So did anyone notice, in 'The Gathering Storm'...?

LOG · Nov 18, 2009

Was anyone able to tell which sections were written by Robert Jordan, and which by Brandon Sanderson, I personally couldn't really tell.

How did Rand know how to get to Ebou Dar? They said in the book that one needs to have been to a place before they could travel to it. I don't think Rand has ever been to Ebou Dar in person. So he either would have to be capable of learning from his visions of Mat, or from the World of Dreams, not sure if that works though...

LOG · Nov 18, 2009

That monologue of Mats on women and dice was epic

Vomaxx · Nov 19, 2009

Did anyone notice that the title was written by Winston Churchill? The Gathering Storm is volume I in his history of World War II.

LOG · Nov 19, 2009

Not so sure about that; 'gathering storm' just refers to a storm getting ready to break out over an area. While I'm sure Winstone Churchill popularized it, I'm not quite ready to believe he invented the phrase. I wouldn't hesitate to believe that the common people were using it as a literal expression before Churchill. Many well-known figurative phrases were originally meant to be used literally.

Vomaxx · Nov 20, 2009

I'm sure the expression "gathering storm" was used before Churchill. I meant that he first used it as the title of a famous book (and that, perhaps from respect for so eminent an author, historian, and leader, the title should not be used again. Is the next volume in the Wheel of Time to be called "War and Peace"?)

Canotila · Nov 20, 2009

Vomaxx said:
I'm sure the expression "gathering storm" was used before Churchill. I meant that he first used it as the title of a famous book (and that, perhaps from respect for so eminent an author, historian, and leader, the title should not be used again. Is the next volume in the Wheel of Time to be called "War and Peace"?)

Are we going to criticize Michael Crichton now for using The Lost World, when Doyle used it first?

There are millions of books. I'm not going to complain if there is some overlap of titles, especially if there's a generational gap in publication dates. That's what including the author's name on the cover is for.

tarcanus · Nov 20, 2009

I could definitely tell that Sanderson wrote a bunch of it, though I was told that Jordan did the prologue and there was some terrible writing (imo) in that prologue, so I realized I probably shouldn't believe I think I know what Sanderson wrote and what Jordan did.

I'm a fan of Sanderson's work based on his magic systems, not his writing - anytime he tried to use better prose in his Mistborn novels, it made my eyes bleed. Well, maybe not my eyes bleed, but it jerked me out of the enchantment of the story. I really dislike all of the Sanderson love I've been hearing lately. But that's not what this topic is about.

The book, overall, was very enjoyable - if just for the fact that the plot started moving, and some long-standing mysteries were resolved.

LOG · Nov 20, 2009

tarcanus said:
I could definitely tell that Sanderson wrote a bunch of it, though I was told that Jordan did the prologue and there was some terrible writing (imo) in that prologue, so I realized I probably shouldn't believe I think I know what Sanderson wrote and what Jordan did.

I'm a fan of Sanderson's work based on his magic systems, not his writing - anytime he tried to use better prose in his Mistborn novels, it made my eyes bleed. Well, maybe not my eyes bleed, but it jerked me out of the enchantment of the story. I really dislike all of the Sanderson love I've been hearing lately. But that's not what this topic is about.

The book, overall, was very enjoyable - if just for the fact that the plot started moving, and some long-standing mysteries were resolved.

Too true.
The one point I could really tell Sanderson was writing was when the narrator was going on about how Traveling works...that thing's been around half the series with no explanation and they're going to try to define and place limits on it now? I don't think so...

tarcanus · Nov 20, 2009

JJM said:
Too true.
The one point I could really tell Sanderson was writing was when the narrator was going on about how Traveling works...that thing's been around half the series with no explanation and they're going to try to define and place limits on it now? I don't think so...

I don't mind the Travelling stuff too much - I love reading about the mechanics of magic in books - hence why I like Sanderson for his magic systems only. I didn't even notice the Travelling info-dumps in tGS.

Also, I'm pretty sure that earlier on in the series it Travelling was described better. As in, you're earlier argument about needing to know where you're going when you Travel. That's not true. You need to know where you are Travelling FROM very well - not where you're Travelling TO. This is why channelers would hold the OP before Travelling because that sped up the time it took to learn an area before they could Travel.

LOG · Nov 23, 2009

Before, the only travelling info I can remember is Rand explaining it to Egwene.

megan_d · Nov 23, 2009

To read this newest book I'm pretty much going to have to read all of them again, which is a task I find simultaniously daunting and exciting.

LOG · Nov 27, 2009

I only fully read all of his books once. On the next read-throughs I kinda skip over Egwene and the other White Tower's affiliates story, I also only target the interesting bit of Perrin, Mat and Rand are th eones that interest me most.

So did anyone notice, in 'The Gathering Storm'...?

LOG

Lagrangian

LOG

Lagrangian

Vomaxx

LOG

Lagrangian

Vomaxx

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

tarcanus

Lord of the Tarcans

LOG

Lagrangian

tarcanus

Lord of the Tarcans

LOG

Lagrangian

megan_d

Falling in the milk

LOG

Lagrangian