! Do we get a lot more of him?
Without too many spoilers, the Aiel are here to stay
The Shadow Rising has SO MUCH Perrin chapters😂 you’ll love it! I’d say he’s the main character of the book, then Rand.
I think you’ll love the next book a lot
well if anyone loves Perrin there's always book 10 lol
Just a clarification: Mat isn't good with a sword, and doesn't need to be (pretty sure Mat never even touched a sword). As the Warder instructer pointed out, the best swordsman in history was bested by a farmer with a staff. Jordan's premise here is that a quarterstaff (or any sort of staff I would guess) is superior weapon in the hands of a competent user than a sword is in the hands of an equally (or better) user. Personally, I tend to agree (but then, my thoughts on this have been colored by RJ's books since the early 90s), as a staff seems more utilitarian, having two functional ends that can be used both for attack and defense. Some speed might be sacrificed in some maneuvers, but I think in others speed is gained.
As to Darkfriend "abilities" they don't have any. Forsaken on the other hand do. Watch out for them (no spoilers, but you *have* seen some without knowing it, and *not* gonna tell you who... hope that heightens some paranoia levels LOL). But Darkfriends are just people who side with the Dark One, and bring with them the abilities and skills that a normal person would have. Of course, there is always the possibility that a Darkfriend could be Aes Sedai (in theory the Black Ajah exist, but the White Tower denies that adamantly right?). Darkfriends were actually one of the things about this series that creeped me the frak out, the very idea of coordinated organised Satanists (for lack of a better term) on a global scale is just chilling (setting aside religious connotations). I thought they were one of RJ's cooler inventions with this series.
BTW, at the start of the books, Egwene and Elayne are both 17 years old and Nynaeve is 25 years old (according to the wiki, but do *not* go looking at the wiki, it has *SPOILERS* all over the place, unless you are cool with that).
Ah yes, Nynaeve *is* a bully in these early books, especially with the Two Rivers kids, and anyone younger than her (and that includes Novices who happen to be Daughter Heirs as well), or somehow lower "ranked" than she is. She's used to bullying older people back in Emond's Field as well, which probably was necessary to get them to listen to such a young Wisdom. I still love her, though it took me years (and a number of books) before I grew to love her as a character. Initially I couldn't stand her, and that lasted for several books.
Anyhow, thank Daniel for the new sub, found out about you from his "vlog" video he posted today featuring you, and thought I would check out your channel. Saw this review watched it and decided to subscribe!
The Shadow Rising is easily one of the *best* books in the series (my personal 2nd favorite, after The Lord of Chaos). It is truly amazing.
PS: What do you think of Perrin's budding romance?
Thanks for. those clarifications! I don't really have an oppinion on the romance yet, we'll just have to see how it goes. So far I'm not wold about Jordan's romance writing - though I haven't seen too much yet so I. could be swayed!
A lot of people aren't sold on the romances, that I can tell you. Personally I enjoyed one or two of them (though a couple of them I didn't buy, but again, not gonna say which ones, don't want to spoil anything for you). I've watched a handful of your reviews now since I discovered your channel (thanks to Daniel Greene's video yesterday I think it was) and I picked up that you weren't big on romance, though your husband is a bit of a sap (as am I to be honest). I enjoyed the reviews I watched, and am glad you are liking the Wheel of Time so far. Looking forward to your future reviews of the series (and also curious as to your future thoughts on the rest of George RR Martin's stuff, though you seemed pretty luke warm on those).
Curious, I know you love Fantasy, but do you also like Science Fiction? I'd like to recommend Peter F Hamilton to you. His SF (more appropriately Space Opera) kind of feels like Fantasy at times as he doesn't go into the science of the technology, the tech is just *there* to be used and in many ways it sometimes feels magical, at least in the "Commonwealth Saga" (my favorite of his). That starts with *Pandora's* *Star* and ends with *Judas* *Unchained* (it's only two books, but there is a trilogy and another duology set in that same universe but centuries later). The Commonewealth books have one of the strongest female characters I have ever read IMO, Paula Myo (she is ranked #4 on my list of Favorite SF characters in Literature, TV and Film). She is simply awesome, and a force to be reckoned with. I've read both of them three times now, and probably will read them again in the next couple of years I love them that much. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of SF I *HIGHLY* recommend those two books.
Happy reading!
thank you. for the recs! I am trying to get into sci fi as I haven't read very much at all. I'll be checking to see if my library has those, thank you!
You're most welcome. I can recommend SF all day LOL. It's just as much my passion as Fantasy is (I actually see it as a sub-genre of Fantasy to be honest, weird as that may sound; Fantasy being the over-arching genre with SF and Horror being the primary subs, and then all the smaller sub-genres from there; to me Fantasy doesn't mean magic, it means "fantastical" or unreal and imaginative beyond what is possible in the here and now).
If you can't find them at your library Amazon has them at reasonable prices, and they really are worth purchasing. Alternatively, if your library does this, they may be able to request it from outside the library district. My library has gotten me books from clear across the country in the past.. Yours might be part of the same inter-library system (I don't recall what they call it, sorry).
This was my 2nd favorite of the 3, after Great Hunt. It really was formulaic, and I breezed through the final fight. It didn't really matter to me, and I was disappointed seeing that this was supposed to be a huge thing.
I also, it bugs me when Rand makes a big decision in a sentence and then we don't hear his thought process until the next book.
not y'all hating on my girl nynaeve :(
Just gonna leave the little remark that quarter staff has some clear advantages to sword in real life dueling. Matt beating Galad and Gwyn is not that much of a stretch. And this is the book, I think, he starts to grow into his power of plot armor. But is awesomely done so don't worry much about it
Mat didn't fight with a sword. It was with a quarterstaff I believe. You have an advantage with a quarterstaff and he used that to beat the hubris of the princes.
The scene with Matt beating up Galad and Gawyn had nothing to do with any kind of power, he's just really good with a staff. And it's a much longer weapon with more reach than a sword.
Damn, I started book three before you started book two, your a fast reader! I’m still only halfway through book three.