Year of the Dragon

So today is the Chinese New Year and its the Year of the Dragon!!!!!

Why is that important you ask? Well, maybe its not, but its appropriate, since the last Wheel of Time book comes out this year.

If you've been reading this blog long, you know I love the Wheel of Time. My fictional crush is a character from the Wheel of Time series, and my favorite living writing is finishing the series. I've been reading it since I was eleven, so all of the characters are like old friends.

Wow, I've been reading the Wheel of Time since I was eleven. In less than a month, I turn twenty-five. I've been reading the Wheel of Time for over half of my life, and this is the year it ends.

So this is a year of excitement and trepidation, because something that's been so much a part of me will be over.

I can still remember being eleven, and my dad coming home with The Path of the Dagger, and saying this looked like a book I would like. I remember looking at the cover and thinking, "Wow, this is so cool!" And I remember sitting on the floor in the living room in the really crappy house we lived in at the time, as my mother sat on the couch and read the prologue of The Eye of the World to me out loud. (She insisted on reading the series before I could, to make sure it wasn't "too adult". But she was so impressed by the prologue, she just had to read it to me right then.)

Unlike the untold thousands of others, I will not reread the Wheel of Time this year. I reread it recently, right before The Gathering Storm came out. I'll probably only reread The Gathering Storm and then Towers of Midnight. Then once I read the final book, then I plan on rereading the series, so I can read the entire thing in light of the ending. This is basically what I did with Harry Potter and I found it extremely enlightening to reread the entire series when I already knew the end.

If you've never read the Wheel of Time before, I implore you to start now. If you start reading now, you can be done with the series in time for the last book to come out. And you should really read the Wheel of Time. It's fantastic. I love love love love this series.

It's the year of the Dragon! "Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time!"

My Fictional Crush

(Sorry for posting so late today, but today ended up being much busier than I expected. Without further ado, the post)

Some people crush on actors. Some people crush on people in real life (psh...that's overrated). Me? I crush on characters from books. When I was in middle school, my love darted between Jacen Solo and Wedge Antilles, both from the Star Wars universe. But in high school and beyond, my crush lies with one fictional man, Mat Cauthon.

Mat Cauthon from the Wheel of Time. General of the Band of the Red Hand. The player of the Horn of Valere. Prince of Ravens. Pretty much awesome. Unless of course, you've never made it past the first three books of the Wheel of Time. Then you're thinking "What? She likes that dagger-crazed freak?"

Yes, Mat gets off to a rough start in the Wheel of Time, but when I first started reading it the first 8 books were already out. I read them all in a relatively short period of time so I watched Mat develop from the possessed, treasure obsessed boy into the man who leads hundreds of men in battle (and wins).

Mat has many qualities that I actually do prize in a man. He's laid back, has a sense of humor, and a strong sense of responsibility (though his sense doesn't always line up with the other characters in the book). He is loyal to his friends and to his men.

However, there are a lot of qualities that Mat has that I would not appreciate in other men.

For one, he's such a player. And he's a gambler (though to be fair--is it really gambling if you know you're going to win?). He's a troublemaker and he curses a lot. None of these things are what I prize in a guy.

But I think they work very well as qualities of Mat, and they make me love him more. Probably this is because I am in his head. I know exactly what he's thinking when he does these things I don't like. However, its possible its a little bit of a bad boy complex. I have never liked real bad boys (honestly, badness is just unattractive), but Mat is mischievous, and a troublemaker/mischievous boy is my equivalent of a bad boy.

So there you have it. My confession. I adore Mat Cauthon of the Wheel of Time.

How about you guys? Anyone out there have a book crush?

A Book Review: Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time Book #13)

Title: Towers of Midnight
Author: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy (epic...like the definition of epic)
Length: 843

Quality Rating: 9
Content Rating: PG-13

Read First: The entire Wheel of Time, starting with The Eye of the World and ending with The Gathering Storm

This is another book I read a while back but completely forgot to review, like Mockingjay; however, unlike Mockingjay this isn't because Towers of Midnight wasn't awesome. The Towers of Midnight was 100% awesome. My only critique was I got a little confused about the timelines. Rand's storyline is taking place at a very very different time from Perrin's, which I could tell because Tam al'Thor was in both...when he couldn't be. This made me confused as to when Mat's storyline was taking place. I'm not really sure I got closure on that front at all. However, there was lots of closure on other parts of the book. Can I just say I totally called it about Galad (not saying what--no spoilers) and that I KNOW WHO KILLED ASMODEAN. Though that last bit was totally a let down. I didn't even realize it was revealed until someone later posted about it on Brandon Sanderson's facebook page. (Yes, I'm a Brandon Sanderson stalker. Don't judge me. lol) However, it's totally in the Glossary--for those of you who want to sneak a peak. Anyway, back on topic. Brandon Sanderson has once again fulfilled all of my Wheel of Time dreams. I have great hopes for A Memory of Light and can't wait!

Like all of Wheel of Time books, this one gets a PG-13 rating for fantasy violence. I started reading Wheel of Time at 11, and it didn't scar me for life at all, so I recommend it for readers from middle school all the way up. For realz. My parents and I both read this series and have bonded over it a lot in the past decade. And in case you can't tell, I "heart" the Wheel of Time.

Wheel of Time: The Re-Read is Over (A Review of The Gathering Storm)

So I feel a little bad about not mentioning it earlier, but my Wheel of Time reread is over. I have also finished reading the newest book, so no more Wheel of Time reading until next November when the Towers of Midnight come out.

So as most Wheel of Time fans know, Brandon Sanderson is finishing the Wheel of Time. For those of you who don't know what that means, it basically means that the latest Wheel of Time book was written by a completely new guy. My thoughts and feelings?

The Gathering Storm.
Was.
AWESOME.

It was gripping from beginning to end. The characters seemed to be the exact same people I know and love, and trust me since I just finished rereading 11 books about them, I would know if they changed. I'll admit that I judged Mat's few chapters a little harshly and that the first chapter I read about him seemed a little jarring. I can't put my finger on what was wrong, only that that was the first chapter that made me think "This isn't written by Robert Jordan." Undoubtedly, this is because I love Mat. He is my favorite and has been my favorite since I was 11. I drink in chapter's about Mat, and when I read The Path of the Daggers, I wanted to throw it across the room because he wasn't in it (it also took me like twice as long to read). But after I got past my initial jolt, when Mat got into action, I got into the story.

I certainly don't want to ruin the story for anyone with any spoilers so I'll just say that one of the major points in the story is a large character change for the worse in Rand. As Rand is one of my least favorite characters, you would think this wouldn't help me to like him better. Yet I read his sections, sucked in, with complete fascination. My heart broke for this man who was essentially broken by the tasks he knows he must complete and knowledge that if he fails the world is doomed. I found myself wanting to help him - feeling sympathy! That's not something I often feel for Rand Al'Thor. And the end of his storyline in this book was simply breathtaking. I can't wait to read the next book, to know how the events of the end have truly changed him - to see if he really does become a better man.

Egwene and Rand were the two central characters, and I enjoyed reading Egwene's sections as well. (Mat was only in like three chapters). I often forget that Egwene (and Rand for that matter) is now younger than I am. She is such a strong woman! She knows what she wants and she lets nothing deter her from forging the White Tower back together. And in this book Gawaine comes back. I love Egwene and Gawaine's relationship and I want to see them together. I can't wait to see what happens to them in the next book.

I think in general there is on phrase that sums up my reread "I CAN'T WAIT!" I need the next book. Seriously, I have to know what happens. So this is me begging Brandon Sanderson to write faster.

Next November, I will read the next book as soon as I get it. No reread this time. And just imagine, in two years time (possibly) the entire Wheel of Time will end. We'll actually know how everything turns out. I can't wait!!!

Halfway Through, A Wheel of Time Update

So as my oh so faithful readers should know, I have been rereading the Wheel of Time, the most epic modern fantasy series. (I might contend ever, but let's not put the Lord of the Ring's people in an uproar). I just finished reading Lord of Chaos, which means I'm officially halfway through my reread. So I figured this was a good time to write about my thoughts and feelings, since this is my first read through the series as a "grown-up" shall we say.

In order to write about my reactions to what I've read I'm going to divide it up by characters and talk about my reactions to them. Here I will only discuss the Emond's Field 5. Later I might discuss others.

Rand al'Thor - The Dragon Reborn
When I first read the Wheel of Time series, I hated Rand. In the first book I liked him, but once he knew the truth, once he knew he was the Dragon Reborn, my feelings for him plummeted into loathing. As an adult reading, I don't hate Rand. I understand him better. He's a young man, younger than me now, who has been thrust into a terribly powerful and burdened position. The fate of the world is literally in his hands and as if that wasn't enough, he is slowly going mad. I think I initially didn't like Rand because he stopped trusting people, and the few people he did trust weren't the right ones. Now I understand why he doesn't trust the people who try to influence him. Rand is responsible for the entire world and if he lets himself trust the wrong person, he is letting the world fall into the Dark One's hands. I still don't agree with everything that Rand does. He still frustrates me, but right now I don't hate him. I appreciate his battle and I hope beyond hope that he can hold out to fight the Dark One.

Perrin Aybara - The Lord of Manatheren
When I first read through the WoT, I did not think much of Perrin. One of my friends recently described Perrin as "flavorless", and I think in many ways that is very apt. When compared to a character like Rand, Perrin just simply seems less. Why? Because to me Perrin represents the average, good man. Now in many ways that's why I like Perrin. If my future husband could only be like one of the three characters, in many ways I would want him to be the most like Perrin: faithful and true. Perrin is the character who in my opinion, changes the least. But his qualities are generally good. He's generally a good guy. I like Perrin, but he is a little bit "flavorless".

Mat Cauthon - the Blower of the Horn of Valere, the General
Mat is my favorite of the three male leads. He was my favorite the first time and he is my favorite again. The first, oh, four books I was a little iffy about Mat on my reread. I kept thinking "why do I like this guy again? He's such a player". But then he gets the ancient memories. Suddenly he finds himself unable to simply shrug responsibility. Suddenly he has hundreds of men willing to follow him to the ends of the Earth. I love Mat because he wins the most improved award. With each book he becomes a better person. With each book, he grows and changes into a better man, a man I like more and more. I love it when Mat takes Olver, the orphan boy, under his wing. I love it when Mat refuses to let Elayne go off by himself because he promised Rand. I love seeing a boy grow into a man.

Egwene al'Vere - the Amylrin Seat
Egwene was a girl with hopes of becoming an Aes Sedai who grew into so much more. She followed Rand to the Aiel Waste and spent a year training with the Aiel Wise Ones. She could have the love of the most handsome man in the world, Galad. Instead she choose to love the man who serves the other group of Aes Sedai and hates Rand, the man Egwene would do anything to protect. She is chosen to be the puppet of the Rebel Aes Sedai, but instead she rises to the challenge and bends the world to her. She will be the most powerful Amylrin, without a doubt. And yet, somehow she retains her normalness, her innocent farmgirl-ness. Sometimes I see myself in Egwene and that's why I love her.

Nynaeve al'Meara - Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah
Nynaeve started this all as the woman who wanted to rescue the innocent children of her village. Instead of "saving them", she falls in love with a man who refuses to have her, thinking he will only leave her a widow. Instead, she learns to respect and obey the girl she once clothed in diapers. Instead she learns to step lightly around the boy she once paddled for stealing. She learns the world is a much larger place than she originally knew, but she grows and adapts, becoming a person in that larger world. Oh, Nynaeve fights it the entire way - refusing to admit that those around her have grown beyond the children she chased after and everything she says to them is colored by the knowledge that she used to be their Wisdom. But Nynaeve slowly learns her place in the larger world, while keeping those around her from growing too arrogant in their power. Nynave is in many ways the humbler and I love her for it.

As I'm sure you can tell from my recounting of the characters, I have greatly enjoyed my reread of the WoT. I love the WoT. I enjoyed reading it as a kid, and now I enjoy reading it even more as an adult.

If I haven't convinced you yet, read the Wheel of Time. :)

Old Friends, Prophecy, and Wheel of Time

It's been a long time since I've posted. I apologize, but if you don't know life at school is always insane. I spend every waking moment pretty much doing homework. Right now I'm sitting in the AE computer lab at Georgia Tech, freezing because they keep it way to cold in here, and writing this blogpost before I have to meet someone at 11. Fun times.

But I've missed writing here, so I've come to write something I've been thinking about a lot. The Wheel of Time.

I actually am rereading the Wheel of Time. I know I promised I would a long time ago, but low and behold I'm in book 5: The Fires of Heaven. I've averaged one book a week, I think, but my record was dominating the Great Hunt in two days. Granted Fall Break was involved in that. But it's just important to know that I really am reading.

Rereading the Wheel of Time is an experience. The last time I read most of the books I was 11. Basically it was many many moons ago. And I have all these memories and feelings about certain characters, though before I started rereading I couldn't really tell you why. I would tell you I hate Rand, I love Mat, I'm apathetic towards Perin, I miss Moiraine, and I think having three wives in insane.

As I reread the books its like being caught up with old friends. I remember that Rand was not always someone I hated. In the first few books I actually liked him. But as the responsibility, insanity, and Lews Therin Telamon taking him over, he stops being the shepherd I knew and loved and becomes the Dragon Reborn, who I hope does die in the last book.

I remember that Mat in the beginning is pretty despicable. In fact I really don't start to like him until about book 4, when the wholes in his memory get filled with his past lives. I love him speaking the Old Tongue and having the Dark One's own luck. I like watching him grow, knowing the great man he is going to become. Mat definitely wins the most improved award.

All I remember from my initial reading of the Wheel of Time about Egwene is that she is the Amyrlin and that she likes Gawaine. (Sorry about any misspelling). But rereading I watch as Egwene rises to power. I watch as her feelings subtly change from Rand, to Galad, to Gawaine.

I cannot fathom while I only passably liked Perrin when I first read it. Perrin is steady, reliable, can talk to wolves, and loves his wife more than life itself. By being reacquainted with him, I come to realize I do like him and I greatly enjoy his character.

Every character in the Wheel of Time is an old friend that I am catching up with. It's so interesting to know where they end up and see how they get there. To know what's going to happen and to see how they are warping into who they must become whether that's the Dragon Reborn, the Prince of Ravens, or the Lord of Manetheren.

One of my favorite parts is rereading the prophecy and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt how its fufilled. The first time I read through it I was like "oh, prophecy, cool". Now when I hit a piece of prophecy I'm shocked to realize I know exactly how its fufilled. Mat does indeed marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons, though it is not the relationship he fears and hopes it will be. It's so wonderful to actually know what Robert Jordan meant when he originally describes how Rand will be marked the Dragon Reborn.

I love rereading the Wheel of Time because every character is a part of my life. I love watching them grow and develop and I feel sad when they fall. I pity Rand for where the future takes him. I love Mat for the man he becomes. I adore Perrin for being the one character you can rely on. They are my friends, and they are all a part of me.

This post does not even really accurately describe how I feel. I hope to write future posts, better explaining my reacquaintance with these old friends, and how much I love the Wheel of Time.

A Book Review: The Eye of the World

Title: The Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 657

Quality Rating: 9
Content Rating: PG-13

The Eye of the World is the first book of the Wheel of Time series, a series that has shaped my life in more ways than one. This first book is in epic story that takes three ordinary boys and throws them in the least ordinary of circumstances. Gripping from beginning to end, even on this third read of the book, I could not put it down. The characters are believable and have complex relationships. The Eye of the World is a must read for every fantasy fan, if not for every reader.

PG-13 for violence. There is some language, but it is essentially made up curse words. There is some hint at romance and romantic relationships, but nothing more than a PG level. This book could easily be PG, but there is some violence as there is in any fantasy book that has war. However, I read this book at the age of 11, and think it is enjoyable and fine for readers of all ages.

Wheel of Time Book 12 News

So the other day I went to barnesandnoble.com to find out when the second Alcatraz book is coming out in Mass Market Paperback. For those of you who aren’t fans of Brandon Sanderson or don’t read Alcatraz, the Alcatraz series is a fantastic comedic MG fantasy that makes me literally laugh out loud. My family thought I was insane while reading the first book because I was giggling and laughing so much. You really should read it. Even though it’s MG, the humor is definitely not lost on us older readers. For those you who do follow Brandon Sanderson and do read Alcatraz, you’re probably thinking you can’t believe I haven’t read the second book yet. After all, the 4th book comes out in a few months. My only defense is that I like to have all of my books matching (i.e. either all hardback or all paperback). I bought the first Alcatraz book in paperback and I want the rest to match.

But this isn’t really a post about Alcatraz. This is really a post about Wheel of Time.

I searched for Brandon Sanderson, looking for the 2nd Alcatraz book, but the first book listed under Brandon Sanderson’s name was the new Wheel of Time book, the Gathering Storm, complete with picture (as seen above). You have no idea how excited that has made me. The new book is actually happening, it’s actually coming out. If Barnes and Noble says it’s true then it’s definitely true. The new Wheel of Time book is hitting the shelves on November 3, 2009, exactly 132 days away from today.

I have not held a new Wheel of Time book in my hand since my freshman year of college, and I am now starting my fifth year.

If you’re not a Wheel of Time fan, then you can’t possibly understand how exciting this is. Here is how you try: imagine a new Harry Potter book coming out and multiply that excitement by a thousand.

I’m not kidding. That’s how excited I am.

I need to finish Ben-Hur so I can crack open the Eye of the World again. I also need to earn money so I can buy all the books before the ninth book in hardback. Not only do the paperback books not match my new hardback ones, but they are falling apart since the novel is too big to be held by the binding.

I can’t wait!!!!

The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time is the greatest epic fantasy series ever written.

*silence*

In that silence I could hear you Sword of Truth fans gasping and exclaiming "No! It can't be! No!!!" But to that I simply respond. Do you feel I've insulted your favorite book stories or your favorite character? Is it the extremely libertarian plot line you're defending or Richard Rahl?

I've read the Sword of Truth. I enjoyed it greatly, but it was not because of the plot. I enjoyed the Sword of Truth because I was half in love with Richard Rahl and completely fascinated by his and Kahlan's love. The plot afford me nothing with its knock of Sisters of Light (totally Aes Sedai) and its world ending problems that fall on the shoulders of one incredibly perfect man.

Rand al'Thor is not the perfect hero. He is not the perfect savior of his world. He used to be a farm boy and now the power has gone to his head. Not to mention Lews Therin is in his head. I do not love Rand. In fact part of me hates him and very much wants to see him die in the final book. However, Rand has his redeeming moments. When I reread the first book, The Eye of the World, I remember the boy Rand used to be and know he cannot be all bad.

I hate Rand, but this story is not just about Rand. The Wheel of Time is about the driving plot. It's about the Aes Sedai's conniving plots and attempts to save the world. It's about Rand and Nynaeve cleansing the One Source. It's about Matt struggling with being taken control by a knife, blowing the horn, and then discovering he's not quite the womanizer he once thought. Perrin hates power but it is thrust upon him. Egwene is a leader forced into a novices position. It's about realizing that Rand is married to his stepsister, and wondering if that's weird. It's dying to know if Moiraine is really dead and who killed Asmodean. The Wheel of Time is not a story. The Wheel of Time is a way of life.

That is why Brandon Sanderson has set aside his life, all of his projects, and everything to write the last Wheel of Time book. It's why he's agreed to write what is now a 3 book epic to end the series when he's only being paid for a 200K novel. (200K is nothing by the way.) It's because he knows what we fans feel. It's because he is a fan himself, and knows we deserve the end that Robert Jordan would have written himself, but since he's not Robert Jordan he's giving us the next best thing: details and all loose ends tied.

Oh did you not know that A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time book, is being split into three books? Well, they are.

The first book, or rather 12th book, is coming out in November and is called The Gathering Storm, perhaps the lamest Wheel of Time book name, but Brandon Sanderson admits that. We have this list of titles that sound amazing: The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos, A Crown of Swords, The Path of Daggers, Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, Knife of Dreams, and....The Gathering Storm. Right. But he didn't have a lot of time to think about it. It was a working part name and suddenly it became a title! Wham! So I forgive the title its mediocrity. I'm sure the book is going to be amazing enough to make up for it.

So all this is to say that I need to reread The Wheel of Time books. So once I finish Ben-Hur, the book I'm currently reading, I'm going to reread the Wheel of Time books. I may be talking about them and ruining a few plot twists if you've never read it. But better yet, you should read along. Go out and buy the Wheel of Time. Take the head start of me reading Ben-Hur, because you're going to need it. When I get into my beaten up, cross referenced copies of The Wheel of Time (the covers are falling off, and yes I said cross referenced - you should see the highlighting and tabbing), nothing can stop me. I will blast through them in more than enough time to enjoy The Gathering Storm when it comes out in November.