(Sorry for the long delay, life intervened... how did I ever
maintain this pace last year?)
In this section, the Black Tower plotline is resolved!
Contrary to established rules, it is now possible to enter Tel’aran’rhiod from the Blight, which is
explained with the mild observation that barriers are weakening between worlds.
Importantly, it will allow Perrin, Lanfear, and Slayer to later interact with
Rand at Shayol Ghul while they are in Tel’aran’rhiod.
While the story is rife with examples of impossible things becoming reality,
when the author starts tweaking rules which remove well established restrictions,
there is a chance that readers will find it too convenient to be believable.
This is overcome to some degree by simply establishing that a change in rules
has taken place, with no commitment towards it being of benefit or detriment to
the heroes.
Perrin not only feels he has to stay near Rand, but also
needs to investigate dangers to Rand, appointing himself as a sort of
bodyguard. While it was expected that
Perrin might take on this role, it was both thrilling and surprising to see
Gaul join him. So they set off to the Black Tower where Lanfear makes an
appearance. Two opposing ideas are now associated with her. The first is her
obsessive thirst for power and prestige, which Perrin recalls quite well, and
is wary of. The second is the recent idea of her coming back to the Light, as
introduced through her dialogue with Rand. Due to the elements of Eve and
Pandora I identified in her mythical roots, I am predisposed to her seeking or
gaining redemption. The nearly equal weighting of these ideas adds to the
mystery around her goals, indicating she could go either way and no one would
be surprised. “I chose my master. This is
my price – unless I can find a way free of it.” Whatever she is after, she
achieves it by helping Perrin, allowing him to remove a dreamspike at a very
opportune moment.
The coincidental timing of Perrin’s actions is a little hard
to accept, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and that logic-defying
clause allows the author to push the limits of coincidence in a manner that is
explainable, if not entirely satisfactory.
Androl’s Talent for Gateways allowed him to make a miniscule
Gateway over a very short distance even when the dreamspike was activated. The
small Gateway he uses to catch Taim’s balefire presumably also only carried it
a very short distance. Perrin’s deactivation of the dreamspike then frees
Androl to make Gateways of any size, and he uses some exciting techniques to
devastate Taim’s cronies and send two Forsaken running. After such an intense
build-up, the resolution is nothing but satisfaction. Importantly, Androl and
the other Asha’man have claimed their own freedom, usurping control from Taim
with no observable outside help.
Androl isn’t the only character whose
desperate actions amazingly bear fruit. Rand did the same on several occasions,
notably at the end of The Eye of the
World, when he thrice appealed to the Light to intercede and save him, and
then was able to regain control of the situation. Androl makes no such appeal
for deliverance, instead drawing on his defiance and will to displace the
barrier which prevents his Gateways from forming. Why does this work?
The simple explanation is that time runs differently in Tel’aran’rhiod, and Perrin’s
deactivation of the dreamspike is mirrored over a longer time frame in the
waking world.
A different explanation requires delving into Androl’s
character and the reason for his Talent. Androl is a dreamer and a searcher,
and has traveled far and wide across the world trying to find the elusive
conditions that will give him closure and peace. He may have traveled to more
places and tried more paths in life than almost every other character. He knows
himself as much as he knows the places he has been. Androl’s Talent and lack of
ability in other areas is therefore a metaphor for his inner quest and lack of
satisfaction with what he has found so far. Knowing himself is equated with
knowing where he is, a condition required to form Gateways. When Androl finally
succeeds in crafting his tiny Gateway, he has dug deep within himself and found
that which he always sought elsewhere: the will to make part of the world fit
his needs, to take his place as the heart and soul of the Black Tower, to defy
Taim with his last breath and create the place he has long searched for. With
this understanding comes his salvation, just as the dreamspike is deactivated.
The Black Tower itself has been a metaphor for Rand’s inner
turmoil over the last several books. As he allowed his humanity to wither away,
the Black Tower festered. At first the Black Tower represented a cherished
dream for Rand, a safe place for men like him. By failing to nurture this
dream, it could not sustain itself, and eventually went bad, until it grew to
the point where it threatened his life and the world itself. Androl
demonstrated that a powerful dream will draw others to it, others who can share
in keeping it vibrant and secure. Rand’s naive hope that his project would be
successful simply by establishing initial conditions, and then walking away, was
proven to be foolish. The failed Black Tower experiment serves as a precedent
for the upcoming conflict with the Dark One, where Rand will again try quick
and easy solutions that will predictably fail.
With the Black Tower plotline resolved, it isn’t long before
Taim shows up in the Borderlands to disrupt the desperate tactics of the
Borderlanders. Lan can survive a duel with two Myrddraal at once, and repeated
sorties on the field lancing Trollocs, but must flee before the Dreadlords’
siege engine. There is some entertainment in comparing how Byrne’s later use of
Gateways as windows provides immensely more advantage than simply elevating
channelers on a siege engine to have a better view of the battlefield. But for
now, the edge goes to the Shadow.
In Ebou Dar, Mat once again entertains readers with his
banter with Selucia. Mat is either thinking out of character or subconsciously
adopting Seanchan ways of thinking: She
had shaved her head again properly, now that she was no longer hiding.
Tuon’s adoption of Mat’s ways is much more in character, and funny: “Are you bloody insane?” Mat asked. “Are you
bloody stupid?” she asked.
The Heroes’ ability to spot Gray Men is uncanny. Even when
wounded, a Gray Man is unnoticed by the keenest eyes in the Seanchan Empire. I
attribute the Heroes’ success versus Gray Men to the ta’veren effect, increasing the dim likelihood of noticing them
into a certainty. I think channelers and Warders were the only others to ever
notice a Gray Man. There’s been some debate as to why the Shadow didn’t use
more of these assassins. I reason that there was simply a lack of good targets,
with most potential targets either unfindable or able to notice and kill them.
I also suspect they are not very numerous, since their creation requires a
sacrifice on par with Padan Fain’s, a dedication that is decidedly rare.
Rand has a swordfight with Tam, allowing him to learn how
the loss of his hand has affected his perception of himself. The missing hand has been more of an
inconvenience than an obstacle in terms of Rand’s abilities to confront
opponents, since he can channel even without it. By showing an example of
weakness, the author is able to better showcase the inner turmoil Rand feels in
the face of the Last Battle. Rand regularly tries to express certainty about
his plan to kill the Dark One, but just as with his sword prowess, there are deep-seated
doubts and weaknesses he worries about. Aviendha previously suggested taking
the Dark One gai’shain might be a
better path, and Moiraine now tries to dissuade him from his chosen course of
action even as she urges him to commence his assault now.
Moiraine gets good tasting tea from Rand, a symbol that he
does indeed have the right balance that so many of his motherly mentors have
sought. Each of them has correctly foreseen that as with so many of the obstacles faced by the
characters, it is not Rand’s battle training or ability to channel that will
lead to victory, but a matter of his character.
Galad and his Whitecloaks are perturbed by the Ogier’s violence.
Their first instinct upon witnessing their savagery is to consider them Shadowspawn.
Galad understands that evil does not
reside in the act of chopping down opponents, but the reasons for that act can
be good or evil. If the Ogier’s violence is startling in its intensity and
rivals the murderous actions of Trollocs, it is because once riled and forced
to actions the Ogier would rather not have contemplated, their resolve to carry
them out is unwavering. They embrace violence as the tool that will best allow
them to continue their peaceful lifestyle.
Writing Lessons:
Do not break your daily writing habit. Once missed, writing
time is lost forever.
