Chapter 36 (Web of the Pattern)

Oh, Loial! What a refreshing introduction! So simple and yet so deep. You humans are very excitable....I had heard all the stories, and read the books, of course, but I didn't realize." It's fun to have a character introduced that can point out different character traits or actions and bring those to the forefront of the story. 


What stood out to me from this chapter was simply our introduction to Loial (Ogier, not Trolloc) and a segue from the boys being on the run to Caemlyn to them finally reaching Caemlyn. To me, this introduction was the end, maybe of Part III in the book or the beginning of Part IV. We have: Part I - the boys in Edmond's Field, Part II - Leaving Edmond's Field up until fleeing Shadar Logoth, Part III - the road to Caemlyn, Part IV - Arriving in Caemlyn, and for now I'll go no further. 

We have our first mentions (or in my recollection) of the Ways, ta'veran, the Web/ta'maral'ailen. Oh, and yet another "person" assumes Rand is Aiel. Has that message been passed to all but the slowest of readers yet?

Now I'm going to take a moment to stand behind my podium and speak of a few things I've discovered about myself while doing this re-read. Wheel of Time fans are many, as are Wheel of Time fans who devour everything they can from every Robert Jordan interview, FAQ, book signing/speaking, Jordancon, etc. I salute you, I really do. However, I have found that I like my own imagination merged with the Wheel of Time world. Let me explain, if it's not in the books, I prefer it left up to my own imagination how something is or how something happened. Unfortunately I don't have any great examples right now, but I'm sure I'll think of some in the future. 

Actually - here's an example - in a comment thread in a Wheel of Time group someone is asking for theories about Rand (I won't get more specific). One of the replies began with "RJ specifically stated...." For me, with all due respect to Robert Jordan (really the man was a brilliant writer, world builder, etc.), because of the fact that RJ specifically stated this outside of the books, I don't really care. I feel free to use my own imagination and I will build my own theories. If the reply had started "Well, in book xxx Rand does...." or even "Well, in the encyclopedia....", that different; that's a part of the story. 

Jordan did a great deal right in his series, the world building, the continuity, forethought and planning and the rich descriptions. And he didn't overdo it like Tolkien did. I read The Hobbit as a child, and I've tried to get through The Lord of the Rings several times, but was never able to, which always frustrates me. I dearly love the story, but the telling of the story itself wasn't...enjoyable. There's actually a really amazing blog post comparing Jordan and Tolkien, which I highly suggest and the reading of it helped me understand why I could just never finish LotR.

Okay, I'll step away from the podium now and hope I haven't offended too many of you who devour everything Wheel of Time that you can get your hands on. Moving along to The Long Chase....