New Spring, Part Two

I finished NStN yesterday, and am very grateful to report that the second half hangs together a lot better than the first.

We have Moiraine as a newly minted Aes Sedai, fleeing being put on the throne of Cairhien and looking for the Dragon Reborn.  Lan is off to Chachin, to stop his former lover Edeyn from raising an army in his name.  Unbeknownst to both, they are already mixing with Shadospawn that seek to derail them from their prospective quests.

What I liked about this part of the book is that it works well as a character piece-you can understand Lan better if you realize how he is haunted by his past, and fears being used for political gain.  When you see how Edeyn has a hold on him, and uses his strict sense of honor against him in an attempt to trap him in a marriage with her own daughter, Iselle.  Aware at how vulnerable he is in this particular way, it is easier to understand why he would agree to become Moiraine's Warder.

Meanwhile, Moiraine is barely out of the White Tower, and also susceptible to being used politically against her will-the White Tower seeks to have her replace her late uncle,  King Laman, on the throne of Cairhien following the Aiel War.  She flees with the lists she and Siuan compiled of the possible children who were born at the right time and location to be the Dragon Reborn.  As she hunts, she realizes that the Black Ajah is not only real, but also seeking the Dragon in an attempt to kill him, so the Shadow can spread over the land.  Her own quest takes her on the road to Chachin, and meets the man who will eventually become her Warder.  Along the way, she realizes her own vulnerability as a lone Aes Sedai.  Of course, it wouldn't be a good story if they didn't have personal conflict between them before they realize that they are stronger together than apart.

As a long time fan, I appreciate the background information on each of these two, as it helps explain their sometimes odd interactions.  Also, it gives a deeper realization that by the time we see them again in TEotW, they've been married in purpose for twenty years, as well as watching each other's backs and being their only companion for most of that time.

But seriously, if you're new to the series, don't start here.  Read it at the end, as a nice coda to the story, or in the middle as a bit of a break.  The wink wink nudge nudge of other characters might be more fun, too.

So, to sum up-that was 334 pages, 122,150 words, and 164 characters that were named.  That's about one person every two pages, which would leave it at 2,000,000 characters in the books.  It'll be fun to watch that number drop.

As a final note, full props to the artist of that picture above.  Check out jasonchanart.com for more!

Next time-my journey truly begins!!

New Spring, Part One

Before we begin, a note on the late Darrell K. Sweet.

Before his death late in 2011, DKS was the artist for every WoT book, along with many others.  And let me be clear up front, I'm not saying he wasn't a very talented artist.  In particular, I think his horses are amazing.  The human characters on his covers, however, tend to be stumpy, middle aged, early 80s rock-haired, overly made up, and generally ill proportioned. Moiraine is supposed to be very short, but always end up looking like a dwarf who rolled in foundation and mascara.  Lan's hair and hadori leave him looking like something straight out of  Dire Straits, while Bukama (guy in blue) has such a grumpy scowl on his face, he looks like a painting of Jeff Dunham's puppet old man, Walter.  Seriously, go Google it.

And this is really one of the nicer covers!

With that out of the way, onto the partial book review.

I started New Spring the Novel late Sunday night, and by yesterday had hit page 202.  This is the new section that was added onto New Spring, the short story (originaly published in Robert Silverburg's Legends, an excellent collection of short stories from authors of epics).  With two small exceptions, it's been the story of Moiraine and Siuan learning of the rebirth of the Dragon, trying to figure out how to find him, and becoming full Aes Sedai.  The small exceptions are the first chapter, and a small piece at the end of chapter 12, both of which feature Lan and Bukama, being dour, stoic, and warlike.

It's a terrible way to start.

I can appreciate the book, really.  But by starting with NStN, there is none of the suction of The Eye of the World, which does such an excellent job of making you identify with Rand before he ends up in the middle of everything. TEotW has such a tight focus on your main characters, before expanding past their known borders, that you can discover their world with them-it's a beautiful rendition of the country mice in the city feeling.  NStN makes the assumption that you're very familiar with things (granted, I am), so plops you right down in the thick of the White Tower, tossing about names that feel like Robert Jordan is playing wink wink nudge nudge-hey look, it's Verin Sedai!  Get it?  She's a major character later on!  And hey, is that Sheriam as an Accepted?  Ta-da!

Speaking of names, I began writing down a list of all the names of characters, because boy does Robert Jordan like to toss them at you.  I'm curious as to how many he actually came up with, and I'm hoping it helps me keep some of the other characters sorted out later on.  For TEotW and onwards, I'll be compiling a list and adding it to the blog, but for my own kicks, I started now.  As of page 202, there were 112 named characters.

112!!?!

What the hell?!  I know a lot of those were one offs, such as when Moiraine and Siuan are taking names for the White Tower's bounty on children.  There are also a ton of Aes Sedai, not all of whom we'll see again in later novels.  But still, that's a new name every 1.8 pages.  I really hope that doesn't keep up, beacuse that would mean by the end of the 4 million pages, there would be 2,222,222 names used (yes, I did the math, thank you for noticing.)

It would also mean I need a way bigger journal.

Prologue

I'm writing this blog as a way of keeping a promise to myself.

When I was 17, I had this boyfriend named Michael.  We met while LARPing Star Wars at a sci-fi convention in  Lansing, Michigan (seriously, how nerdy can you get?)  At the time I lived outside of Chicago, and he lived in a teeny town outside of Ann Arbor, so we spent the summer traveling back and forth by Metra.  On one of my many visits out that year, he dropped a few books in my lap, thinking I might be interested.  And while my love affairs with David Eddings, Melanie Rawn, and Tad Williams were pleasant and long lasting, it was Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books that really stuck in my heart.

At the time I first picked up book one, The Eye of the World, I believe the seventh book, A Crown of Swords, had just been published.  Having a voracious literary appetite, fueled by a pain condition that kept me bed ridden most days, I sprinted my way through Malkier, the Aiel Waste, the White Tower, and good old Emond's Field by the end of the summer, fully sating my nerdy appetite for swords and magic along the way.  I tucked my copies up on a shelf, and ignored them until the next book appeared in paperback.  But a year later, when I cracked open The Path of Daggers, I made a horrific discovery.

I was completely lost.

There is such depth of plot and story, I felt I couldn't remember all the subtle nuances between the characters.  The politics and scheming left me feeling completely confused as to whom was really allied with whom.  I felt as though there was little choice, and put down book eight half finished, so I could pick up book one again and re-familiarize my self with the plot.  And it was just as immersive an experience the second time as it was the first, and this time The Path of Daggers was a joy to read.  "This," I told myself, "is what I am going to do every time a new Wheel of Time is released."

And so I have.

By book eight, I had moved to Ann Arbor. By book nine, Michael was gone, and I was back in my hometown.  By book ten, I was happily married to Jon (and still am!), and finally had enough money to splurge on hard cover editions.  By number twelve, Robert Jordan was dead, and having his work compiled and completed by Brandon Sanderson.  And now, I stare down at the final volume, to be released this January, and realize I finally will know what happens to Rand, Egwene, Mat, Perrin, and all the rest.

In a way, this blog will be my grieving process-I've waited fifteen years for the end, now what do I have to look forward to?  But I will also fill it with my own impressions, character lists, and snarky asides (seriously, expect some major derision over the cover art.)  I'm starting at the prequel novel, The New Spring, and will continue straight through until I finish A Memory of Light, sometime this January.  No other books or short stories, but a four million word, four month orgy of Aes Sedai.  This blog will be full of spoilers, plot points, and possibly expletives.

Care to join me?