Welcome to the final discussion for the Eye of the World read along! It’s been a great run and thank you to all of you for making this book so much fun to read!! I hope you continue with us on to the next one (or join up if you are new :D). We have decided to take a one week break to give everyone a chance to get their ducks in a row (ie get the book) since Nrlymrtl’s hubby and I both are having slight issues getting copies to actually show up when they were supposed to (gah postal service, why do you hate meeeeeee). But the format for the next book is going to be basically the same as this one, reading about 100 pages a week and bouncing between Dab of Darkness and here :). The schedule is up here and I’ll have a reminder for you next weekend as well.
As for this week, Linky is working again, so we’ll be using that :D.
1. Oo la la, Nynaeve and Lan are finally confirming there is something going on between them, and of course Rand has to creepily eavesdrop…. What do you think of this brewing star-crossed love?
Oh Rand, strategically placed to observe important things ;-). I feel bad for Nynaeve, since it’s quite understandable that she would be attracted to Lan, he’s the typical tall, dark and deadly handsome. However, he makes a good point that she would be probably guaranteeing herself to be a widow eventually, given the way he lives. I also had gotten the impression that Warders had more of a lifelong commitment, but it doesn’t seem that Moraine is all that bothered, and that wasn’t one of Lan’s objections…. I definitely think we (including Nynaeve) need to learn more about the bond between Aes Sedai and Warders, and Warders in general, before jumping into anything….
2. Wow, the Blight is a scary place, but what did you think was the creepiest critter/thing that the team encountered or fortunately didn’t encounter?
I have a fear of deep water and the scary critters that live in it, so the weird tentacle covered critter that was way too big for those pools freaked me out! I would definitely be the one that walked over to the nice pool to dip my feet and got sucked down screaming *shivers*. I’m glad that Lan kept the boys from getting into any trouble!
3. We got to meet the Green Man! We discussed last week what everyone thought he would look like, how did he measure up to your expectations? What did you think of his head scar?
The Green Man was awesome in my opinion :D. I loved that he was literally made out of plants, not just covered in them. The scar on his head was interesting, I assume it was because of the Blight? Though that didn’t seem to be totally explained, and maybe doesn’t quite add up. I’m interested in if we ever find out more about how the Eye of the World was created previously and perhaps if that is how the Green Man’s head got injured, though it seems like the time for those revelations is passed. Maybe I just missed something?
4. The epic battle ended up being mostly in the dream realm apparently, what did you think of Rand’s various battles?
That was honestly not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed that Moraine was tossed aside so easily :(. I suppose it’s understandable that Rand had to do most of the fighting, though, but it was a little disorienting that it all happened in the dream world. The battle intervention was also disorienting since I didn’t realize that he was intervening with the battle at the Gap until after it was all over, so I thought for a while that it was a revelation about some historic event, not the present day. Also, I thought it a bit odd that Aginor had a white cord, since he was so tightly bound to the Dark One, though I guess he was accessing the One Power at the Eye of the World which was still white? It seems like it should have had black in it somehow since he was so dark….
5. Congratulations everyone, we finished! What did you think overall? If this was a re-read for you, how was the second time around? Are you planning to read book two (with or without us, no pressure, hehe)?
So I’m obviously planning to read book two ;-). Overall I definitely enjoyed The Eye of the World, though it didn’t pull me in in the beginning as fast as I thought it would. The similarity to Tolkien through me off a bit, though I got over that in a way some people have apparently had trouble doing. I’m looking forward to getting into more of the world-building and beyond the hectic running for our lives stage, since most of this book had the party separated. I’m really excited about the promises of The Great Hunt with the horn that has just appeared :D.
Here is the Linky:
-A
© 2013, Anya. All rights reserved.
Related posts:
Warbreaker Read Along Part 3
Eye of the World Read Along Week 2
4 Stars: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Being his first book (in the series) I don’t think the end was as well-explained as it should have been. Tarwin’s Gap threw me the first time, too. I don’t think he ever goes back to explain more about the Eye. As you go along, you learn a lot more about what happened with Lews Therin and the Age of Legends, etc., so the explanation given makes more sense, but still he doesn’t give us any more that I remember, which I wish he would. Still, the next few books have all kinds of fabulousness I can’t wait to re-read. :D
Although I would love to know a huge amount about this world and its history, sometimes too much detail can overwhelm a story. I also enjoy getting glimpses of world-building at unexpected moments: it makes the world seem richer if we don’t have everything laid out chronologically.
Completely agree, finding those opportunities a good writer makes, eh? ;-)
Yeah, I’m hoping the epic battles get a bit more grounded and epic and involving the other characters more in the next books…. This one was a little less than I was hoping for ;-)
That Moiraine was tossed aside so easily is supposed to be abrutal reminder of the ocean of knowledge and sheer strength in the Power that separates the Forsaken and the Aes Sedai of the current age.
With Aginor and Balthamel loose (well, for a short while) the other eleven will no doubt follow in short order. If they can handle Moiraine like a kitten, the list of people we know of that could conceivably take them on (one-on-one) is disappointingly short, never mind all of them at once.
1. Rand
Hopefully this will be expanded a bit before shit hits the fan.
Lastly, a word about the ending. I feel that Jordan ended the first two or three books in the series with intentionally dreamy and esoteric scenes so that if the series could not go on as intended, it could stand on its own as-is. For example, after book 1 it is conceivable that Rand really DID kill the Dark One. In hindsight, knowing there are 13 more books, he obviously didn’t.
You should be prepared for a bit more handwaving until the series really settles. That’s all.
Aginor’s defeat of Moiraine makes me wonder just how much has been lost since the Forsaken were sealed away . . . are the Aes Sedai now weaker or just not trained in the right way? Either way, it is very worrying if Rand is the only person who could stand against them.
The Aes Sedai have been on a downwards turn for the last 3000 years in almost every single meaning of the word. I won’t reveal too much, but suffice to say that they (a) are much weaker in the Power, (b) have lost a lot of knowledge (from this book alone we know that Aes Sedai can no longer make angreal or heartstone, for example), (c) are not nearly as united as they appear, and (d) have lost a lot of trust from the general population.
Hm, I feel like if Jordan wanted book 1 to stand on it’s own possibly, then the final battle should have been more grounded, it almost seemed like it didn’t happen until it’s explained that Rand’s actions really did have impact. At least, that’s how it seemed to me. If I didn’t know that there were 13 more books, I would feel that it lacked closure because of the nature of the battle, again, at least for me ;-)
I’m super excited to see what Heroes we summon from the dead :D
Also, about the cords. We don’t currently know what the black cords are (except it doesn’t bode well for the bad guy when they’re cut), but the white shining stuff is certainly saidin (in this case) or saidar. Rand and Aginor were both fighting over control of the pool in the Eye. Aginor drew more than he could handle and so it burned him up.
This is even more worrying, because it means that Rand did not actually defeat him :(
Yup, and I figured that, it just seemed that since the Dark One had a black cord, the Forsaken should have some black in his as well. I look forward to finding out where the Dark One’s power comes from though ;-)
Anya, thank you so much for entering into the madness of such a massive read along with me. I don’t think I would have tackled this series with such an experience.
I would say that Nynaeve is tall, dark, handsome, and unaproachable just like Lan, and just like him, she has a short live expectancy if she keeps hanging out with this crowd. I hope he comes to notice that part and they both decide to delve into a relationship anyway.
I am hoping we learn a bit more in Bk. 2 about the world we were intro’d to in Bk1 – like the Eye of the World. And perhaps we’ll get to hear Moiraine’s inner voice explaining that whole last fight scene, as I too found it a bit confusing and not as complete as I would have liked.
I would also like some more explanation about Rand’s battle, although I’m not sure if he will stick around long enough to hear it . . .
<3 Thanks for encouraging me to do it!!! It's been a little crazy and a lot awesome, hehe. And definitely forced me to actually finish a long book!
It would be awesome if we could hear more from Moraine's perspective, that would probably help clarity of what is going on!
Before I say anything else I need to thank you for organizing this RAL: it has been so much fun! :)
1. It certainly feels as if being a Warder is a life-long commitment as he and the Aes Sedai are bonded somehow. I look forward to learning more about this (and so many other things) in the later books. I wonder if it is even possible for a Warder to be married to a woman other than his Aes Sedai.
2. I am also subject to irrational fears of deep water and the beasties that lurk there, due to a youthful viewing of Jaws, so I was also severely creeped out by this one.
3. I do hope that we get to discover more about the history of this world, although I am not sure how that can be done without it being really forced.
4. I agree that it was a shock that Aginor overwhelmed Moiraine so easily as we have been relying on her as the most powerful of the group. I assume that he is very well practiced in fighting Aes Sedai, whereas she has not faced one of the Forsaken before, which places him at a massive advantage. I can also imagine that he is willing to use ‘forbidden’ ways of fighting that the White Tower has not taught her. However, it does suggest that Rand is much more powerful than she is in raw strength, which is kind of scary . . .
5. If you struggled with the similarities to Tolkien here then I would advise you to avoid Terry Brook’s Shannara titles! :)
Thank you so much for participating, it’s not any fun for us without awesome readers like you to join in <3
1. I know right? They are talking about this relationship like it would be possible, and I’m like.. uh… don’t you travel with Moraine all over the world?????
5. Haha, noted!