Saturday, December 17, 2011

Chapter 21 (Listen to the Wind)


Life often gets in the way of what one would really like to be doing.


I have a co-worker who has only recently started on his Wheel of Time re-read, started with A New Spring, and is already on (or through) book five of the series.  Unfortunately when homework and housework and blogging get backed up, blogging is the one that gives.  Needless to say there are/will be resolutions that help me organize my time more efficiently in the future. 

This chapter is a conversation (could also be called an argument) between two women (Moraine and Nynaeve), Lan is simply a bystander throughout the conversation (as any smart man would be).  The small set up to get Nynaeve to Moraine and Lan is well done, especially the part that talks about the Trollocs  "They know the smell of who they want...and it is not me."

The by-play by Moraine and Nynaeve is well done, but also well done is keeping Lan in the picture, keeping the reader aware of the fact that he is indeed still there, just staying out of the conversation. 

The reader also learns quite a bit about the how the One Power manifests itself in people.  I can't quite call this one an info dump, because how Jordan presents the information is not a monologue, rather, it's a back and forth exchange between Moraine and Nynaeve. 

What is left unspoken in the dialogue in this chapter, it comes purely from  Nynaeve's POV, is the banter between Nynaeve and Lan.  Lan is shocked that Nynaeve came upon them without him hearing anything, so Nynaeve feels she has one up on him.   Then Nynaeve is shocked when Lan is able to follow her tracks back to find her horse. 

This chapter was enjoyable, if only because it knocked Nynaeve down a few pegs.  The next chapters are Perrin and Egwene chapters, I can't wait to go over those ones.  

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