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Your search for the tag 'rand' yielded 452 results
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1
Interview: Apr 20th, 2004
TOR Questions of the Week Part I (Verbatim)Week 10 Question
What did Lanfear do to Rand at the end of The Great Hunt, when she drew the Dragon's Fang on his forehead?Robert Jordan
She drew the Dragon Fang on his forehead. For exactly the reason you would think.Tags
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2
Interview: Nov 21st, 1998
TPOD Signing Report - John Novak (Paraphrased)Question
Who or what is the Tamyrlin?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Footnote
In the glossary of the split version of The Eye of the World, RJ hints that Tamyrlin was the person to discover the One Power at the dawn of the Age of Legends. Some fans believe this was the previous incarnation of Lews Therin/Rand.Tags
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3
Interview: Jul, 2002
COT: 'Glimmers' Ebook Q&A (Verbatim)Question
What advice would you give Rand concerning his relationship with Aviendha, Min, and Elayne?Robert Jordan
Step very carefully. It’s hard enough for a man to deal with one woman at a time, since we aren’t really equipped mentally to keep up without a lot of effort. A man could get trampled very easily trying to keep up with three, not least because they have their own relationship with one another, and no matter what he does, he will not ever in a million years be able to understand that, or be able to avoid cutting his own throat on it. Luckily for him, I do, and I can. For him, anyway.Tags
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4
Interview: Jul, 2002
COT: 'Glimmers' Ebook Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Does ta’veren-ness ebb and flow as needed? If Rand, Mat, and Perrin were all ta’veren growing up, it seems that the Two Rivers would have had a lot of odd events occurring, but no mention is made of it.Robert Jordan
You might say that ta’veren-ness ebbs and flows. For one thing, remember that even for someone like Rand, the effects are really occasional, not continuous. Even when he is causing dozens of coincidences in a particular place, many more events pass off quite normally. For another thing, no one is born ta’veren. Rand, Mat, and Perrin only became ta’veren just before Moiraine appeared. You become ta’veren according to the needs of the Wheel. Like the Heroes linked to the Wheel, who are spun out as needed to try to keep the weaving of the Pattern straight, a man or woman becomes ta’veren because the Wheel has “decided” to use them as an influence on the Pattern. And, no, the Wheel isn’t sentient. Think more of a fuzzy logic device that uses feedback to correct what it is doing in order to do it in the most efficient way.Tags
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5
Interview: Jul 19th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part III (Verbatim)Week 7 Question
Since the first few books, Rand's and Perrin's dreams have been protected. Rand can weave a ward around his dreams. Perrin being a wolfbrother has protected his dreams. How have Mat's dreams been protected since the first half of the series?Robert Jordan
A side effect of his foxhead medallion, though he doesn't know it. This was not part of the intended purpose of making the medallion; it's a true side effect.Tags
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6
Interview: Jul 19th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part III (Verbatim)Week 21 Question
One thing that's always confused me is just why Dashiva/Osan'gar chose to attack Rand (with the turncoat Asha'man) when he did. The last time we saw Rand with Dashiva before that was when they went together (with Flinn, Hopwil and Morr) to confront Cadsuane, and there didn't seem to be any one particular incident that would "set him off."Robert Jordan
Partly this was guilty conscience working. Even people who don't have a conscience can have a guilty conscience, the sudden conviction—as when Rand came on Dashiva and the others—that somebody knows what they are up to. Add to this that Dashiva was plain getting tired of trailing around after Rand, taking orders. He's one of the Chosen, and the Dark One reclaimed him from death, which is really good, but he's been stuck in a decidedly second-rate body and stuck spying on Rand, fetching and carrying like a servant as he sees it, with hardly even an opportunity to put a spoke in Rand's wheels except in very minor ways. How much better if Rand simply died.Tags
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7
Interview: Nov, 1993
Trinity College Q&A (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
He raised the point that Rand's creeping insanity may manifest in much more subtle ways than the people of Randland expect...which leads one to wonder about Rand's increasing withdrawal and possible megalomania. I think he is aware of the net discussion: he expressed surprise at the amount of analysis and comparison with Tolkien, Dune etc. (I felt tempted to mention A. A. Milne) and somebody in the audience compared WoT to Atlas Shrugged, which really seemed to surprise him. His attitude is that once he has written one book (and publicized it) it is time to move on to the next...The only deliberate connection between WoT and any other modern fantasy was giving the first 100-odd pages of The Eye of the World a Lord of the Rings-esque flavor, to start people off in familiar territory.Tags
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8
Interview: Dec, 1993
Letter to Tom McCormick (Verbatim)Question
In The Fires of Heaven, in the chapters "The Far Snows" and "A Short Spear," was the timing of events deliberately precalculated by him, or not? If the first is true, I'm not asking for an explanation—presumably we'll get that in a later book. I'm just asking for a yes or a no. (If he wants to know why the question was put, please just say the two words "time zones.")Robert Jordan
Yes, the timing was calculated. I know how far to the west Seanchan lies.Tags
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9
Interview: Feb 1st, 1994
Letter to Carolyn Fusinato (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
Now about how evil the Forsaken are. I'm not really sure you define evil. Part of what I am writing about is just how ordinary evil is. In many ways, without the One Power, the Forsaken would be no more than Darkfriends, though perhaps a bit more than ordinary. True, their callousness toward the pain, suffering, even death of ordinary people, and the way they submerge everything and everyone in their own quest for power—and true immortality—their willingness to deliver the world to the Dark One in that quest, are shared by many who do not have their powers. The point is that they are human; they haven't gotten rid of human emotions, or human weaknesses except for a few physical ones. They are not gods, nor even demi-gods, though they seek to be and think they already are. But believe me, there is nothing they will not do to achieve their goals, no price too high to pay—especially if it is paid by someone else, or millions of someone elses. And Lanfear holding back and doing good for Rand's sake? Ha! She was psychically fixed on possessing a man who never loved her. Even with that, her desire for Rand was as much a desire for power as for him. To be the one to deliver the Dragon Reborn to the service of the Shadow; that would set her above the other Forsaken. And learning that the access ter'angreal for the two huge sa'angreal were still in existence....Sure, she wanted his love—not least because it had been denied her; Lanfear was a woman who claimed a right to anything she wanted—wanted his devotion, but even more than his body, Lanfear wanted power, the power possibly to replace the Dark One, even to replace the Creator. For Rand's sake? Not a chance.Tags
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10
Interview: Mar 1st, 1994
Letter to Carolyn Fusinato (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
Does evil need to be effective to be evil? And how do you define effectiveness? Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge managed to murder about 25-30% of Cambodia's population, destroy the country's agricultural and industrial base, fairly well wipe out the educated class inside the country (defined as anyone with an education beyond the ability to read; a good many of those went too, of course), and in general became so rabid that only China was willing to maintain any sort of contact with them, and that at arm's length. Their rabidity was the prime reason that they ended up losing the country. (though they are still around and still causing trouble.) In other words, they were extremely ineffective in attaining their goal, which was to seize Cambodia, remake it in the way Pol Pot wished (and still wishes), and export their brand of revolution abroad. Looking at the death toll, the cities emptied out (hospital patients were told they had one hour to leave or die; post-op patients, those still in the operating room, everybody), the murders of entire families down to infants because one member of the family was suspected of "counter-revolutionary" crimes, the mass executions (one method was for hundreds of people to be bound hand and foot, then bulldozed into graves alive; the bulldozers drove back and forth over these mass graves until attempts to dig out stopped)—given all of that, can you say that Khmer Rough's ineffectiveness made them less evil? Irrationality is more fearful than rationality (if we can use that term in this regard) because if you have brown hair and know that the serial killer out there is only killing blondes, you are safe, but if he is one of those following no easily discernible pattern, if every murder seems truly random, then it could be you who will be next. But "rationality" can have its terrors. What if that killer is only after brunettes named Carolyn? Stalin had the very rational goal (according to Communist dogma) of forcibly collectivizing all farmland in the Soviet Union. He was effective—all the land was collectivized—and to do it he murdered some thirty million small farmers who did not want to go along.
But are the Forsaken ineffective or irrational? Are they any more divided than any other group plotting to take over a country, a world, IBM? True, they plot to secure power for themselves. But I give you Stalin v. Trotsky and the entire history of the Soviet Union. I give you Thomas Jefferson v. Alexander Hamilton v. John Adams, and we will ignore such things as Jefferson's hounding of Aaron Burr (he tore up the Constitution to do it; double jeopardy, habeas corpus, the whole nine yards), or Horatio Gates' attempted military coup against Washington, with the support of a fair amount of the Continental Congress. We can also ignore Secretary of War Stanton's attempts to undermine Lincoln throughout the Civil War, the New England states' attempt to make a separate peace with England during the Revolution and their continued trading with the enemy (the British again) during the War of 1812, and... The list could go on forever, frankly, and take in every country. Human nature is to seize personal advantage, and when the situation is the one the Forsaken face (namely that one of them will be given the rule of the entire earth while the others are forever subordinate), they are going to maneuver and backstab like crazy. You yourself say "If ever there was the possibility that some alien force was going to invade this planet, half the countries would refuse to admit the problem, the other half would be fighting each other to figure out who will lead the countries into battle, etc." Even events like Rahvin or Sammael or Be'lal seizing a nation have a basis. What better way to hand over large chunks of land and people to the Dark One than to be ruler of those lands and people? The thing is that they are human. But aside from that, are you sure that you know what they are up to? All of them? Are you sure you know what the Dark One's own plans are? Now let's see about Rand and his dangers and his allies. Have you been skimming, my dear? What makes you think the Tairens, Cairhienin and Andorans are solidly behind him? They're plotting and scheming as hard as the Forsaken. Rand is the Dragon Reborn, but this is my country, and we don't need anybody, and so on. And then there are those who don't think he is the Dragon Reborn at all, just a puppet of Tar Valon. Most of the Aiel may be behind him, but the Shaido are still around, and the bleakness is still taking its toll, since not all Aiel can face up to what Rand has told them about themselves. What makes you think the Seanchan will fall in behind Rand? Have you seen any Seanchan volunteers showing up? Carolyn, half of these people are denying there is a problem, and half are trying to be big honcho themselves. Read again, Carolyn. The world Rand lives in is getting more frenzied and turbulent. Damned few are saying, "Lead, because you know best." A good many who are following are saying "Lead, because I'd rather follow you than have you call down lightning and burn me to a crisp!"
As for lack of challenge, I refer you again to the question about whether you really think you know what all the Forsaken are planning. Or what Padan Fain is up to. There is a flaw inherent in fiction, one that is overcome by suspension of disbelief. We do always know, somewhere in the back of our heads, that the hero is going to make it through as far as he needs to. After all, if Frodo buys the farm, the story is over, kids. The excitement comes in trying to figure out how he can possibly wiggle out, how he can possibly triumph.
In Rand's case, let's see what he still has stacked against him. The Cairhienin and Tairens are for the most part reluctant allies, and in many cases not even that. At the end of Fires, he has Caemlyn, but I don't see any Andoran nobles crowding around to hail him. Illian still belongs to Sammael. Pedron Niall is working to convince people Rand is a false Dragon, and the Prophet is alienating ten people for every one he convinces. Tarabon and Arad Doman are unholy messes; even if Rand manages to get in touch with all of the Dragonsworn—who are not organized beyond individual bands—he has two humongous civil wars to deal with. True, he can use the Aiel to suppress those, but he has to avoid men killing men too much; there are Trollocs waiting to spill out of the Blight eventually. We must always remember the Trollocs, Myrddraal etc; the last time they came out in force, it took over 300 years to beat them back, and the Last Battle doesn't give Rand anywhere near that. Altara and Murandy are so divided in any case that simply getting the king or queen on his side isn't going to work; remember that most people in those two countries give loyalty to a city or a local lord and only toss in their country as an afterthought. Davram Bashere thinks Tenobia will bring Saldaea to Rand, and that is possible since the Borderlands would be one place where everyone is aware of the Last Battle and the Prophecies, but even Bashere isn't willing to make any promises, not even for Saldaea much less the other Borderlands, and I haven't seen any Borderland rulers showing up to hand Rand the keys to the kingdom. Padan Fain is out there, able to feel Rand, and hating him because of what was done to him, Fain, to make him able to find Rand. The surviving Forsaken are out there and except for Sammael, nobody knows what they are up to or where they can be found. For that matter, who knows everything that Sammael is up to? Elaida, in the White Tower, thinks Rand has to be tightly controlled. The Salidar Aes Sedai are not simply ready to fall in and kiss his boots, either. Aes Sedai have been manipulating the world for more than three thousand years, guiding it, making sure it remembers the Dark One and Tarmon Gai'don as real threats, doing their best, as they see it, to prepare the world for the Dark One breaking free. Are they likely to simply step aside and hand over control to a farmboy, even if he is the Dragon Reborn? Even after Moiraine decided he had to be given his head, Siuan was reluctant, and Siuan was in Moiraine's little conspiracy from the beginning. And the Seanchan...The last we saw of their forces, they were commanded by a Darkfriend. As for the Sea Folk, do you know what their prophecy says about the Coramoor? Do you think working with them it will be any simpler than dealing with the Aiel, say?
Now, what and who does Rand have solidly in his camp? Perrin knows what is needed, but he's hardly happy about it. What he really wants is to settle down with Faile and be a blacksmith; everything else is a reluctant duty. Mat blew the Horn of Valere, but it's hidden in the Tower, and frankly, if he could figure some way to go away and spend the rest of his life carousing and chasing women, he would. He'll do what he has to do, but Light he doesn't want to. The Aiel are for Rand (less the Shaido, still a formidable force), but the Dragon Reborn and the Last Battle are no part of the Prophecy of Rhuidean. That is all wetlander stuff. Besides which, they are still suffering losses from bleakness, people throwing down their spears and leaving, people defecting to the Shaido or drifting back to the Waste because what Rand told them of their origins can't possibly be true and if it isn't then he can't be the Car'a'carn. Rand has declared an amnesty for men who can channel and is trying to gather them in; they, at least, should give their loyalty to him. But how many can he find? How much can he teach them in the time he has? How many will go mad before the Last Battle? There is still the taint on saidin, remember. For that matter, can Rand hang onto his own sanity? What effect will having a madman inside his head have? Can he stop Lews Therin from taking him over?
I know that was supposed to be a listing of what Rand has in his favor, but the fact is that he is walking the razor's edge, barely hanging onto his sanity and growing more paranoid all the time, barely hanging onto putative allies, most of whom would just as soon see him go away in the hope that then everything would be the way it was before he showed up, confronted by enemies on every side. In short he has challenges enough for ten men. I've had people write to say they can't see how Rand is going to untangle all of this and get humanity ready to face the Last Battle. What I say is, what you believe to be true is not always true. What you think is going to happen is not always going to happen. That has been demonstrated time and again in The Wheel of Time. You could call those two statements one of the themes of the books.
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11
Interview: 1994
Stories from the LOC Signing Tour (Paraphrased)Jennifer Cross
(small report)Robert Jordan
He said he writes as the ideas come and he has no clue as to how long the series will be! So that throws out 8, 10, or 16 books out the window. He also gave heights for the characters. As for Rand being unusually tall, how about 6'6". Aviendha is 5'10". You can deduce from there.Footnote
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12
Interview: 1994
Stories from the LOC Signing Tour (Paraphrased)Grey Culberson
(question about series genesis)Robert Jordan
RJ responded that the crux of the series was based on a disbelieving boy being told he was the savior of mankind, then that youth reluctantly realizing the truth of the matter but unwilling to admit it, and finally the boy assenting to the savior role and that only left puzzling out what he would do as the savior. When asked why RJ had chosen to go into so much depth and detail so as to confuse and overburden the reader, RJ responded, "It's all right there in front of you. Surely, something I've thought about for fifteen years and written about for nine is something you can work out over a weekend."Tags
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13
Interview: 1994
Stories from the LOC Signing Tour (Paraphrased)Dennis
(small report)Robert Jordan
I asked him what we had picked up on that he thought we wouldn't, and he wouldn't tell me. Did say that the two ways of looking at the Rand/Lews Therin thing (Lews Therin causing Rand's madness/Lews Therin a manifestation of Rand's madness) was intentional. Wouldn't tell me which one it was though....Tags
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14
Interview: Oct 17th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Daniel Rouk (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Originally, when I began thinking about the story, Tam and Rand were the same character. The main character was to be a soldier who had gone out to war and returned to a small village.Tags
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15
Interview: Oct 17th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Daniel Rouk (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan (18 October 1994)
Jordan detailed Tam's history... but basically said the same things that were said about him to Rand.Tags
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17
Interview: Oct 17th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Erica Sadun (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Covers: Rand originally had Darrel K. Sweet's build. Finally he's tall enough. The monkey girl is Egwene. "They're fine." (the covers)Tags
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18
Interview: Oct 17th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Erica Sadun (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Tam and Rand: Originally same character—the soldier comes home to a small town. He is not Farstrider. He is a blademaster and Second Captain in Illian.Tags
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19
Interview: Oct 18th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Erica Sadun (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Mat will lose his eye and Rand a hand: yes. (Did not ask right out. Instead, "Did you deliberately make Rand like Tew/Chew, the god of war who loses his hand?" (yes) "And Mat is like Odin who loses his eye..." (yup...but the Arthur parallels are spread around many characters. Merlin is Thom Merrilin, the Amyrlin Seat, Lan, etc...)Tags
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20
Interview: Oct 19th, 1994
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Gordon B
My question has a few parts: When Perrin left the Two Rivers did he tell people who he was going to see? Did Rand's father come? Does he know about Rand being the Dragon Reborn?Robert Jordan
1. Read and find out. 2. No, Rand's father did not come. 3. Read and find out!Tags
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21
Interview: Oct 19th, 1994
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Sharon Perdue
Did Egwene as Amyrlin happen to be watching people's dreams while Rand was shielded?Robert Jordan
I'm not quite sure I understand the question. Again?Sharon Perdue
Since Rand was shielded and couldn't form any wards on his dreams could Egwene have spied out that he was in trouble while in Tel'aran'rhiod?Robert Jordan
Ah. Yes, she could have. The problem is, when you've learned that something is impossible, you have a tendency to stop trying it. She just didn't try to spy during the period in question.Tags
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22
Interview: Oct 19th, 1994
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Degan Outridge
Your societies seem to all place women in a very influential role. Any particular reason why you created so many matriarchies? Also, do you already have a solution for Rand's love triangle?Robert Jordan
1. 3000 years ago, the world was destroyed by men: specifically men, and for all of that time, every society has been afraid of any man who can channel. The result has to be greater power and influence for women. 2. Yes.Tags
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23
Interview: Oct 19th, 1994
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Joe Rosenman
Greetings! From Rand's Rhuidean vision: If the Sharom is the Dark One's prison, why would it be floating in on place above a city and not in some transcendent plain? Why didn't Rand see it there?Robert Jordan
But it isn't. The Sharom and the Collam Daan are a university/research center. Or were.Joe Rosenman
Also, did Mierin intend to create the Bore?Robert Jordan
In part, yes. Not alone.Tags
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24
Interview: Oct 11th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Pary (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Re: Lanfear and Rand at the docks. She was just toying with him using her angreal, [while he used the little fat man]. They were pretty well matched. BUT, questioned whether Rand's estimation that he could end it if he wanted to, RJ said, yes. But of course, Rand couldn't.Tags
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25
Interview: Oct 19th, 1994
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Kevin
Are Min's visions absolute foretellings or probabilities?Robert Jordan
Her visions are absolute foretellings. The problem is, she doesn't always know what it means. The only changes from that are two visions she's had which indicated the possibility of the future forking, an "either/or." And that's the only time she's ever had anything like that.Footnote
These two visions are: 1) A viewing of Gawyn: [TSR 47: Gawyn kneeling at Egwene's feet with his head bowed, and Gawyn breaking Egwene's neck, first one then the other, as if either could be the future....The things she saw were very rarely as clear in meaning as those two, and she had never before seen that fluttering back and forth, as though not even the viewing could tell which would be the true future. Worse, she had a feeling near to certainty that it was what she had done this day that had turned Gawyn toward those two possibilities.], and 2) A viewing of Rand, about Perrin: [LOC 46: "Twice he's going to have to be there, or you..." She peered into her goblet so he could not see her face. "If he's not, something bad will happen to you." Her voice sounded small and frightened. "Very bad."]Tags
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26
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (21 June 2010 (Facebook))
A fanmail tonight includes a request for Gawyn to die, and Egwene to hook up with Galad. At least it's not another begging for Rand + Egwene.BRANDON SANDERSON
Wow. I did not mean to start an epic Gawyn/Galad/Egwene/Rand thread on my Facebook, but I appear to have done so.BRANDON SANDERSON
Some interesting reading if you're thinking/talking about Gawyn as a character can be found here: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight—Wikipedia(from the comments)
One other way to think of it is thus: The Wheel will keep on turning, and the Age that we live in (or like unto it) will someday arrive. Legends from what is happening in these books will have survived, and become the Arthur legends during our day. Or, in other cases, stories of other characters have survived in other mythologies. (Look up the Slavic god Perun sometime.)
Perrin is not a god, nor is Gawyn the knight of that story I linked. But perhaps someone who lived long ago, in another Age, gave birth to rumors about a young nobleman who made a mistake, and bore the weight of that sin for the rest of his days. And that gave birth to stories, which in turn inspired a poet to write a tale.
Footnote
The writer of the fanmail in question posted and elaborated at 13th Depository.Tags
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27
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jay (8 July 2010)
Will we see the Dark One in WoT? Will he walk the earth and physically fight with Rand & Co?Brandon Sanderson (8 July 2010)
I can't tell you for certain about the Dark One. There WILL be a confrontation, though.BRANDON SANDERSON
The last seals will be broken.Tags
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28
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Alaric (14 July 2010)
You've been quoted saying Rand and Egwene will get about the same screen time [in Towers of Midnight] as Mat and Perrin in The Gathering Storm. Is this the case?Brandon Sanderson (14 July 2010)
That is correct. Though it might be a tad more. This book will be longer, and a lot of that is some extra Rand/Egwene.Tags
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29
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)HBFFerreira (18 July 2010)
Was the attempt on Rand at the end of The Path of Daggers caused by Torval learning his plan to cleanse the taint? Did Moridin order it?Brandon Sanderson (19 July 2010)
RAFO, though that is the best theory I read before I became involved in this. It's very credible.Tags
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30
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)HBFFerreira (20 July 2010)
The Gathering Storm: Rand's dark aura was an effect of channeling the True Power, right? Winter's Heart prologue: didn't Taim cast a similar aura?Brandon Sanderson (21 July 2010)
You're the first to notice that that I've seen.Tags
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31
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Alaric (20 July 2010)
Should we expect Towers of Midnight to be as predominantly dark in mood as The Gathering Storm was?Brandon Sanderson (21 July 2010)
Well, the Last Battle is close, so things aren't getting brighter. There's a reason Mr. Jordan named the last volume A Memory of Light.DEAN WOODWARD
But won't Rand be a bit more 'light' since the last chapter of The Gathering Storm?BRANDON SANDERSON
RAFO. (But chances seem good.)GIEL VAN SCHIJNDEL
That being said, will Towers of Midnight still have its bright moments, like Rand recovering his sanity and will to live at the end of The Gathering Storm?BRANDON SANDERSON (22 JULY)
There will be those, of course.Tags
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32
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Terez (30 July 2010)
Does Min's comment to Corele mean that the Dark One can subvert her viewings BEFORE the Pattern is destroyed?Terez
Asked in reference to the viewing that Elza would serve Rand. Or did it simply not imply she would serve forever?Brandon Sanderson (30 July 2010)
Elza did serve Rand, in her own way. It did not mean forever. That was not a subverting of the viewing. (Or wasn't meant to be.)Terez
Thanks! That's what I thought but some will still say you didn't answer the original question lol. It's Theoryland.Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan taught me to give Aes Sedai answers.Terez
Fair enough. :)Terez
There is one case in which I suspect that RJ gave an Aes Sedai answer and the reporter may not have gotten it exactly.Terez
Q: Was Else always Lanfear? RJ: No. Else did exist as a separate human but was played by Lanfear after Else was expelled.Terez
Strange, because of the personality 'Else' showed, and the Tear trap being Mesaana's trap, not Lanfear's. Any comment?Brandon Sanderson
MAFO.Maria Simons
(later) I cannot find anything to clarify the question.
Terez
PS, thanks for taking time to do Q&A here. Far superior to tour reports, since the Aes Sedai answers are direct from you. ;)Terez
...not to mention the quick responses, and the fact that you have more time to think the answers out. You are awesome!Terez
By the way, not knocking the tour reporters. They rock; we have a lot of good stuff because of them.Terez
I am just reminded of Tam. 'Tell me what she said. Her exact words, mind, just as she said them.' And Thom too. :)Brandon Sanderson
Sure. Of course, I'm not convinced half of Theoryland hasn't joined Twitter only to follow/question me...Brandon Sanderson
When I'm on tour, do be aware that I don't have notes handy and I'm usually very tired. All answers are suspect.Terez
As for stalking you...someone has to do it to keep the Q&A organized, and I elected myself (also before you came along).Brandon Sanderson
Ha. Just seems that I get a surprising number of tweets from people with no profile picture, and who are only following me. :)Brandon Sanderson
I don't feel stalked at all. This is how I use Twitter, and I'm happy to answer questions.Matt Hatch
No profile pics and only following you? That sounds like my twenty other Twitter accounts...Footnote
Min and Cadsuane told Corele that she sees pieces of the Pattern, but if the Dark One destroys the Pattern as he aims to do, then her viewings will be irrelevant. Those that are in reference to things after the Last Battle will only come to pass if they prevent the Dark One from destroying the Pattern. Some took this to mean that Shaidar Haran (essentially, the Dark One) subverted Min's viewing that Elza would serve Rand when he ordered Elza to help Semirhage torture and control Rand.Tags
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33
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Leth Filorn (1 August 2010)
If Rand goes to Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh, imagines himself a new hand (or a new body like Lews Therin's), and then walks out, what happens?Brandon Sanderson (1 August 2010)
It wouldn't go with him, I'm afraid. Towers of Midnight gives some hints on why, actually.Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Azral Hanan (2 August 2010)
Why is the Dragon 'one with the Land'? Is it just due to him being ta'veren or is there more to it?Brandon Sanderson (2 August 2010)
More to it. More about being the Dragon than being ta'veren. Who he is.AZRAL HANAN
So it's more than a title or being ta'veren and Hero of the Horn? The Dragon plays its own unique role in the Pattern?BRANDON SANDERSON
Note that Prophecy says that the Dragon specifically is reborn time after time.Azral Hanan
RJ said the soul is immortal. But Hopper says dying in the Wolf Dream is likely permanent. Is Hopper wrong?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO, for now. Ask again after the last book is out.
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jacob Wallace (11 August 2010)
In Lord of Chaos, second chapter, Taim gives Rand a prison seal, the seventh from my count. Does anyone know that all seven have been found?Brandon Sanderson (11 August 2010)
RAFO. :)Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Leth Filorn (13 August 2010)
Could thirteen Aes Sedai linked shield Rand while he was channeling using Callandor? What about with Choedan Kal at full power?Brandon Sanderson (13 August 2010)
I think I'm going to MAFO those. (Which means email me, say I said I'd ask Maria, and we'll add them to her list.)Brandon Sanderson
I'm pretty sure of the answer, but I don't want to take the time to sort though the notes and look it up for certain while editing.Maria Simons
I really don’t think so, for either, but I cannot find it specifically stated.
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Interview: Oct 11th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Question
Did Ishamael appear in the flesh aside from the battle with Rand in the Stone of Tear?Robert Jordan
Yes, he was in the flesh in Tel'aran'rhiod several times, starting in The Great Hunt (but he didn't specify when).Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
Man, I love the prologue of The Eye of the World. Some of my favorite writing in the entire series. Great insight into Ishamael's personality pre-madness.BRANDON SANDERSON
People like to talk of Rand's character development. Elan -> Ishamael -> Moridin is almost as interesting to me. His outlook has evolved so much.JUSTIN LEE
Has it really evolved? he's still the megalomanical favorite/topdog he's always seen himself to be.BRANDON SANDERSON
No, he's really changed a lot. He's a fatalist now, as I mentioned to @dragonmount. He knows far more.JASON DENZEL
How would you compare Ishamael's motivations from when he was Elan vs when he was Moridin?BRANDON SANDERSON
Elan is actually more selfish. He still thinks he will rule, that the Dark One will take over the world and create a new one.BRANDON SANDERSON
Moridin has been through madness and touched the mind of the Dark One. He is far more fatalistic, and actually less selfish.TEREZ
And therefore...less predictable? :)BRANDON SANDERSON
I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that quote in relation to my tweet.FOOTNOTE—TEREZ
In TGS 39, Verin tells Egwene that the Dark One looks for selfishness more than any other trait in his leaders—namely, the Chosen—because it makes them predictable.AUSTIN MOORE
Is it wrong for me to have been under the impression that Moridin isn't "mad?" I've thought he was less mad than he was...AUSTIN MOORE
...as Ishamael. Mad being crazy not mad being evil because obviously he's evil.BRANDON SANDERSON
Moridin is less insane than Ishamael was. Much as Rand is less insane than Lews Therin was.AZRAL HANAN
You say Moridin is less selfish. Is he now a Dark Buddha wanting to end the suffering of existence in the nirvana of oblivion?BRANDON SANDERSON
It's not that he's unselfish. But compare his lines in The Eye of the World and Knife of Dreams and Towers of Midnight to see the difference.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Matt (3 January 2011)
Probably RAFO, but will the voice from Tarwin's Gap battle in The Eye of the World ever be explained?Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
RAFO. :)Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jeff Edde (3 January 2011)
Interesting. In The Eye of the World, Rand uses Light and Power. Is it significant that he uses Light and Power again in Towers of Midnight?Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
Yes.JEFF EDDE (12 JANUARY)
Can Rand channel Light and Power as a result of touching the Eye of the World, or does he have access to it because he is who he is?BRANDON SANDERSON
It was the power in the Eye, so far as I know.Tags
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41
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Eiremauve (3 January 2011)
Can Rand get the most POVs in A Memory of Light, please? (bambi eyes, clasped hands) We were severely deprived in Towers of Midnight. :'( (grovels)Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
There will be more Rand VPs in the last book, I promise.BRANDON SANDERSON
Rand's lack of VPs in Towers of Midnight was intentional. Much like his lessened VP role in The Dragon Reborn, and for similar reasons.AUSTIN MOORE
Was the lack of Rand VPs in Towers of Midnight intended to show his change from other characters' VPs?BRANDON SANDERSON
In part. There are other reasons. But that's part of it.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
WoT statistics: Egwene appears for the first time about 7% into The Eye of the World. She is the first person to fold her arms beneath her breasts.BRANDON SANDERSON
As much as we like to talk about Robert Jordan using that phrase, I think that's the only time it appears in The Eye of the World.BRANDON SANDERSON
Amusing that, after all they've grown, Egwene and Rand's interaction in The Eye of the World 3 has many similarities to their interaction in Towers of Midnight.LAYLA MESSNER
Took me a moment to realize this phrase did not refer to Egwene's breasts ;) RT @BrandonSandrson: "Amusing that, after all they've grown..."BRANDON SANDERSON
Lol. You just about killed me with laughter on that one.BRANDON SANDERSON (5 JANUARY)
It bears remembering that of the group, only Egwene left the Two Rivers for adventure. The others were forced. (Or felt they were.)BRANDON SANDERSON
This is very important for her character. In a way, she was the only one who chose this life intentionally. At least at first.BRANDON SANDERSON
Aha. First braid tug I spotted was at the 30% mark.BRANDON SANDERSON (6 JANUARY)
I wonder if Rand and Egwene dancing in Baerlon counts as a fulfillment of her Winternight promise to dance with him on Bel Tine.BRANDON SANDERSON (7 JANUARY)
I'll admit, the Tinker scenes had me wishing—as a youth—for a Perrin+Egwene hook up. I never wanted her for Rand.BRANDON SANDERSON (12 JANUARY)
"I'd like being your Warder." Rand to Egwene, near the end of The Eye of the World.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (4 January 2011)
Back to reading The Eye of the World, all. Posts to follow. I'll try to keep it at a steady stream, not a flood.BRANDON SANDERSON
WoT Easter Egg: there's an easily overlooked line in the prologue of The Eye of the World which gives huge foreshadowing of things Rand can do in Towers of Midnight.TEREZ
I always thought the fact that Lews Therin could sense that there were no people around for miles was interesting.BRANDON SANDERSON
I should have guessed that you'd be the only one who would pick out the right line, Terez.BRANDON SANDERSON
The Easter egg in the prologue has to do with Lews Therin sensing the lack of people around him for miles and miles.BRANDON SANDERSON (5 JANUARY)
Regarding yesterday's Easter Egg, Maria mentions RJ was preparing a blog post on the concept.BRANDON SANDERSON
For those who missed it, it has to do with Lews Therin sensing nobody was nearby when he made Dragonmount.BRANDON SANDERSON
And before you ask, no, I can't say more. Sorry. Suffice it to say that what is in the books stands as enough of an answer, for now.TEREZ
My original(ish) post on the ability to sense for people: http://bit.ly/safegates in '06. I was a noob(ish) then.BRANDON SANDERSON
Interesting theory. What do you think of it now?TEREZ
I think it still holds up (despite a few details I missed), but I think it's not what you were getting at. :)Footnote
Most think this has something to do with the 'one with the land' thing. (See the Fisher King tag for more info.)Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (4 January 2011)
I love that RJ gave Rand such a personal, powerful internal problem at the start with questioning his relationship to Tam.BRANDON SANDERSON
Though it's easy for us to say "Of course Tam's your father, silly" this issue was deep and meaningful for Rand and served as...BRANDON SANDERSON
...a wonderful way to make the book about more than the action. It also foreshadows Rand's later identity crisis with Lews Therin.BRANDON SANDERSON
"I don't know that you are worth it, sheepherder, no matter what she says."—Lan, to Rand, walking with Moiraine to help Tam.Tags
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Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Tony Zbaraschuk (Paraphrased)Question
What about Gawyn?Robert Jordan
Well, all the information he can find indicates that his mother's dead. (First the rumor, then it apparently got confirmed when he reached Cairhien.) Rand probably killed her. His sister is missing, maybe dead. Rand's involved again. He released the woman responsible for finding Rand because he loved Egwene. Egwene is tied up with Rand, who killed his mother and is probably responsible for his sister's disappearance. Why do you think he's under any stress?Tony Zbaraschuk
[Even Rand thinks that Morgase is dead.]Tags
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Interview: Oct 26th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Greg (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
RJ gave a little height information that slightly contradicts some previous info supposedly gleaned from a signings encounter. Rand is, of course, about 6'6". Moiraine, however, is actually as tall as 5'3", and Egwene and Nynaeve are both about 5'5". Oh, and he said Moiraine "was" 5'3", if anyone wants to read anything into that. RJ also said that if anyone asked him how much anybody weighed, he'd throw up his hands in exasperation. I definitely got the impression that he cares nothing for the detailed heights and such, but instead goes completely from the mental pictures he's got in his head.
Tags
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Interview: Oct 27th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Tom Burke (Paraphrased)Tom Burke
I asked him to confirm that he had said that Rand will physically lose his hand and that Mat will physically lose his eye.
Robert Jordan
He stated, "If I have said something similar to that, I may have misspoken."TOM BURKE
[How is that for being enigmatic?]Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (5 January 2011)
This now reads interestingly: "With all his heart & desperation, he silently shouted at Bela to run...tried to will strength into her...ZEERAK WASEEM
The Bela thing?BRANDON SANDERSON
Rand heals Bela of her fatigue before Moiraine can.BRANDON SANDERSON
Since people are asking, Rand's first use of the Power is healing Bela of her fatigue. He feels the effects later in Baerlon, I think.BRANDON SANDERSON
Are there any Theorylanders/Dragonmounters who can confirm this for me? Maybe give some specifics or a thread for people?ADAM PETTY
Didn't Moiraine bring that to his attention at the end of The Eye of the World or The Dragon Reborn?BRANDON SANDERSON
I think she did, but either way, I missed it first read-through.JO KENEBEL
Actually doesn't Moiraine confirm it later, she says something like "I had suspicions from the first...then there was Bela..."BRANDON SANDERSON
I was asking for confirmation on his sickness, not whether he channeled. :)BRANDON SANDERSON
On the subject of Rand's channeling, a lot of people are bringing up the event on the ship outside of Shadar Logoth.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll talk about this when we get there. I've read a lot of theories on this one arguing for both sides. I've never made up my mind.BRANDON SANDERSON
Wotfaq on Rand channeling: http://bit.ly/fBBrCz I've read enough questions from theory-types on the second one to make me question.TEREZ
Like what? Seems pretty straightforward to me.BRANDON SANDERSON
And...Linda to the rescue. Once again, 13th Depository has an exhaustive look at all this: http://bit.ly/gYgU7Z (Thanks @einarjh.)TEREZ
She doesn't question it either. :D I have not seen a case against it. Also, Vin using up her 'luck' reminded me of that. :)MATT HATCH
Brandon, come on over. We'd love to "entertain" your theory against Bela. :)BRANDON SANDERSON
My theory against Bela?MATT HATCH
Thought "theories on this one arguing for both sides. I've never made up my mind" meant you were undecided on Bela...MATT HATCH
...as the first instance of channeling. But now I see you were speaking of the sickness.BRANDON SANDERSON
The ship is what I was talking about. I remember reading, in the early days, some people trying to refute that one.BRANDON SANDERSON
The reason everyone misses the first times Rand channels is because the sickness after the lightning is so much more memorable.HBFFERREIRA
The mast swinging and killing a Trolloc, right? I remember thinking ta'veren during my re-read.BRANDON SANDERSON
That's what I thought for a long time too. Might still think it. I want to watch it this read.LUCKERS
Re: Rand's first channelings—do you know of the theory that Rand channeled to bring them to the Eye...LUCKERS
Compare the last few moments before they reach the Eye with when Rand heals Bela of her tiredness.LUCKERS
If that is one of the first channelings, it's not on any list. Always intrigued me. RJ was so subtle sometimes.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll watch for that, Luckers. Thanks for the heads up.BRANDON SANDERSON (7 JANUARY)
Okay, we come to Rand using the One Power to swing the boom on the ship and hit the Trolloc. The argument against this one...BRANDON SANDERSON
...is that the Power doesn't actually seem to move the boom. The boat shakes for some reason, which swings it down.BRANDON SANDERSON
In the other two cases, Rand does something actively. In this, it seems more accidental. It's enough of an argument to make me wonder.TEREZ
Who says Rand didn't shake the boat with the Power? Besides, the aftereffects are what make us sure.LINDA TAGLIERI
I agree. He jolted the boat which dislodged many Trollocs and the boom swept the one attacking him away.JOHN IN PUEBLO
Are you saying him being ta'veren caused it to move?BRANDON SANDERSON
I'm saying I've been made to wonder. The biggest point against it is the sickness he feels after.BRANDON SANDERSON (10 JANUARY)
So, Rand on the rigging really must be an after-effect of channeling. But it doesn't HAVE to mean he did it on the night with the boat.BRANDON SANDERSON
It could have happened in the days between, and... and I'm sounding like @theoryland, aren't I? You guys are a bad influence on me.TEREZ
If you actually hung out @theoryland you would never put such an unsupported theory forward for fear of our scorn. ;)TEREZ
Sometimes, Occam's Razor is your friend. Alas.BRANDON SANDERSON
Ha. You want me to think your theories are all well-supported? You think I haven't heard @theoryland's Avi theory?TEREZ
Hey, that was MY theory. And it was way more supported than yours! hmph... (though I didn't believe it really)MATT HATCH
Ouch. I should get Jenn to do an Asmodean panel at JordanCon. I need an outlet for my glossary disdain.TEREZ
While all of us in the apathy camp think the glossary reveal was JUST PERFECT TAKE THAT YOU CHUMPS.MATT HATCH
Of course you were happy, because it was the apathetic way to reveal it...I really need that panel, Jenn!JENNIFER LIANG
Tell Shannan. I think we have room for another theory panel.TEREZ
Also, Moiraine clearly says that early unconscious channeling always comes in response to a desperate need.TEREZ
We know it was smooth sailing after they left Shadar Logoth, so no opportunity to make Rand channel.BRANDON SANDERSON
Where did you get the idea that this was my theory? Just something I was curious about. :PTEREZ
Just from the fact that you were, you know, defending it. :p I know you said you had read it back in the day though.BRANDON SANDERSON
Unfortunately, I don't really GET to have theories any more, since I can just look up the answers or ask Maria. :(BRANDON SANDERSON
And the theories I do have I don't really get to post about, since they will influence the series end. Maybe once A Memory of Light is done,BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll pick a few things the notes are silent on, explain that they're silent, then jump in with some good, old-fashioned theories.BRANDON SANDERSON
That won't stop me from making random comments as I read, though, so maybe those count as my theories.BRANDON SANDERSON
I am keeping a list, though, to get answers on as I go. Already got a few, actually....TEREZ
That would be awesome. In the meantime, feel free to defend silly theories. It gives us something to do. ;)Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Austin Moore (6 January 2011)
Who was the Lord of Chaos that Demandred and Taim both mention? There has been tons of debate.Brandon Sanderson (6 January 2011)
Really? I thought that one was obvious. What's the debate about?Terez
It's Rand. Look in the BWB re: Feast of Fools.Austin Moore
Why was Demandred and Taim saying, "Let the Lord of Chaos rule" if it was Rand? Sorry just read through series once so far :(Terez
Here's a quote for you:
The Feast of Fools
Celebrated in Tammaz (in Arad Doman and the Borderlands) or Saven (everywhere else), the exact day varying according to locality. A day in which all order is deliberately inverted; the high perform lowly tasks (running errands, serving at table, etc.) while the low do no work and give orders to their usual superiors. In many villages and towns the most foolish person is given a title such as the Lord/Lady of Unreason/Misrule/Chaos or the King/Queen of Fools. Not an honor sought, but for that one day everyone has to obey whatever orders, however foolish, are given by the chosen one. (Called the Festival of Unreason in Saldaea; the Festival of Fools in Kandor; Foolday in Baerlon and the Two Rivers.)Matt Hatch
I've always enjoyed this theory about the Lord of Chaos. It's fun.Brandon Sanderson
That is a good theory for people to be reading.Terez
YAY. OMG, that theory has been on the rocks for years because of contradicting tour reports.Terez
Also, your tour quotes were vague enough to allow it but most people didn't see it that way.Brandon Sanderson
I didn't say the theory was true, just that you should study it. :) But I would like to see those tour reports.Terez
Footnote
Adding to Brandon's implications here is Sorilea's comment in reference to the balefiring of Natrin's Barrow, in The Gathering Storm Chapter 27: "We felt the world warping from here, but did not know what had caused it. We assumed it to be the Dark One's work." (Similar to the ripples Perrin and Faile experienced in Knife of Dreams.) This opens up the possibility that people have no idea really what they're talking about when they assume that the warping of reality is due to the Dark One's touch, just as Alviarin had no idea what she was talking about when she assumed that the rotting food was the Dark One's touch (Knife of Dreams, Prologue).Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Felix Pax (16 August 2010)
Should not Rand recall now, who Nynaeve was in 'past lives' post The Gathering Storm "Veins of Gold" chapter?Brandon Sanderson (16 August 2010)
Rand might have known Nynaeve in a past life, if she lived when he did. But he might not recognize her in a different body.Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)HBFFerreira (16 August 2010)
Elayne and Rand's babies... Calian and Shivan?Brandon Sanderson (17 August 2010)
RAFO ... on Elayne's babes. :)Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Ted Herman (29 September 2010)
Was Rand's super balefire beam palace sized or a narrow beam?Brandon Sanderson (29 September 2010)
Not palace sized.Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Linda Sandström (8 November 2010)
Are Aviendha's children conceived naturally or are they a consequence of something Power-related Rand and Aviendha do together?Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)
RAFO. :)Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Luke Piper (8 November 2010)
Which character kept you up at night worrying the most?Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)
Rand. In both books.Tags
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Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Matt Hatch (8 November 2010)
Is Logain working for Demandred?Brandon Sanderson (8 November 2010)
Oh, you KNEW I was going to RAFO that one. :)MATT HATCH
How often does Demandred contemplate killing Moridin?BRANDON SANDERSON
Less than the other Chosen. He is focused on Rand. He contemplates Moridin, but mostly he wants Rand.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Daniel Beale (10 January 2011)
Can both male and females access the True Power? Why does Cadsuane Sedai not question how Rand escapes from being collared?Brandon Sanderson (10 January 2011)
Yes. And she doesn't have a chance.DANIEL BEALE
She doesn't at the time, but afterwards why isn't she curious as to how Rand escaped being collared?BRANDON SANDERSON
Cadsuane is curious about a lot of things. So yes, you are right. But she also is good at finding answers unexpectedly.Tags
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Interview: Oct 28th, 1994
Robert Jordan
When I asked about the hemisphere of the Seanchan continent RJ said that it had parts in both the northern and southern hemispheres, but that Rand and Aviendha Traveled to a part in the southern hemisphere.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (10 January 2011)
Curious: First mention of the Fisher King concept happens when Rand is dreaming, still half-sick, in the back of Bunt's wagon.BRANDON SANDERSON
Is this our first Lews Therin moment? Bunt wouldn't have mentioned it, and neither would have Ishamael. Unless it's actually something Thom said.TEREZ
I assumed was a True Dream, including Thom's connection to the queen, and Rand & Tam with the sword.TEREZ
But the first Lews Therin moment was in chapter nine when Rand recognized Shayol Ghul (and maybe Ishamael too).MATT HATCH
I'd say Ishamael recognition is a fact in chapter nine. There are some nice comparisons with the prologue.BRANDON SANDERSON
Well, you probably have a point there. Though you might argue that this is a shade of Lews Therin speaking to him, for the first time.TEREZ
I might, but I wouldn't. :D It's more interesting to me the other way, and Rand didn't dream Lews Therin's dreams much.TEREZ
He remarked on the strangeness of it in The Path of Daggers before Lews Therin came back (after having been chased away by Cadsuane).BRANDON SANDERSON
Wait. What?TEREZ
I remembered it wrong. Lord of Chaos 19: 'Lews Therin's dreams. That had never happened before, not dreaming the man's dreams.'TEREZ
In A Crown of Swords 41 while Lews Therin is gone, Rand still hears the voice in a dream.BRANDON SANDERSON
Oh, I see what you're saying. (I think.) Is your argument this: "Lews Therin doesn't talk to Rand in dreams. Therefore, this isn't Lews Therin?"LUCKERS
I think deep down her argument is probably more 'Lews Therin doesn't talk to Rand at all'. ;)TEREZ
Whether Lews Therin really talks to Rand at all or not, this would be quite atypical & strange. As Thom? Why?LUCKERS
Why would Lews Therin speak as Thom? The moustaches baby, the moustaches.BRANDON SANDERSON
Curious. So who do you think is speaking to Rand the Fisher King words, if it's not a Lews Therin memory?TEREZ
It's a dream. Why does there have to be a 'real' ;) person involved?TEREZ
But I do appreciate the hint. :) [That is, the hint that Lews Therin was also one with the land, and was aware of it. This might be what Brandon was getting at with his Easter egg thing.]BRANDON SANDERSON
I don't normally dream things that happen to be word-for-word true prophecies. Rand's not a Dreamer. He got the info somewhere.TEREZ
Now I'm going to cry. :( Why can't Rand be a Dreamer?? So chapter nine was completely fabricated by Ishamael? That is weird.TEREZ
None of the other dreams influenced by Ishamael were anything like that. How did he create all of those people in Tar Valon?TEREZ
Why would Ishamael first prevent Rand from reaching Tar Valon, and then force him to go to the Tower? Makes no sense. :(BRANDON SANDERSON
Lol. I'm not sure if you're being serious or not. Is there some theory on Rand being a Dreamer that I should know?TEREZ
I'm being serious. There's a hint Asmodean's warding might prevent True Dreams. Also...TEREZ
Egwene was guided to it, but Rand had no one to guide him if he was a Dreamer. And everything in The Eye of the World nine was true.BRANDON SANDERSON
Either it's Lews Therin, it's something someone told him in the real world, or it's Ishamael giving him the info.TEREZ
Maybe he had heard The Karaethon Cycle from Thom at fireside on the way to Baerlon, though. Would make sense.TEREZ
Well, not on the way to Baerlon, since he mentions them for the first time in Baerlon. But maybe on the Spray.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll entertain an argument that it's basically 'known' information, or that Thom mentioned it.LUCKERS
Did you see my cultural idea? That it might be Rand's subconscious—like the way everyone knows the Dark One's name?BRANDON SANDERSON
But it really seems like a memory, and we've never seen people mentioning it, while naming the Dark One we see.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll look up answers on this one for sure; right now, I'm just speaking by instinct. But I read the Fisher King concept as...BRANDON SANDERSON
...coming from Lews Therin/Rand's subconscious and being fed through Thom's mouth as Rand's mind fit it into the dream.BRANDON SANDERSON
I'm also pretty sure Rand's not a Dreamer, though he does have uncommon power over his dreams.BRANDON SANDERSON
But he does not see specific prophecies in his dreams (other than a few debatable moments) nor enter Tel'aran'rhiod spontaneously.BRANDON SANDERSON
But I'll look into it. I rebel against it because Dreaming is basically Egwene's thing.TEREZ
Also, didn't Perrin pretty much just show her that it wasn't HER thing any more? :pTEREZ
And yeah, I know his prophetic dreams only happen in Tel'aran'rhiod. But I just want a male Dreamer dangit!BRANDON SANDERSON
Perrin does something different. Also, Egwene was caught off guard and had been spending a lot of time lately doing other things.BRANDON SANDERSON
It would be unwise to assume that Perrin is better at Tel'aran'rhiod than she is because of that moment. He had just spent weeks training...BRANDON SANDERSON
...specifically to fight like that in Tel'aran'rhiod, while Egwene has been forced to fight other fights and let herself get a tad rusty.TEREZ
haha, yeah I know. I have argued much the same against Egwene-haters. I did enjoy that moment though.TEREZ
Why do all the prophets have to be female? Foretelling I can see because of the taint, but the rest? Except Perrin.TEREZ
The Thom dream used to make me think I was missing something, or maybe a deleted scene. Very odd.TEREZ
Also, even with the taint seems like we should have had a male Foretelling by now, or a dreamer. Something.BRANDON SANDERSON
Well, out of fondness, I'll let you know that I DO know of at least one male (other than Perrin) who can see the future.TEREZ
lol. The male Aelfinn?BRANDON SANDERSON
Dang. You're too clever. Okay, then, I promise you there's actually a man—human—who meets your requirements.Footnote
In retrospect, it seems most likely that RJ did in fact pare down Thom's earlier conversation about the prophecies (in The Eye of the World Chapter 13, or in another place), not wanting to give too much away. The dream in Chapter 34 should have been a recollection of what Thom had told him. It's possible that Brandon was correct and it had something to do with Lews Therin, but I find it unlikely for many reasons (some covered in the conversation). Also worth noting is that in the previous chapter, during Rand's fever dreams, Thom mentioned the Black Ajah, which had not previously been mentioned to Rand on screen. Also, this hint from Brandon was the first of many concerning the male prophet; the other clues make it pretty clear that Moridin is a Dreamer.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Thomas Grossnickle (12 January 2011)
What philosophies have influenced WoT? I feelt a bit of the Hindu Creator, Preserver, & Destroyer ...THOMAS GROSSNICKLE
...with Lews Therin an avatar of preservation and Rand the Destroyer...THOMAS GROSSNICKLE
Who destroys the world when it is beyond preserving, only to create it anew.Brandon Sanderson (12 January 2011)
I see a lot of that too. I'm convinced RJ blended something from most major philosophies and mythologies into the books.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Randy Word (18 January 2011)
Stupid question: What sword was Rand wearing in The Gathering Storm? It was implied that he knew its story.TEREZ
It was Justice, Hawkwing's sword. The real one—not the one ghost-Artur was wearing at Falme. ;)TEREZ
And it's not a stupid question because there was some debate over it before the word was leaked at Dragonmount.TEREZ
Many thought it was Guaire Amalasan's sword, and it may be that they were right, and that Hawkwing kept it as a trophy.TEREZ
That might explain the scabbard, which we know is the original scabbard. And another Excalibur parallel in addition to Callandor.Brandon Sanderson (18 January 2011)
I haven't answered that, I don't think, but fans have a couple of really solid theories.TEREZ
I like this answer. It fits with the assumption that Hawkwing kept Amalasan's sword as a trophy.Footnote
Brandon did confirm that Rand's new sword was Justice in an email with his beta readers, but there was apparently a bit of controversy over the revelation so the beta reader who leaked it deleted their post and the incident gets glossed over a bit by Brandon.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (19 January 2011)
Some very telling moments in the conversation between Ishamael and Rand in the Portal world of The Great Hunt.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Darth Andrea (20 January 2011)
Odd question, is it possible in the WoT universe, for there to have been a world where the Dragon was a woman?Brandon Sanderson (20 January 2011)
RJ said that gender was a 'soul attribute.' Meaning, souls were reborn as the same gender.Footnote
RJ addressed this in the CNN chat of 2000, again in Leiden in 2001, and at an unknown signing from around the same time (maybe a different report from the Leiden signing).Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (1 March 2011)
Finally, the first Mat viewpoint comes almost 1/3 into The Dragon Reborn. It just doesn't feel like the Wheel of Time to me until Mat is himself.BRANDON SANDERSON
Amanda on Facebook points out that it was good RJ waited to give a Mat VP; if it had been earlier, he'd have felt less awesome.BRANDON SANDERSON
This is a good insight; dagger-tied Mat was frail, paranoid; that might have tainted perception of him strongly if we'd had a VP.DARTH ANDREA
I have always felt that in The Eye of the World Mat was just baggage, in The Great Hunt he was a McGuffin, but in The Dragon Reborn his story truly starts.BRANDON SANDERSON
Agreed.BRANDON SANDERSON
Siuan to Mat: You remind me of my uncle...died pulling children out of a burning house... Will you be there when the flames are high?BRANDON SANDERSON
This feels like a perfect place for him to step to center stage, as this is the book where we lose Rand for the first time.KURT MADSEN
Wait, we lose Rand!?!BRANDON SANDERSON
He's not in the third book very much. He comes back in the fourth.JUSTIN BRADY
Do you have any insight into how at the start of The Dragon Reborn, Rand appears more 'mad' than he was at the end of The Great Hunt?BRANDON SANDERSON
He is doing a poor job of dealing with having killed a person for the first time.FOOTNOTE—TEREZ
Brandon might be speaking from the notes, but I rather thought it had more to do with the fact that he was proclaimed against his will by the heroes of the horn, and by his battle being broadcast for all of Falme. He was trying to resist saidin and failing, trying to figure out what to do with it and failing, and Callandor was calling him in his dreams. Who knows what else was in his dreams. He was channeling tainted saidin, and suffering from the unhealing wound given to him by Ishamael (presumably with the True Power). Turak played a part in the downward spiral, but I don't think it was really the catalyst. (Though knowing Rand, it was probably a convenient thing to dwell upon so as to avoid having to dwell too much upon the rest.) And of course, Turak was not the first person he killed, though Rand apparently didn't realize he killed Aginor (this has actually been debated) and the men in Four Kings.J MICHAEL SCHMIDT
I hear you loud and clear! I love when [Mat] first learns about his Luck. Was RJ method writing it feels real watching Mat?BRANDON SANDERSON
RJ was a 'method writer' in many ways. He very much got into a character. Harriet tells stories about it.BRANDON SANDERSON
@josephpeavey asked me to share a story about RJ "Method writing." Well, Harriet had a great one...BRANDON SANDERSON
She says she'd catch him slinking into the house, walking with a different mood. She knew he'd been writing Padan Fain that day.Tags
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64
Interview: Oct 30th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Matthew Hunter (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
He mentioned "Never trust anyone with power who isn't uncomfortable with it" as being related to Rand's leaving so many sa'angreal in safe places...
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65
Interview: Oct 30th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Matthew Hunter (Paraphrased)Question
About Aes Sedai and their oaths:
Robert Jordan
"Rand is in control, one way or the other—depending on exact oaths, who was Black Ajah, and how willing they are to hold to those oaths."
MATTHEW HUNTER
Given that most were from Arafel, where they have 'strange ideas about honor', and the first clause in that sentence, I'd say that the non-Black Aes Sedai who swore will be inclined to support him (mostly) honestly.Tags
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Interview: Nov 1st, 1994
Fast Forward Interview (Verbatim)Fast Forward
One of the things I found particularly affecting in this latest book—I enjoy the major characters, I've followed the major characters through six volumes. But there are certain scenes that really strike me as being very real and very personal. For example, in the middle of the book, Mat—who has been sent on a particular mission by Rand—meets a young boy named Olver?Robert Jordan
Uh-Huh.Fast Forward
And their meeting, where as Mat is talking to him, Olver is showing him his possessions: his little cache of coins, the game his father has made for him, and his red hawk's feather and his turtle shell.Robert Jordan
Um-Hum.Fast Forward
That was a very personal moment, that was a very real, very human moment.Robert Jordan
I try to make it so.Fast Forward
Which you don't see a lot in some fantasy. That one, and Rand's looking into the face of one of the maidens after she has died protecting him from an attack. Memorizing her face and name because he has vowed to memorize the face and name of all the maidens who had sworn to give their lives to protect him. Let's talk about that scene in particular, I'm curious about it. You had two tours in Vietnam, you've had military experience, you're a graduate of The Citadel. Does something like that particularly come out of the people you've met in the military and the kinds of personalities you met in the military, do you draw any of that kind of thing from that?Robert Jordan
Some of it. I suppose, actually, that particular thing came from the only time I was really shaken in combat in shooting at somebody, or shooting AT somebody. I had to, uh, I was shooting back at some people on a sampan and a woman came out and pulled up an AK-47, and I didn't hesitate about shooting her. But that stuck with me. I was raised in a very old-fashioned sort of way. You don't hurt women—you don't DO that. That's the one thing that stuck with me for a long, long time.Tags
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67
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (25 March 2011)
As of the middle of The Shadow Rising, Rand still depends on his sword, rather than channeling directly to kill Shadowspawn, in fights.Tags
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68
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Andrew J. Parker (25 April 2011)
Can you settle a debate? Will Rand's soul be the Light's champion in every Age, or could it ever be someone else?Brandon Sanderson (25 April 2011)
I believe that Ishamael implies in the books he and Lews Therin have fought thousands of times.BRANDON SANDERSON
So at least one major character seems to believe it's always Rand. Whether he's right or not is another question.Footnote
Brandon is reported as having said on tour that Ishamael's and Rand's souls are often woven together in the Pattern, somewhat like Birgitte and Gaidal.Tags
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Interview: 2012
Twitter: AMOL Writing and Editing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (6 July 2011)
Working away at A Memory of Light. Doing a Rand viewpoint now. (Yes, to contrast Towers of Midnight, there will many of his direct viewpoints in this one.)ERIN KELLY (9 JULY)
The end of Wheel of Time is very imminent. Next year, if @BrandSanderson is to be believed (I trust him).BRANDON SANDERSON
Next year for sure. I'm getting close to the 1/3 mark done with the last book. It's moving well.BRANDON SANDERSON
Work on A Memory of Light should speed up from here out. I've done a lot of groundwork and outlining. Many scenes are all but finished.BRANDON SANDERSON
I should be getting done about 1% a day from here out, though that's partially because I haven't yet counted some of that groundwork.BRANDON SANDERSON
For now, I've updated the % bar on my website to 22%, reflecting the 66k words worth of chapters solidly and completely finished.BRANDON SANDERSON
"Men thought violence could solve anything. If she'd had a stout stick, she'd have thumped all three until they saw reason."—NynaeveBRANDON SANDERSON
(Note: that quote is edited for size.) Yes, I'm back to my #wotrr, now that outlining on A Memory of Light is done, though my focus is still on writing.BRANDON SANDERSON
I now have over 20k of you jokers following me on Twitter. Wonder what % came hoping to see me post a line from A Memory of Light by accident.Tags
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70
Interview: Jun 16th, 1995
East of the Sun Con - Karl-Johan Norén (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
On the Asha'man finding Rand in Lord of Chaos, he said that they knew where Rand was. How they did know he began with the following words: "Mazrim Taim is a paranoid S.O.B." [exact quote!]. When finding out of the disappearance of Rand, and a large bunch of Aiel from Cairhien, he followed the route from Cairhien towards Tar Valon by Traveling, until he encountered Elaida's Aes Sedai. From there, he brought in the Asha'man.Tags
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71
Interview: Jun 16th, 1995
East of the Sun Con - Karl-Johan Norén (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
On why Aviendha's toh required her to kill Rand, he said basically "Read and Find Out", but he noted that Aviendha is under the strain of several tohs. He also pointed out that her interpretation from Elayne's reaction from her confession to Elayne gives her a way out, but that Elayne does not share that interpretation. [The show will certainly go on :-)]Tags
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72
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
Balticon XXX - Bill Garrett (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
The Aes Sedai who beat Rand in Lord of Chaos did not necessarily violate the Three Oaths. Jordan explained that the Three Oaths are bound by literal intent and perception. He said that the Aes Sedai could have considered the beatings a just punishment rather than the use of a weapon. He also suggested that not everything that harms you need be considered a weapon. I think he gave the example of a whip used lightly not considered a weapon, versus a whip used to flay skin being considered a weapon. On the subject of the first Oath ("to speak no word that is untrue"), Jordan said that Aes Sedai can say something they believe to be true or something they don't mean literally. As an example of the latter, an Aes Sedai can employ hyperbole and say something like, "I'm going to tie your ears over your head," when she means to do no such thing.
FOOTNOTE—BILL GARRETT
My Comment: I should also point out that at least two of the women who beat Rand are people we know to belong to the Black Ajah. On page 683hb (in Lord of Chaos), it is said that only Galina, Erian, and Katerine beat Rand more than once. We know that Galina and Katerine are Black Ajah, so they aren't bound by the Oaths anyway. Erian is the Aes Sedai whose two Warders Rand killed, so maybe she found some way to justify her punishment of Rand under the Three Oaths. I don't know who else beat Rand (i.e., who beat him only once); the book may say, but I can't find a quote.
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73
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
Balticon XXX - Bill Garrett (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Tam "knows" that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. Jordan said that Tam has all the clues he needs to figure out that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. Whether or not Tam will admit it to himself is another matter. Jordan said that Tam merely finding Rand as a baby on the slopes of Dragonmount wasn't enough of a clue—even if Tam were familiar with that prophecy then, few people think about those things or expect them to happen literally to them—but that, plus the fact that Rand has disappeared off with Aes Sedai who say he's important, and the fact that the world is going crazy, should give Tam enough information to make the conclusion.
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Shane Crenshaw (2 August 2011)
When Rand saved Ituralde from the Trollocs, did he use the True Power or saidin?Brandon Sanderson (2 August 2011)
Rand has resisted using the True Power except for that one dangerous moment. He can still sense it, though.Tags
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75
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Terez (10 August 2011)
It's official: Construct theory wins. http://bit.ly/opIvk4 (Sorry @BrandSanderson ...sort of, anyway. :p) (It was out there, so...)Brandon Sanderson (10 August 2010)
Construct theory? Should I know what that is?TEREZ
Nope, it's a secret. :p (The Lews Therin debate - real/construct; another person/delusion caused by insanity and memories).FOOTNOTE—TEREZ
This led to a flurry of tweets between me and Luckers, none of which Brandon responded to, but he did have to step in at one point with an email to assure us that he didn't get in trouble with Team Jordan in any way for the GeekDad interview I linked. (It seemed the most logical explanation for his subsequent clamming up on the issue, and still does really, but it's the official word.) It's also at least a little bit likely that he was hedging on not knowing what construct theory is.Tags
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Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Austin Moore (6 September 2011)
If Demandred knew about Moridin's link to Rand, would he try and kill Moridin if he knew it'd affect Rand?Brandon Sanderson (6 September 2011)
If Demandred thought he could get away with it, do you really think he wouldn't try to kill Moridin anyway?Tags
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77
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
BaltiCon XXX - Pam Korda (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
The oaths: They are quite subjective; if an Aes Sedai believes she is not lying, then the Oath doesn't stop her. So, that is what was going on in the torturing part of Lord of Chaos. It depends on the psychology of the individual. It's like spanking a naughty child. Some people regard that as child abuse; some people regard it as reasonable punishment.Tags
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78
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
BaltiCon XXX - Pam Korda (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Tam: He has basically put together all the stuff he's heard, and knows that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, although he hasn't admitted it to himself yet.Tags
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79
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
BaltiCon XXX - Pam Korda (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Asmodean: Rand thinks Asmodean has run away back to the Dark One, and will try to sneak back in through the Asha'man.Tags
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80
Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Brendan T. Lavin
Mr. Jordan. I love your series, it is intricate and interesting. My favorite character (other than Rand) is Mat. People have speculated that Odin was the outline for this character. I see Chukullen (misspelled). Could you elaborate?Robert Jordan
There are a number of characters reflected, mythological characters, reflected in each of the books. Because of the basic theme, if you will, of the books, that information becomes distorted over distance or time, you cannot know the truth of an event the further you get from it. These people are supposed to be the source of a great many of our legends or myths, but what they actually did bears little resemblance to the myth. That is the conceit, that time has shifted these actions to other people, perhaps compressing two people into one or dividing one into three as far as their actions go.
So Rand has bits of Arthur and bits of Thor and bits of other characters. And so does Mat and so does Nynaeve, and so do others. And yes Mat does have some bits of Odin, but not exclusively. He has bits of Loki and bits of Coyote and of the Monkey King.
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81
Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Martin Reznick
I am an avid reader of author Ayn Rand. A hero in her novel The Fountainhead matches Rand's physical description exactly. Coincidence?Robert Jordan
Coincidence—I'm afraid I haven't read Ayn Rand since college.Tags
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82
Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Mark
Mr. Jordan: I like the fact that the main characters are a little unsure of themselves about how to proceed in their world, particularly Rand. Instead, the traditional "superhuman" is Lan, who plays a background role thus far. Will we see more of him?Robert Jordan
Yes, some more.Tags
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Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Eric Ligner
With the scope of this work, it must have been on your mind for a long time. When did you first conceive the story and how many years after that was the first book published?Robert Jordan
I had the first notions for this book, I guess it was 1975 or '76. For these books I should say. But there were a lot of things to think out, a lot of changes I went through. For instance the character of Rand and Tam were originally one. I spent about ten years noodling the story around in the back of my head before I ever put words on paper, but that's rather typical for me. My books have a fairly long gestation period.Tags
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Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Karl Schwede
Is there any particular inspiration for the Forsaken, and the other antagonists in your series, as there are for the women characters? Demandred and how he was always an inch behind Lews Therin (in the Power, in swordsmanship etc...), for example—was there a particular inspiration for that?Robert Jordan
Well, there are—and I won't go into details because I want to keep the mythological and legendary roots hidden—I don't want to have people spending more time discussing the legends than the stories! The thing is there are several legends and myths based on such jealousy, on the man who is just a half a step short of another man. The woman who would have been the greatest of her age, but there was another who was just a bit better. That sort of jealousy leads to the worst kind of hatred. When someone can easily defeat you, there's not that kind of jealousy. But when he beats you in a photo finish every single time, that is when emotions begin to curdle and rancor sets in, and you find yourself with this festering deep inside that can turn into murderous hatred.Tags
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Interview: Jun 26th, 1996
Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)Ryssgarde
You approach the issues of sex, love and the like with all of your characters while maintaining an almost virginal perspective and yet there is a GREAT deal of nudity throughout the novels. No problem with this but when are Rand and Mat and Perrin going to stop thinking the other has the upper hand?Robert Jordan
I'm not sure that they ever will. Who knows? It seems to me to be a very human thing in dealing with the opposite sex at least to think that somebody else knows more about it than you do. You might swagger and put on a surface belief of "well, I have that nailed!" but I think for most people, there's a little voice in the back saying, "God, he really does know how to handle women, doesn't he?" or "God, she really does know all about men!"Tags
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Interview: Jun 27th, 1996
AOL Chat 1 (Verbatim)Rog in CT
Rand recovered very quickly from his dual Healing. Is this because of the way men Heal or because of the Warder bond or both?Robert Jordan
Partly the Warder bond and partly the kind of Healing that was used on him. It should be obvious that Damer Flinn has discovered the same method of Healing that Nynaeve uses and of course, he still is not completely Healed, remember.Tags
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Interview: Oct 12th, 1996
ACOS Signing Report - Michael Martin (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Vietnam/Rand's "No Kill Woman" Thing
RJ vividly described an experience he had in Vietnam where he killed a female Viet Cong. He said he simply spotted a figure holding a weapon and fired on it, then "acquired the next target." He then realized that he had killed a woman—the first (and I believe only) time he's done that. This provides an obvious basis for Rand's "Achilles' Heel." (I thought he should have offed both the Tower Aes Sedai in the beginning of A Crown of Swords and Lanfear earlier, but I'm rude like that.)
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Interview: Oct 9th, 1996
ACOS Signing Report - Erica Sadun (Paraphrased)Question
What is Fain?Robert Jordan
Mordeth + person. Mordeth is a human-made evil. The Black Wind gets along with Mordeth because of professional courtesy. Fain is anti-Forsaken as well as anti-Rand. He has a lot of skills and abilities outside of channeling. He can not channel.
QUESTION
Is this the "Another Power"?ROBERT JORDAN
[laugh] I don't know.Tags
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90
Interview: Jan 14th, 1997
Letter to Thomas Howard (Paraphrased)Thomas Howard
1. What do Rand's wards on Callandor ward against exactly?
2. Are the black cords on male Forsaken the means to access to the True Power?
3. If so, why don't the female Forsaken have them?
Robert Jordan
"Read and find out" on all three counts.
THOMAS HOWARD
Damn. I still don't think the cords have anything to do with True Power usage though.
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91
Interview: Jan 14th, 1997
Letter to Thomas Howard (Paraphrased)Thomas Howard
Would you please state for the record that Rand's helper at the end (of A Crown of Swords) was not Lews Therin?Robert Jordan
To quote (and God do I like to hear this): "Lews Therin Telamon is dead, not walking around Shadar Logoth."THOMAS HOWARD
I'm quite sure it's a safe assumption that he isn't walking around anywhere else either.Footnote
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Interview: Jun 28th, 1997
DragonCon SciFi Channel Chat (Verbatim)Ishamael
Would Rand technically be a blademaster since he killed the Seanchan blademaster in The Great Hunt? Or is there more to being a blademaster than that?Robert Jordan
There's more to it than that.Tags
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Interview: Jun 28th, 1997
DragonCon SciFi Channel Chat (Verbatim)Rand
Is Rand the most powerful channeler alive right now?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
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95
Interview: Jun 28th, 1997
DragonCon SciFi Channel Chat (Verbatim)Ishamael
How much of Jesus Christ is there in Rand? We have the wounded palms, side wound, crown of swords... How representational of Jesus Christ is Rand?Robert Jordan
Rand has some elements of Jesus Christ, yes. But he is intended more to be a general "messiah figure." An archetype such as Arthur, rather than a manifestation of Jesus Christ in any way.Tags
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Interview: Nov 11th, 1997
Barnes and Noble Chat (Verbatim)Nick Hersh from MVNC
Mr. Jordan, absolutely fascinating series, I love it. How much do you feel you drew from the Bible in creating the Dragon character, i.e., Moses leading the Israelites from Egypt as opposed to Rand leading the Aiel from the Waste?Robert Jordan
I drew from everything that I have read in the past 40 odd years, including the Bible. It's very hard for me to say—in most cases—exactly what the sources were in any particular instance.Tags
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Interview: Oct 19th, 1998
Barnes and Noble Chat (Verbatim)Phillip from Indianapolis, IN
Why has Rand not made any attempt to reach or communicate with Tam? Is he trying to remain isolated from his former life?Robert Jordan
Remember that Rand believes that the more interest he shows in his family, and in any of the people of the Two Rivers, the more he makes them a target. If his enemies believe that they hurt Rand by hurting Tam or hurting the Two Rivers, then they will, so Rand has set himself on a course of pretending to have forgotten his past. Pretending to have grown beyond his rude country beginnings. He thinks he has to make his enemies believe that the Two Rivers no longer mean anything to him. And the same for Tam.Tags
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98
Interview: Oct 19th, 1998
Barnes and Noble Chat (Verbatim)D. from New Mexico
What do you think the chances are that perhaps by the end of the series, the Dark Lord will face Rand? Would there be an actual, awesome battle? I'd just like to say, Mr. Jordan, you rock.Robert Jordan
Well, thank you very much, I try! And as far as the other, read and find out. If I tell you guys everything up front, you're going to say, "Jeez, there's no reason to read the book, we know it already!"Tags
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99
Interview: Oct 22nd, 1998
TPOD Signing Report - Pam Basham (Paraphrased)Pam Basham
Regarding the Dragon and the Dragon Reborn (and Graendal's thoughts about Ishamael's musings):
"Is this soul born in any other Age, or only at the advent and (theoretically, of course) the closing of the Third Age, as the Dragon/the Dragon Reborn?"
Robert Jordan
This soul is one of the Heroes, and bound to the Wheel, spun out as the Pattern wills. "It" is born in other Ages, but in a non-Dragon incarnation, to suit the pattern of that Age.Pam Basham
In the course of this answer, he related this to why Hawkwing calls Rand "Lews Therin" at Falme—because Hawkwing recognizes this soul. This didn't really tell me why he specifically calls him "Lews Therin", but apparently they've been hangin' together in Tel'aran'rhiod and the etiquette there is to call each other by the name of your last incarnation. (My interpretation.)Tags
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100
Interview: Oct 24th, 1998
TPOD Signing Report - Drew Gillmore (Paraphrased)Drew Gillmore
The first question Chris channeled through me had to do with the female mega-sa'angreal on Tremalking, and the Seanchan damane there. We were wondering if the female sa'angreal would have the same effect on female channelers as the male sa'angreal in Cairhien had on Rand. Our impression of events was that Rand did not willingly channel into the thing, but that it just pulled the One Power through him.Robert Jordan
Unfortunately, RJ answered the question with a "Yes, if they tried to channel through it." Uh. Okay. Whatever.Footnote
As far as we know, there were never any damane on Tremalking. After Falme, Suroth took control of the smaller islands not far from Tanchico, but not Tremalking. Winter's Heart had not yet been released, but when it was, Timna's thoughts did not indicate that the Seanchan had ever been there. Also, RJ seems to be indicating that Rand unconsciously channeled through the sa'angreal in The Great Hunt; he hadn't yet consciously tried to channel at all, so this is not surprising, especially considering the way the access key affected Egwene in The Shadow Rising.Tags
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101
Interview: Oct 29th, 1998
TPOD Signing Report - Kevin Bartlett (Paraphrased)Kevin Bartlett
In The Dragon Reborn, when Rand encountered the lady merchant and her soldiers and slaughtered the whole bunch, did he have a good reason for doing so? Were they all really Darkfriends? Was that eleventh man really a Gray Man, or did Rand just count wrong?Robert Jordan
He said that it's not supposed to be clear to the reader exactly what is going on. What is supposed to be clear is that there was definitely a Gray Man in the party. But whether or not Rand knew that before he lopped off their heads, we're not supposed to know. It's supposed to be unclear whether Rand is just very observant, or whether he's on the brink of madness.Footnote
Clearly Rand didn't notice the Gray Man until after everyone was dead: "He had been sure there were only ten men, but eleven men knelt in that line, one of them without armor of any sort but with a dagger still gripped in his hand." Rand didn't even appear to notice that it was a Gray Man.Tags
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102
Interview: Oct 29th, 1998
TPOD Signing Report - Kevin Bartlett (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Somehow, the topic wandered over to his Conan novels, and one of the as to whether the scantily-clad warrior-woman should be flung over Conan's shoulder on the cover, or held tightly to his chest. Jordan (dirty old man that he is) quipped that "over the shoulder" was the obvious choice, for perfectly mercenary reasons. He then went on to say that if the cover art included some only partially covered buttock, that the book sold markedly better. He also claimed that it made little difference whether it was the amazon's skin or Conan's, which got a rise out of the observers. So I asked the obvious question: "Are you going to have a talk with Darrell Sweet about this?" He gave a wry grin and said, "This is a different kind of series..." But he did say that he has gotten several letters asking for Rand's butt to appear on the cover...Tags
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103
Interview: Nov 11th, 1998
MSN eFriends Interview (Verbatim)Jimbo3
Did you create Rand, Matt, and Perrin one at a time or all together?Robert Jordan
One at a time...in fact, when I first started thinking of what would turn into The Wheel of Time, Rand and his foster father were one character. Not a 50-ish man and his teenage foster son. But a man in his 30's who had run away from a quiet country village seeking adventure, had become a soldier, and now after 20 years of that, world weary and tired. Who has come home to his pastoral village seeking peace and quiet, only to find that the world and prophecy are hard on his heels. You can see that that's a much different character that what I ended up with when I started writing. I may actually use him someday.Tags
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Interview: Nov 1st, 1998
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Rothaar
When Rand takes Verin and the others through a Portal Stone in The Great Hunt, at the end of each life he hears "I have won again Lews Therin". I thought that if the Dark One won even once the Wheel would be broken and therefore the Dragon would not be reborn again. How could the Dark One have won before to be able to say "again"?Robert Jordan
There are degrees of victory. The Dark One can achieve victory by breaking free, but can also achieve lesser victories. Such as by stopping the Dragon Reborn from doing other things he was born to do. It isn't as simple as him being born to fight The Dark One. It's never simple.Tags
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105
Interview: Aug 27th, 1999
Melbourne Film Festival - Raf Kaplan (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Someone asked if the Dragon is always male, and he told them to Read And Find Out.Tags
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106
Interview: Aug 30th, 1999
Sydney Independent Theatre Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Where do you come up with all the names for the cities? Do you just pick them out of your head?Robert Jordan
Ahh, yeah. And I admit to making lists. I read fairly widely and...Newspapers, foreign newspapers, foreign to me, to the States. The Economist and other magazines that have stories about other countries' news stories. And I'll see a name that it isn't the name that I want but I realize if I twist it and turn it inside out and tie it into a knot, it's a name that sounds very nice. It's the name I want. The same way names out of myth and legend that in some cases are twisted or turned or changed and others aren't. I figure that most of you are far enough along that you read, that you know Rand al'Thor, al'Thor, yes he is an Arthur analog. He is also a Thor analog. Some of you might not have picked that one up yet. And Artur Hawkwing is also an Arthur analog. Because what I've tried to do is not give you any sort of retelling of myths or legends but to reverse engineer every one of them so that I can give you some version of what might have happened and then have been changed by telling and retelling and retelling and retelling into the myths and legends we have today.Question
On that point, the cultures from the books, would you say you've used cultures from today's society as a base for the cultures from the books?Robert Jordan
Not a great deal from today's society, no. Not really. The Whitecloaks are based on any number of groups who knew the truth, who know the truth and they want you to believe the truth. They want you to know the truth too. And if you don't know the truth, if you don't believe the truth they'll kill ya. There's been a lot of them, all over the world. They're the basis for the Whitecloaks. The Aiel, for instance, bits of the Bedouin, bits of the Yaqui Indians, the Apaches, bits of Zulu, bits of the Northern Cheyenne, a lot of bits of my own. Some pieces out of Japan, some bits out of China. And then structure it together how these things have all...If all these things were true, all of these bits I wanted to have, and that culture lived in the middle of the desert, a very inhospitable desert, what else has to be true about these people. And thus I get the Aiel culture.Tags
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107
Interview: Aug 30th, 1999
Sydney Independent Theatre Q&A (Verbatim)Sastan
In Lord of Chaos when Elenia told Rand that Morgase and Tigraine weren't cousins, Rand felt really relieved. Was it because he thought there was something wrong having a relationship with his second cousin?Robert Jordan
Well he's not sure exactly how close his relationship to Elayne might be, how close his blood relationship might be. That's what he wanted to find out. He's in love with her and he'd really like to get it on with her but on the other end, he thinks he's gotta stay away from her to keep her safe. And on top of that, if she comes to stay, and god he might be related to her, and you know, how close is he? What is the relationship? He doesn't know. For all he knows there might be some way that he's as good as her brother. He's gotta find out. But he's gotta find out without letting anybody know why he wants to find out or even really that he is trying to find out.Sastan
But if he finds, because Galad is his half brother and also Elayne's half brother, won't he find anything wrong with that?Robert Jordan
No. The way the mother-father relationship works is different. He has a blood relationship to Galad. He has no blood relationship to Elayne. None. At least not close enough to be counted by anybody except by how many lines of connection you have to the family of Andor.Sastan
The reason that Morgase got her throne was because she was the most closely related to Tigraine.Robert Jordan
That's part of it. You gotta be closely related to put in a claim. After that it becomes political. In a way almost like... More like a republic than a democracy in that the electorate is limited. And in this case, the electorate is limited to the nobles. How many nobles can you get to support you. And she was able to get enough, finally, after something very close to a civil war to gain the throne.Footnote
Sastan claimed this question in his own report.Tags
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108
Interview: Aug 30th, 1999
Sydney Independent Theatre Report - Sastan (Paraphrased)Sastan
I managed to ask him about the issue of Rand and Elayne, asking why Rand felt so relieved when he was told he was not closely related to Elayne.Robert Jordan
RJ explained along the lines of how this was a quest that and alone could solve, that he needed to find out without anyone else knowing about it. He did not, however, say that it was settled that Tigraine and Morgase are not cousins. Even when I asked him a second time, he refused to say. Yet he did say, when I asked, that he did not consider Rand and Elayne's relationship through Galad to be of importance, or that they were related by blood. I agreed with the second part.Tags
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109
Interview: Sep 21st, 1999
Brisbane Signing Report - Joel Gilmore (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
I got an answer to the Rahvin/balefire/Tel'aran'rhiod question—when someone is balefired, the constructs they make in Tel'aran'rhiod do not disappear, but instead fade away slowly over time. There are lots of weird effects associated with Tel'aran'rhiod and balefire, such as the way the world flickers after balefire used. I asked him just generally about it, and then he jumped straight in, gave the answer, then used the Rand and the fish example.Tags
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110
Interview: Mar, 2000
Letter to Paul Ward (Verbatim)Paul Ward
Possible question: Is the Dark One pure True Power? Why does the Creator ignore Randland except to talk to Rand at the end of The Eye of the World?Robert Jordan
No, the Dark One is not pure True Power. Who says the Creator takes little interest in the activities of mankind? And I will neither confirm nor deny that the Creator spoke to Rand.Paul Ward
Neither confirm nor deny? What's up with that?Tags
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111
Interview: Nov 10th, 2000
WH Signing Report - Hawk (Paraphrased)Question
Have you ever seen "Army of Darkness"? There's a scene in there where Ash (the protagonist) smashes the mirror and mini dopplegangers come out of each shard.Robert Jordan
No. When did the movie come out?Footnote
Army of Darkness was released on October 9, 1992...and The Shadow Rising was released on September 15, 1992. Looks like both parties are innocent (not that most fans of WoT would have minded if RJ had referenced the movie).Tags
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112
Interview: Nov 11th, 2000
Barnes and Noble Chat (Verbatim)Andrew Wilson from Toronto, Canada
Out of all the 'evil' characters you've created in the eight, now nine books of the Wheel of Time series, which character is the most dangerous to Rand?Robert Jordan
Hmmm. Actually, I think the most dangerous character to Rand is Rand—but among the others, each of them has their own particular danger toward Rand.Tags
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113
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)ArabianKn
Mr. Jordan, Whenever a channeler draws on the One Power, does he/she become temporarily outside the Wheel's control? I ask this because Min's viewings of Aes Sedai get fuzzy whenever they draw on the Power and in Lord of Chaos Egwene avoids Rand's ta'veren effect by drawing on saidar.Robert Jordan
Read and find out!Tags
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114
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Mormegil
In Winter's Heart, Lews Therin says, "We are not builders, not you, or I, or the other one." Now I know if I ask who the other one is, I know I'll just get a RAFO, but should we be able to figure out who the 'other one' is?Robert Jordan
You should have some hints. Follow your hunches.Tags
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115
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Fetch
Did you draw on folklore and mythologies for your books? Specifically, Mat as a parallel to Odin, with his spear that has Thought and Memory on it (Odin's ravens) and the distinct possibility that he's gonna lose an eye sometime soon?Robert Jordan
I've tried to reverse engineer myths and legends. As if this was a game of whispers. By the time the whisper travels around the room it changes. The legends of the world today are what the last child said. I'm trying to remember what was on the original paper. Yes, Odin, yes Rand has Arthur in him. But the stories have changed so... So the legends are ultimately not at all alike.Tags
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116
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Brian
Are some characters easier to write than others? As I write I find that to be the case.Robert Jordan
In general, female characters are harder to write. I have a tough time getting into their skin. Obviously I've never been a woman. It's also hard to get into the skin of really evil characters. Rand is the easiest.Tags
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118
Interview: May, 2001
Marcon Report - Sorilea (Paraphrased)Question
At one point in the story we see Ishamael talking to Rand, and telling him that they have fought countless times in the past, but this is the final time. Is there anything about his Age that makes it special?Robert Jordan
"No...every Age is repeated, there is nothing that makes this age any different from any other turnings of the Wheel. The Wheel is endless."SORILEA
This leads me to believe that this will not be the LAST BATTLE ever. It probably just comes about every turning of the Wheel, and since it has been such a long time ago, no one ever remembers it.ROBERT JORDAN
RJ explained that that is what a lot of the WOT is about, the source of Legends, and how some legends are based in such a small bit of real history, that no one really knows where they came from. If they are real, or just made up.Tags
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119
Interview: Apr 8th, 2001
Elf Fantasy Fair - Gonzo (Paraphrased)Gonzo the Great
How did Bashere approach Rand without being announced the first time?Robert Jordan
Matters were a bit confused at the time. It was just coincidence.GONZO THE GREAT
One down.Tags
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120
Interview: Apr 4th, 2001
Leiden Signing Report - Aan'allein (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
He also talked about how the early stages of the story evolved, about Rand starting out as Tam, coming back to Emond's Field (although it wasn't Emond's Field yet back then) after 20 years, realizing he'd outgrown it. And then prophecy tapping him on shoulder with the message that he was fated to save the world, and oh yeah, he'd die in the process. He went for Rand instead, because he wanted an innocent character, a character who could realize how little he knew, and thus could grow a lot more.Tags
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121
Interview: Apr 4th, 2001
Leiden Signing Report - Aan'allein (Verbatim)Isabel
Can you give some more details on how the taint was cleansed? I was sort of confused reading the book.Robert Jordan
You don't think it's obvious? Err, let's see. You have... You're using both repulsion and attraction of opposites here. Repulsion of things that are opposite and [attraction] of things that are the same. The Taint upon [saidin] as versus the conduit, which is made of saidar through which the saidin passes. The saidin and saidar, as men and women, are in many ways opposite. It repels one another. It is safe to make this conduit of saidar between saidin and Shadar Logoth, because there can be no mixing. As the eh... as [saidin] passes through, as the taint passes through, the saidar actually repels it, pushes it away from [saidin]..., alright?
Now, you have a taint on... the eh Source, the male half of the Source, you have the taint on Shadar Logoth. They're not the same, yet they are. The taint on Shadar Logoth did not come from the Dark One. The taint was created by humans, who believed that they must do whatever was necessary, anything that was necessary to defeat the Shadow. And because they would accept no limits to what they would do, to what could be done, to what needed to be done, they created their own destruction. Their evil is, or was, as great as that of the Dark One, but diametrically opposite. It is an evil created for the best of intentions, created for good intentions. So it is the opposite. So, this attraction created the conduit begins to pull the taint from [saidin] to siphon it off. Remember, it's always been described it's not as mixed all through [saidin], it is like a thin skin of rancidness, think of a thin skin of rancid oil floating on a pond, and if you get through it, you've got clean water, but you can't get through it without putting your hand in that oil. You're getting it on your hand...
To attract one another because they are opposites, but because even being opposite, they have gone far enough around the circle, they act to destroy one another. You see, it's not opposites along a straight line. We're actually talking opposites along a circle. Continuing the motif of the Wheel of Time, if you will. So you've got two things that are both opposites and the same. [He's been waving his hands in the air for this. Hands far apart for the straight line versus hands together, making a circle and coming together again] That will both attract one another and negate one another.
Do you understand better now?
Isabel
Yes, thank you.Robert Jordan
Oh, and one last point: It's all imaginary my dear...Tags
122
Interview: Apr 4th, 2001
Leiden Signing Report - Aan'allein (Verbatim)Kurafire
KuraFire asked about... I don't precisely remember what Kura asked. Oh, but I do. Doing Nogling a favor, he talked about Ishamael's belief that Rand had fought him for time without end, and asked if it was perhaps not Rand's goal to take on the Dark One, but to only take on the Dark One's Nae'blis.Robert Jordan
Jordan gleefully answered "Read And Find Out."Tags
123
Interview: Apr 8th, 2001
Elf Fantasy Fair - Gonzo (Paraphrased)Dragon Theif [sic]
Is it possible for two souls to inhabit one body at the same time without the aid of the Dark One's powers?Robert Jordan
RAFO.GONZO THE GREAT
Obvious :D .Footnote
This question was asked because some people at Theoryland believed that Rand and Lews Therin were separate souls.Tags
124
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Pytr
Why do Rand, Mat and Perrin see colors when they think of each other?Robert Jordan
The acronym is RAFO—read and find out.Tags
125
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Genoveva
Mr. Jordan, why did you choose a heron as a mark for the Dragon Reborn (and swordmasters)?Robert Jordan
I chose the heron because that is a quick, supple, and to its prey, very deadly bird. The perfect avian simile for a swordsman.Tags
126
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Medin-Sedai
Maybe this is a stupid question, too: but you told us that when you had your first thoughts about Wheel of Time, Tam and Rand al'Thor were the same person. Now I have a question about Nynaeve. When you first thought about her, was she the same person as she is now? (Did you already think about her tugging her braid???) P.S.: You won't answer this one I think: but was it Demandred who killed Asmodean?Robert Jordan
Nynaeve in the beginning was actually going to be the love interest for Rand/Tam, but she was the same kind of woman—quickly temperamental and not suffering fools gladly.Tags
127
Interview: Apr 8th, 2001
Elf Fantasy Fair - Aan'allein (Verbatim)Question
Talking about why the Tam/Rand main character became just Rand.Robert Jordan
[He decided that he wanted to have the character] ...see this world for the first time, so that at the same time as the reader is seeing something for the first time, so are these people from this small town.Tags
128
Interview: 2002
Bookstream Bookwrap Interview (Verbatim)Mat, Perrin, and RandRobert Jordan
For the three young men, Mat Cauthon is a happy-go-lucky fellow who wants nothing more than to dance with the girls and have a drink, and maybe gamble a little bit. And his major philosophy in life seems to be: have fun and kiss the girls, and if she doesn't want to kiss me, well there's another one down the street who will. Perrin Aybara wants to be a blacksmith. That is what he works at. And that's all he wants, to make things. Rand al'Thor is a shepherd's son, or thinks he is. And that is really all he has ever thought he wanted to do, was take over his father's farm one day.Tags
129
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - David Funke (Verbatim)Question
The question is, with Rand and Lews Therin, do they have one soul or two souls in the body?Robert Jordan
They have one soul with two personalities. The reincarnation of souls does not mean reincarnation of personalities. The personality develops with each reincarnation of the soul. This is the cosmology that I have cobbled together.Tags
130
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - David Funke (Verbatim)Question
If Rand is the reincarnation of Lews Therin, why does he have no contact with personalities before Lews Therin?Robert Jordan
Read and find out.FOOTNOTE—JASON DENZEL
Ahh, the year's first "RAFO". I was wondering how long it would take.Tags
131
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - David Funke (Verbatim)Question
How did Taim track Rand down for the battle of Dumai’s Wells?Robert Jordan
That ones easy, son! C’mon. At that point, Taim was trying to find him like the devil. He knew pretty much what had happened from the beginning. Things were happening. The Aes Sedai disappeared from Cairhien. Perrin disappeared. Rand disappeared. Taim had an idea that something very bad was going on, and when you can Travel it becomes easier to start tracking out where did these Aes Sedai go and Bingo, we got something very bad going on down here, and I’m gonna come and tear the house down. It’s very easy.Tags
132
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Ted Herman (Verbatim)Question
The question is, with Rand and Lews Therin, do they have one soul or two souls in the body?Robert Jordan
They have one soul with two personalities. The reincarnation of souls does not mean reincarnation of personalities. The personality develops with each reincarnation of the soul. This is the cosmology that I have cobbled together.Tags
133
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Ted Herman (Verbatim)Question
[How] did Taim track Rand down for the battle of Dumai’s Wells?Robert Jordan
That ones easy, son! C’mon. At that point, Taim was trying to find him like the devil. He knew pretty much what had happened from the beginning. Things were happening. The Aes Sedai disappeared from Cairhien. Perrin disappeared. Rand disappeared. Taim had an idea that something very bad was going on, and when you can Travel it becomes easier to start tracking down where did these Aes Sedai go and Bingo, we got something very bad going on down here, and I’m gonna come and tear the house down. It’s very easy.Tags
134
Interview: Jan 7th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Ted Herman (Verbatim)Question
If Rand is the reincarnation of Lews Therin, why does he have no contact with personalities before Lews Therin?Robert Jordan
Read and Find Out.Tags
135
Interview: Jan 15th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Bradley Staples (Verbatim)Question
Is Rand al'Thor meant to be a Jesus figure?Robert Jordan
Um, if you consider King Arthur to be a Jesus figure—the king who must die. [more, indistinct]
Bradley Staples
[I'm not positive on the exact wording of that question. It's indistinct.]
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136
Interview: Jan 16th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
When Rand went to see the rebels in A Crown of Swords, and Fain was there, why didn't Rand just waste him and gate out of there?Robert Jordan
When Rand visits the rebels, he has a specific goal in mind. He's just been to see the Sea Folk, and things have gone his way there, so he's going to see what the Dragon Reborn can do about the rebels. Killing an advisor and Traveling away is not going to help him accomplish his goals. He's not a fool.Tags
137
Interview: Jan 16th, 2003
Michael Martin
Why didn't Rand kill Padan Fain when he spotted him at the rebels' camp in A Crown of Swords?
Robert Jordan
Rand was there to reach out to the rebels, and killing Fain would not have been productive, and Rand is not a fool. (I had to stifle quite a few comments at that answer.)
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138
Interview: Jan 18th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Daniel G (Paraphrased)Question
How do you create the names for the characters?
Robert Jordan
(He said a really long answer, and I will summarize it. He basically takes names from legends and twists them, mainly King Arthur. The two characters that are based after King Arthur are Artur Hawkwing, obviously, and Rand. For example, the "sword in the stone." He says that the Wheel of Time could kind of be known as the basis of where all of the legends and myths come from. He said he tried to bury King Arthur very deeply, because if people thought that The Eye of the World was just another King Arthur book, nobody would buy it.)
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139
Interview: Jan 18th, 2003
COT Signing Report - Tallis (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Rand has no direct connection with the Creator. The Creator is completely removed from the world; aside from...creating...the Pattern, he does nothing else whatsoever to influence anything.Tallis
(I'm uncertain how this fits with the ending of The Eye of the World.)Tags
140
Interview: Jan 21st, 2003
SFRevu Interview (Verbatim)Ernest Lilley
I understand that there is another story universe you have in mind after you finish the Wheel of Time.Robert Jordan
Yes, something very different from the Wheel of Time. A different universe and different culture and no connection to this world or universe, but it is a fantasy. I have the great story arc in mind, and I've been noodling it around in the back of my head for the last seven or eight years.Ernest Lilley
But you're not giving anything away.Robert Jordan
No, but let me give you an example of why. When I first thought I might have what would become the Wheel of Time ready, the character of Rand, who is about 19 years old, and his father Tam, were one character. A man who had run away from home as a boy of thirteen or fourteen, and in that sort of world that you can get if you've grown up on a farm. He began to work with horses among soldiers and then he became a soldier, and having spent twenty years of his life as a soldier, he's tired, and decides he wants to go home.
So a man in his middle thirties returns home to his village, and discovers that the place he returns to is not the place he left, and that he is not the young man who ran away, and on top of that the world and phrophecy were hard on his heels. It would have been a very different story than the one I wound up writing. I decided that I wanted to split them because I wanted the major characters to be Candides. I wanted them to look at fresh eyes...I wanted everything to be new.
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141
Interview: Jan 23rd, 2003
COT Signing Report - Zeynep Dilli (Paraphrased)Question
Were Rand and Ishamael physically in the sky at Falme?Robert Jordan
No, but they could be seen there, like a mirage. They could be seen in other places as well [other false Dragons' falls].Zeynep Dilli
He didn't say where they were, Tel'aran'rhiod or some other plane. Wherever, as far as I'm concerned.Tags
142
Interview: Feb 26th, 2003
tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Was Ishamael lying when he told Rand that the hero of the Light had turned to the Shadow in other lifetimes?Robert Jordan
No he was not. Even those who lie sometimes tell the truth when it serves their purposes.Tags
143
Interview: Feb 26th, 2003
tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)It has also been further confirmed that:Robert Jordan
—Taimandred is bogus.
—Rand has only one soul, but has two personalities.
—Museam Replicas will be producing the Sword and Dragon pins as well as an approved version of the Great Serpent ring (which apparently goes around the finger twice before biting its own tail).
—Someone has correctly deduced who killed Asmodean, so no one should ever ask him that question again.
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144
Interview: Jan 6th, 2004
USA Today Interview (Verbatim)Laurel, Mississippi
In The Fires of Heaven, after Rand has his battle at the end, why is it that balefire works for his friends and not on his bites that have to be Healed?Robert Jordan
Because his injuries occurred in Tel'aran'rhiod. And what occurs there is different than what occurs in the waking world. Different rules apply.Tags
145
Interview: Jan 6th, 2004
USA Today Interview (Verbatim)Bristol
At present, do most of the people in the WoT world believe that Rand is dead?Robert Jordan
At the present, most of the people don't know where Rand is or whether he's alive or dead. But many of them have erroneous ideas about where he might be and what he might be doing.Tags
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Interview: Jan 6th, 2004
USA Today Interview (Verbatim)Baltimore, Maryland
When I finished book 10, I was a little upset that Rand and his story line was barely mentioned or developed anymore. Not that book 10 wasn't incredible, but was the reason behind this to catch the other story lines up to the present time?Robert Jordan
Not so much to catch them up, because that was the way it played out in my head. This was what needed to be done now.Tags
147
Interview: Apr 27th, 2004
Wotmania Interview (Verbatim)Wotmania
Did the Creator talk to Rand at the end of The Eye of The World?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
148
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Question
About channeling, you begin as having channeling [mumble mumble] so when Rand cleanses saidin, he thought about it, how he [mumble mumble] Do you do this intentionally, or do you just not want to tell us?Robert Jordan
In the beginning when Rand channels, it’s something very new and unusual to him, and as time has gone along, channeling has become a more common thing. When a child learns to walk, walking is an adventure, and maybe for that first whole year, walking and running is just this wonderful thing, and all excited about it, and a year after that well, you know, you walk, and it’s no big deal. Rand, first learning to channel, first growing in strength, it’s something that is to him a very big deal. Even if he’s trying to be cool about it, it’s still a very big deal. But he’s been doing this long enough now that channeling, per se, is no longer a big deal, and that’s what I’m trying to show in this. He doesn’t think about it in the depth. He’s aware of the effect of saidin, of what saidin is like, but he doesn’t think about it in the same depth that he did when he was first learning how to walk, and doing this wonderful thing about moving around on his hind legs.Tags
149
Interview: Jul 22nd, 2004
ComicCon Wrap-Up - Jason Denzel (Verbatim)Question
Somebody asked what his favorite action scene in the series was.Robert Jordan
RJ replied that although it wasn't necessarily an ACTION scene, his favorite scene in the series, and the one which represents the best of his writing, is where Rand goes into Rhuidean to view the history of the Aiel through the eyes of his ancestors.Tags
150
Interview: Jul 22nd, 2004
ComicCon Wrap-Up - Jason Denzel (Verbatim)Jason Denzel
Another question was about why he chose, out of all of his ideas, to write the story of the savior of a world.Robert Jordan
While he didn't go into great depth as to why he chose it, he did discuss how the story originally formed. Some of you reading may probably know that originally Rand and Tam were basically the same character. This character came home to Emond's Field (which was not yet then called Emond's Field) after having fought in many wars. He was not the prophesied savior, but the guy who was—wasn't up for the job and was unable to do it. RJ said that he still would like to maybe tell that story someday (presumably in another world, not his WoT world), and said he may write it some day.Tags
151
Interview: Jul 22nd, 2004
ComicCon Wrap-Up - Jason Denzel (Verbatim)Jason Denzel
Later on, Melissa made a joking comment about Rand and his three girlfriends.Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan's reply was not what we expected. He explained that at one point in his younger life he had two girlfriends at once. They knew about each other, and they arranged dates for him so they could both be there. They were fine with it, and young Jim Rigney just went along with it. (Wouldn't you?) He figured that if he could have two girlfriends at once, then a guy like Rand could definitely do three.Jason Denzel
I guess it's true that we all find inspiration from our everyday lives!Tags
152
Interview: Mar 8th, 2005
Comic Book Resources Interview (Verbatim)CBR
Gun powder is not the only fearsome weapon in Jordan's world. There is also a mysterious and deadly power.Robert Jordan
"The biggest single political power in their world is the great city of Tar Valon, home to the White Tower, which is the headquarters of the Aes Sedai, women who can tap into the power that drives the universe and turns the Wheel of Time, the One Power."
Men are not able to manipulate the power like women can, the dual nature of the power is often too much for them. "Men can't do that safely. A man who channels the One Power, which has a male half, saidin, and a female half, saidar, will eventually go mad and die," Jordan explained. "Only until he dies, he's a madman who can do horrific things with the Power. The fly in the buttermilk is this. Prophecy says that a boychild will be born who is humanity's only chance to win the Last Battle, when the Dark One breaks free of the prison where he was confined by the Creator at the moment of creation. And that boychild will be able to channel the One Power."
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153
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Reports (Paraphrased)Question
Why does Rand get three girlfriends?Robert Jordan
When RJ was young, for a while he had two girlfriends who shared him and even managed who got to date him when. He figures if he can have two, then the savior of the world can have three!Tags
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Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Report - Diomedes (Paraphrased)Question
RJ was asked a few questions about swords and fighting styles.Robert Jordan
Lan and Rand's swords are loosely based on the katana, and another style of sword I had never heard of before (sooba? something like that anyway. SilverWarder might know) and that others were based on medieval European styles. He said that blademasters don't follow one particular historical style of fighting, but that different blademasters have different styles depending on their culture of origin.
At this point he went off on a little tangent about Miyamoto Musashi, a reknowned Japanese swordsman that developed a two-sword style of fighting that was revolutionary at the time. He related that Musashi developed his fighting style after fighting in the Philippines against fighters (Dutch? Portuguese? I didn't write their nationality down, but somebody here might know) that were using swords and dirks in a two-handed fighting style. In any case, I think his point was to demonstrate how fighting styles, like other knowledge, disseminates from culture to culture, but is changed and adapted into something unique in each locale.
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155
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Frenzy
How can Slayer know that Rand is his nephew?Robert Jordan
The Shadow knows a lot about Rand. They know a lot about Perrin and Mat, too. Once they began to identify possibilities, they went hyper trying to get information because anything might be part of the key to controlling him.Tags
156
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Ted Herman
Why did Padan Fain go to Falme and why did he leave before Rand arrived?Robert Jordan
He was trying to gain a power base. His early attempts to do things, were by siding he is trying to get close to someone in power, to influence him. Remember Padan Fain is also Mordeth, and Mordeth was a counselor, Mordeth was a guy who whispered poison in the ear of the king, and had a great deal of power because of it. So Padan Fain has this part of him that wants to influence power and that is what he was doing there. There are these invaders and what rumors says about them is correct.Ted Herman
Why did he leave before Rand arrived, because he must have sensed Rand was near?Robert Jordan
Once he could get his hand on the dagger, he wanted out. He didn't know Rand was coming. Once he realized he wouldn't be able to have any influence at least, get his hands on the dagger and go, because the dagger is key, the dagger pulls at him.Footnote
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157
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Question
Ishamael mentions in prior turnings of the Wheel that the soul of Lews Therin was raised up as the Shadow's champion, and if that is the case, who was the champion of the Creator?Robert Jordan
You believe Ishamael??? Sorry, man, but c'mon!Footnote
RJ effectively answered this question twice in 2003: 1) for tarvalon.net, and 2) for Tim Kington on the Crossroads of Twilight book tour. The first version of the question (which clearly refers to Rand, as Ishamael was talking about Rand, and RJ said Ishamael did not lie) seems to contradict this one, but it doesn't, really. RJ does not say here explicitly that Ishamael lied, so it seems that he was avoiding the question of who would be the Champion of the Light if Rand turned. He could hardly say RAFO without leading the reader to believe that Rand would be somehow turned to the Shadow before the end.Tags
158
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Matt Hatch
I'm trying to verify Rand's impression he has at the end of book four, regarding the connection he cuts of Asmodean to the Dark One. He seemed to believe it was the connection directly from that individual to the Dark One. So what I am wondering is, is that connection key to transmigration?Robert Jordan
No, because what you are thinking of wasn't a connection; Rand thought it was.Tags
159
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
Is one of the effects of the taint to lower the boundaries between past lives or is Rand a special case?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
160
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
I was wondering, how did Rand stop the taint by channeling at Shadar Logoth because you said the taint and the evil at Shadar Logoth are different. Also, because Shadar Logoth came well after the taint, was there any way to stop it?Robert Jordan
No, there was no way to stop it or make it weaker (the Shadar Logoth evil). But when Rand made the conduit, they were attracted to each other due to opposite polarities, and they were attracted to each other and destroyed each other because of those differences, and it created a huge explosion.Tags
161
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
If Galad and Rand were to fight with swords who would win? (laughter)Robert Jordan
Well it's not going to happen. I would say Rand would, at least until recently.Tags
162
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
At the end of The Great Hunt when Rand and Ishamael were fighting in the air above Falme, they appeared in the sky over many places and my question is whether this is something done by the One Power or something done by the Creator? How did they appear in the sky?Robert Jordan
An effect of the Wheel, really. It wasn't the Creator. The Wheel is more than a simple mechanism. Remember the Wheel can spin out ta'veren, can spin out Heroes as a self-correcting device because the Pattern is drifting from what it is supposed to be. We are not talking about something as simple as a spinning wheel at all, we are talking something more along the lines of the most complex computer you could possibly imagine. There were at that time, two, there were false Dragons that had a chance to create a lot of disruption. By the appearance in the sky at that battle, not just in Falme but in other places, those false Dragons were taken off the board because there was only room now for one, for one Dragon.Tags
163
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
Yesterday, you said something about Nynaeve that made it sound as if she doesn't have the spark. Does she have the spark?Robert Jordan
Yes, she has the spark. The question seemed to me to be about the difference between the people born with the spark and those that aren't. Even people who are born with the spark are going to start channeling whether they want to or not. But Nynaeve did it through a conscious effort, really. It wasn't just happenstance that she began channeling at that point, she had a need to channel. Uhm, the same thing that would happen later to Rand, by the way.
Often the thing, that as I believe has been pointed out, often the thing that pulls someone that has the spark into their first channeling is a perceived need, when they channel without knowing they channel, not realizing what they have done, quite often.
The...the people who are not born with the spark, can they channel unconsciously, can they, that is someone who can learn but doesn't have the spark, can they channel unconsciously? No. For them, they must have a teacher to guide them, or make a conscious effort, which is unlikely to succeed, but might.
Tags
164
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
It seems to me that Rand has a half brother, and I was wondering if any of the characters knew and if it mattered?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
165
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
I was wondering, can you talk about how your lead character would have not one but three true loves, and how does your wife feel about that?Robert Jordan
Um, when I was much younger, before I met Harriet, I had two girlfriends simultaneously, who arranged my dating schedule between them, who was going to date me on which night. They chipped in together to buy me birthday presents and Christmas presents. You know, they just sort of shared me between them, you know. And they had been friends before, and I am not quite sure whether or not they made the decision they were both going to date me or not, on their own, before they first met me, it just came about. But I figured if I could manage two, surely Rand could manage three. Besides there are mythological reasons to have these three women involved with him.
As far as my view on this, with Harriet, I have many more than three women, there are so many facets to her personality she quite often makes me dizzy, I am quite satisfied there. About how she feels about this, I suspect you want her answer, I seem to remember her saying to me, you do remember this is fantasy right? And I think it was an accident she was holding a carving knife to my throat, just coincidence, but I am not sure.
Harriet McDougal Rigney
In four short words, I am not for it. Four and a half words.Tags
166
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
This is a question about The Great Hunt. When Mat and Perrin found out Rand could channel, Mat related a story to him he heard from a merchant guard in the Two Rivers about a male channeler who woke up and found his entire village smashed right around him except for the bed he was sleeping in. So, with regards to multiple personalities that a channeler can get like in Rand's case, is it possible for one of them to take over when the channeler falls asleep?Robert Jordan
Well, you're...I can answer that question, but I realize in answering that question I am going to have to RAFO you, because I can't answer your question without telling you some stuff I don't want to tell you yet, sorry.Tags
167
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
The relationship between Rand and his adopted father, I enjoyed it very much in the first book. And I wondered if it was a deliberate choice to keep them separated over most of the series so far?Robert Jordan
Yes, a deliberate choice, yes.Tags
168
Interview: Sep 4th, 2005
DragonCon Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Question
Before it became public knowledge that Rand was the Dragon Reborn, did Tam al'Thor know or suspect that Rand was the Dragon Reborn or could channel?Robert Jordan
No, Tam had no inkling of this.Tags
169
Interview: Sep 25th, 2005
Robert Jordan
The Forsaken are a group of power hungry people who don't like one another and vie with one another for power as much as they vie with the forces of the Light. Much like the internal politicking in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But look at the situation in the world as it actually stands, from the White Tower divided to crop failures caused by a too-long winter and a too-long summer and people fleeing their farms because the Dragon Reborn has broken all bonds, meaning still less food, and that spoiling at a fearsome rate, from chaos in Arad Doman to a large part of the Borderland armies out of position, from the arrival of the Seanchan focusing too many eyes on them instead of the Shadow to the strongest single nation, Andor, riven by civil war in all but name and Tear split by open warfare, from.... Well, take your pick. There are lots more to chose from. Take a step back and look at what the forces of the Shadow have wrought. The world and the forces of the Light are in bad shape. At this point, boys and girls, the Shadow is winning. There are glimmers of hope, but only glimmers, and they MUST pay off for the Light to win. All the Shadow needs for victory is for matters to keep on as they have been going thus far and one or two of those glimmers to fade or be extinguished. The forces of the Light are on the ropes, and they don't even know everything the Dark One has up his sleeve.
Think of it this way. The bell is about to ring for the fifteenth round, and the Light is so far behind on points the only way to win is a knockout. Our boy is game, but he's wobbly on his legs and bleeding from cuts over his eyes. Now he has three minutes to pull out his best stuff and deliver the punch of his life. The Dark One has taken a few shots, but nothing that has really damaged him. He's still dancing on his toes and talking trash. His head shots can fracture a skull, and his body punches can break ribs. And now he's ready to unveil his surprises. You didn't think all it would take is for Rand to show up at the Last Battle, did you? According to the Prophecies, the Light has no chance without him, but his presence doesn't ensure victory, just that the Light has a chance. Gotta stiffen your legs and blink the blood out of your eyes. Gotta suck it up and find that punch. Three minutes to go, and you gotta find that knockout. That's your only chance.
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170
Interview: Oct 2nd, 2005
Robert Jordan
For Rifty, the extra body Rand found was that of a Gray Man. And, by the way, proof that the lady was no lady. She was a Darkfriend.Tags
171
Interview: Oct 4th, 2005
Robert Jordan
For Phil Reborn, Lanfear climbed onto the wagon to get the angreal. Rand was occupying her to the extent that she couldn't afford to just use flows of Air to bring it to her. And Lanfear being Lanfear, there was a touch of the dramatic in it. She was always a drama queen.
Tags
172
Interview: Oct 4th, 2005
Robert Jordan
For Sidious, when Alivia faced Cyndane, Alivia was by far the stronger because of her angreal, and had various tools (ter'angreal) to work with besides, but Cyndane was much, much more knowledgeable about channeling. Alivia, after all, knew relatively little except how to be a weapon. That was very useful in the situation, but in this case, knowledge versus strength made it an even match.
Now as to Rahvin sitting on his throne and being shocked to see Rand. First off, he knew his first trap hadn't worked, but he had others ready. He saw no reason to start jumping about. He thought he was maneuvering Rand into a series of traps, one of which he was sure would work. He did not expect Rand to simply leap into the same room with him. He did not expect Rand to know that he could Travel to somewhere in sight of himself without knowing the ground. So what he had expected to be a chess game where he knew the positions of all the pieces and Rand did not suddenly turned into a close-quarters slugging match. Surprise!
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173
Interview: Oct 5th, 2005
Robert Jordan
For Matrimoni Cauthon, Rand gets only the same benefits as he got from being bonded to one Aes Sedai. It neither multiplies nor divides. Each of a Green's Warders get the same amount of benefits as the single Warder of another sister.
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174
Interview: Oct 5th, 2005
Robert Jordan
For ricktheinevitable, I have no plans to send Rand to Shara at present.
Oh, yes. I think of time in this world as fixed circular, but with a drifting variation. There are slight differences in the Pattern each time through so that if you thought of the Pattern as a tapestry and held up two successive weaves, you couldn't see any differences from a distance, only close up, but the more time turnings between tapestries, the more changes are apparent. But the basic Pattern always remains the same.
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175
Interview: Oct 6th, 2005
Robert Jordan
For Phil Reborn, the wind that makes Rand almost impale himself on Lan's practice sword was one of the first bubbles of evil. A tiny one, but still dangerous.
Tags
176
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
When Rand hears Lews Therin, is this happening across time, or are they both in the present?Robert Jordan
They're both in the present.Tags
177
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
Were the Dragon Banner and the Horn of Valere made at the same time?Robert Jordan
No.Question
Then why did Hawkwing need Rand to produce the banner at Falme before he could attack?Robert Jordan
Legends change.Tags
178
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Scott Carlson (Paraphrased)Scott Carlson
The first was: "Lately Lews Therin has been in Rand's head increasingly, and increasingly, Lews Therin has been bemoaning that he's got voices in his head. Is Lews Therin merely a disembodied voice in Rand's head in Rand's time, or is there some kind of time-spanning link between them, and Rand is concurrently a disembodied voice in Lews Therin's head in the Age of Legends?"Robert Jordan
RJ replied that it is the former; that Lews Therin is a disembodied voice that refuses to believe he is a disembodied voice.Tags
179
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Scott Carlson (Paraphrased)Scott Carlson
On my second trip up, I went for what I figured was the longer-shot. I asked "Rand has been having the dizzy spells and sick sensations when channeling, despite having cleansed saidin. Is this an lasting effect of the taint, like having built up some taint in male channelers that won't go away?"Robert Jordan
And the answer was "No, it's completely unrelated to the taint."Scott Carlson
In retrospect, I should have gone for an either/or on the second question, posing Lews Therin trying to seize control of saidin as a second option, and maybe gotten a positive confirmation on my top two contenders, instead of just a negative confirmation on one.Tags
180
Interview: Oct 24th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Kevin Dean (Paraphrased)Question
The next person who asked, wanted to know more about the swirling colors the three ta'veren see.Robert Jordan
RJ corrected his pronunciation, apologized for cutting the guy off, and then said "RAFO".Tags
181
Interview: Oct 24th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Jarrod (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Naturally there was one RAFO when asked about the swirling colors the ta'veren experience when thinking about each other which pleased everyone to some extent because it's such a trademark of the man himself.Tags
182
Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Allentrace (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Another RAFO was the question of what the colors in Rand's, Perrin's, and Mat's heads when they think of each other mean.Tags
183
Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Allentrace (Paraphrased)Question
A question a girl asked, which is often asked, is why Rand gets to sleep with three women.Robert Jordan
RJ laughed at this and explained the usual story of his earlier life when he dated two women. He explained if he could have two, why could Rand not have three?Allentrace
I tried to catch Harriet's response to this but my vision of her was obscured.Tags
184
Interview: Oct 24th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Fomu (Paraphrased)Question
Another question was regarding the swirling colors in Mat's, Perrin's and Rand's heads.Robert Jordan
That got a big RAFO response. Not even any hesitation. However, this was the only RAFO answer given during the QA period. I guess that we Lexingtonians just do not ask tough questions.Tags
185
Interview: Oct 27th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Chris (Paraphrased)Question
Another interesting question was about the scene with all the flies in the house in book two.Robert Jordan
This scene where Rand sees the same thing over and over again was actually Fain's doing, a trap devised by him to put Rand in a time loop forever.Footnote
The scene is in The Great Hunt, Chapter 10. RJ's assertion that it was Fain who set the trap was also reported by Caychris, who might possibly be the same person. (One report is from Wotmania; the other is from Dragonmount; sometimes people write separate reports for separate forums.) This Q&A was confirmed randomly on Facebook years later by the person who asked the question, Seth Suchy.In Robert Jordan's notes, he explains that it was Lanfear who set the fly trap, and why:
[Lanfear, of course, laid the trap for him in the village. None could trigger it but one who could channel. Her own test, perhaps, to see if he really is who Ba'alzamon claims him to be, or at least if he might be. If he is the Dragon Reborn, he must be, at least potentially, one of the most powerful channelers in history, and it would take a powerful channeler to escape from that loop. It would also serve the purpose of pushing him to use the Power.] (HUNT CONTINUITY 2, p. 12)
He also noted in the same file that Verin knew the Power had been used in that village:
NOTE: Verin came through the village where Fade was nailed to the door. She knows Power was used there, but not how, since the trap was dispelled by Rand's escape. She would be uneasy about this, perhaps ask if they had encountered an Aes Sedai. (HUNT CONTINUITY 2, p. 1)
We are not sure whether RJ changed his mind, or whether he had forgotten his notes by the time he was asked this question and just made something up on the spot.
Tags
186
Interview: Oct 27th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Caychris (Paraphrased)Seth Suchy
[Seth] asked about the house and the flies.Robert Jordan
He said it was a time loop trap set by Fain and if Rand had not left the house it would have repeated indefinitely till Rand died.Footnote
The scene is in The Great Hunt, Ch. 10. RJ's assertion that Fain set the trap was also reported by Chris, who might possibly be the same person. (One report is from Wotmania; the other is from Dragonmount; sometimes people write separate reports for separate forums.) This Q&A was confirmed randomly on Facebook years later by the person who asked the question, Seth Suchy.
In Robert Jordan's notes, he explains that it was Lanfear who set the fly trap, and why:
[Lanfear, of course, laid the trap for him in the village. None could trigger it but one who could channel. Her own test, perhaps, to see if he really is who Ba'alzamon claims him to be, or at least if he might be. If he is the Dragon Reborn, he must be, at least potentially, one of the most powerful channelers in history, and it would take a powerful channeler to escape from that loop. It would also serve the purpose of pushing him to use the Power.] (HUNT CONTINUITY 2, p. 12)
He also noted in the same file that Verin knew the Power had been used in that village:
NOTE: Verin came through the village where Fade was nailed to the door. She knows Power was used there, but not how, since the trap was dispelled by Rand's escape. She would be uneasy about this, perhaps ask if they had encountered an Aes Sedai. (HUNT CONTINUITY 2, p. 1)
We are not sure whether RJ changed his mind, or whether he had forgotten his notes by the time he was asked this question and just made something up on the spot.
Tags
187
Interview: Oct 29th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Jeremiah (Paraphrased)Question
Another guy asked about how Rand has not been in the forefront of the series for the last few books, and he asked how long RJ knew that that would happen, or if it just happened.Robert Jordan
RJ said that he knew it would happen from the beginning, because he wanted to show that the "man on the shining white horse, the man who is the only hope, he can only do what he does because of the help of ten thousand other people." He wanted to portray that Rand has to be at the Last Battle to win, but he cannot be the ONLY one there.Tags
188
Interview: Oct 28th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Jason Wolfbrother (Paraphrased)Jason Wolfbrother
Was the "Don't Kill Rand" order ever lifted between Lord of Chaos and Knife of Dreams, or was it always in effect?Robert Jordan
Yes, for a short while.Tags
189
Interview: Nov 2nd, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Sodas (Paraphrased)Sodas
Can you please expand upon what Mazrim Taim was up to in Andor prior to meeting Rand for the first time?Robert Jordan
At that point, Jordan stopped writing. Not looking up, he donned a very visible smirk that was in great contast to the very somber look he had the whole evening. His answer was a very crisp "No."Sodas
Thanking him, I decided to exit the bookstore. Due to the size of the bookstore, they would not let people back inside. So instead of waiting another hour for a doubtful few more questions, we decided that his answer was sufficient to know exactly what we wanted.
If you want my opinion, his look convinced me that Taim killed Asmodean. It was that startling.
Tags
190
Interview: Oct 31st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Ursula (Paraphrased)Question
Another man asked about Siuan's Talent of seeing ta'veren. Was she able to see them after she was stilled?Robert Jordan
No.Question
Could she see them after she was Healed?Robert Jordan
Yes.Question
So, if the ability to see them was based on the Power, what about the Ogier Elder who knew Rand was ta'veren?Robert Jordan
For Siuan, yes, for the Ogier, no. The Ogier was able to see (or feel, I can't remember which RJ said) the Pattern shifting around Rand.Tags
191
Interview: Dec 19th, 2005
Robert Jordan's Blog: THIS AND THAT (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
For sheep the evicted, who has heard that I assigned various numerical strengths in the One Power to Rand, Ishamael and others based on a scale of 100 points, no I did not. I have said that in my notes I have such a scale that I use to keep track of everyone, but its main use is for the lesser characters, in particular Aes Sedai, so that I can check on who should defer to whom, who should only listen a little more attentively to whom, and so forth.Tags
192
Interview: Jan 20th, 2006
Robert Jordan's Blog: IT'S BEEN AWHILE (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
Various people have commented on Egwene being dumb with Rand, in particular contrasting how Pevara leaped immediately to a conclusion that he was ta'veren where the same information took Egwene to possible Compulsion. Pevara has a clean slate regarding Rand. Insofar as Compulsion goes, to her it is a forbidden weave, suppressed so effectively among women who come to the Tower that despite the fact that many wilders have some form of it as their first weaving, by the time the White Tower is done with them many of those same women can no longer make the weave nor, in some cases, even recall how to. How, then, does this young man come by Compulsion? Much more possible, however unlikely, that he is ta'veren. Egwene, on the other hand, grew up with Rand. She largely evaded the training that would have set the same thoughts regarding Compulsion in her head that Pevara has. Whatever Egwene has learned about Rand and now knows intellectually, there is a core of her that says he is Rand al'Thor rather the Dragon Reborn, or least before being the Dragon Reborn, and if Rand were in any way ta'veren, surely she would have noticed it during their years growing up. On the other hand, he has surprised her, and others, with abilities and knowledge of weaves, such as Traveling, that they didn't expect. If he is pulling strange weaves out of nowhere, who is to say that Compulsion isn't among them? It would certainly fit the information, after all.Tags
193
Interview: Mar, 2006
Locus Magazine Interview (Verbatim)Robert Jordan
I've been asked why there's no organized religion in my books. (My fans ask me questions about everything!) The main point of organized religion is our gathering together in one place to undergo rituals, reaffirm our own belief, and testify to others that we believe, thus strengthening their belief and our own. But in a world where miracles are a daily occurrence, where anybody walking down the street could see the Hand of God lifting up dead men from the grave, suddenly organized religion becomes less important. This manifestation of the Creator as something they may be able to see on any day at any given hour, anywhere. Still, my character Rand is a messiah figure, prophesied to save mankind and to die for it.Tags
194
Interview: Sep 22nd, 2007
Robert Jordan's Blog: From Harriet (Verbatim)Harriet McDougal Rigney
He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone.
These are words Jim said to me several books ago, in the weary but always thrilling hours of putting the manuscript to bed, ready to carry to New York in the morning—I remember grabbing a piece of discarded script and scrawling those words up the margin, because they were so beautiful. He was talking about Rand. I of course am not.
I know he touched all of you. Thanks for being there.
Tags
195
Interview: Oct 21st, 1994
AOL Chat 2 (Verbatim)Question
Whats it like to write a protagonist who frankly is going batty? How do you balance likeability with fading competence?Robert Jordan
I just try to do it in the book the way I do it in real life.Tags
196
Interview: Oct 21st, 1994
AOL Chat 2 (Verbatim)Question
Exactly how tall is Rand?Robert Jordan
Six foot five to six foot six.Tags
rand,197
Interview: Oct 21st, 1994
AOL Chat 2 (Verbatim)Question
If Rand's mother isn't Aiel, was she formerly Queen of Andor?Robert Jordan
Read and find out!Tags
198
Interview: Oct 27th, 2009
TGS Midnight Release Preliminary Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Matt Hatch
Was the taint influential in the creation/development/existence of the voice of Lews Therin in Rand's head?Brandon Sanderson
Brandon answered that the taint was influential, but not the only factor. He referenced Semirhage, that of course we can't believe the Forsaken always, but yes, that the taint was an influence in the the voice. That we have to accept that in fact, in a way, Rand is going insane (as in as the books progress).Tags
199
Interview: Oct 27th, 2009
BYU: TGS Midnight Release - Jennifer McBride (Paraphrased)Question
Will Rand eventually be united with his father Tam?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.Tags
200
Interview: Oct 27th, 2009
BYU: TGS Midnight Release - Jennifer McBride (Paraphrased)Question
How extensive were RJ's notes about Lews Therin?Brandon Sanderson
His notes about Lews Therin, I would say are about middle extensive, comparatively of different things that he has notes on. Less than some, more than others. They were extensive enough that I know enough things you don't know to make me excited, but not so extensive that you know, you are ever going to see a book about Lews Therin or anything like that.
Question
As a followup question, are the notes about Lews Therin the same notes about the voice of Lews Therin's?
Brandon Sanderson
You know I think that's enough of a spoiler because there is still confusion or not confusion, wondering from people whether or not Lews Therin is the voice, I mean, of course Semirhage said that it is...Robert Jordan never really made that explicit himself. What I think and what you think may be different and so we'll just leave it. There are things about this in the book.
Tags
201
Interview: Oct 27th, 2009
BYU: TGS Midnight Release - Jennifer McBride (Paraphrased)Question
What was your reaction when you finished The Gathering Storm?Brandon Sanderson
It was an enormous sigh of relief, followed by a, how should I say it, a curiosity what kinds of screams I would get when people read the last chapter of the book.Tags
202
Interview: Nov 6th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Paul Grow (Paraphrased)Question
Another asked him, considering how The Gathering Storm ends, if he will miss writing in Lews Therin's voice.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said probably, but he was not 100% sure that we will not see Lews Therin's voice again.Tags
203
Interview: Nov 7th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Meg Lurvey (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan never really intended to clarify about whether Rand is hearing Lews Therin because he's insane or if he's really there.Tags
204
Interview: Nov 2nd, 2009
GeekDad
Anyone who knows the books at all knows that Rand al'Thor hears the voice of Lews Therin in his head—sometimes cackling like a madman, other times more helpfully. After wading through all of Robert Jordan's notes, and listening to those dictated comments, do you have a new sympathy for Rand?Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan dropped a bomb at the end of Knife of Dreams, with what Semirhage was saying about or to Rand, talking about his level of stability. I remember as a reader, going through as a kid—I think Robert Jordan blindsided me with Lews Therin, because I'd been told that "Rand will go mad, Rand will go mad," but I didn't accept that voice as Rand going mad. I accepted that as another person, inside of Rand's head, and not a delusion or anything like that. Across the course of the books, Robert Jordan brought together this thing that he'd promised: "No, look, this guy is just going crazy. Yes, he's seeing part of his past life, but he's going insane. It's the immense pressure that's doing this." In looking through the notes, and seeing what Rand has to go through, it's hard not to sympathize with the poor guy.
Robert Jordan once said in an interview, when someone tried to get him to boil down the series to its core—he first said, you can't boil down this series. I wrote it as long as I did because that's how long I needed to tell the story, and so boiling it down doesn't work. But he finally did say this: At its essence, this series is about what it's like to be told that you need to save the world, and that it's probably going to cost your life. Even all of the other characters, you could say that that is a theme for them, too. Egwene has had to give up the life that she'd assumed that she was going to live, and to adopt this other life in the name of the greater good. And that's happening to everybody. Kings and queens are being cast down, and people who thought that their lives were just going to be normal and stable, and that's all they really wanted, are being forced to take upon themselves these mantles of responsibility. And Rand is at the very heart of that. Rand is the center, the example for all of them of what they're having to go through, and it's the worst for him.
GeekDad
True—but I also meant for you as the writer finishing someone else's series: As you're writing, you surely have Robert Jordan's voice rattling around in your head.Brandon Sanderson
(Laughs.) It does kind of feel like that at times, particularly after I've spent some time reading Robert Jordan's writing and then jumping into the book. It is like I have this voice saying, "Well, do it this way," or "This is how I would approach it." Juggling Brandon and Robert Jordan and trying to make sure that this isn't a Brandon book—but it's also not going to be a Robert Jordan book—and making sure that it's a Wheel of Time book. That's been a delicate balance.Footnote—Terez
I commented on the Dragonmount forums when I found this interview that it seemed that Brandon had accidentally confirmed construct theory in this interview, and that I suspected someone on Team Jordan had said something to him about it, resulting in the vaguer answers that followed on the book tour. Luckers emailed Brandon and got this response:
Brandon Sanderson
James,
Feel free to post this response from me.
"I stand by everything I said in those interviews; I did not make any miss-steps. However, there is one big misinterpretation. Terez says that I was asked by Team Jordan to be more secretive. That's not the case. There was one time when Harriet asked me to be more secretive, but that was in regards to spoilers about Towers of Midnight when I was working on it, and she felt (rightly) that I was hinting about too many things that would come in the book.
I have not settled, and do not intend to settle, this debate except in regard to the things placed specifically in the books. The Geekdad interview response is primarily talking about my own reactions as a reader the first time I read specific scenes, long before I saw what was in the notes. At that point, as a fan, my view of the books shifted.
Those views may have shifted again while looking at the notes. I have not said, and will continue not to say, what was in them on this point. There are clues in the text. That is always the way it has been, and I think that is sufficient for this conversation. However, I can explicitly say there was no "Team Jordan order of silence" on this particular point. In fact, there have been few (or none) of those except in regards to spoiling surprises for the books not yet in print. I prefer to keep it that way, which is why I generally ask interviewers to run my interviews past Team Jordan for clarification, and so that they know what I'm saying and can steer me if I do happen to stray into areas best left quiet."
Best,
BrandonFootnote—Terez
Of course, the bolded bits (emphasis mine) are still telling, and there must have been some reason why he decided to be less open about his feelings after this point.
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205
Interview: Nov 2nd, 2009
GeekDad
One of the things I've always noticed about The Wheel of Time is how central family and parenting is to its narrative. As a writer, a parent, and someone who's grown up with these books, what do you make of their familial aspect?Brandon Sanderson
I really like it. There's a tendency in [genre] fiction to ignore the boundaries of family. Telling a story, often, especially young-adult stories, want to take everyone away from their families, and to pretend they don't have families, so they can go on this adventure and not be constrained by family ties. It's this idea of escapism. Part of the realism for me in The Wheel of Time is that that doesn't happen to the characters. You follow different characters' parents and siblings, and it stretches across so many different types of lives and different social statuses, different cultures and countries that it feels very real, and it also feels very personal. Rand has a father. Granted, he's an adopted father, but Rand has a father and his relationship with his father is extremely important to him throughout the entire series. Even though we haven't seen Tam for a while, he doesn't just vanish as a character. Robert Jordan is very good about weaving people back in, and Tam goes and hangs out with Perrin and is working with him. There's a sense that they are real people because of their family relationships.
Having a son now myself, it makes me want to tell stories where you deal with family, because that's such a big part of all of our lives. It feels now awkward and strange to me that so many stories ignore this. It's become a cliché: the parents are either killed off at the end or at the beginning, or you go away and we don't bother about them or talk about them because they're boring, and the adventure is cool. That's not life.
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206
Interview: Nov 2nd, 2009
GeekDad
One of the things I noticed in the book is how often, both at the beginning and again near the end, scenes and chapters are punctuated with laughter, of all different types—including the inability to laugh. What's interesting about laughter?Brandon Sanderson
It was a theme for the book. And, giving no spoilers, we have known for a while that Cadsuane and the Wise Ones have been saying that Rand needs to learn to laugh and cry again. That was their big concern. The idea of laughter as a theme was an interesting one to consider.
I mean, there's never one main theme for a book, particularly one this long. And so when you sit down to look at it, you want to have a lot of different threads, kind of like the threads in the Pattern, weaving together to make the tapestry of a story. One of those was the idea of laughter and how different people found enjoyment and amusement. We have the twisted laughter of the Forsaken and we have the genuine laughter of some of the characters, and we have one character, Rand, who can no longer laugh—he is incapable of doing it, even of laughing in wryness. And so I could approach it from those three different directions. We've got the terrible laughter and the full, joyful laughter, and poor Rand's silence in the middle. I thought that highlighting it in other people would only make his excruciating inability to feel all the more obvious, all the more of a smack in the face.
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Interview: Nov 10th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Lexington, KY (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Jordan was intentionally vague about the issue of Rand and Lews Therin's one soul and what part madness played in the two identities.Tags
208
Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Ted Herman
Brandon Sanderson
I did ask about the so-called mistake with Harine and the Cleansing, and Brandon confirmed that Harine was basically being cautious when speaking to Rand, and didn't want to get caught between Rand and the Wavemistresses.Footnote
This question concerns Harine in The Gathering Storm 5 appearing to act as if she did not believe saidin had been cleansed, yet she was there when it happened.Tags
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Book Tour, NYC Stormleader Dinner - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
[Brandon discussed] Harine's supposed mistake, mentioned earlier in the thread.Footnote
The alleged error is discussed in more detail in this report.Tags
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Book Tour, NYC Stormleader Dinner - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Question
Will we see more of Harine?Brandon Sanderson
Yes, and Rand was not keeping to his side of their bargain very well.Tags
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Book Tour, NYC Stormleader Dinner - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
The beggar prophecy was fulfilled when Rand went to Ebou Dar, as well as the one about the bandages over his eyes.Footnote
Perrin's Wolf Dream with Rand wearing rags and a rough cloak with a bandage over his eyes is from The Shadow Rising 53. Min's viewing, where she saw a beggar's staff for Rand, occurs in The Eye of the World 15.Tags
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Interview: Nov 11th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
It's pretty clear now that Moridin and Rand are linked because of the balefire incident. Since Rand used saidin to create the balefire, and now he gets sick when channeling saidin, does that mean Moridin gets sick when he tries to use the True Power?Brandon Sanderson
You're assuming that Rand's channeling sickness comes from crossing the streams.Footnote
From Knife of Dreams Chapter 21, "Within the Stone":
The face of the man from Shadar Logoth floated in his head for a moment. He looked furious. And near to sicking up.
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Interview: Nov 11th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
After Rand has channeled the True Power, he has a dark cloud around him. When he meets with Tuon after this, she manages to resist his ta'veren pull. Is this because the True Power has reduced his ta'veren mojo?Brandon Sanderson
The reason she manages to resist is that she has a lot of willpower. Rand is just as ta'veren as ever.Question
How about the food going bad in Bandar Eban? Was that caused by Rand being nearby with his cloud of evil?Brandon Sanderson
We've heard earlier in the books that the Dragon is one with the land, and the land is one with the Dragon. This is an old belief—many kingdoms believed that the wellness of the king was directly tied to the wellness of the land. In WoT, this is quite literally true.Tags
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Interview: Nov 11th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
In Falme we saw Rand fighting Ishamael and the Heroes of the Horn and the Seanchan were mirroring the progress of the battle. Does this mean that there is something inherently evil about the Seanchan Empire?Brandon Sanderson
Nobody in WoT is inherently evil, except for Shadowspawn. At the time, the Seanchan were being led by a Darkfriend.Tags
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Interview: Nov 15th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Katie Frey (Paraphrased)Question
Is there a connection between the spoilage of food and Rand's temperament?Brandon Sanderson
Look at the Fisher King prophecies, and the prophecies in WoT that mention that the "land and the Dragon are one."Tags
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Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matoyak (Paraphrased)Question
There have been rumors that you have said that Mr. Jordan did not have anything in his notes about the voice of Lews Therin, whether it was a construct or not. That or that you had sai—[cut off]Brandon Sanderson
I would like to clarify this, thanks for asking. I will NOT say that it was not in the notes. However, Mr. Jordan did NOT want to reveal this information, and therefore I shall not ever either. Mr. Jordan did not want to reveal it.Harriet McDougal Rigney
What Brandon said.Tags
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Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matoyak (Paraphrased)Roga
Does Elayne know that Alanna bonded Rand?Brandon Sanderson
Uh...well...I'll have to check that. MAFO. Good question.
Maria Simons
From Winter’s Heart, chapter 12, Rand speaking to Elayne, Aviendha, and Min: “Anyway, Alanna Mosvani got there ahead of you, and she didn’t bother asking . . . I’ve been bonded to her for months now.”
Footnote—Terez
I asked around about this because I believed that Mato had misheard the name, and that the question was actually about whether Egwene knew about the bonding. (Many people pronounce it egg-WEEN instead of the proper egg-WAIN, so it's easy for those people to hear 'Elayne' when 'Egwene' is pronounced correctly.) The question was asked by Roga, a Stormleader, and he clarified:
Roga
If this question came from the Dallas signing, then it was from me. I asked about Egwene.
The reason behind the question was, I wanted to know: if Alanna's name had been on Verin's list in The Gathering Storm, would Egwene have passed over it? However, Brandon pointed out that Verin knew about the bond, so unless she had some reason to keep quiet, I'd think she should've made some kind of special warning note if Alanna had been in her list.
Maria Simons
Egwene did not know.
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Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matoyak (Paraphrased)Matoyak
Did the meeting between Rand and Moridin for sure happen in Tel'aran'rhiod or could it have happened in a vacuole?Brandon Sanderson
I...well. I'm going to partially RAFO this. I will not say it for sure happened in Tel'aran'rhiod, and I'm not sure whether the other instances of this were Tel'aran'rhiod either.Footnote
The referenced meeting between Rand and Moridin occurred in The Gathering Storm 15, and Brandon later clarified that this meeting took place in Moridin's dream.Tags
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Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matoyak (Paraphrased)Matoyak
Can you elaborate on why the voice of Lews Therin was not speaking when Rand and Isha—I mean Moridin were talking? Is it becau—Brandon Sanderson
Ah. Yes, well, I'm going to have to RAFO that one...too close to dealing with the specifics of the voice, sorry.Tags
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Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Rand is bonded to four people. If one of them was to die, what would be the effect on him?Brandon Sanderson
We know that immediate bonding to someone else helps with the 'Warder rage'—it doesn't completely get rid of it. I would say that your instincts are right, that it would help. I don't think that it would negate everything.Tags
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Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Can someone besides Rand be taught to see the black cords that are seen on other Forsaken?Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan is kind of dodgy on the black cords. A lot of people tried to pin him down on those. I think that yes, others could be trained to see the black cords.Tags
222
Interview: Nov 19th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matrimony Cauthon (Paraphrased)Question
Some kid, to much laughter, asked if Rand was really going to die.Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson said something to the effect of 'What did the Finn say?' He then said that the prophecies must be fulfilled or the Pattern will break.Tags
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Interview: Nov 19th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Matrimony Cauthon (Paraphrased)Question
I didn't hear the question but someone asked something about Rand and Moridin's souls being intertwined.Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson said that many souls' threads are frequently woven together in the Pattern such as Birgitte and Gaidal. He said that Rand and Moridin are also frequently woven together in the Pattern.Tags
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Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
Is the True Power used by any other creatures or beings within Parallel or Perpendicular worlds or other dimensions?
Brandon Sanderson
Ok, see answering that actually gets us begging the question because let’s step back, the question that people should be asking is does the Dark One exist in all of these Parallels...
Matt Hatch
...ok, so yeah this is the question I’ll ask, you make a good point. Are there worlds and dimensions that exist outside of the Pattern?
Brandon Sanderson
Ok, see that’s the question you should be asking. I mean, you should be asking it, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to answer it. [laughter] But that’s at the core of the question. I’m going to discuss it without giving you the answer. I like to do this because I think it frames the question without giving you too much information that I have that I don’t think is appropriate to share right now. Extrapolations of this question get us to: is there one Dragon for all different Parallels or are they all different Dragons? Traveling through the Portal Stone seems to indicate that there are many different lives Rand could have led. The same thing happens with several of the ter’angreal that people go through. The question then is, are those all separate Universes? Do we have a multi-verse sort of concept? Or are they possibilities and do these worlds all exist or could exist, what is the difference. In some of those Rand failed. So, is Rand the Dragon in all of them or is Rand not the Dragon in some of them? What happens in the ones where Rand failed? Are they real worlds? Are those different worlds where there is a different Dark One who then takes over and destroys that world or maybe not, maybe he makes it has he wishes. Or are those just possibilities, reflections of this world that don’t really exist except when we touch them? Those are all very good questions. Robert Jordan said that Tel'aran'rhiod is a reflection of all different worlds, which implies other worlds continue to exist. The World of the Finns is something different...
Matt Hatch
...he called it a Parallel World...
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, the Parallel World, that one and also the one Rand and Lanfear visited are persistent regardless of someone from this world visiting. Yet, many of those seem almost shadowy and reflections of the real world, some of them seem as real just strange when visiting them. What happens in these different world, that sort of thing, those were never questions that Robert Jordan answered...
Matt Hatch
...the answers exist?
Brandon Sanderson
The answers exist, but are there many parallel Patterns or is there one Pattern?
Matt Hatch
Yeah, that’s...are there many Wheels or just one Wheel?
Brandon Sanderson
That’s not a question, I’m afraid, that I can answer because I don’t think it’s within the scope of the books and I don’t think that the characters...that there are people that could know. You will find Browns arguing all of these different things among themselves, and it’s not my place to step in and end the discussion.
Footnote
Luckers got Maria to clarify on the Mirror World / Parallel World distinction here.Tags
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Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
I heard you answer a question last night, which sounded interesting. Someone asked about Padan Fain and Elaida.
Brandon Sanderson
A lot of people don’t remember that they met.
Matt Hatch
So, his influence, how long for example...wasn’t Egwene exposed to Padan Fain? Are there still effects that Egwene has on people because of him?
Brandon Sanderson
Remember the idea that people have, generally, a choice. There are ways to turn people to the Shadow against their will, but when that happens the person is no longer the person. What is happening with Padan Fain is, naturally tendencies can be exacerbated or they can be fought off...
Matt Hatch
...so Elaida’s paranoia fed that? With someone like Egwene she might have fought it off, so it’s not going to be...
Brandon Sanderson
...right. exactly, or someone like Rand who continues to fight it off. He has become very paranoid. And the wound in his side, certainly someone could make the connection that that might have an influence. I won’t say for certain but...
Matt Hatch
...so, the suggestion is not only does he have the taint, which is negatively influencing him, or influencing him in such ways that might bring on paranoia, there is this accentuation of it because of Fain...
Brandon Sanderson
...this corruption...I mean that wound and the dagger...
Matt Hatch
...that is another source...
Brandon Sanderson
...Mat managed to fight it off pretty much completely, well not completely, but we don’t see Mat running around paranoid anymore...Elaida gave it something to feed upon and it was very very small and subtle with Elaida but certainly that was an influence.
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226
Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
Ok, we’ll move on from there. Were male channelers across Randland able to feel Rand's use of the male Choedan Kal when he destroyed it atop Dragonmount?
Brandon Sanderson
I would certainly think they would have been able to, consistent with what has happened before.
Matt Hatch
But did they know that it was destroyed? Is that what they felt, or was it just the use of?
Brandon Sanderson
I do not believe the destruction of a sa’angreal would be the type of event that you would be able to notice. It is not consistent with what we have seen before.
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227
Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
Jordan talked about Pattern Level Events, or in other words "Effects of the Wheel". This question was asked of him at DragonCon '05. We wanted to know how Rand showed up in the sky above Falme with Ishamael. Theories... [the recording cut off here so Brandon’s answer to my question was lost. I will paraphrase it generally. I asked him if Rand’s access to the infinite lives while on Dragonmount at the end of The Gathering Storm, was the Wheel getting involved directly.]
Brandon Sanderson
He replied as follows according to my memory that there was a Pattern Level Event there, but it wasn’t specifically the Wheel giving Rand access to memories [of] his previous lives. Brandon asked for some clarification about how Jordan explained his answer at DragonCon. We were rushed and I could not give him that direct quote, so I was unable to ask more specifically if Rand was seeing the soul’s history of lives lived, or if more generically the Wheel displayed to his mind a series of previous generic lives, like it displayed Rand and Ishamael in the sky above Falme. He did speak briefly about the Wheel not physically “touching” Rand and/or Ishamael, which seemed to be suggestive of his initial response that it didn’t “touch” Rand’s mind to give him access to his own memories. Once again, a more detailed discussion of this subject is worthwhile, especially one recorded.
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228
Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
There was some confusion about Rand and the Dark One’s permission, so for clarification’s sake, did Rand have the Dark One’s permission to use the True Power?
Brandon Sanderson
I have not answered that. If anyone says that I have, I have not. What I have said specifically is, this is recording: generally one must have the Dark One’s permission to use the True Power. Semirhage believed that the Dark One had betrayed her by letting Rand use it. [...] It is good that you have asked this so I can make sure on the record that is the answer I have given.
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Interview: Nov 19th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Samadai (Paraphrased)Freelancer
Did Moridin sense when Rand channeled the True Power through him?Brandon Sanderson
Our 7th RAFO. But he did say, "We don't know if that is what happened or not, and that might or might not have been Moridin's plan all along. We don't have enough info to decide that yet."Tags
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Interview: Nov 19th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - forkroot (Paraphrased)forkroot
Brandon Sanderson
Lastly I want to mention that in general conversation at the end, Brandon was very careful to state that we cannot assume that Rand drew the True Power through the link with Moridin; nor may we assume the opposite. (In other words, we're not supposed to have enough evidence yet to draw a conclusion.)
Furthermore, it seemed that he wanted to make it clear that we cannot discount the idea that the Dark One did indeed "set up" Semirhage (pretty much per Isilel's scenario). I'm not saying he's telling us that that is what happened, but he was almost insistent that we did not close the door on that line of speculation. Take it for what you will.
Footnote
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Interview: Nov 16th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - kcf (Paraphrased)Question
What's up with Rand's sword? Was it Lews Therin Telamon's?Brandon Sanderson
There are some really good theories out there on the message boards and I don't have anything to add on this.kcf
I followed up on where it was found, basically, 'In water, under a statue, not near Falme.'Footnote
Brandon confirmed in an email that it was Justice, Artur Hawkwing's sword. It might have been Guaire Amalasan's sword before it was Hawkwing's, which would explain the Dragon scabbard.Tags
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Interview: Nov 16th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - kcf (Paraphrased)Question
Did Rand directly have the Dark One's permission to channel the True Power?Brandon Sanderson
It's very difficult (but not impossible) to channel the True Power without the Dark One's direct permission.
This led to lots of discussion about the whole Semirhage death scene. Basically, she felt betrayed by the Dark One, and Brandon says she's a very astute person. Brandon also said that Moridin and the Dark One are on the same page with most things, and that Moridin is the most trustworthy Forsaken for the Dark One.
kcf
My interpretation is that Rand channeled the True Power through the link with Moridin, but this was not discussed. Also it was strongly implied that the idea that the Dark One served Semirhage up on a platter for Rand to balefire is true.Footnote
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Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Frenzy (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Biggest story-related bombshell (IMHO): Don't assume Rand and Moridin are linked.Tags
234
Interview: Nov 15th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Freelancer (Paraphrased)Question
Were the references to Galad, both from Rand's technicolor scrying of Perrin and Tam's mention, intentionally left in place as teasers, or an accidental artifact of the book division?Brandon Sanderson
Intentional.Tags
235
Interview: Nov 15th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Freelancer (Paraphrased)Question
Has Cadsuane met Min's vision regarding the lesson she must teach Rand and the Asha'man, which they won't like one bit?Brandon Sanderson
Part of it.Freelancer
(That strongly suggests that the "laughter and tears" connection is valid.)Tags
236
Interview: Nov 15th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Freelancer (Paraphrased)Question
Is Rand's access to the True Power via his link with Moridin, created at Shadar Logoth?Brandon Sanderson
No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission, and Rand doesn't have that.
Footnote—Terez
This answer was challenged by another person who was at the Q&A, though Freelancer said later his question was asked at the signing table. Link broken.
Writo
Oy,
I was at that signing, I was literally right next to Brandon as he answered this question, and that is far from his exact wording.
The response was more accurately something like: So far as we know, no one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission. Semirhage certainly seemed to think she was betrayed.
There was never a comment about Rand not having permission.
Footnote—Terez
After this came to light, Matt Hatch asked Brandon about it, and he said that he never said Rand didn't have permission. Later I asked him if one normally has to visit Shayol Ghul to get permission, and he said yes. Freelancer responded thus:
Freelancer
Brandon's later answer has to take precedence. He says that he didn't specify directly whether Rand did or did not have the Dark One's permission. That is what everyone must operate by, as his word is now canon. That does not change what I wrote down as my questions were being answered.
As to Writo's comments, I can only offer this. The comment by Brandon about Semirhage believing she had been betrayed was definitely in response to someone else's question. It did not come up with mine, but I do remember hearing it.
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Interview: Nov 15th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Freelancer (Paraphrased)Question
It has been noted that Sulin is incorrectly referred to in a scene with Rand's group in Arad Doman. Who should have been named in the text there?Brandon Sanderson
Sulin.Tags
238
Interview: Apr 23rd, 2010
JordanCon 2010 Q&A Report - Terez (Paraphrased)Terez
When I was in line, I asked Brandon and Harriet (mostly Harriet, since she was signing my books) if the Andoran royal line is descended from Rand's Aiel line (see this post) [by Rhea, the Aiel daughter of Adan who was kidnapped along with several other women in Rand's Rhuidean visions]:Harriet McDougal
I got a lovely smile from Harriet that told me she was pleased that someone had finally figured that out, and she said that she believes I am exactly right about that. She was a little sketchy on the details, though, and so was Brandon, so Brandon said it was essentially a MAFO. So I talked to Maria after that session, and she was taking a break so I didn't want to ask her about it just then, so I asked her if I could message her about it, and the other MAFO we got today, and she said yes, so I will hopefully be hearing more about that soon. Brandon asked me not to put that one in the interview database until I hear from Maria about it.
Maria Simons
Oops. I really have been terribly slow with these. I can’t find anything that says yea or nay on this one.
Terez
I think that Brandon got the impression Harriet was leaping on it too quick, and that's quite possible; I might have read too much into it.
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239
Interview: Apr 22nd, 2009
Leigh Butler
Afterwards we went back to the hotel and I got dressed for the ball. I didn't have a costume, but I had my swirly black skirt and burgundy velvet top, and most importantly I had my crystal necklace and earrings, which are my favorite pieces of expensive jewelry—possibly because they're my only expensive jewelry—and which I was thrilled to get a chance to wear.
Harriet McDougal Rigney
The ball was a great deal of fun. The music was provided by The Lost Boys, for whom I can't seem to find a website (I keep getting a certain Joel Schumacher film), in all their kilted glory, which was perfect music for the occasion. There was a silent auction in the back, which was selling, among other things, The Hat, and an original manuscript page from The Eye of the World, which Harriet pointed out contained a most significant edit: Where Ba'alzamon says to Rand in the dream sequence, "At last we meet", Jordan had crossed out "at last" and changed it to "Once more we meet". Think about it. All proceeds, of course, going to charity.
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240
Interview: Jun 10th, 2010
Luckers
On Falme, Rand and the Seanchan.
Question: In Falme we saw Rand fighting Ishamael and the Heroes of the Horn and the Seanchan were mirroring the progress of the battle. Does this mean that there is something inherently evil about the Seanchan Empire?
Answer: Nobody in WoT is inherently evil, except for Shadowspawn. At the time, the Seanchan were being led by a Darkfriend.
I almost didn't include this, it's so nitpicky, but you said you liked that. Feel free to ignore. Is this then to imply that the reason the Seanchan were paralleled with Ishamael in the fights was because Suroth was leading them? I always assumed that it was Rand's personal enmity that caused the correlation—he saw both Ishamael and the Seanchan as the bad guys, and therefore, under the effect of the Wheel's push for the Dragon event, combined with the influence of Rand's ta'maral'ailen and the 'loose reality' resulting from the sounding of the Horn, the two got linked in the weaving of the moment? Was it then more involved with the links between Suroth and Ishamael?
Maria Simons
I can't really add anything to Jim's answer. It certainly seems to indicate that it was the link between Suroth and Ishamael.Footnote
Maria was mistaken that the question quoted by Luckers was answered by Robert Jordan. The question was answered by Brandon Sanderson in November 2009 on The Gathering Storm book tour stop in Dayton, OH.Tags
241
Interview: Jun 10th, 2010
Luckers
At the end of The Great Hunt after the Horn is sounded, Hawkwing goes to ride off, then states that 'something is wrong' and that 'something' holds him, and says to Rand 'you are here, have you the banner?' This has led to the perception that the Horn requires the Dragon or the Dragon banner to work. Is this perception correct, or is this a result of the Weave of the Moment, or just plain Hawkwing's sense of romanticism?Maria Simons
I would think, given that the banner was hidden with the Horn of Valere, that it might indeed be very necessary for it. I have no idea why, though, or how.Tags
242
Interview: Jun 10th, 2010
Luckers
Why did Verin tell Rand that damane may feel him channeling at Falme? Did she truly fear it might be possible, or was she manipulating him? And if so to what purpose?Maria Simons
I don't know if it was ignorance, or just sneaky Verin being sneaky. Either is possible; if the latter, I have no idea what her purpose was.Tags
243
Interview: Jun 10th, 2010
Luckers
What was the item that could help tie the Aes Sedai to Rand and help Rand that Nynaeve and Elayne found in the Tower via Need in Tel'aran'rhiod (just prior to finding the Bowl of the Winds).Maria Simons
You don't really think I'm going to answer every single question, do you?Tags
244
Interview: Jun 10th, 2010
Luckers
In Lord of Chaos Ch. 20, "Heading South", Mat finds a Tinker caravan where the Tuatha'an have all been slaughtered. One of the Tinkers wrote 'tell the Dragon Reborn' in his own blood...Mat thinks, 'tell him what'? And that is the question—what did one of the Tuatha'an have to tell Rand that was so important? Also, was this done by the Whitecloaks?Maria Simons
I mean, come on. There are still two books to come.Tags
245
Interview: Sep 21st, 2010
Matt Hatch
(General summarization of the attack on Rand) Moridin is speaking to the Chosen. He’s kind of pissed. He’s saying look somebody, it was either Sammael or someone pretending to be Sammael, but it was definitely one of the Chosen. Is Moridin’s assumption/belief correct, that the only way for that to have occurred was for one of the Chosen to be involved?
Brandon Sanderson
Someone very high up would have to have been involved.
Matt Hatch
(Laughter) I should have phrased the question differently…Brandon Sanderson
Someone very high up would have to have been involved. It didn’t just happen.Matt Hatch
When you say high up, do you mean marked or someone with great power?Brandon Sanderson
Someone with great influence and power among the, the um…the, among those who follow the Shadow would have to have been involved.Matt Hatch
(Laughter) So, are you suggesting that it may not have been just one person?Brandon Sanderson
I said what I said (smiles).Matt Hatch
(Sorry Terez—made up these questions on the fly, so they weren’t very good, but it’s something to chew on. Next.)
Tags
246
Interview: Sep 21st, 2010
Matt Hatch
The last question…Mitchell asks, can we expect an epic Rand/Elayne/Aviendha/Min reunion?
Brandon Sanderson
I’m so glad you said reunion.
(Small group of people erupt in laughter)
Matt Hatch
You were wondering where I was going with that... (More laughter)Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Ask again later.Tags
247
Interview: Oct 19th, 2010
John Ottinger
In Towers of Midnight, does Rand become more likable? In The Gathering Storm Rand sometimes comes across as a very powerful, petulant child. Does the nobly heroic Rand of The Eye of The World and The Great Hunt ever return?Brandon Sanderson
Read and find out. That's all I can say on that one.John Ottinger
Editor's Note: Read "Apples First", Chapter One of Towers of Midnight at Tor.com. It's a good foreshadowing of the answer. (At the time I asked the question, Chapter One was not available to read yet.)Tags
248
Interview: Oct 19th, 2010
John Ottinger
Are there any "Easter eggs" that the well-versed Wheel of Time reader might find contained in Towers of Midnight, and can you name at least one?Brandon Sanderson
Oh boy. Well, one person's Easter egg is another person's very obvious thing. In Chapter One, "Apples First," in which a character from The Eye of the World shows up, I intended that to be more of an Easter egg and not tell people who that was. But Harriet asked for a big reminder near the end of the chapter of where the characters had met. So there are things like that, where characters return, but most of the time we have erred on the side of giving a little bit of an extra reminder of who these people are. If you look in Lan's plotline, several characters from New Spring make reappearances. The well-versed Wheel of Time reader is not even going to consider that an Easter egg, since it's going to be pretty obvious to them, but to other people I think it will be surprising. Will there be an Easter egg on the level of The Gathering Storm's reference to Plato? I'm sure that there are a few things like that embedded in there, as Robert Jordan always liked to embed references, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.Tags
249
Interview: Oct 26th, 2010
Luckers
I thought Rand’s arc in The Gathering Storm was brilliant—starting to get better then—bang! Cuendillar Rand, and finally "Veins of Gold". Was it difficult to write? Can you give us some insight into how you stayed in the mind of a madman?
Brandon Sanderson
It was difficult to write. I’ve said before that I view a lot of these characters as my high school friends, people I grew up with. Facilitating Rand going through these extremely painful and sometimes revelatory moments was not easy emotionally, and yet there’s an excitement and a power to writing emotional scenes where things are coming together. So I would say it’s actually more difficult to write a character like Gawyn, who’s frustrated and struggling with not knowing what he’s doing, than someone like Rand who always has a direction—even if that direction is straight down, as it was in places. He’s always moving. So because of that, Rand was in many ways easier to write than other characters were. Yet at the same time it was painful to write. That doesn’t really answer your question, but maybe it does give some insight, as you asked.
Tags
250
Interview: Oct 19th, 2010
John Ottinger
Do you consider Rand's use of balefire to be a deus ex machina, as some of your critics have claimed?Brandon Sanderson
I haven't read those criticisms. I'm kind of confused because I don’t see me using balefire in any more of a deus ex machina way than it has been used previously in the series. By the definition of the term, it's not a deus ex machina as long as what's possible and what someone can do has been foreshadowed. For example, at the end of book five when Rand goes to Caemlyn and brings Mat back to life using balefire, that would only be deus ex machina if the reader didn't know ahead of time that it was possible. But once you have the ability to rewind time, some really funky plotting things can happen. There are certainly criticisms that can be leveled. But deus ex machina is the wrong term.John Ottinger
Editor's Note: For more on these concepts, read Sanderson's and Weeks' dueling posts on the topic at Babel Clash.Tags
251
Interview: Nov 5th, 2010
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, Brandon had flight problems, and he showed up at about 8:30. He wouldn't answer anything that might spoil Towers of Midnight, but while signing my copy, I did ask him if Rand has met with Sorilea since his time on Drangonmount, and he said he thinks that Rand has. Sorry about not having much to give you.
Tags
252
Interview: Nov 6th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Robert Mee (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Rand destroyed Aginor—Brandon is 90% sure of this fact.Tags
253
Interview: Nov 6th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Robert Mee (Paraphrased)Robert Mee
Just a tag on. Someone asked about Rand's new/old sword... the one he's carrying now.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said it had definitely been seen before, and not in a tapestry. Brandon also DEFINITIVELY stated that we saw it in The Great Hunt. I have a very good feeling that the sword being Justice (which we saw in Artur Hawkwing's hands at Falme) is the right "looney theory" for this one.Footnote
It was confirmed by Brandon in an email that the sword is Justice.Tags
254
Interview: Nov 7th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Zaela Sedai (Paraphrased)Question
When the wolves were on Dragonmount, who were they there to “lend strength to”—Rand or Perrin?Brandon Sanderson
They were there for Rand. They were doing what they thought would help Rand. Keep in mind that they are wolves and are not thinking as men would when it comes to the idea of helping others.Tags
255
Interview: Nov 16th, 2010
Paris Signing Report - Jonathan B (Paraphrased)Question
Someone else asked if Rand's internal state of affairs was affecting the world around him.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said there are two things going on—ta'veren and the Fisher King prophecy which says the Dragon is tied directly to the land. He says it seems to Rand that more bad stuff was happening in The Gathering Storm but that this could be either just Rand's perception or what is really going on. We should remember that ta'veren is supposed to be 50/50—an extra equal amount of good and bad going on. He would not tell us at this point whether there was really more bad stuff happening in The Gathering Storm or whether its Rand's perception as there was purposefully very few viewpoints from Rand himself in Towers of Midnight. Like the third book The Dragon Reborn, Towers of Midnight is meant to step away from Rand and view him from the viewpoints of others.
Someone also asked if Rand's ta'veren nature would affect people on the other side of an open gateway. Brandon said that the Pattern considers that Rand is where he is and not on the other side of the gateway, so he would not affect a place just by having a gateway open there and not actually being there.
Tags
256
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Sarayne (Paraphrased)Question
Since his epiphany, does Rand recite his list any more?Brandon Sanderson
R.A.F.O. because we don't really see much of what Rand is thinking in Towers of Midnight. We are saving that for the next book.Tags
257
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Sarayne (Paraphrased)Question
Can Rand still access the True Power since his epiphany?Brandon Sanderson
I'm not going to answer that!Footnote
Brandon said elsewhere that he can still sense it, which means he can still use it, and simply chooses not to.Tags
258
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Sarayne (Paraphrased)Question
Why do Mat, Perrin and Rand always stop the swirling colors when they have visions of each other?Brandon Sanderson
Their personalities. A piece of them still feel that they are still those small village boys and don't want to be involved. It's the nature of the beast.Maria Simons
And sometimes they see things they really don't want to see!Tags
259
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Sarayne (Paraphrased)Question
Does Rand sheathe the sword in the Last Battle?Brandon Sanderson
You know I'm going to R.A.F.O. that!Tags
260
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Sarayne (Paraphrased)Question
Can you give us a hint on who the second woman will be in Rand's circle? (with Callandor)Brandon Sanderson
Not really, but I can give you a tiny bit of information. She has already been introduced.Footnote
Tags
261
Interview: Nov 8th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Question
Does Rand still recite his list of lost ladies?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Rand's thoughts for the bulk of this book were not shown deliberately.Tags
rand,262
Interview: Dec, 2010
Lordjuss
Harine (the Sea Folk ambassador) appeared early in The Gathering Storm but hasn't been seen since. Where was she during Towers of Midnight?Brandon Sanderson
Harine has basically been stewing about the fact that she's been blown off.Tags
263
Interview: Dec, 2010
Stublore
As regards the True Power, how come Rand was able to use it, when earlier we are told only those the Dark One allows can use it?Brandon Sanderson
Semirhage believed that the Dark One had specifically granted Rand the ability. I won't say whether that's true or not. There are other theories out there that I don't want to squelch. But one possibility—and she certainly believed it—was that Dark One, in his desire to corrupt Rand, gave him that ability.Footnote
Brandon said later that one typically has to go to Shayol Ghul to get permission to use the True Power, and many suspect that Rand's sensing of it is a product of the link between him and Moridin.Tags
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Interview: Dec, 2010
Machavelli
Hi Brandon. I was really looking forward to reading about Rand after the end of The Gathering Storm, where he changes. I want to know how much he has changed since he and Lews Therin became one. He is the main character but he is barely in this book. Why is that? and will we get to read from his point of view in A Memory of Light?Brandon Sanderson
You will get to read from his point of view in the last book. This was done intentionally, and it's something the Wheel of Time books have done all across the history of the series. Sometimes certain characters have to take a back seat while others' stories are being told. In this case, that happened to Rand. It was very important to me for narrative reasons that you see him externally before you see him internally.Tags
265
Interview: Jan 10th, 2011
Tor Q&A with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)tamyrlink ()
The second time Perrin needed to be there for Rand, did that occur on Dragonmount in Tel'aran'rhiod?Brandon Sanderson ()
RAFO.Footnote
Brandon confirmed that this scene from Towers of Midnight was not the fulfillment of Min's viewing concerning Perrin and Rand (from Lord of Chaos Chapter 46).Tags
266
Interview: Jan 10th, 2011
Tor Q&A with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)tonka ()
About the swirling colors/ta'veren experience: Would Perrin be able to see what Mat is doing in the Tower of Ghenjei? If I was Perrin I'd be following every move Mat makes. And hypothetically if Rand thinks about Mat at some moment during and after his journey in the Finn World Rand should be able to see Mat and Moraine or if before they rescue her Mat and company in the Finn World. Is that right? I find this connection between the ta'veren so fascinating.Brandon Sanderson ()
How about this. Swirling colors don't work in Tel'aran'rhiod. Granted that within the Tower of Ghenjei is somewhat different from Tel'aran'rhiod, but there are some similarities.Tags
267
Interview: Feb 17th, 2011
ConDFW Report - James E. Jones (Paraphrased)Tektonica
Does Moridin know that Rand drew the True Power through their connection?Brandon Sanderson
(Paraphrase) It's always best to assume that Moridin knows a lot more than he's revealed.Tags
268
Interview: Mar 11th, 2011
Verin Q&A with Maria Simons (Verbatim)Question
Verin ends up in the Two Rivers. Who sent Verin to the Two Rivers?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin's trip to the Two Rivers have anything to do with Verin's plans to betray the Dark One?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin ask Alanna to accompany her to the Two Rivers? If not, why did Alanna accompany her?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Has Alanna been keeping an eye on Verin? After all, twice she went to the kitchens after Verin did, plus she went to the Two Rivers with her, and both went to Fal Dara.Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
If it was Verin's choice to bring Alanna, was Alanna's emotional state a factor in that choice?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin ever use compulsion on Alanna?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin ever suspect Alanna of being Black Ajah?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Was Alanna's bonding of Rand something she was encouraged to do by Verin?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Was Alanna's bonding of Rand something the Black Ajah, Forsaken or Dark One told her to do?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin have any idea the Shadow was going to attack the Two Rivers?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin know who Luc was?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Did Verin know of Slayer's unique nature?Maria Simons
RAFO.Question
Have Verin and Slayer ever met, even unknowingly?Maria Simons
RAFO.Tags
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2011
JordanCon Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Question
[paraphrased] Were there any consequences from Rand asking questions of the Aelfinn that touched on the Shadow (about cleansing the taint and winning Tarmon Gai'don)?Alan Romanczuk
Moiraine and Cadsuane thought there would be consequences, but that doesn't necessarily make it so.Ted Herman
However, the glossary entry in Towers of Midnight for the Aelfinn states that there are consequences in such circumstances, so either that is wrong or there is a possible contradiction.
Towers of Midnight
CHAPTER: GLOSSARY
Aelfinn: A race of beings, largely human in appearance but with snakelike characteristics, who will give true answers to three questions. Whatever the question, their answers are always correct, if frequently given in forms that are not clear, but questions concerning the Shadow can be extremely dangerous. Their true location is unknown, but they can be visited by passing through a ter'angreal, once a possession of Mayene but in recent years held in the Stone of Tear. They can also be reached by entering the Tower of Ghenjei. They speak the Old Tongue, mention treaties and agreements, and ask if those entering carry iron, instruments of music, or devices that can make fire. See also Eelfinn, Snakes and Foxes.Tags
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Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
JordanCon 2011 - Terez (Verbatim)Scott
In Towers of Midnight, when Rand confronts Lord Weiramon and Lady Anaiyella, and they basically can't look at him...I was wondering, does he have like an aura of Lightness that's preventing them from looking at him, or was it possibly that Verin clued him in to the fact that they were Darkfriends in her letter?Brandon Sanderson
More will be revealed...Scott
We'll get some more info on that?Brandon Sanderson
You'll get some more info on things that were happening in Towers of Midnight once you see from Rand's perspective in the next book.Scott
Great! That's great to hear...I can't wait for it. Thank you.Tags
271
Interview: Jul 16th, 2011
PolarisCon Report - herid (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
He said that the scene with the Borderlander farmers in The Gathering Storm prologue and the one with the Borderlander Watch Tower in the Towers of Midnight prologue were written by RJ and that they were some of the last complete scenes RJ wrote (he mentioned this in earlier interviews).
He refused to say who wrote "The Last That Could Be Done" from The Gathering Storm.
He wrote the scenes of Egwene's dinners with Elaida in The Gathering Storm. RJ's notes suggested just one dinner scene but BS decided that it would work better if it was split in two.
Footnote
Brandon said at a signing that he did write "The Last that Could Be Done" (which is chapter 22 of The Gathering Storm). He might have started with something RJ wrote, but it's not likely, as he has indicated that most of what RJ did in this book was in the prologue and in the Egwene bits.Tags
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Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez (sleepinghour)
Why did the female Choedan Kal melt at the cleansing but not the male one?Brandon Sanderson
I’m out on a limb on this one, so this one is basically Brandon assumptions without as much substantiation...The female one is...you know that male channelers tend to be a bit stronger. My understanding is that the female Choedan Kal...they weren’t built with equal power levels; they were built with power levels of equivalent [or respective power potential], and so the amount of power pulled through was almost enough to destroy the male, but was enough to destroy the female as I understand, but that one’s out on a limb.
Terez
It might possibly have something to do with the fact that Nynaeve is not at the top of the female strength level, but Rand is at the top.
Brandon Sanderson
Both of them are kind of drops in the bucket compared to what the Choedan Kal can do. I honestly don’t think that was a factor. It is a valid theory, though, because in that case Rand is contributing more, and Nynaeve’s sa’angreal needs to contribute more, if that makes sense. And so...I mean, that could be valid, but the first one was my understanding, but I’m like way out on a limb on that one. I’m not sure on that one at all.
Footnote—Terez
Since Brandon made it clear that my theory was valid, I'll explain my reasoning: Verin believed that only Siuan, Moiraine, Elaida, and the supergirls were strong enough to use the female Choedan Kal, so apparently one's strength does make a difference in whether or not one could handle a super-sa'angreal, whether or not Verin was correct about who could handle it and who could not (she seemed to think Logain could not handle the male one, but she was probably wrong). Of course, she might have been lying, but what was her motive for lying to Perrin about it? Also, RJ fairly consistently places the strongest channelers with the angreal and sa'angreal in group efforts, presumably because strong channelers can get more out of them. (Rand, Nynaeve, Alivia; and with the Bowl of the Winds: Nynaeve, Aviendha, and Talaan; etc.)
Tags
273
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Is the sky clear above Alanna or only the harem? (Brandon, who was reading from my list of questions, refused to say 'harem' and said 'THE THREE WOMEN' before I cut him off with my uproarious laughter.)Brandon Sanderson
Was that yours?
Terez
Why is that offensive?
Brandon Sanderson
What's that?
Terez
They are a harem.
Brandon Sanderson
No.
Terez
They are!
Brandon Sanderson
Noooo! Harem...I don’t know if it really does imply...but a harem implies women who sit around and do nothing...
Terez
This is true.
Brandon Sanderson
...until the man, um, wishes...
Terez
It’s an affectionate name for them.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. But I have seen that um, that phrase before, and...yes. Is the sky clear above Alanna? I’m going to RAFO Alanna. Alanna’s got an interesting thread still, so...
Terez
Yay!
Tags
274
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Will the fat man turn up again?Brandon Sanderson
Um...I hope you're not talking about me.
Terez
Um...(cracks up) [This made me laugh mostly because I had just noticed that Brandon seems to have shed quite a few pounds, no doubt because his wife occasionally reminds him that he owes it to his fans to stay in shape.]
Brandon Sanderson
I hope you're talking about the angreal! Um...I've always had an affection for that little fat man angreal.
Terez
(pause) That's a good answer.
Tags
275
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Was Moridin in his own dream when Rand visited him in The Gathering Storm? If so, did he pull the boys into his own dreams in The Eye of the World, or did he invade and control theirs?Brandon Sanderson
I believe Moridin was...okay, in The Gathering Storm, he was in his own dream. He at least believes he was in his own dream, and he is usually right on things like that. And in The Eye of the World, he...I believe it was their dreams that he was controlling. But...
Terez
That's difficult to do.
Brandon Sanderson
That's very difficult to do....so I could be wrong on that. It's easier to pull someone into your own dreams, but it's easier to influence multiple dreams from the outside. So...does that make sense?
Terez
Yes.
Brandon Sanderson
So, since he's doing it to all three of them, that makes me believe he was actually controlling their dreams. I'm pretty sure on that one, Terez. [Cut discussion of the pronunciation of Terez.] I could be wrong...but my understanding of the mechanics is that since they're all dreaming the same thing, that it's external, much as a lot of the Forsaken have been not warding their dreams through the early parts of the books, and causing people to dream lots of weird things, and share dreams. Ishamael was doing that intentionally...doing something similar. Does that make sense?
Terez
Right, and it also has to do with his ability to find ta'veren.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Footnote—Terez
In my reread I noticed in A Crown of Swords Chapter 10, "Unseen Eyes", that Egwene says it's possible for a Dreamer to pull someone out of their dreams into a dream of her own making in Tel'aran'rhiod; this is something the Wise Ones won't do, but Ishamael wouldn't have a problem with it; I had forgotten that detail for some reason, and the Moridin dream confused the issue. It can be assumed that Lanfear did the same thing; Moghedien has shown no sign of having the ability (or perhaps the desire) to reach others' dreams, but she can trap Dreamwalkers in their own dreams in Tel'aran'rhiod. Aran'gar can do it weakly, and then only if she is sleeping right next to the person. Brandon has a point about the fact that all three of them dreamed the same dream apparently at once, but in once instance, after Perrin found the wolves, it seemed to Rand and Mat that they fell asleep, had the dream, and immediately woke up, when Moiraine says they were asleep for four hours.
Tags
276
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
When Perrin and Egwene saw Rand in Tel'aran'rhiod in The Dragon Reborn, had he been pulled there by someone?Brandon Sanderson
(pause) I'm a little bit out on a limb on this one, but I don't believe he was. We have seen places where Rand manifests in Tel'aran'rhiod when he's in the real world, and this is something that happens with Rand that we haven't seen with other people...
Terez
Are you talking about like when...
Brandon Sanderson
Well, there's the Perrin sequence, for one...
Terez
Right, and when Ishamael visits him in The Great Hunt...
Brandon Sanderson
Mmmhmm.
Terez
Right. Cool.
Brandon Sanderson
So, I believe Rand has got something a little unique going on there...
Terez
Oh, okay. That's interesting.
Brandon Sanderson
...but, I'm a little on a limb on that one.
Tags
277
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Does one typically (emphasized in the list he was reading) have to visit Shayol Ghul to be granted permission to use the True Power?Brandon Sanderson
Um...(pause) Yes. I see what you're fishing for there.
Terez
Well, I mean...obviously. I didn't think I would slip that one past you.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Footnote—Terez
I was mainly following up on Freelancer's question. Despite the confusion, most fans believe that Rand accessed the True Power through his link with Moridin (and most also believe the Dark One is okay with this, despite not having granted explicit permission). Brandon's answer to Freelancer seemed to confirm that, but then Brandon denied he had actually said that.
Tags
278
Interview: Nov 16th, 2010
Paris Signing Report - Jonathan B (Paraphrased)Julien
Julien asked if the incident where Perrin comes back from Tel'aran'rhiod with blood of someone else on his face was a mistake or something else (usually you get blood from your own wounds but not others when exiting Tel'aran'rhiod).Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said remembering thinking it was odd at the time when he read it but asked for an email and find out for that question.
JULIEN
[Julien] also asked if Rand had quit smoking since we hadn't seen him smoking tabac recently.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Brandon says that if he can't get two rivers tabac he would rather not smoke anything and Rand has been a busy guy lately. He compared it to being used to really good French wine and then having only bad American wine available, in which case Rand would rather not consume. Rather funny.
Tags
279
Interview: Nov 16th, 2010
Paris Signing Report - Jonathan B (Paraphrased)Question
Someone asked about why the clouds are clearing and whether they were clearing around certain important women in the story.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said that the clouds are clearing around Rand, but it has not been specified whether that's because of ta'veren, the Fisher King or another reason entirely. He said that the clouds had cleared over Aviendha in the Waste and we have not seen whether the clouds have cleared over Tuon, but Tuon is still somewhat behind the other characters at the end of Towers of Midnight. He also said the clouds have not cleared over Seandar.Tags
280
Interview: Aug 31st, 2011
Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)rileysweeney ()
Are Rand and Aviendha going to get some time on screen together in A Memory of Light? They had such an interesting dynamic and they have barely spoken for several books.Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. (You knew that was coming, eh?)
Though...it should be noted that prophecy says that Aviendha will have Rand's children...so, that's going to be kind of tough if they don't see one another again.
Tags
281
Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Terez
These are daily email snippets from A Memory of Light courtesy of tor.com. To subscribe to the email list, follow the source link.Day 1
It had been useful at Maradon. Nobody knew he had it. That was important. (p. 256)Tags
282
Interview: Oct 15th, 2011
NY ComicCon Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Ted Herman
Does Elayne know who Rand's father is and that he killed her grandfather Laman?Brandon Sanderson
It is not confirmed that Janduin killed Laman.Ted Herman
Do Aviendha or Rand know that Laman was Elayne's grandfather (re: the sword that Aviendha gave to Rand to discharge her toh)?Brandon Sanderson
Aviendha probably didn't know but Rand definitely did.Ted Herman
ETA—these topics were to be included in possible prequels.Footnote
The reply is correct that it has not been confirmed that Janduin killed Laman. However, Laman was not Elayne's grandfather since Laman died childless [NS5].Tags
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Interview: Oct 15th, 2011
NY ComicCon Report - Ted Herman (Paraphrased)Ted Herman
Did Nynaeve realize that Suroth was a Darkfriend from their meeting in Falme, and if so, why didn't she warn Rand after he got the invitation from her?Brandon Sanderson
It is possible that she didn't connect the dots from the note to the long ago meeting, possible brain freeze, MAFO.Tags
284
Interview: Jul 11th, 2010
Chat with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Dylan
Do we see Rand much in the new book? Or will he be like Perrin, Mat or Elayne in The Gathering Storm?Brandon Sanderson
Will we see Rand in the next book? YES. The book will not be a 100% flash-back like Book 10. There will be a little bit of catch-up for Perrin, but Egwene and Rand both have large parts too.
BECKSTER45
Is Mat in Towers of Midnight?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes. Lots of Mat. Promise.
RLRHORROCKS
What happened to Elayne? It seemed she fell off the earth in the last book.
BRANDON SANDERSON
It was tough to decide that Elayne would not appear in The Gathering Storm. I knew we didn't have room for everyone. Thing is, Elayne was way ahead of everyone else in her plotline. (Meaning what she needed to get done.) And so, with great regret, I moved her to Towers of Midnight. She will appear, as will her wonderful Warder.
BECKSTER45
Will we see Galad in Towers of Midnight?
BRANDON SANDERSON
so far, I'm on record as saying this: Almost everyone who did not appear in The Gathering Storm appears in Towers of Midnight. No promises on anyone other than Main Characters, like Mat/Elayne. But expect to see a lot of people return who didn't appear in The Gathering Storm. Also, Galad happens to be one of my personal favorite characters.
FRANKLINE
Do we get anything about Shocklances?
MYX
I'm pretty late to this party, so if I don't get an answer to my question..no worries...But any chance of Egwene ever putting Cadsuane in her place?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Re: Shocklances (sp? I should really know that one) and Egwene/Cadsuane. Double RAFO. Pow!
Tags
285
Interview: Jul 11th, 2010
Chat with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Milk Man
Will Rand ever voice his known connection to his half brother?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. ;)Tags
286
Interview: Jul 11th, 2010
Chat with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Erik Holmes
How is Min NOT preggo?Brandon Sanderson
Uh... You'll have to ask her about that. I don't pry. (Actually, I think they talk about it in the books.)Footnote
Tags
287
Interview: Aug 31st, 2011
Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)Matt Hatch ()
We see the know that Dragonmount was created when Lews Therin killed himself. I've always thought this to be 100% an effect of the way he killed himself, but now I'm doubting that to be the whole story. In his death, did Lews Therin's connection to the Land as the Dragon affect the earth in any way? Did his connection contribute to any of the destruction after his death, or even the creation of Dragonmount?Brandon Sanderson
His connection was an influence, but not the primary one. He really did build Dragonmount with the Power.Tags
288
Interview: Nov 11th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Wetlandernw (Paraphrased)forkroot
Min has said that Perrin would need to be there for Rand twice to save him from something very bad. Assuming Dumai's Wells was the first time (which BWS confirmed), was Perrin's presence in Tel'aran'rhiod at Dragonmount during Rand's time there the second time? Or, in another phrasing, has the second time happened yet?Brandon Sanderson
No, that was not it. We have not yet seen the second time, but we will. (In other words, it's coming in A Memory of Light.)Tags
289
Interview: Nov 19th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - ValMar (Paraphrased)Question
The discussion about Rand and Lews Therin in his head has been framed as either a) Lews Therin is a construct created by Rand; b) Lews Therin is a real, separate person taking residence in Rand's head. Is the answer really limited to one of those two alternatives?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO, since there will be plenty of Rand's points of view in A Memory of Light.Tags
290
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Dean Foster (14 November 2011)
Will Galad ever find out he's Rand's half brother?Brandon Sanderson (14 November 2011)
Ha! You know I'm going to RAFO that.Tags
291
Interview: Nov 22nd, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Zombie Sammael (Paraphrased)Zombie Sammael
In The Gathering Storm Graendal thinks that Demandred had a shot at being the Dragon. What we were wondering was whether this refers to the soul itself or to the title Dragon, and if the title is tied to the soul.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon then said (quite excitingly IMO) that it actually went further than that, and if perhaps Rand had died whether someone else would have taken over that role.
ZOMBIE SAMMAEL
If that had happened, would that person be called Dragon?
BRANDON SANDERSON
I'll give you this: there was no chance of Demandred ever being Dragon.
ZOMBIE SAMMAEL
Ah, that's a bit similar to the answer you gave before. But if not Demandred, somebody else?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Maybe.
Tags
292
Interview: Nov 21st, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - littleleicesterfox (Paraphrased)Terez
Ask him if Rand's question about how to 'win and survive' the Last Battle counted as two questions.Brandon Sanderson
Terez: the win and survive counted as ONE question, very direct answer there. :)Tags
293
Interview: 2001
Thus Spake the Creator (Paraphrased)Question (How did the series originate?)
To the books then. The Wheel of Time is a fantasy series epic in size and scale. How did it all begin—and what was your inspiration for it?Robert Jordan
It's really hard to say. There's all sorts of things that come about before you start writing a series. You don't have "an idea" that becomes a short story, or a book. A short story is maybe hundreds of ideas that have come together, a novel is thousands of ideas that have come together. But The Wheel of Time—I was thinking at one point about what it'd really be like to be tapped on the shoulder and told "You were born to be the savior of mankind. And oh yes—you're probably going to die in the end and no, you can't resign—it's your job, you're stuck with it".
Then I had been thinking about the source of myths, the source of legends. About whether some of them might not have been personifications of natural events, the way we say some of them are supposed to be. What if some of them were things that people had done, and had simply been told and told until it became a myth and legend?
At the same time, I was thinking about the degradation of information over distance. The further you are from an event in either space or time, the less reliable your knowledge of the event. Information inevitably degrades over distance, whether it's spatial or temporal.
I was thinking about lots of other things too, and it began to coalesce. It was the beginnings of what would become the Wheel of Time. I let it mull over for four or five years, then I thought I was ready to sit down and write. But it took four years to write The Eye of the World because I discovered there were a lot of other things I had to think and sort out.
Tags
294
Interview: 2001
Thus Spake the Creator (Paraphrased)Signing Report (How did the series originate?)
Robert Jordan
Rand and Tam al’Thor originally started out as one character.
He is a man in his 30s from Emond’s Field in the present.
(Earlier, when his story ‘starts’) There isn’t much for a kid from a small village out wherever to do that does not involve backbreaking work. At about 15, he runs away to become a soldier (yes, a field that does involve backbreaking labor). After 20 years or so as a soldier, Rand/Tam wants to go home, but when he does, he realizes he’s no longer the boy that left that little village. “And prophecy is on his heels”. Maybe something of the sort will be done in a future series.
Tags
295
Interview: 2001
Thus Spake the Creator (Paraphrased)Question (What are his sources and inspirations?)
Are the names "Dragon", "Coramoor" and "Car'a'carn" based on chess openings?Robert Jordan
No.
REPORTER
This surprised me, there has been a thread around here in which was stated that Dragon, Caro-Kann and the Coramorant (I'm not sure of the last one) are chess openings. If he had answered with a yes then I would have asked why because they're all variants played by black and rather defensive but I needn't.
Footnote
It's Cormorant.Tags
296
Interview: Apr, 2001
RJ in the Netherlands - Marion Kippers (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
I asked how he comes up with names for all of his characters, and he gave a nice explanation, with some examples as well—like Nynaeve is directly from the Arthur myths, Rand Al'Thor is from Arthur (and from Thor), as is Artur Hawkwing, Merlin became Thom Merrilin and Amyrlin... He keeps a list of names he sees everywhere, in myths, street signs, newspapers, or things he misreads that might be nice for a name.Tags
297
Interview: Apr, 2001
RJ in the Netherlands - Marion Kippers (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
I also asked him whether Tam Al'Thor knows that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, and whether we'll see Tam again. He said that Tam has a suspicion from what Perrin told him, but he doesn't know for sure yet. And instead of RAFO he actually said we might not see Tam again, he's a nice guy but only a minor character and he doesn't really play a role anymore. Sigh. I would have liked to see him again... But then again, RJ might change his mind after all.Tags
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Interview: Aug 27th, 1999
Melbourne Film Festival - Steven Cooper (Paraphrased)Troy Terry
Seriously, though, any bets on whether the Tinkers will ever find the Song? I bet it's the harvest song from Rand's Aiel memories.
STEVEN COOPER
I asked RJ about this when he was in Melbourne last week, and (amazingly) got a straight answer.
Robert Jordan
The Song the Tinkers are seeking is the song Rand heard in Rhuidean—or, to be exact, the memories of that song and others like it have become merged, over the years, into the concept of one mystical Song.
STEVEN COOPER
As to whether the Tinkers will find "the Song", I suspect they will—at least, they will be brought to understand their true history just as the Aiel were. RJ seems to intend showing an upheaval affecting every nation and society in Randland during the course of the series. I doubt the Tinkers will survive unchanged into the next Age. Unless they all get wiped out, I think "the Song" will be found at some point.
Tags
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Interview: 2001
Thus Spake the Creator (Paraphrased)Mahiro (The Heroes and the Horn)
As I promised, here is a short synopsis of what RJ said at the book signing regarding whether or not Rand is King Aemon Reborn.Robert Jordan
For Rand to be Aemon reborn, Rand would have to be the same height as Aemon if Lanfear was correct in The Shadow Rising that Rand is always the same height in each of his lives.
RJ stated that Aemon was 6'1" tall, but when I asked if Lanfear was correct, RJ stated that she was not. Normally this would not say either way if Rand was Aemon.
RJ knew immediately where I was heading (this is one very intelligent man). RJ confirmed that Rand is NOT Aemon. :-(
MAHIRO
*sighs*. He stated that it was like an author's prerogative to dangle "bait" in front of people and snatch it away. That's cruel and twisted. :-)
This not just torpedoes my theory out of the water, but just nukes it completely.
Thanks to Adrian for letting me use you as a sounding board for my theory.
If anyone wants his exact words, I can post a transcript later.
Here's what I got...
MAHIRO
Mr. Jordan...
The Creator
Yeah.
MAHIRO
How tall was the last king of Manetheren?
The Creator
The last king of Manetheren...?
MAHIRO
Uh-huh.
The Creator
The last king of... Height?
MAHIRO
Yes.
The Creator
Ummm...He'd be about 6'1" [six feet one inch].
MAHIRO
6'1"? Okay. And was Lanfear correct that Rand is always the same height in each of his lives?
The Creator
Ahhh, no.
MAHIRO
No... okay. Thank you.
[At this point I turned to leave.]The Creator
Rand uhhh, Rand was not the last King of Manetheren.
MAHIRO
Thank you.
The Creator
I very rarely come out and tell you guys something like that. It's much more intriguing to simply dangle a bit of "bait" in front of you and snatch it away. But, ahh no. That's that's that's definitely a "blue sky" direction.
MAHIRO
Aan'allein, there it is nervous statements and all. You should have been there. "you can... hear him. You can... bathe in his presence...words cannot even begin to describe it. You must experience it to know. You must."
Oops, got a little carried away there... ;-)Footnote
If anyone is Aemon reborn, it's Mat, since Mat had memories of being Aemon before he got his memories from the Eelfinn. However, the clues in that case point to the Old Blood and Mat being a descendant of Aemon rather than Aemon reborn.Tags
300
Interview: May 6th, 2004
Turin Book Fair Reports (Translated)mko
Will Rand al'Thor's internal conflict be resolved?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
301
Interview: Nov, 2009
Mythmaker Films Interview (Verbatim)Interviewer
How does it feel when you have to write a scene for a character that you've really come to love where bad things happen to them?Brandon Sanderson
Oh, it can be excruciating. There are some excruciating Rand scenes in this book. Though, you know, the harder scenes to write are the ones where characters, not necessarily terrible things are happening to, but where they're depressed or muddled, or you know. In a lot of ways, the Rand scenes were painful to write, Gawyn's scenes were harder to write, because Gawyn is lost. And he doesn't know. . . he's struggling through things, and at least Rand is pointed in a direction. Maybe it's the wrong direction, but he's pointed in a direction and he's doing things. Gawyn doesn't know what he's doing, and that can be really tough.
Tags
302
Interview: May 6th, 2004
Turin Book Fair Reports (Translated)mko
I asked Jordan: "Will Rand al'Thor sooner or later win the internal conflict that gripped him by the second book?"Robert Jordan
On the American websites there is a term used in these cases: RAFO - read and find out.
MKO
I personally also asked if anyone has been interested in making a film inspired by his books, he replied that someone was interested in doing a film of The Eye of the World .... but for now there is still nothing concrete.
Tags
303
Interview: Dec 2nd, 2010
4th Age Podcast Interview with Team Jordan (Verbatim)Virginia
I want to just throw something in at the last minute, because it just popped into my mind because of that, and I'm sure this is going to be another Read And Find Out. Can you tell us anything about the lack of Lews Therin's voice now that Rand has had his so-called 'epiphany' on Dragonmount…is that an actual 'merging' of the characters? Are we done with the voice of Lews Therin?Maria Simons
I need to learn Old Tongue for 'Read And Find Out'. [laughter]
VIRGINIA
I'm still waiting for 'May the Light illumine you'! [laughs] I was hoping somebody'd pop up with that for the podcast, and that's how I try to close each episode, so that's why I asked Brandon for it. I'm just gonna have to hound him.
Tags
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Interview: 2012
Twitter: AMOL Writing and Editing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (20 December 2011)
Still hard at work on A Memory of Light. Today's scenes involve lots of loud noises.
MARK HOWARD
Just curious, have you read the end scenes that RJ wrote? Or are you waiting till you get there?
BRANDON SANDERSON
I read them as soon as I got them. I needed to use them as a target 'goal' for the book.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Now, on to a scene that finally, at long last, fulfills something Min saw long ago...
BRANDON SANDERSON
I've finished all characters except Rand and Mat. (Note, I'm not writing in order; other characters have already-written scenes after this.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Now, I have to finish Mat's climax, write a few more Rand scenes, then add in RJ's ending material. Then we're done. Very close now.
PATRICK
What are your thoughts on ending the WoT series that Robert Jordan started so long ago? :)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Solemnity.
BRANDON SANDERSON
After a few hours with the family, am back at work on A Memory of Light. It's slightly possible that I'll finish it sometime during the night.
JENNIFER LIANG
Would that make tonight A Memory of Light Eve?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Ha. Yes, I guess it would.
BRANDON SANDERSON
You can follow along, if you wish. I have twenty small points on my outline left to hit. Maybe 10k words or so. I'll tweet as I pass them.
BRANDON SANDERSON
First scene out of twenty finished. (Note that I'm using 'scene' here liberally to mean a point on the plot outline.)
FRANK KWIATKOWSKI
Can you tell us who has the last chapter?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Afraid that would spoil too much.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Note that as I approach an ending, my writing speed goes up, as I get momentum. 10k tonight is not impossible. (Though most days I do 2-3.)
BRENT WEEKS
Good luck!
BRANDON SANDERSON
Thanks!
BRANDON SANDERSON
Two out of twenty scenes done. Eighteen left, and A Memory of Light will be finished.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Three out of Twenty of the remaining scenes in A Memory of Light have been finished. (If you're just now seeing this, check back to my last few posts.)
MARCUS ENGSTROM
How long was it after the first two books were finished until they were published?
BRANDON SANDERSON
For the first one, about a year. For the next, about six months. This will probably be closer to the first than the second.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene four was slightly shorter than the others. 4 out of 20 finished so far tonight.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #5 finished. 25% through the ending of A Memory of Light. Feeling good about these scenes. All is going very well.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Some of you have asked if I got the Magic cards you sent me off of my Amazon wishlist. I did! I'm waiting to open them until I'm done with A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
A few of these scenes are pretty emotional ones for me. It's been a long, long road. I started reading the WoT twenty-one years ago.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Just finished scene #6 out of the 20 remaining in A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene seven is done. Thirteen more to go. This one...this one was tough to write.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I've apparently inspired a drinking game with this on both Twitter and Facebook. I'd join in, but: 1) Mormon. 2) BUSY WRITING END OF WOT. :)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #8 is a tricky one. I know how it has to go, I just need to do it carefully. Getting close to having it right.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #8 is finished. This is going well. I often build momentum like this during a powerful book ending, and this one is very powerful.
BRANDON SANDERSON
We shall see. We've still got three or four hours before I'd normally turn in for bed. If I start to get sleepy, I'll call it for the night.
BRANDON SANDERSON
No sense in pushing on if the quality starts to flag. Knowing myself, though, I'll be too excited to be tired for a while yet. Onward!
LOCALPCGUY
Glad to hear things are ending well! I can't wait to read it. Think I have time for a full re-read before A Memory of Light?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Depends on how quickly you read. :)
DAVID MACKAY
Cannot wait, but I agree. Is it really going to take a year to edit and publish?
BRANDON SANDERSON
I've done a dozen drafts each of the previous two books. That kind of thing takes a little bit of time...
BRANDON SANDERSON
I just did something to Mat that I've been gleefully waiting to do for three years.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Don't stress the thing I did to Mat too much. It's a little (and fun) thing I've wanted to see him do for a long time.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I have finished scene #9 out of 20 I need to write before A Memory of Light is done.
AVI DOBKIN
Best of luck to @BrandSanderson as I turn in for the night. I'm giddy for A Memory of Light.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Hopefully, you will wake to find the book finished.
CHRISTINA BOULARD
It's almost 3:30am here and I SHOULD be in bed, but I feel like I need 2 stay up and cheer you on and also to witness THE END!
BRANDON SANDERSON
Ha. Well, there are still hours left to go, I suspect. I started at...what, 9:00 here? I'm to 1/2 and it's almost 2:00?
BRANDON SANDERSON
For those asking, it's almost 2:00 am here. The night is still young.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Just finished Scene #10. Halfway there!
BRANDON SANDERSON
I don't expect it to go longer than those. After editing, I'm pretty sure we'll settle at 350-360k words. (About 10% longer than Towers of Midnight.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Brace yourselves. I just finished the last Mat Cauthon scene that, in all likelihood, will ever be written.
FRANK KWIATKOWSKI
General writing question: after The editor edits, is it typical for an author to add/rewrite, or only the editor?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Only the author rewrites or adds. Never the editor. (in most cases.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
The fourteenth scene was Mat's, and now I've finished the fifteenth scene. Five more to go, and A Memory of Light is done.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Just finished scene #16. Four more to go. Guess I'm not stopping tonight, eh?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #17 is finished. I was a tad on the longer side for the ones I'm doing here, as are the last three. 5:00 am here.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I keep flashing back to times I've read the WoT books through my life. Looking back, you could call Rand/Mat/Perrin my oldest friends.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #18 is done. Two more to go.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Scene #19 is done. Deep breath. I'm beginning the last scene I will write in the Wheel of Time, then will add RJ's ending.
BRANDON SANDERSON
I've been listening to Pandora as I do this, but am wondering if I should pick a specific song to listen to as I finish. Suggestions?
BRANDON SANDERSON
My choice for a song to play as I write the last few paragraphs here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0G_FI61a8
BRANDON SANDERSON
Ladies and gentlemen, A Memory of Light—the final book in The Wheel of Time—has been finished.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Now I'll open a metric gigaton of Magic cards that have been sent to me by fans, sleep for a day, and rest until next week.Then: revisions!
BRANDON SANDERSON
As for when the book will come out, Tor should do an announcement soon. Revisions will take a good six months. So fall, I expect.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Another common question: How many revisions will I do? The last two took about a dozen. (On non-WoT books, I do about seven or eight.)
BRANDON SANDERSON
Also, it's going to be tough to give direct replies to questions right now, what with like 1000 people tweeting/facebooking at me. :)
BRANDON SANDERSON
But lots of people are asking about outriggers/prequels. The answer is still the same. We'd rather not risk exploiting RJ's legacy.
BRANDON SANDERSON
It is a step I don't think we want to take. Better to stop while we're ahead. I'm sorry, but they probably won't ever happen.
BRANDON SANDERSON
And now, yes, I will go to sleep. 7am here. That's 10 hours of solid writing after a full day of solid writing, so I'm beat.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Thank you all for the good wishes. May you find water and shade.
BRANDON SANDERSON (AFTER A NAP)
Ah. Good morning, all. (Yes, it's five in the afternoon here.) Checking email, and...INBOX EXPLOSION. I guess I was expecting it. :)
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305
Interview: Jul, 2009
Twitter: Brandonothology collection (Verbatim)Graendal
How do you feel about the degeneration of Rand and Egwene's relationship? Could Amyrlin and Dragon work?Brandon Sanderson
I think it was one of the best things RJ did. It played with our expectations in a great way. And I think Rand has his hands plenty full right now without adding Egwene back in. They have gone different directions in life. It was quite well done, though sad.Tags
306
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Edward Liu (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
I asked him of the three women in love with Rand who he (RJ) preferred; he said because all the women characters were based on his wife, he couldn't say which he liked most. Maybe I was getting too personal. Dunno.Tags
307
Interview: Dec 5th, 2000
WH Signing Report - Br00se (Paraphrased)Br00se
The next question was about the heights and weights of the three amigos. I had seen the heights reported before, but not the weights. This might actually be new info.
Robert Jordan
Rand is 6' 5" to 6' 6" and 235 lbs.
Perrin is 6' 1½" and 235-245 lbs.
Mat is 6' and 180 lbs.Tags
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Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Claireducky (Paraphrased)Claire
The dream sequence where Rand sees Moridin, and he thinks about having been there "long ago"—is he simply remembering his dreams there with Ishamael from The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt?Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal Rigney
Yes.Tags
309
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Claireducky (Paraphrased)Question
(something regarding the bruises remaining on Min's neck, and if this was a typo)Brandon Sanderson
No, that is correct. Rand caused the bruises, so balefiring Semirhage would not make them go away. Balefire only removes paradoxes caused by the direct actions of the one who is balefired. And the bracelets remained after Rand balefired [Semirhage and Elza] because they weren't really part of Semirhage or Elza.
Claire
(comment regarding the thread on Dragonmount where some are arguing that by balefiring Graendal's palace, the Compulsion disappeared since there'd never had been a palace in the first place, and others are arguing that it doesn't work that way, objects don't have threads).
BRANDON SANDERSON
Everything has a thread, not just souls. Even a stone in a wall has a thread in the Pattern.
Tags
310
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Claireducky (Paraphrased)Question
Do the Seanchan know how to make cuendillar?Brandon Sanderson
You're trying to figure out if the collar Semirhage put on Rand is cuendillar. (this was a long convo so I can't remember all of it... I THINK he said the original had been made of cuendillar, and that the Seanchan had copies of it, but would not answer whether those were made of cuendillar as well. He wouldn't say if Rand was wearing a copy or the original, he said it didn't matter. And that he knew of at least two ways to destroy cuendillar—The True Power and one other way. He looked thoughtful when Muirenn mentioned the theory that women make white cuendillar and men make black cuendillar, but wouldn't confirm or deny.)Tags
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Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Hey Brandon, I got a bunch of questions from the Wheel of Time Re-read.Brandon Sanderson
Okay! Alright! So Wetlander and people.
LOIALSON
Yes...Are the impressive displays of power that Rand makes in Towers of Midnight (i.e., stopping the Trolloc army and having no concern over being able to leave the White Tower) a result of his integrated knowledge or his ta'veren nature?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Umm...Both, though, one thing you have to keep in mind, is...Rand, as a result of power level...Robert Jordan was specifically not using him very often because his power had grown so powerful even by the end of Knife of Dreams. I mean, you look at Knife of Dreams—if you go reread the fight in Knife of Dreams he is laying waste to nearly as many Trollocs as he has when he does the battle at the temple—which is not actually called that in the books—that's the one with the Trollocs and things [referencing Rand's big single-handed fight in Towers of Midnight]. And so...yes, some of these things have changed, but he's really powerful now.
Now, the thing about in the White Tower is something different. [Brandon smiles]
Footnote
Tags
312
Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Is the glow in Rand's head that Nynaeve sees upon delving Rand linked to the nature of him being ta'veren, or because of the nature of him being the Dragon?Brandon Sanderson
(laughs) I'm gonna RAFO that one.Tags
313
Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Did Nynaeve inform Egwene that according to Rand, the Dark One can resurrect the soul of a Forsaken killed by any means other than balefire?Brandon Sanderson
I honestly don't know if she's told her yet.Tags
314
Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Can Rand still access the True Power through Moridin?Brandon Sanderson
That's a Read and Find Out. A big one.Footnote
Brandon has said that Rand can still sense it, but he is resisting using it. So the 'big' RAFO was for the idea that Rand channels the True Power via Moridin.Tags
315
Interview: Dec 17th, 2011
Alloy of Law Signing Report - Loialson (Verbatim)Loialson
Can Rand consciously control his ta'veren pull to any degree? Specifically referencing to his meeting with Tuon to will her to submit to him, and when he threatened Cadsuane to will her dead.Brandon Sanderson
He, um, believes that he can.
LOIALSON
Still, even after the The Gathering Storm reintegration?
BRANDON SANDERSON
He has a more zen view on it now, but he still believes that he can have some influence.
Tags
316
Interview: May 15th, 2003
La Repubblica - Interview with Robert Jordan (Translated)Dario Olivero
In the book just published in Italy [Crossroads of Twilight], the protagonist, a young man named Rand al'Thor, predestined to do something great, is scared and tries to flee, to escape his fate. Is it possible to escape fate?Robert Jordan
All have many opportunities to change their lives. In this sense there is no fixed and immutable destiny. Fate materializes in the moment in which you make a decision: it is in that moment that your life takes a necessary direction.Tags
317
Interview: Apr, 2012
Twitter: SwanCon 2012 - PRK (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
PRK (7 APRIL 2012)
In The Gathering Storm, Egwene was mostly RJ, Rand mostly Brandon. In Towers of Midnight, Mat mostly RJ, Perrin mostly Brandon.
Tags
318
Interview: Apr, 2012
Twitter: SwanCon 2012 - PRK (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
PRK (7 APRIL 2012)
Brandon tried to get moments for every character in A Memory of Light. Egwene is ready to be bad ass in the Last Battle; her character development is done.
PRK
Perth Exclusive for #WoT counted scenes by viewpoint. Rand has the most viewpoints in A Memory of Light, not a huge margin. Others tied.
PRK
Caveat, still revising A Memory of Light, so that can change.
LISA-MAREE BARBA
It's not much but Brandon S just told me that Lan has the most POVs in A Memory of Light, only just ahead of Rand. But that could change with editing.
PRK
I thought he said Rand ahead of the other main characters?
TEREZ
That doesn't even make sense. :s Sure, Lan is vital, but it's hard to see how the story could focus on him that much.
PRK (8 APRIL)
Confirmed it was Rand with the highest number of POV scenes in A Memory of Light (at the moment).
Footnote
It might be that Brandon said Rand was first just ahead of Lan, and Lisa-Maree mixed them up, but it seems somewhat unlikely.Tags
319
Interview: Apr, 2012
Afternoon Tea with Brandon Sanderson - Luckers (Paraphrased)Luckers
Are the major characters all at their full strength now?Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
LUCKERS
I just ask because, like Nynaeve has been channeling longer, and Egwene was forced. And Rand likely was too, and as a man gains strength more swiftly...
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yeah, Elayne might not... I think she is, but she may not quite be there.
Tags
320
Interview: Apr, 2012
Afternoon Tea with Brandon Sanderson - Luckers (Paraphrased)Luckers
Are the Tel'aran'rhiod precepts enforced, and did breaking them expose Birgitte to what Moghedien did?Brandon Sanderson
No, not as far as I know, and I’m pretty solid on... I went through the notes on Tel'aran'rhiod heavily in the course of my work on the Wheel, so yeah.Tags
321
Interview: Apr, 2012
Afternoon Tea with Brandon Sanderson - Luckers (Paraphrased)Luckers
In The Great Hunt Ishamael has no knowledge that Mat sounded the Horn, and thinks Rand did. Later on though, a Fade refers to Mat as the Hornsounder. How did he know?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
LUCKERS
*we talked about this for a while, and I didn’t take any notes on that part of the conversation (so it was nothing big) we dropped back into interesting stuff a bit later and I resumed note taking*
BRANDON SANDERSON
I will say that, in the course of writing A Memory of Light, I learned some very interesting things that went against some strong preconceptions I had about the Horn. Some of the ideas I had, about how it worked, turned out to be incorrect.
Tags
322
Interview: Apr, 2012
Afternoon Tea with Brandon Sanderson - Luckers (Paraphrased)Luckers
Sammael claims to have a truce with Rand, even though we see Rand turn him down. Was Sammael lying, or did...Brandon Sanderson
I’m fairly sure he was lying. As in, I’ve seen something in the notes at one point, and I’m pretty sure it was... but my memory being what it is, I will say you can MAFO that. But I’m pretty sure he was lying.
Maria Simons
Sammael was lying in an attempt to manipulate Graendal.
Tags
323
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Aubree Pham
From dinner re: balefire philosophy:
Talked to Brandon at the Stormleader dinner last night. He had a few things to say on this topic:
Brandon Sanderson
1. The bruises on Min's neck were not an error. After consulting with Team Jordan, it was determined that indirect effects remain. Rand was the one who strangled Min, not Semirhage directly, so the bruises stayed.
2. Brandon knows of two ways to destroy cuendillar. But he would not confirm if the Domination Band that Rand was wearing was made from cuendillar. He said it was not relevant to what happened.
3. The bracelets did not disappear when Semirhage and Elza were balefired because they were not considered to be intrinsic to their person. It would be the same if someone was holding a book and was balefired, the book would drop to the floor.
Footnote
Moghedien said the Domination Band was a form of cuendillar, and the assumption is that Rand was able to destroy it because he used the True Power.Tags
324
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Aubree Pham
From dinner & signing both:
There were some interesting answers at the Dallas signing and Stormleader dinner:
Tags
325
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
The prophecy of the land being one with the Dragon Reborn, and the Dragon being one with the land will play a big role in these last three books.Tags
326
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
When asked if the Rand's wound from the Shadar Logoth dagger was really contained like Samitsu thinks it is, the answer was RAFO.Tags
327
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
The black/dark aura around Rand is partially, but not entirely, an effect of True Power usage. There will be consequences from Rand's True Power use.Tags
328
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
The True Power is usually not able to be used without the Dark One's consent. Semirhage certainly thought that the Dark One intentionally betrayed her.Tags
329
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Rand did not use compulsion, or any other weaves, on Tuon at their meeting. Tuon's refusal was mainly due to her innate sense of self. At this point, she firmly believes that she is the most important person in the world.Tags
330
Interview: Nov 14th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Aubree Pham (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson
Sulin appearing with Rand's group was NOT an error. Perrin is approximately a month behind everyone else in the timeline and will play major catchup in Towers of Midnight.Footnote
Brandon clarified later; this was an error.Tags
331
Interview: Apr, 2012
Gold Coast SupaNova - Eleanor Chandler-Temple (Paraphrased)Eleanor
Will all the questions Rand and Moiraine asked of the Aelfinn be revealed in A Memory of Light?Brandon Sanderson
No.(Will we know more?) They will be partially revealed.
ELEANOR
This one I can't remember too well from the notes taken, so the wording may be a little off. He looked certain and a little cheerful on this one.
Tags
332
Interview: Apr, 2012
Gold Coast SupaNova - Eleanor Chandler-Temple (Paraphrased)Zombie Sammael
We know access to the True Power is a matter of wanting it and the Dark One letting you. Are there any other conditions?Brandon Sanderson
Well... (This is not quite verbatim.) You have to be human of course, and all the other things as with the One Power. I don't believe so, but I am not sure. (Don't take this last sentence as gospel as I may not recall it correctly.)
ELEANOR
I think we need to clarify what sort of conditions so he can say yes or no to them. Maybe MAFO?
Tags
333
Interview: Apr, 2012
Gold Coast SupaNova - Eleanor Chandler-Temple (Paraphrased)Eleanor
If Rand dies, or seems to die, or almost dies, will there be a secondary reason other than cool factor or him being loved for bringing him back?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
ELEANOR
I thought I'd manage to dodge a RAFO with this setup, but of course to answer it he would have to confirm Rand's death or otherwise.
Tags
334
Interview: Apr, 2012
Gold Coast SupaNova - Eleanor Chandler-Temple (Paraphrased)Eleanor
Did Verin reveal any Darkfriends to anyone other than Egwene? Like in the little red-sealed letters or something?Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
ELEANOR
(Blinked.) Can you...I don't know...?
BRANDON SANDERSON
(Laughs) No.
ELEANOR
Did this for the Weiramon eyes thing people, to see if we could rule out her letters to Rand. Nope.
Tags
335
Interview: May, 2012
A Memory of Light Cover Art Round-Up (Verbatim)Terez
The tor.com post about the Whelan art is copied in full and parsed for tagging, but there are some plot-relevant bits from a friend of Whelan's in the comments that are recorded at the bottom, and I've clipped the relevant bit about the DKS art from Tor's tribute post.Irene Gallo
The scene depicts Min, Aviendha, and Elayne gathered on a battlefield around what is presumably a funeral pyre for Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn. What we recognize as a yin/yang appears in the clouds, possibly signifying a unity that has evaded male and female channelers for over 3000 years.
DARRELL K. SWEET
Tags
336
Interview: May, 2012
A Memory of Light Cover Art Round-Up (Verbatim)Irene Gallo
We are very excited to reveal the cover to A Memory of Light, the final volume of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. The artwork for this final edition is by, arguably, one of today’s most beloved illustrators, Michael Whelan.
The task of jumping into a 14 volume series on its last installment must have been a daunting one but Michael rose to the occasion. Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s editor and widow remarked, "that is the Rand I have waited to see for twenty years” when she saw the image. And while the artwork clearly has all the earmarks of a Whelan painting, its theme and coloration make it a fitting heir to Darrell K. Sweet’s series of Wheel of Time covers.
In keeping with the series’ covers, the scene gathers elements from a key scene in the book. Here, Rand stands with Callandor on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, heading down into its depths to confront the Dark One even as the sun itself vanishes from the world. Two Aes Sedai follow the Dragon Reborn into the mouth of darkness, two women who have been with Rand since the very beginning.
MICHAEL WHELAN
Tags
337
Interview: May, 2012
A Memory of Light Cover Art Round-Up (Verbatim)MRJackson@218 (7 May 2012)
Not sure why there's still confusion. It's Nynaeve and Moiraine on the back cover. The yellow and blue dresses should make that apparent. Nynaeve's hair is obviously shorter than it used to be.
I spoke to Michael about the cover as he was finishing it. Since he didn't have the opportunity to read all fourteen books for the assignment, I was one of the people he leaned on to fact check his work.
Michael mentioned there are details the readers (like me) wouldn't be privy to yet. For example, Nynaeve takes the bulk of her jewelry off before this scene.
Callandor is a sword that isn't a sword, right? He's not holding it for defense. It's a source of power as well as his source of light (there's a clue about that in the lighting on his face). He's shielding his eyes as he stares in to the pit. Apparently, the deeper he goes into Shayol Ghul, the brighter it shines.
A little background that some might not know... Michael has studied martial arts, including Filipino Kali and Arnis. The forearm slash position actually has some utility in fights with bladed weapons.
Compositionally, the line of the sword is another element that draws you into the intensity of Rand's stare. Further, the opening of the cave is the shape of an eye; the eclipse suggests an iris. It's as if the gaze of the Dark One is falling on Rand. We see his strength and determination in response. How many illustrators can convey that kind of depth in a scene?
Say what you will, but I think Michael brought a lot to the plate on what was a very difficult cover assignment. He put his stamp on Rand while producing a cover that fits well with the first thirteen that DKS painted.
analiese@222 (8 May 2012)
Thanks for confirming that. However, Nynaeve's hair is still the wrong color and, while it's shorter after the Aes Sedai testing in Towers of Midnight, it should still be in a shoulder-length braid. She never gave up her signature braid. That's why many people don't think it looks like Nynaeve—the braid is the main thing that would identify her as Nynaeve to the readers.
The loose light hair makes the woman on the cover look more like Alivia, who many fans believe is the woman in yellow. So I'm still of the opinion that Whelan did not do a good job with Nynaeve if longtime fans don't even recognize her. I think it's a beautiful cover, but as a reader, the main thing I care about is seeing the characters—who we have been reading about for twenty years—done right, not so much whether the cave looks realistic or happens to symbolize the Dark One spying on Rand. So it's disappointing that Nynaeve ended up virtually unrecognizable. She doesn't even wear yellow dresses in the books, despite being Yellow Ajah (she makes a point of wearing green or blue since that's what Lan likes), so that's not something that makes the woman's identity apparent either.
If you don't mind me asking (not trying to be rude here, it just strikes me as a bit strange), why did Whelan rely on fans to check his work instead of Team Jordan? I'm assuming you work for Tor, but you refer to yourself as a reader who hasn't read the book. To what extent were Brandon Sanderson and Team Jordan involved with the creative process behind this cover?
MRJackson@223
I was just one of the people helping with the details. Obviously Michael had Irene Gallo's art direction and was in contact with editors including Harriet.
Michael's wife Audrey usually serves as his sounding board, but she hadn't read the books. (For the record, I'm not affiliated with TOR. I've worked with Michael since the mid 90s, primarily on his website.) I'm a WoT fan and that's the kind of feedback Michael was looking for... someone he knew who had read the previous thirteen books.
Michael and I did discuss Nynaeve's dress color. I mentioned that she catered to Lan's color preference of green and blue. The yellow of her Ajah usually came in slashes of color, accents if I recall correctly.
Like I said, I haven't read the manuscript for A Memory of Light and Michael couldn't talk about it. But I distinctly recall Nynaeve taking pride in being a true Aes Sedai finally. Going into the Last Battle, I don't think it's a stretch that she would choose yellow. I suppose we'll have to RAFO on that.
In the background information I provided, I described Nynaeve's hair color as darker brown and referenced previous covers (among them the Melanie Delon's cover for A Crown of Swords that drew criticism for being too red).
I'd have to ask him why he chose lighter highlights. Just my speculation here, but Callandor is a light source. There's also illumination from the eclipse filtering in from the mouth of the cave to consider.
Michael got the length of Nynaeve's hair right, and this isn't simply opinion. Hopefully Brandon or Harriet will confirm at some point that her shoulder length hair was too short to braid.
Interestingly, Michael and I spoke about the challenge of pulling character descriptions from the text. If you're familiar with his illustration, he's known as a stickler for details. But it isn't always easy to translate text literally, especially when Jordan and Sanderson contradict in their description.
In correspondence, Michael wrote,
Michael Whelan
"Major characters are described as diminutive in size, yet 'commanding' in presence. Faces are youthful, yet ageless. Or young but having eyes full of wisdom of the ages. Rand is tall and manly, yet has an almost "feminine" beauty in his eyes or mouth. It's a bit confusing how one is supposed to render such conflicting elements."
MRJackson
Honestly, I don't mind the nitpicking. Criticism comes with the territory. My point in responding is to state that Michael was mindful of details here. There's evidence of it in the painting. I can tell you that he had Moiraine's kesiera and Nynaeve's ki'sain accounted for before I even spoke to him.
On a personal note, I had the privilege of meeting Robert Jordan before a signing on the Knife of Dreams tour. One of the things we talked about was the cover art for the series. I think Mr. Jordan would be pleased with this one. Obviously Harriet was when she said, "that is the Rand I have waited to see for twenty years."
analiese@224
Firstly, thank you very much for the thorough answer. It answered many of my questions, and it was also interesting to hear more about the creative process behind the cover.
[Nynaeve's hair] got singed off "a handspan below her shoulders" (Towers of Midnight ch 20), and she wore a shoulder-length braid in every scene she was in after the Aes Sedai testing. That's why it seemed odd for her signature braid to be missing on the cover. I don't really care about the dress or even much about the hair color, but Nynaeve isn't Nynaeve without her braid—it's part of who she is. It's like Mat showing up without his hat and ashandarei. And the ki'sain is too small to be visible, so it doesn't do anything to make the woman on the cover look more like Nynaeve.
I also wish Nynaeve and Moiraine hadn't been delegated to the background/back cover—since they're going to be linked with him, they deserve to stand at his side. But that's not an error, just something I wish were different.
However, while the cover isn't what I hoped for, I understand and deeply appreciate that you and Whelan both worked incredibly hard on it, and Whelan remains one of my favorite illustrators. I think he did a wonderful job with Rand.
MRJackson@228
I appreciate the sentiment but Michael did the actual work. He pushed his calendar aside this spring to make the cover happen. I was just support. But I will admit it took a lot of restraint on my part not to inundate him with questions that I knew he couldn't answer, so there is that.
As readers, we all have so much invested in this series that I completely understand what you're saying. I love Brandon's work, but I felt Towers of Midnight was a bit of a letdown, especially the resolution with Moiraine.
Moiraine has always been a favorite of mine. I would have liked to see her on the front cover as well. Thankfully Dan Dos Santos gave us that in his brilliant cover for The Fires of Heaven.
Wetlandernw@227
I think MRJackson & Mr. Whelan made a very good point, in that we have not yet read this book. By the time this scene happens, we may see several other events that make sense of the seeming discrepancies. Specifically, there are only two scenes after Nynaeve's testing which mention her braid, and in both cases it is specifically noted that it is too short and she finds it quite annoying. Quite possibly she'll meet up with Lan and find out that he likes it loose, or she'll simply decide that it's too irritating to fuss with a too-short braid, and we'll see her with loose hair in several scenes before this.
Someone was bothered earlier by the missing jewelry—but now we know that she specifically and deliberately removed the jewelry before this scene, probably so that someone else could use them. (That's what happened during the Cleansing; why not here as well?) Seems to me that we should make the assumption that the same kind of thing might happen with The Braid, instead of insisting that she should look like she did in the previous book, and claiming any discrepancies as mistakes. Such claims are not only rude, they are unfounded. Once the book is out and we've read the whole thing, we might have grounds for nitpicking; until then, not so much.
MRJackson—Thank you for your contributions, both to this thread and to Mr. Whelan.
MRJackson@230 (9 May 2012)
Glad to be of help. Maybe someday we'll find closure in the great braid debate...
Seriously though, Michael painted Nynaeve's hair at that length (without a braid) for a reason. I wasn't trying to sidestep debate. I was expressing certainty. Michael was aware that the braid was an identifying feature of her character. The painting turned out the way it did through a long process that involved editorial input. I'll leave it at that.
I look at it this way (and this is my opinion)... Nynaeve has grown enormously through the books. She was always uniquely powerful, but it took time for her to grow into that power. More so, it took a dozen books to accept herself and decide who she wanted to be.
Nynaeve worked through enormous difficulty to channel reliably. Remember how she used to tug on that braid? It really was a symbol of who she used to be. Kind of fitting that the symbol is gone.
Old habits die hard, of course, but she isn't that girl tugging on her braid any more. She's a woman who fought to gain acceptance as an Aes Sedai, and she's going to stand at Rand side to face the Dark One. It's impressive how far she's come as a character.
analiese@
The Fires of Heaven ebook cover was definitely one of the best, though there were a few things the artist got wrong (Moiraine does not have blue eyes). The New Spring cover was great too, especially Lan. It's mostly Nynaeve who has suffered bad luck with the ebook covers. There's A Crown of Swords where she got red hair and Lan looked like an underwater zombie, Winter's Heart where she didn't appear at all despite being linked with Rand for the Cleansing, The Path of Daggers where she got a Saldaean nose and Elayne looked suspiciously like Jean Grey...
I think much of my disappointment with the A Memory of Light cover stems from the fact that there's already an earlier cover (Winter's Heart) where Rand claimed the stage and his female linking partner was left out. "Hero poses manfully brandishing some kind of phallic object" is a pretty tired concept, especially on WoT covers. Rand does the same on Sweet's The Dragon Reborn and The Path of Daggers, the ebook covers for The Dragon Reborn, Winter's Heart, Knife of Dreams... Winter's Heart is probably the worst offender, if you look at the placement of the Choedan Kal. ;)
Sweet's A Memory of Light cover was a welcome break from that—I'm not usually a fan of Sweet's covers, but I liked that he gave Elayne, Min, and Aviendha a prominent role and added some emotion to the cover. So I really would have liked to see something different on the final cover, like Rand having the two women from the Callandor circle at his side. Here, Nynaeve and Moiraine are present, but only in the background, and not at all on the ebook cover.
MRJackson@236
The only female lead who held the cover spotlight on par with the men was Moiraine, and that is a shame.
There was definitely opportunity to feature Nynaeve linked with Rand on Winter's Heart. Despite the hair, I liked Nynaeve on the cover of A Crown of Swords. Lan not so much. The Path of Daggers was another miss, mostly because the colors were a distraction. I thought I was looking at an X-Men cover. Even if that was intentional, it didn't work for me.
I can only assume Rand was intended to stand at center stage alone on the last cover, but I think what you suggest would have been great too. Moiraine and Nynaeve definitely earned their place at Rand's side on the front.
ViciousCircle@264
That was a beautiful description of why Nynaeve is one of the most compelling characters in the series. She and Moiraine kept me invested during some dark years of almost giving up on WOT. I always hoped they would be the other Callandor channelers, as I could not imagine Rand putting himself in such a vulnerable position with anyone else. Aviendha, Min and Elayne included, though I do love Aviendha! So thank you for shedding light on why some things are portrayed as they are on this excellent new cover. Just don't think that it will put a dent in the debate. ;)
MRJackson@266
Thanks. I feel much the same way about those characters, and I'm sure the debate will keep going on well after the publication of A Memory of Light.
Tags
338
Interview: May, 2012
A Memory of Light Cover Art Round-Up (Verbatim)Terez@232 (9 May 2012)
Mr. Jackson (your name isn't Michael is it? because that would be unfortunate),
Thanks for the reassurances. Do you happen to know if specs were given for the eclipse? We're wondering if we can assume it's accurately portrayed from the perspective of an astronomer (we have one of those at Theoryland, and a hobbyist as well). That's not to say we can figure anything out about it right now, or even that we'll be able to figure it out when the book comes out judging on recent portrayal of chronology. Just curious. No worries if no particular care was taken to portray it accurately; I understand it's complicated, but it could have been made simple if RJ left notes about it. Also curious as to why it didn't show up until the final draft.
MRJackson@235
We didn't talk about it, but I can ask him. Michael has more than a passing interest in astronomy so it's possible.
And M and R are my initials...
MRJackson@238
Michael's response:
Michael Whelan
The few pages of manuscript I was given to work from didn't have any mention of an eclipse. The subject didn't come up until I had done several conceptual renderings. After sending some of them to TOR I got an email from Irene telling me that if I showed the sky through the mouth of the cave I might want to work an eclipse into the scene.
For reference I looked at a lot of photos of eclipses and liked the idea (for symbolic reasons) of indicating an imminent annular eclipse, the kind where the moon doesn't entirely cover the sun but leaves a thin ring of light in the sky.
Tags
339
Interview: May, 2012
A Memory of Light Cover Art Round-Up (Verbatim)MarioInOttawa@265 ()
Anyone know why his left hand is hidden? I think it is because his hand grows back and they didn't want to give that part away (The Dragon Reborn is causing all sorts of broken things to go good again).
MRJackson@266
Nice thought but Michael was just hiding the stump.
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340
Interview: 2012
Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)Andrew J. Parker (29 April 2012)
Hi Brandon. Any chance you can tell me whether Rand is a Hero of the Horn? Thanks!Brandon Sanderson (29 April 2012)
RAFO! :)Footnote
RJ has confirmed that he is.Tags
341
Interview: 2012
Twitter: AMOL Writing and Editing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (21 May 2012)
WoT update: Today, I added a new Rand scene to the book. One of many I've been working on, but this one came together first.
Jason Palmer
? Is it a complete NEW scene? If so is it because the editors thought it would fit into the book more, is this the second draft?
Brandon Sanderson
New scene. We often add new scenes in the second, third, or even last drafts of a book.
Greg Lindsey
Feel free to add as much as the binding will allow!! Thanks for everything! By the way do you have an updated word count estimate?
Brandon Sanderson
No updated count yet. We'll see how much more I add this time around—I'm cutting it too.
Daniel Shepard
Can/Will you tell us anything about it? Please? :)
Brandon Sanderson
I'm afraid I can't say much. I try to be extra-careful with WoT scenes out of respect for Harriet.
Simon Draper
When is the last book being published? I can't believe it's the end of the series already.
Brandon Sanderson
January.
Tags
342
Interview: Aug 8th, 2009
WorldCon 2009 - Dom (Paraphrased)Dom
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon drew a graph of A Memory of Light's structure and explained in some details how he ended up re structuring it as three books. Not much that isn't already known in there, book 12 will have two main story lines (we know it's Rand and Egwene, but as I said Brandon didn't say so explicitly at the Q&A) and teasers for three more (Mat—and seemingly Perrin and Elayne). By 'teasers', Brandon precised he means 3 or 4 chapters per story line, the rest of the chapters being divided between the two main story lines (by recent books, this could means Egwene/Rand have about 10-12 chapters each, or a few more). Some developments happen in the teasers but it's not huge stuff, more like set ups chapters for what happens in book 13.
Book 13 will have the opposite, with 3-4 chapters each for Egwene and Rand, "toward the end". Brandon kept those for book 13 to avoid spoiling in The Gathering Storm the climax of book 13, which will mark the reunion of all the main story lines at some location, and launch Tarmon Gai'don. So in book 13 we will have the residual Rand/Egwene chapters that specifically build up to the reunion.
Brandon explained the decision to split the books this way came about between Harriet and him, in part to avoid the "Crossroads of Twilight trap". Apparently, RJ went that way in Winter's Heart/Crossroads of Twilight mostly because he had been affected by all the grief he got for keeping Mat out of The Path of Daggers. He decided to try to put all the main characters in the next books, even if it meant all the story lines would advance more slowly if they were all told in parallel like this. He very much regretted this after Crossroads of Twilight, for which he got even more grief than for The Path of Daggers, and decided to return to his more organic/uneven approach for Knife of Dreams and A Memory of Light. The original plan for The Gathering Storm was to develop all the story lines in parallel again, but Brandon and Harriet had qualms about this and Brandon came up with an alternative to focus on two story lines in one and three in the other.
There is one of the 'POV clusters' Brandon had written that it mostly unused for The Gathering Storm and will go in book 13.
Brandon of course wouldn't tell who is the character not in The Gathering Storm at all, though he gave a few clues. Piecing all his bits of answers together, the character isn't Aviendha, Cadsuane or Nynaeve, nor Mat (the only character he confirmed is in the two first books, but we already knew this). He basically destroyed the speculation it could be Perrin by hesitating on the words 'major character' and then adding the bit that the vast majority of fans would actually place this character at the very bottom of the list of characters to be considered 'major'. The way he put Elayne over and over among the five really major ones during the Q&A suggests it's not her either after all. He also said while explaining his graph that there were chunks (his "teasers" for three story lines in The Gathering Storm and the core of the story for two—and his 'five' clusters he explicitly said were Rand, Egwene, Perrin, Mat and Elayne.
So perhaps we've read too much in his 'major POV character' comment (Jason's review may also allude to this, when he commented that one major character is missing but it's pretty much up to each reader to decide who is major and not in WOT). At some point, he said a major POV character in A Memory of Light will be missing in The Gathering Storm, which is not exactly the same as saying a major POV character from the earlier books isn't in The Gathering Storm—which is the way his previous comment was interpreted by many.
Dom
Lan isn't a major POV character in the earlier books, but now he's on his own he may very well become one in A Memory of Light.
In any case, I'm more and more thinking it's Lan (or possibly Moiraine), not Elayne or Perrin which I doubt many would place 'at the very bottom' of the list of characters to be considered major. Most people would place Elayne not near the bottom at all but among the top 7 or 8 most important characters. Above Moiraine and Lan, Thom, Loial and probably even Min and Aviendha.
Footnote
The POV character missing in The Gathering Storm was Elayne, and they didn't quite make it to the reunion of all plotlines at the end of Towers of Midnight as they had originally planned.Tags
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Old (Peter) Salt (Paraphrased)Question
Harine appears once just after she arrives from the Sea Folk. What happened to her?Brandon Sanderson
Harine has not been forgotten. There hasn’t been a lot for her to do, and Rand is not keeping his side of the Bargain of keeping her close.Tags
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Old (Peter) Salt (Paraphrased)Question
Do Rand and Egwene’s timelines end up at the same time at the end of The Gathering Storm? Secondly, can you give us some idea as to when that is?Brandon Sanderson
"Yes they end up at the same time. I’ll have to give you a MAFO for an exact date for the second, but basically it is sometime in late June early July." In addition Tuon’s scene with Rand was about 3 or 4 weeks before her last scene in the book.
A relatively long discussion of timelines followed. Basically RJ would have the timeline within a story arc follow chronologically but “Jim was crafty” when it came to the overall timeline. Maria has a huge spreadsheet of a timeline but it is not publishable because it is very rough and unintelligible unless you’ve been working with it for a long time.
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Interview: Nov 9th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Old (Peter) Salt (Paraphrased)Question
Is there a Perrin wolf dream/vision that is fulfilled in the time from when Rand almost kills Tam to his epiphany at the top of Dragonmount?Brandon Sanderson
If you mean Perrin’s dream with the bandage over his eyes, and dressed like a beggar than yes, that dream was fulfilled by Rand’s actions from Tear to Ebou Dar to Dragonmount.Tags
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Interview: Jan 12th, 2011
SLC Signing Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Luckers
Was Lews Therin one with the land like Rand is?Brandon Sanderson
The Dragon is one with the land...so the answer is yes.
Matt Hatch
He went on to say that it says the Dragon, not the Dragon Reborn, making the point that it most definitely applied to Lews Therin. (I riffed off a second related question from Luckers which was: Did he have the same extra abilities?) Instead I asked:
Question
Considering what you mentioned regarding Lews Therin's ability to sense the lack of inhabitants within miles of the spot he was at in the Prologue, is this ability something that comes from being the Dragon, being ta'veren, or a Talent?
Brandon Sanderson
(paraphrased) It's not a Talent, but I won't say whether it is a factor of being the Dragon or something about being ta'veren.
Matt Hatch
Luckers, I asked this question because the way Brandon answered the first it seemed apparent to me that the Dragon is Lews Therin is Rand, as far as 'one with the land' and abilities. My interest then became that specific ability he noted in Lews Therin during the re-read.)
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Interview: Nov 16th, 2010
Paris Signing Report - Ayyad Azryelle (Paraphrased)Ayyad Azryelle
Why do Aviendha's children channel all the time?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO (explained in the next book).Tags
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Interview: Sep 18th, 2010
TWOK Signing Report - rew (Paraphrased)rew
I said something to the effect that many on the forums have challenged (I think the exact words I used were "giving him crap") about the chronology, especially with regards to Mat. I guess it wasn't a question as much as an interrogative lilt to my voice…Brandon Sanderson
He responded by saying that he has a "detailed and precise" chronology off of which he works. He admitted however that he is not the real "chronology person" on Team Jordan, but those people assure him that "I am right on" with regards to the chronology. He then addressed a number of the concerns:-first- Rumors: he said that rumors are just rumors. About Trolloc attacks, specifically, he said that "Trollocs have been attacking, or invading in various places for months" and that rumors abound in all sorts of forms about them.
With regard to the White Tower attack—I prompted this one a little, and he said that they are simply rumors which have coalesced from multiple rumors together, nothing related specifically to the real attack adding that "in the Wheel of Time rumors sometimes have a tendency to double back on themselves" turning into truth eventually.
As for the horse riding in Caemlyn, I asked him specifically about Rand seeing Mat and Thom on horses in Caemlyn, but Mat in Chapter 8 was not taking his horse into the city, and he responded by saying that Rand didn't see Mat in this specific scene and assured me that all that would work out in the rest of the book.
He did admit that there has been one "hitch" found in The Gathering Storm as per chronology that will be changed in upcoming editions. If I remember correctly he said Mat is roughly two weeks behind where he was meant to be and explained that Mat's position in time at the end of The Gathering Storm was supposed to be two weeks earlier than it was portrayed as being.
Matt Hatch
Well—this is something I'd like to understand better—and hear it verbatim. I'm not sure I understand what is being said by the reporter.
Peter Ahlstrom
This means that something currently in The Gathering Storm needed to be retconned to get the timeline to work and will be changed in future editions of The Gathering Storm. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to get it changed in the paperback that's coming out this month. I'm guessing the change will affect only a sentence or two.
Retconning was a last resort that they really didn't want to have to take, but it was unavoidable.
Team Jordan has a very detailed chronology that looks in many respects similar to Steven Cooper's chronology, but Steven's is a bit off in a few areas. Certain beta readers helped verify it was nailed down.
And Terez: It doesn't have to do with Sulin. Actually, they decided Sulin needed to be retconned earlier. You can find out in the paperback of The Gathering Storm how that was worked out.
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Interview: Nov 6th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - gammahunter (Paraphrased)gammahunter
I asked if Graendal were dead and had she killed Asmodean could he pop back up in Caemlyn.Brandon Sanderson
He said no. He said that Rand only took Rahvin out of the Pattern for 15 minutes to an hour. So, even if the Choedan Kal were 1000 times stronger than Rand with the fat man it would only be like 9 days at most. More interesting, however, is that he said that we have not seen anyone who could burn someone out of the Pattern that long, however, it was possible for someone to be that strong!—Who or what could this be?Tags
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Interview: Nov 6th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - gammahunter (Paraphrased)gammahunter
I overheard someone asking about Rand at the end of the book.Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson said that Rand is going to begin to stabilize in the next book.Tags
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Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Rand's New Sword - Jennifer Liang (Paraphrased)Luckers
Rand gets a new sword in chapter one. It has been confirmed by Kathana Trevalaer that this is Justice through direct email correspondence with Brandon and Maria.Tags
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Interview: Nov 4th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - mrc1ark (Paraphrased)mrc1ark
I asked Brandon about the balefire and Min's bruises tonight at the DC book signing.Brandon Sanderson
He said that he, Harriet, and Maria discussed them and decided they should stay. Semirhage got balefired, not Rand, and Rand made the bruises therefore bruises stay. Thats according to the source. So even if you disagree with those rules that seems to be the way it will be interpreted for the last two books. Sanderson did admit that things with balefire were tricky.Tags
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Interview: Nov 4th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - mrc1ark (Paraphrased)mrc1ark
I asked Brandon about [the destruction of the Choedan Kal] tonight at the DC signing because it bugged me too.Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson said Rand realized that he did not need the Choedan Kal for the Last Battle. He also said that Rand was not at a point where he needed the Choedan Kal for anything he wanted to do.
mrc1ark
He said the sentence in a way that leads me to believe post epiphany Rand is much stronger than pre epiphany Rand though that is my interpretation of his sentence.
Brandon Sanderson
On the subject of the Choedan Kal, he said that the True Power was not as strong as someone with the Choedan Kal. Just it felt as tempting and as addictive as the One Power through the Choedan Kal.
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Interview: Nov 4th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Eformo (Paraphrased)Eformo
Brandon Sanderson
I got a more circumspect RAFO when I asked whether or not he personally thinks of Rand as Rand after the end of The Gathering Storm, or if he now thinks of the amalgam as a different character. He thought that it would be apparent after reading the POV in both Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light.Tags
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Interview: Oct 30th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - jharoldson (Paraphrased)jharoldson
I...asked Brandon a question regarding Graendal possibly not being dead. I started by saying that Graendal was ordered to keep Arad Doman in chaos. After she was killed Rand was forced out of Arad Doman because all of the food he brought spoiled all at the same time, not in random intervals like had happened before due to the Dark One's touch. My question to Brandon is was this food spoilage caused by the Dark One or could it have been a strong channeler with inverted weaves, perhaps someone who was ordered to make sure that Rand's plans in Arad Doman failed?Brandon Sanderson
Brandon told me explicitly that this was not caused by someone channeling but instead it was caused by Rand. Robert Jordan evidently left strong notes regarding the fact that the quote we heard early on in the story from Thom about "The Dragon is one with the land and the land is one with the Dragon" will be emphasized towards the end of the story. When people complained that only bad ta'veren things happened in Bandar Eban when Rand was there with no offsetting good things this was an example that as Rand has hardened and become darker the land has also grown more dark. The spoiling of all the food at once was also caused by the darkness in Rand.Tags
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Interview: 2012
Twitter: AMOL Writing and Editing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (9 June 2012)
Working on a new Rand scene today too. Still a few more I want to add. This is probably the last draft where I will add new scenes, though.
Brandon Sanderson
New Rand scene turned out great. Now, to revamp the next five to be just as awesome.
Brandon Sanderson
It's funny how time passes when I'm working on writing. It's been four hours since I started on the scene, and I barely noticed.
Brenda Waldrop
That I understand. I get in a writing groove and the next thing I know it's tomorrow!
Shaunna Willoughby
Focus is like an alternate plane of existence.
Brandon Sanderson
It's funny. I make a post, like the one a while back, and then think "I'll get back and answer people in a bit." Then, four hours later, I think "Okay, scene is done. Let's see what people are saying." That timestamp glares back at me, and there are like fifty posts I haven't ever replied to.
Sam Noble
Do you know the Game of Thrones guy? He could learn something from your work ethic.
Brandon Sanderson
Ha. Well, perhaps. But I could learn something from his writing skill, I suspect. We'll see how prolific I am when I'm his age.
Vegas Surreal
We need @BrandSanderson to stay healthy; you're supposed to get up and stretch every 20 minutes!
Brandon Sanderson
Don't worry. I have a treadmill desk I work at.
Marcus McQuarter
How long is the book going to be at minimum?
Brandon Sanderson
350k words, I'd guess. First draft was 360. Next draft trimmed about 30k. I'm slowly increasing it back up.
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Interview: Apr, 2012
JordanCon 2012 - Terez (Paraphrased)Austin Moore ()
So I've been wondering, and I think many others have as well, will we know for 100% sure what Rand's fate is at the end of A Memory of Light?Wilson Grooms
Oh yes. There will be NO doubt in anyone's mind what Rands fate will be at the end. It will sure to surprise and amaze people. When Jim (RJ) told me how the series ended I just shook my head and said, "Bubba, that is just beautiful. Just beautiful." So yes, you will all know.
Austin Moore
Ok, I was afraid that might get a read and find out type answer so thanks for assuring us that Rand's fate will not be open-ended for interpretation.
Wilson Grooms
Yep, there will be a definite confirmation by the end of what happens to him.
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Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012
Orem Signing Report - Zas (Verbatim)Loialson
Question from Travyl, at the reread: Did Rand tell Darlin what Darlin responded to Egwene's letter, or was that all Darlin?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Loialson
Dangit.
Brandon Sanderson
I don't want to say anything about that because there's a potential confrontation coming up between all of these folks, and so there may be mention made of what various people knew and didn't know.
Loialson
Okay.
Brandon Sanderson
It's not a big RAFO—it's not like there's some big secret there—but I don't want to say anything that's going to spoil a potential read of scenes that are coming.
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Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012
Orem Signing Report - Zas (Verbatim)Loialson
Was the original intention of the Eye of the World to be a second option to reseal the Bore?Brandon Sanderson
As far as I know, no. Now, that's the sort of thing that could be buried in the notes, but you know, I've read a lot of them, and as far as I know, no, that's not the purpose.
Loialson
Did the makers originally have a specific intention? Because I don't think Rand used it in the way they intended.
Brandon Sanderson
I believe that they did have a specific intention.
Loialson
Did Rand use it alright, to their intentions?
Brandon Sanderson
Um, Rand...um...
Loialson
That felt like a big waste to me.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. I was...I will RAFO that. But I will say that they did have a specific intention. How about, here's something I can give you...it's actually backing up a few questions. I've mentioned online that we're probably going to—for a certain anthology, the Unfettered anthology—we are going to be putting deleted scenes from A Memory of Light and some of these deleted scenes will answer some of your questions.
Loialson
That's exciting. Thank you.
Brandon Sanderson
I don't think there's an official announcement; I don't think Harriet has decided 100% to make the announcement, but I've mentioned online before in things that we were considering it, and so, some deleted scenes having to do with some of your questions are actually going to be in this Unfettered anthology, and they may be from the viewpoint of a certain Forsaken that everyone's very curious about.
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Interview: Sep 2nd, 2012
DragonCon 2012 - AMOL Update Panel (Verbatim)Question
I was wondering if it's possible for scholarship in future generations if we at some point could get a copy that's annotated so that we can tell which passages came directly from Robert Jordan—like color-coded or something—because as you've been intermingling them I think it would be interesting to be able to go back and say, "This is what he originally wrote."Brandon Sanderson
It will be very hard to do simply because, you know, you would have a lot of sentences that would four colors in them (laughter), because, here are three words from Brandon; here are a couple of words from Robert Jordan; the rest are from Harriet, that she has edited, and then here's the insertion by Maria as she's doing the copy-edit, that something needed to be [put] in. It would be very difficult to get right.
The other thing is, Harriet has several times expressed a reluctance to let people see the notes because she doesn't want people focusing when reading the books on what was me and what is Jim. I do still kinda tend to work on her and see if I can get her to let us do something with the notes. I'm not too expectant—if it doesn't happen I'm gonna be fine—but I tend to ask on behalf of the fans, people like yourself, and if I can do that I can then bring them out and I will talk a little bit more about that.
One thing that I've said to people a number of times, that in each of the three books there is a prologue [scene] that Robert Jordan wrote almost completely, or completely, for the prologue of the book, then since we split it in three, I took one scene from each completely that is Robert Jordan's—and there are a few fragments in each prologue as well that were also his—but there's one complete scene in the prologue. In the first book, it was the farmer sitting on the doorsteps watching the storm; that was one of the scenes he dictated, and we actually at JordanConI got to listen to that dictation. In the second book it was the Borderlander tower with the soldier and his son; that was one of the more complete scenes we had from Robert Jordan which had some minimal revision and editing during the process but was basically a complete scene that he gave us. And there's one like that in the third book as well.
In The Gathering Storm, I've said before that, as the notes went, Rand was a little more me; there were fewer notes on Rand. There were more notes on Egwene. We're both involved in all the viewpoints, but Rand from that is a little more me, and Egwene's a little more Robert Jordan, and then in Towers of Midnight, Perrin's a little bit more me, and Mat is a little more Robert Jordan. And maybe we'll be able to release more than that, but so far that's about all I've said. There are certain scenes that he did write, by the way—I'll give you everything; this is what I've told people; I haven't told people much—but there's a certain scene in The Gathering Storm where Egwene has an unexpected meeting with an old friend in the Tower. That one was done by Robert Jordan. And in Towers of Midnight, there is...most of the Mat stuff including the ending where a certain engagement happens was Robert Jordan.
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 17
"It is one of the three things which I will require of you. Your payment, to me, in exchange for my life." (p. 160)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 20
As Tam attacked a second time, Rand lifted the sword and— (p. 310)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 21
And you don't feel a small measure of pride? Egwene asked herself. Rand al'Thor, once simple village boy and your near-betrothed, now the most powerful man in the world? You don't feel proud of what he's done? (p. 157)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 23
"Light burn me," Rand said. "You're not him, are you?" (p. 158)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 24
"There were many good years. Good decades, good centuries. We believed we were living in paradise. Perhaps that was our downfall. We wanted our lives to be perfect, so we ignored imperfections. Problems were magnified through inattention, and war might have become inevitable if the Bore hadn't ever been made." (p. 147)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 27
"Peaches!" Rand said, aghast. Everyone knew those were poisonous. (p. 714)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 28
"But this . . . this isn't about blacksmithing, Perrin . . ."
"Of course it is," Perrin said. How could Rand not see that? (p. 174)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 30
First Memory:
Rand strode forward, lifting his arms out to the sides. Grass sprouted in waves, red blossoms burst from the ground like a blush upon the land. The storm stilled, the dark clouds burned away by light. (p. 137)Second Memory:
A joyful song, a song of awe and wonder, though she could not understand the words. (p. 194)Tags
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 32
Rand stiffened. He'd known what he was doing, on some level, but to hear it explained was disconcerting. (p. 354)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 33
If the end of the Aiel was the sacrifice required for Rand to win, she would make it. (p. 382)
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Interview: 2012
Memories of Light (Verbatim)Day 37
I AM THE ONLY HONESTY YOUR WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. (p. 679)
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Interview: Jan 3rd, 2013
Goodreads Interview with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Goodreads
Many plot points are in motion at the end of the next-to-last book in the series, Towers of Midnight. Can you set the stage? What can readers expect in the final book, A Memory of Light?Brandon Sanderson
A little bit of spoilers here: One of the big things we got going on is Rand and Egwene on opposite sides of the big decision regarding what needs to happen with the last battle. It's a power struggle that has been brewing for a long time behind the scenes. Some may not have noticed it until I brought it to the forefront in the last book. We've just had a main character who has been gone for a long, long time show up again in the end of Towers of Midnight, and there are ramifications for that. Can we work together? How do we work together?—that's going to be one of the themes.
And, of course, this is the last battle, which means there's a lot of war in this book. And that's actually very different for a Wheel of Time book. There have been big battles before, but not ones that span half of the book or more.
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Interview: Jan 11th, 2013
Reddit Earlybird Q&A (Verbatim)tiffranosaurusrex
Why didn't Rand immediately find Mat and put him in charge of the armies?Brandon Sanderson
Rand knew where Mat was (the visions.) Therefore, he knew that Mat was with the Seanchan—so in going to find them, and bring them into the battle, he was doing just that. (To an extent.) Also, he understands that with Mat—unlike Perrin—swooping in and ordering him about is a good way to get Mat going the opposite direction. However, Mat also finds his way to where he needs to be. So, Rand decided to let the Pattern work on Mat, and instead focused on preparing Perrin .Tags
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Interview: Jan 11th, 2013
Reddit Earlybird Q&A (Verbatim)tiffranosaurusrex
If you had to think into the future of Randland, what do you picture the remaining heroes doing?Brandon Sanderson
Well, in RJ's notes, Perrin was to be involved in the Outriggers (which would be the story of Mat and Tuon in Seanchan.) So Perrin would make his way there, eventually. (I don't know how that would have worked with Perrin's new obligations.) From here, I stray away from canon (meaning what RJ wanted) and into my own imaginings. I imagine that Rand went to see the world, becoming like Jain Farstrider. Min joined him, and they saw the world. Aviendha and Elayne spent decades, maybe centuries, leading their own people before retiring to join the other two.Tags
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Interview: Jan 11th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Bravehamster (Paraphrased)Bravehamster
At the signing tonight in Lexington, I asked Brandon about [the Song]. This is pretty much exactly what he said:Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan's notes on this are very clear: the Tinkers will never find their song. They've lost it for too long, that even if someone stood in front of them singing The Song, they would just nod their head, say 'that's a nice song' and go on their way.
Bravehamster
He also confirmed that Rand was singing The Song in Tuon's garden.
Footnote
To be clear, RJ clarified that 'the song' itself was a mystification of the growing songs, and so technically 'the song' never existed.Tags
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Interview: Jan 9th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Marie Curie (Paraphrased)Marie Curie
Peter suggested we ask you: Is Rand's third question to the Aelfinn specifically known? Is it in the notes?
Maria Simons
Yes, it is known and it is in the notes. It will be included in the encyclopedia.
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Interview: Jan 9th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Marie Curie (Paraphrased)Marie Curie
In The Gathering Storm, Rand says to Nynaeve: "Dream on my behalf, Nynaeve. Dream for things I no longer can." Was this a red herring? Or was it a completely innocent statement?
Brandon Sanderson
It wasn't a red herring. I meant it as a completely innocent statement. It was just about Rand telling Nynaeve to keep on wishing for him to be able to live.
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Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)The Sandwich Man (13 January 2013)
Just read A Memory of Light, one of my all-time favorites. But for clarification, what, exactly, did Rand do to seal the Bore?Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)
I want to avoid spoilers on my feed, if possible. But it involved access to something Lews Therin did not have.Tags
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Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Filch (13 January 2013)
Dude.... You have GOT to explain the whole pipe thing at the end!!!! WTF? HOW? (that's all I'm asking)Brandon Sanderson (13 January 2013)
I will do a blog post soon about this and similar questions. However, I can't answer much because I don't know much.
Brandon Sanderson
He did not explain much about the epilogue, even in the notes.
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Interview: Jan 7th, 2013
AMOL Midnight Release Q&A (Verbatim)Harriet McDougal
(to Melissa) Cool t-shirt! [laughter]
Melissa Snedeker
Hi; my name's Melissa Snedeker; I'm from Colorado Springs. I have been reading the series for about ten years now. Love it. My question is to Brandon. There is a notable difference between you and Robert Jordan's writing. I was wondering what the biggest influence that you had on the books [was], and what were your main thoughts that you added on top of Robert Jordan's?
Brandon Sanderson
I usually shy away from saying too much about this because we prefer that when you read the books you not spend a lot of time trying to figure out what was me and what was Robert Jordan. It's safe to say that, at any given point in the book, you will find my influence and his influence.
That said, I've said before the epilogue of this book—and significant chunks of the last little part as well, but specifically the epilogue—was written by him before he passed away, so you do know that. Things I've said before—and I'm probably not going to say much more than this, at least until the books have been out for a while—in Gathering Storm, if it was Egwene, Egwene's plotline was more Robert Jordan, and Rand's plotline was a little more me—we both were involved in both, but there is that—and if it was in Towers of Midnight, Mat's plotline was more Robert Jordan, and Perrin's plotline was more me.
But it's really hard to get down into specifics, because I don't want you focusing on that, and beyond that, I've even started to forget. [laughter] Because I've been working on this... No really! You guys laugh about that, but I've been working on it so long, I will do things, and it's things that came out of the notes, and then I'll go back and look and I have forgotten that those things came from the notes, because at this point in the creative process, you're building a book, and you're looking for the inspirations from the stories or from the notes, and they're kind of sometimes the same to me, whether it's the notes or the stories. And so, anyway, I'm sorry to give you kind of a roundabout non-answer to your question, but maybe in another year or so I can say a little bit more. But really, we would rather it just remain....we don't want it to be at the forefront of people's minds when they're reading.
Melissa Snedeker
Yeah. Alright, thank you so much.
Footnote
More info on who wrote what in the epilogue.Tags
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Interview: Jan 7th, 2013
AMOL Midnight Release Q&A (Verbatim)Drew McCaffrey
My name is Drew McCaffrey; I'm from Fort Collins, Colorado. I've been an absolutely huge fan of the series for eleven years now, and I just recently graduated as a creative writing major, and I'm a writer because of the Wheel of Time. [applause, cheers]
My question is in regards to a debate that I've had with my cousin and a couple of my friends for a while now. Is it possible for a channeler to be tied to the Horn of Valere?
Maria Simons
(Brandon passes mic to Maria, laughter) Um, I think I'm gonna have to say, that's a really good question. [laughter] I honestly can't say why not.
Drew McCaffrey
(to his friends) HA! [laughter, applause]
Maria Simons
But! But I would really love to do some research before giving an absolute definitive answer [laughter] and I can't do that right now.
Drew McCaffrey
Would Lews Therin's soul be tied to the Horn?
Brandon Sanderson
Lews Therin! He was.
Maria Simons
Well yeah. [laughter]
Brandon Sanderson
He was recognized.
Maria Simons
That's right. Absolutely.
Brandon Sanderson
He was recognized, but was he tied to the Horn? Do we have confirmation of that happening? [laughter] Or they just know him? See, he's trying to trick us into saying things.
Harriet McDougal
Maria's saying she'll have to look it up and post it.
Drew McCaffrey
Ooh. Agreed. Well, thank you very much, all of you, for being here tonight and...yeah. [laughter, applause]
Footnote
Robert Jordan confirmed that Rand was a hero of the Horn.Tags
383
Interview: Jan 7th, 2013
AMOL Midnight Release Q&A (Verbatim)Paul Williams
(split from another question) ...And a question chosen vicariously for another friend: has the Creator been very intimately and directly connected to the story, or is he kind of like the absent god, where he set things in motion and left?
Harriet McDougal
(split from another question) ...And then, the question of the role of the Creator, by which you mean God, not the writer?
Paul Williams
Yes, exactly. [laughter]
Harriet McDougal
As you know, he said he didn't believe writers who said, "I just work to a certain point and then the characters take it over." He said, "I don't believe that for a minute." [laughter] Actually, what he said was, "I am Old Testament god, and my fist is in the middle of my characters' lives." But the way he envisions the Light in these books is that they have a very immediate sense of the Creator, which is—they don't need churches, because he's right there for them. Not that they don't believe; they believe so deeply that they live their lives in a sense of God, the Creator.
Paul Williams
And the question is also, has the Creator been intimately connected to Rand's journey? Did the Creator purposefully set Rand up to be the Dragon Reborn?
Harriet McDougal
I think only in the sense that the Creator is perceived by the characters as being pretty intimately involved in all their lives.
Paul Williams
Thank you. Tai'shar!
Tags
384
Interview: Jan 7th, 2013
AMOL Midnight Release Q&A (Verbatim)Adam Simmons
My name is Adam Simmons, and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. [hoots] I really hope that I'm not misremembering something. I was trying to look it up on my Kindle, and I couldn't find it, so please God, let me not be wrong. [laughter]
In one of the Forsaken viewpoints in—I think it was Knife of Dreams or something?—one of the Forsaken was thinking about how, had circumstances been different, Demandred could have been named the Dragon. And what I'm wondering is, is "the Dragon" an actual title, or was Lews Therin born to be the Dragon, or was that a mantle he picked up along the way?
Brandon Sanderson
(looks at Maria and Harriet) [laughter]
Maria Simons
Not me!
Brandon Sanderson
I can say some things on this, but it's going to be more...it may not be the exact answers you want. I can say things that have been said. For instance, you can look at things like Logain, and how false Dragons were being brought up out of the Pattern, until Rand, and at that moment, everything collapsed. Until...and it was really when Rand channeled for the first time—am I correct?—that everything sort of collapsed. (to Maria) There's some parallels in there. When he what? No, it was when he took Callandor. Yeah, you're right.
Maria Simons
It was the visions in the sky!
Brandon Sanderson
In the sky? Okay. Until Rand took up the mantle—yeah, that's it—and so it's when Rand...and so, you could look at that and make the argument, "Wait a minute; until that moment, until Rand stepped up and was willing to be the Dragon, the Pattern was searching for one." And you can interpret that a lot of different ways, and you could probably make an argument—Theoryland could make an argument for both sides on that. [laughter] And if Rand had not stepped up, was that just the end of the world? Would the world have then been doomed, if Rand as a baby had been killed? That's something that you can theorize on, and you can look at the clues in the books, and Jim did not leave us an answer, so far as I know.
Adam Simmons
Okay, thank you.
Footnote
The quote in question was in Graendal's POV in the prologue of The Gathering Storm, which was presumably written by Brandon himself. In any case, "Dragon" was a name given to Lews Therin by his peers in the Age of Legends much like the names given to the Forsaken, so while it's possible Demandred could have been given that name as a title, it's not possible that he could have been the Champion of the Light. This is addressed by Matt Hatch at the end of the Q&A.Tags
385
Interview: Jan 7th, 2013
AMOL Midnight Release Q&A (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson
We blame people like these, that came up with this, but I do want to—and thank you for your question—I do want to hand...(to Matt) You had a correction on something we said earlier? Do you have it? Okay, Matt's going to correct us from what we were unable to answer, because Robert Jordan apparently gave an answer.
Matt Hatch
So, there was a question about the Dragon soul, and whether that was a title or not—was that your question?—so, he did answer. Someone asked him, because it had to do with...the entirety of the question was, you know, can it change? Could it be a woman, could it be a female? Would it be the same person in a new Turning? And his point, his answer was, it could not be female—that the soul would remain the same gender—and he also said that it would not necessarily be Rand in the next Turning. So in other words, it would still be that same soul, but it would not be—necessarily—the Rand story, the next time around. It might be...whatever. And he talked about it just because, looking at the Pattern as things change in Turnings, little things are going to change, or I guess in this case, maybe it's something bigger. So, I don't know if that answers your question, but that is answered again.
Adam Simmons
The question was really more about Lews Therin as the original Dragon, or as the original Dragon that we know about, and was he born to be the Dragon, or is that something that he kind of grew into?
Matt Hatch
It's the soul, the soul is the Dragon.
Adam Simmons
Okay, so he was born to it.
Tags
386
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)James Starke (23 January 2013)
How much time passed for the respective groups during The Last Battle?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
I don't have the timeline handy. For Rand, you could measure it in hours. Outside, weeks stretching to months.Tags
387
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Dennis (23 January 2013)
I notice that Rand referred to Moridin as "Elan," not "Elan Morin." Why that stylistic choice?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
Rand didn't think he deserved the third name.
Dennis
But Elan Morin were his two names, like Lews Therin. Tedronai was his third name.
Brandon Sanderson
Speaking as Rand does was an intentional insult, as per my understanding via the notes.
Terez
I saw it as a familiarity, since he calls Ilyena by her first name only. Well, so does everyone...(she has three).
Brandon Sanderson
I view it this way, but it might be colored by my own personal experience. In Korea, using a very familial tone...
Brandon Sanderson
...is either endearing or incredibly offensive, depending on your relationship to the person. That's how I see it here.
Brandon Sanderson
At times, honestly, I don't know if Rand is intending insult or familiarity—perhaps both.
Tags
388
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)John Martin (23 January 2013)
Okay, the pipe lighting . . . Any real explanation, or are we just going to wonder forever?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
I put it in as RJ instructed, and I know nothing more about it than fandom does, I'm afraid.
James Starke
Popular theory is that from his time with the Dark One/Creator/Pattern, he's able to manipulate The Pattern a bit.
Brandon Sanderson
This is a good theory.
Jonathan B
What's your opinion on how pipe lighting was or could have been done even if we don't have RJ's answer?
Brandon Sanderson
Ha. I agree with some of the fan discussions.
Andrew Mudge
Is Rand the missing link between the Pattern and the Creator himself, possibly even the balancer of light/dark?
Brandon Sanderson
That's one possible theory.
Mike Ball
How did Rand light the pipe at the end of A Memory of Light?
Brandon Sanderson
I know no more on this than fandom does, I'm afraid. RJ did not explain.
Terry Benton
I still can't figure it out...how did Rand light his pipe? Is he in Tel'aran'rhioid? Is everybody??
Dan Zambito
Can you explain how Rand lit his pipe in the last scene? Did he discover a new power? Is he a new power?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm afraid I don't know anything more than fandom does about this. RJ did not leave notes on the matter.
Tags
389
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Indigo Kae (23 January 2013)
Is the woman who told Rand at the end that he was right to bring Moridin, Nakomi?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
I have been advised to RAFO questions regarding most everything from there on.
Brandon Sanderson
It's funny to say RAFO when there is no more to read, but what that term means is "This is supposed to be ambiguous."
David Catherine
With all of the homages to global myths/legends, is Nakomi the Wandering Jew/Jenn?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a very clever question that nobody has yet asked me. I'm not going to say more, however.
Ryan Lee
I gotta ask, is Nakomi / the Woman at the End a Shard of Adonalsium? Perhaps Balance?
Brandon Sanderson
No. There is not crossover between my shared world and the Wheel of Time. (Sorry.)
kcf
Who helped Rand out of the Shayol Ghul after the fight with the Dark One and told him he knew what he needed to do?
Brandon Sanderson
Hi, Neth. This is one I'm not answering, but if you track me down in person, you might be able to beat it out of me.
Terez
Is Nakomi the avatar of the Creator?
Werthead
SIFADFOE (Scream In Frustration And Don't Find Out, Ever) :-)
Terez
Yay, that means I can officially not give a shit about Nakomi. :)
Brandon Sanderson
You are allowed that right officially. She's becoming the Asmodean kill of this sequence of books.
Brandon Sanderson
I, of course, should have realized she'd become so big a thing as she did—but that wasn't the intention.
Melissa Houghton
I want to know what the heck was with Nakomi—who/what she is. Also was that her at the end of A Memory of Light?
Brandon Sanderson
Just answered this. Have a look below. (Sorry. It's a RAFO, I'm afraid.)
Peter Wikberg
Who/What is Nakomi?
Brandon Sanderson
That is a good question, but not one I'm planning to answer any time soon. (sorry.)
Arran Cook
Who was Nakomi? How did the body swap happen? How did Rand light the pipe?
Brandon Sanderson
You've asked all three of the big questions I'm not allowed or unable to answer, I'm afraid.
Lachie Stoller
Who was the old Aiel lady at the end of Rand's battle?
James Starke
Is Nakomi the person that Rand encountered at the mouth of Shayol Ghul? And is she the embodiment of The Creator?
Brandon Sanderson
This is one that I'm not answering, I'm afraid. RJ wanted some things about the ending to remain ambiguous.
Tags
390
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Aaron Oster (23 January 2013)
If, hypothetically, there was a body switch in WoT, how would it happen? Would it be an actual switch or illusion?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
There are far more reasons, worldbuilding wise, to believe it was real than to believe it was illusion.
TJ
Is Rand's soul in Moridin's body?
Brandon Sanderson
Ha. Right to the point, are you? Let's just say that trickery is not likely in this case.
TJ
Can you confirm that Rand's body was burned at the end of A Memory of Light?
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, fine. Yes, I will confirm that Rand's body was indeed the one that was burned. :)
Jonathan MacAlpine
Why didn't anybody notice when a supposedly-dead Moridin got up and walked away?
Brandon Sanderson
I'd say coincidence. But there aren't many of those in the WoT world.
Siraaj
Seems like a conversation between the Creator and Rand was missing where "switch" and Alivia's role in it are laid out—thoughts?
Brandon Sanderson
I believe that RJ included everything he wanted in this sequence.
Jason Cassidy
Why did Rand switch bodies at the end and why is he going incognito now? Did not understand that part.
Brandon Sanderson
RJ wrote these scenes, and intended to leave them as is. I don't think me delving into explanations is what he'd want.
El Brian
Did the bonding between Rand, Nynaeve, Elayne, and Min transfer over to the new body?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, though I don't know how or why.
Kamarile Sedai
Why did the bond survive the body switch at the end of A Memory of Light?
Brandon Sanderson
I don't know. RJ did not explain this one to me.
J Crosby
How were Rand/Elan able to switch bodies?
Sean Duffy
How did Rand wind up with Moridin's body?
James Starke
Could you explain further about the body switch and how it was possible?
Brandon Sanderson
This is one that I'm not answering, I'm afraid. RJ wanted some things about the ending to remain ambiguous.
Tags
391
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Dennis (23 January 2013)
When did Rand tell Moiraine and Nynaeve the "Plan" re: Callandor? They didn't know when they got to Shayol Ghul, right?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
They knew some things.Tags
392
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Rich E (23 January 2013)
Did Rand's third question to the Aelfinn involve whether/how the Dark One could be killed?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
I think Maria and Harriet are planning to put these in the encyclopedia, but you are right on the third question.
Peter Wikberg
What did Moiraine ask Aelfinn/Eelfinn?
Brandon Sanderson
Ooh, good question. And one I don't have the answer to that handy, but we can MAFO that and ask Maria.
Maria Simons
Everything I know about Aelfinn/Eelfinn questions/wishes will be in the encyclopedia.
Tags
393
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Peter Wikberg (23 January 2013)
What was Moiraine's purpose during the Last Battle?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
To stop Rand and Egwene from going to the Last Battle separately, instead of together.Tags
394
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Kamarile Sedai (23 January 2013)
Are Mat and Perrin still ta'veren after the Last Battle?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
That is an excellent question...that I'm not allowed to answer. (Sorry.) I feel bad. I'm giving you lots of RAFOs.
Andy Nogar
Is Rand still ta'veren? If not, how did he warp reality and light his pipe at the end?
Brandon Sanderson
These are questions that I'm not answering, I'm afraid. RJ wanted some things about the ending to remain ambiguous.
Mike W
How can you still be RAFO'ing stuff? What is left to read?
Brandon Sanderson
To RJ, RAFO sometimes meant "Read, think about it, and decide." It didn't always mean "I'll give an answer."
Peter Binkowski
Is 'RAFO' basically to mean we're never going to find some things out?
Brandon Sanderson
There's a "Talk it over, see if you can figure it out" aspect to it as well.
Tags
395
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jade Kazmierski (23 January 2013)
Now that it's finished, when you close your eyes, and see Rand five years in his future, what do you see?Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
I see him happy.Tags
396
Interview: 2013
Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jason Wesbrooks (23 January 2013)
Loved A Memory of Light—Did RJ specifically prohibit a three ta'veren reunion? One of my only minor disappointments.Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)
No, he didn't, but I just couldn't fit it in logistically.
Brandon Sanderson
Mat/Perrin Rand/Perrin and Rand/Mat from these two books was my nod toward that.
Tags
397
Interview: Feb 6th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Freelancer (Verbatim)Question
Did the Dark One make the True Power available to Rand, or did he find it himself?
Freelancer
After staring at me for several seconds (long story) and taking a sip of water, he pulled out a RAFO card.
Brandon Sanderson
First RAFO of the night, and it's yours! It might be in the encyclopedia. Yes, I can still RAFO.Tags
398
Interview: Feb 6th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Freelancer (Verbatim)Question
Which character's contribution to A Memory of Light did you enjoy most?Brandon Sanderson
This book was supposed to be about Rand, and so Rand's contribution is the most important to me. So much so, that in the revising process we felt several times we needed to bring out more. One of the big elements of revision was, we needed to make sure that Rand remains the focus of this book, and even though things are going where there are lots of different sections and regions where Rand is not involved, we needed Rand to be at least the heart of the book.Tags
399
Interview: Feb 6th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Asha'Gerard (Paraphrased)Asha'Gerard
I asked if Harriet would explain how Rand lit his pipe. She was (as you would guess) evasive on the matter. I did my best to try to pin her down on it and the main points I got were:Harriet McDougal
"That was exactly as Jim wrote it."
"He wanted to leave you feeling that the next Age will be even stranger than the last."Asha'Gerard
I asked if Rand now had some powers of the Creator & she again reiterated (maybe clarified?) that the next Age will be profoundly different.
So I then asked if that ability is going to be exclusively Rand's & she spread her hands to give me a look that said "maybe, maybe not".
The vibe I got from her is that she didn't really know what her husband meant for that to mean and she didn't want to say one way or another, but that is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth.
Tags
400
Interview: Feb 6th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Simka (Paraphrased)Simka
I asked Brandon why Alanna hung onto Rand's bond right up until the moment of her death, especially when it caused her so much grief. I haven't seen any discussion on this issue, and I don't know whether anyone else besides me was curious about it, but there it is.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon paused for a long time, and I actually thought he was going to RAFO me, but I guess he was just considering his answer. Unless I write things down as they happen, I have no short term memory for people's exact words, so I can only paraphrase him. He said that Aes Sedai have trouble letting go of anything [as we are all well aware]; they feel that you never know when something will come in handy. So until Alanna became aware that her death while holding Rand's bond would adversely affect the outcome of his battle with the Dark One, she wouldn't release it. Almost as an afterthought he added that just having a way to locate Rand had had some value [for the Lightside, I gathered].Tags
401
Interview: Apr, 2003
Ekultúra: Interview with Robert Jordan (Translated)Galgóczi Móni
My sources tell me that you are a passionate pipe-smoker. One of my friends thinks that pipe-smokers see the world totally differently. Is this true?Robert Jordan
I don't think so, but the idea is very good. I will use it someday, somewhere.Tags
402
Interview: Feb 7th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - crovax33 (Paraphrased)crovax33
I asked Sanderson if we'll ever find out how Rand lit the pipe in the epilogue.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He said that nowhere in Jordan's notes did it say how the pipe was lit, but that Harriet had a couple of theories, the main one being: with it being a new Age, there's a new way of doing things, and even some new magic.
Tags
403
Interview: Feb 8th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - DJ Stipe (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Rand's pipe-lighting came up a few times, to which Brandon stated in no uncertain terms that it's just not explained in the notes, that it's something the readers get to answer themselves.Tags
404
Interview: Feb 8th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - DJ Stipe (Paraphrased)Question
Someone asked if Rand riding off at the end was Hoid.
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said it wasn't, but he liked the question.
DJ Stipe
Someone else suggested that maybe Androl was Hoid. [Me]
Tags
405
Interview: Feb 8th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - DJ Stipe (Paraphrased)Brandon and Harriet (paraphrased)
When asked about the ending he said he thought Robert Jordan left it open so the reader could fill in what happened for themselves. Then he said that he thought Rand probably did go talk to Tam before he left but maybe not Lan.
Tags
406
Interview: Feb 12th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Wetlander (Paraphrased)Wetlander
Will you confirm now that Rand's sword (received in The Gathering Storm, given to Tam in A Memory of Light) is Hawkwing's sword Justice?
Brandon Sanderson
"Yes, I can now confirm that. It's also my sword." (But in-world, it's Justice.)
Wetlander
(Possible follow-on question, if anyone is interested: Is there a backstory on it, e.g. the theory that Hawkwing took it from Guaire Amalasan? What about the idea that it came from the War of Power and was Lews Therin's own sword then?)
Tags
407
Interview: Feb 12th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Wetlander (Paraphrased)Wetlander
Some would like a definitive answer: Are channelers ever bound to the Horn? (Rand? Egwene?)
Brandon Sanderson
"They certainly could be." Brandon and Harriet agreed that, although the notes never specified any channelers who were so bound, there was nothing in the notes to indicate it couldn’t/didn't happen either, and they both believe it’s entirely possible.
Wetlander
(A follow-on question might be asked about whether Egwene might be a Hero, but they didn't give me the impression that they were hedging—which they probably would have, if that were in the notes.)
Footnote
RJ previously confirmed that Rand/Lews Therin was a Hero of the Horn.Tags
408
Interview: Feb 16th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Catfish N. Cod (Paraphrased)Catfish N. Cod
Ta'veren Telepathy in Technicolor (TM): what was the point?
Brandon Sanderson
Not totally sure; RJ's notes just said "This keeps happening up to the very end." Narratively, to keep attention focused on the Superboys, and to connect timelines.
Tags
409
Interview: Feb 16th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Mageen (Paraphrased)Mageen
Can you shed any light on how the Rand/Elan body swap happened? I'm wondering whether it was like the Dark One's transmigration of souls, if it's tied to Rand's apparent new abilities, or something else.
Brandon Sanderson
It's not outlined in the notes, but I think of it as the soul that wanted to live found a body, and the one that wanted to die, did.
Mageen
I knew going in that Brandon has said RJ didn't explain how it happened, but a friend wanted me to ask and I'm glad I did! It was a much better answer than the shoulder shrug I expected based on the torchat.
Speaking of torchat, I noticed Brandon told someone that if they ask him on a tour stop, he might tell them who it was that helped Rand out of the cave. I'd be interested in knowing that and I would have asked that too if I'd remembered.
Tags
410
Interview: Feb 11th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Anna Hornbostel (Verbatim)Anna Hornbostel
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
A fan asked him if Alivia's role in the epilogue was her fulfillment of Min's viewing and he said that it was very clear that that was all that that viewing meant. He said that fans are speculating that she played a part in the body swap but she did not.
Brandon went in to little detail about the body swap, saying he knows as much about it as we do and the notes just didn't give more. He asserted that he has to do with the balefire streams touching and the fact that Moridin no longer wanted to continue to exist but that Rand very much wanted to continue to exist.
Footnote
The viewing was almost certain a "riding into the sunset" metaphor, which we know is idiomatic to the WoT world from The Great Hunt Chapter 49, where Loial reads To Sail Beyond the Sunset (which is also a reference to Heinlein) as Rand accepts the oaths of the Shienarans, the first Dragonsworn.Tags
411
Interview: Feb 19th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - AndrewB (Paraphrased)AndrewB
How do Egwene, Nynaeve and Moiraine know Moridin's name? (Egwene mentions Moridin by name when talking to Rand at the meeting of the Field of Merrilor; Nynaeve and Moiraine each mention Moridin by name in respective POV while in Shayol Ghul.)
Brandon Sanderson
BWS paused for at least 10 seconds before answering. He said that he thought he remembered answering this question before and did not want to give me a misleading answer. BWS said Rand told each of the 3 women Moridin's name in an off-screen conversation.
Tags
412
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Then Kiley had a question. She's very soft-spoken so I'm not sure I got it all down right.
Kiley Daniel
So how much, either consciously or unconsciously, do the diary entries from the Lord Ruler reflect the Rand-type characters?
Brandon Sanderson
That's the pitch to myself for Mistborn, years ago: "What if Rand failed, and decided to take over the world instead?" basically. It's more than that, though; it's, you know" "What if Frodo kept the ring? What if the hero from the monomyth failed, and instead became the tyrant?" And so, I consciously evoked that.
Kiley Daniel
So did you ever see in that through the end, so that Rand didn't go....like, this is really similar, ever?
Brandon Sanderson
Not specifically, but you know, I was basing the idea off of that, yeah.
Kiley Daniel
It was like, "This could be Rand's diary," you know.
Tags
413
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - Terez (Verbatim)Terez
Alright, is Cadsuane's lesson to the Asha'man yet to come?
Brandon Sanderson
To the Asha'man? It is the same lesson that Rand learned, but they....they started to learn it.....
Terez
Yeah...
Brandon Sanderson
I would say that they have not completely learned it yet. Not until they have spent years...um...growing...
Terez
Well the distinction in Min's viewing is that none of them would like learning it from Cadsuane.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. Mmmhmm.
Terez
Yeah, so that's where everybody gets a little bit confused.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Terez
But yeah, I got you.
Tags
414
Interview: Feb 20th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - JaimieKrycho (Paraphrased)Question
You said in The Gathering Storm, the Rand was very dark. Was his darkness in the book hard to write?
Brandon Sanderson
Rand's darkness was certainly hard to write. But there's a piece of the writer that says when this is tough, that's good. One, you're pushing yourself. Two, if it's emotionally hard for you, and you're doing this the right way, it's going to be emotionally hard on the reader, and that's a sign that they will be emotionally invested. So yes, it was hard. How did I get into the mindset? The same way I do everything. There's actually a lot of method acting to writing, where you sit down and become that character for a time. Harriet has a story about Robert Jordan and how he did it. She could always tell.
Harriet McDougal
I could generally tell when he came in for the evening news and supper whether he had been writing a good person or a bad person. In particular there was an evening when he came in and slammed the door, and was skulking around the wall like this [hunches up against the bookshelf behind her], and I said, "You've been writing Padan Fain, haven't you?" And he said, "How did you know?" Usually he came in and said "Hello, honey!"
Brandon Sanderson
So you get in the mindset and go, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and if it doesn't, you throw it away and start again the next day.
Tags
415
Interview: Feb 20th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - JaimieKrycho (Paraphrased)Question
Was it up to you to decide what the Dark One actually was? The revelation that the Dark One was a concept or idea rather than a person reminded me very much of Ruin from the The Hero of Ages. How did you make that decision?
Brandon Sanderson
I was left a lot of freedom on how to do that specific thing, and earlier in the first draft he wasn't so much like that. We felt the conflict wasn't working—it felt more like the Last Conversation than the Last Battle. Harriet sent back direction for something stronger. The revision included the dueling of possibilities. That is where the Dark One became more involved and so it evolved into that, but we weren't following anything specific Jim had said.
Tags
416
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
When rand lights the pipe at the end, is he directly influencing the Pattern?
Brandon Sanderson
RJ didn't tell us. He wrote that scene himself, and he didn't say what it meant. I think that's what it is, but I can't say for sure, because RJ didn't tell me.
Tags
417
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
Brandon Sanderson
You were the person with the Moiraine question. RJ wrote in his notes that main purpose of Moiraine is to prevent a war between Rand and Egwene. And then she was to go with him into the Pit of Doom, but in the Pit of Doom there was nothing for her to do. And I felt bad about that, but that's what he instructed. It was hard to come up with stuff for everyone to have a part and a role. But I did what he instructed. It was a good question, people wondered. She did have an important role to play.
Tags
418
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
And the decision to exchange the bodies at the end?
Brandon Sanderson
That was his (Robert Jordan). And it began with the crossing of the balefire streams, way back when, and continued on through the series up to here. He actually wrote those scenes at the end himself.
Tags
419
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
Chris Cottingham asked, Is Nakomi's dealing with the soup for Aviendha the same as Rand and the pipe?
Brandon Sanderson
What do you mean?
Question
Is it the same power?
Brandon Sanderson
(Laughs) No, it is not. I'll go ahead and, wow, you actually managed to get a question out of me about Nakomi. No that is not the same.
Footnote—Terez
(Brandon later said that he didn't know anything more than the fans do about the pipe.)
Question
Is "Nakomi" from the Old Tongue, and is there a translation?
Brandon Sanderson
I'll go ahead and RAFO anything else dealing with Nakomi. You did get an answer out of me on one thing, so that's good.
Harriet McDougal
Nakomi wandered in from the Song of Hiawatha.
Brandon Sanderson
There you go.
Question
That's what we thought, yes.
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Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
Sam Mickel seems to think that Demandred becomes so obsessed with Rand during the book, and that this appears to have increased from previous books. Would you say that, and if so, why?
Brandon Sanderson
I would say no, though the immediacy of what is happening makes it manifest, makes it look that way. He has always been ... I mean, the single defining attribute of Demandred is his obsession with Rand, and it is his tragic flaw also.
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Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)J. Dauro
Do we know anything on how they managed to create the wards on Callandor, and attune them to Rand?
Brandon Sanderson
I don't.
J. Dauro
Then I guess I'll have to ask Maria at JordanCon.
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
Brandon has said that Rand killed Aginor. (It was also in the BWB.) I think he was kind of iffy on it, but I tended to think that Rand killed him; some people say that Aginor overdosed, but I always thought that it was Rand taking the Power of the Eye from him that killed him, you know? It's like the shock of having it taken away...do you know?Maria Simons
I don't know. I always thought it was Rand too, but I don't know.Tags
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
Who gave Slayer the orders to kill Rand in Far Madding? And do you know who sent him to the Two Rivers?Maria Simons
I think I know who sent Slayer to Far Madding.
Terez
I always thought it was Taim...
Maria Simons
Yeah...
Terez
Because why else would he disguise himself?
Maria Simons
Yeah. That one I know.
Terez
Yay!
Maria Simons
Yay!
Footnote
At this time the no-kill order had been temporarily lifted in an attempt to prevent the Cleansing, so there was no reason for the Forsaken to order Slayer in secrecy.Tags
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
In Winter's Heart, Aran'gar says that Demandred was meant to be watching Rand, along with Aginor/Osan'gar, and how was he doing this if he was in Shara? I figured he was just doing the normal spying thing, but it seems like it was supposed to be a clue about where he was, which is why we always focused on it, but it wasn't.Maria Simons
Yeah, he was using other people.Tags
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
Does Rand still have Lews Therin's memories?Maria Simons
I don't know.Tags
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Interview: Apr 20th, 2013
JordanCon 2013 - Q&A with Maria (Verbatim)Terez
Did Aviendha tell Nynaeve that Rand is still alive?Maria Simons
I think that's an open question that we don't really know.Tags
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Interview: Nov 6th, 2012
Weller Book Works Signing - Josh & Mi'ch (Verbatim)Question
Do you mind if I ask a Wheel of Time question?Brandon Sanderson
No, I don't mind at all.
QUESTION
The group that I'm a part of on Facebook has a list going of things we want to ask you.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Ooooh, okay!
QUESTION
So I'm trying to ask one that's not gonna get a Read And Find Out.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Okay.
QUESTION
Do the women in Randland shave?
BRANDON SANDERSON
[Laughter] Wow, I've never been asked that. Oh wow, I don't know. I honestly don't know.
QUESTION
It's been bothering me since I started the series.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Wow. That's an excellent question. Ask Maria, she might actually know. That's the sort of thing that's probably buried in the notes somewhere. You can ask another one since I didn't know. You can go down a few and if I have to RAFO, then I will but is there another one you can ask that might get an answer?
QUESTION
Maybe, you're going to have to forgive me if I mispronounce...
BRANDON SANDERSON
That's all right.
QUESTION
What did Moridin mean by the Fisher King being a dim remnant of a memory of Rand al'Thor?
BRANDON SANDERSON
There are lots of ways to interpret that I will give you one interpretation. And that is that it is a memory from the last time that Rand al'Thor did what he did. And that those stories were passed on and passed on and so now he is following legends about himself. Does that make sense?
QUESTION
Yeah.
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Interview: Nov 6th, 2012
Weller Book Works Signing - Josh & Mi'ch (Verbatim)Question
In the prologue it sounds like Lews Therin balefires himself, and then is reborn as Rand al’Thor.
Brandon Sanderson
He does not balefire himself, so I can answer that. He does not.
QUESTION
So it’s just something that sounds a lot like balefire?
BRANDON SANDERSON
Yes- well there’s various interpretations of what happens there. He um- yeah there’s various interpretations of what actually killed him. If you go look and read closely, what actually killed him may be- could be subject to some debate.
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Interview: May 24th, 2013
Phoenix ComicCon Report - KakitaOCU (Paraphrased)Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Jordan made the decision of the True Nature of the Dark One. He said that straight out. He and Harriet rewrote and developed the battle the way it turned out, with the possible futures, etc. But the true key of the Dark ONe being needed for the world and Rand having to discover that and just restore the prison were Jordan's directive.
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Interview: Feb 13th, 2013
Question
All right, and second question. Without being too terribly spoilerific, what's the one thing you wanted to find out, and didn't?
Brandon Sanderson
There is an event in the epilogue, that one of the characters performed something that seems impossible by our understanding, and Robert Jordan did not explain how or why.
Question
That's fair. All right. I’ve got my own fan theories, and they'll just stay there. Thanks.
Brandon Sanderson
Uh huh.
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Interview: 2013
poesian (March 2013)
I'll bite:
We had some discussion about whether or not the scene in AMOL in which Rand thinks Roedran is Demandred was intended as a bit of a dig at all the fan theories assuming that to be true. Or was Rand really just supposed to be convinced of that same theory? (And how did Shara never occur to anyone in the books?)
Balefire question: If balefire isn't tearing someone's soul out of the pattern, why is it so destructive? Why, in AMOL is it literally tearing the world apart when Darkfriends are using it?
Thanks! I will try and remember to ask more questions on 15 April!
Brandon Sanderson
1. The item you discuss was not intended as a dig against fans. You could read it, potentially, as an acknowledgement of fans—though really, all it comes from is the fact that you have a fan writing these books. I'm aware of many of the theories, and even spent years thinking about them and talking of them. In constructing this scene, it was my impression that if we'd spent all of this time working on these theories, how much more effort would those in world have expended?
And so, my impression was that this would be genuinely what the character thought. I thought it would be very strange if he HADN'T considered it. Therefore, I put a note of it in the text—to indicate that the characters had been working through these same issues, and come to some of the same conclusions. It wasn't meant to break the fourth wall, though I can see how it stands out to some readers.
2. I was under the impression that to be killed by balefire meant dying forever. However, Maria and the notes showed me I was wrong about this fact. Balefire does weaken the Pattern, but it can't destroy souls, which are (you might say) the substance of the Pattern. Just like you can take a hammer to a cup and shatter it, but the pieces of glass will still be there. The Pattern can (theoretically) be unraveled, the world end, but the souls still exist.
It should be note that Moridin believed strongly that the soul CAN be ended by other means, and the implication of wolves (at least) being killed with no rebirth means it can happen.
So, in final answer to your question, it is so destructive because it leaves the Pattern in a mess, strained, and more easily subjected to the Dark One's will. His goal is to shatter the cup, so to speak, and then rebuilt it into a cup more to his liking.
poesian
Oh man, I am so happy (a) that you answered my questions and (b) that you answered them well. Thank you for all you've done with the series, Brandon!
(I pointed out the Demandred scene because it is fun on all of those levels. I've thought about the "fourth wall" comment and it doesn't make sense; there's no moment where Rand looks at us. Just at Roedran, in a way that actually is entirely sensical.)
TheBB
And so, my impression was that this would be genuinely what the character thought.
This was a bit jarring for me, because most of the reasons for the Demandred=Roedran theory came from hints given by Robert Jordan, that Rand wouldn't have access to.
Brandon Sanderson
Ah, but Rand would have a whole LOT of information in-world that we don't have. Spy reports, rumors, his knowledge of how the Forsaken like to work. If you remove the places where one of the Forsaken had already set up shop, remove the monarchs that Rand has already met and interacted with, and look for a place that has been suspiciously quiet, you end up with very few options.
poesian
One of which just happens to be as we now know Shara.
NruJaC
It's funny, it was an RJ quote that pushed people away from that particular theory. It turned out to be an extremely Aes Sedai answer.
poesian
I would love to read that quote.
And of course RJ would give Aes Sedai answers. That makes a lot of sense.
NruJaC
I'll try to find it, but he basically said that we'd never see Shara "on-screen".
poesian
Oh right! Yeah. That's a very Aes Sedai answer. Heh. 'You'll never see their country, but they'll see ours!'
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Interview: 2013
iwasazombie (March 2013)
Hey Brandon! I'm the redheaded dude who was helping at the last two Midnight Release parties, and I am actually at BYU right now. I have two questions:
I know you've said you can't answer these directly, so, rather than give the "official" answer, I was wondering if you could give us your "fan theory" on the answer, as if you weren't the writer.
What do you think about Mat, Rand, and Perrin keeping certain "abilities"? I know you've said that they may or may not still be ta'veren, and Perrin thinks they aren't, but can Perrin still talk to wolves? Is Mat still lucky? Does Mat still have his memories?
In your opinion, who do you think Nakomi was? Do you like the "Nakomi is the avatar of the Creator theory"? Do you think of her as the third member of the Christian godhead?
Finally, Harriet was quoted as saying that she thinks Rand's special ability at the end was a "new magic"? Do you agree? Or do you think it is something else?
Thanks for being awesome!
Brandon Sanderson
1. Perrin can still talk to wolves. That is certain. Also, Mat keeps his memories. These two are official, not theories on my part. What I can't give official on is the ta'veren-ness of the guys. I don't think RJ ever even says in the notes. Me? I think they aren't.
2. I'm too close to this one. I can't say, unfortunately. I can answer as a fan for things I don't know because it's not in the notes, or for things I could theorize about before I came onto the project. For things I learned about while working, I don't have a "fan" perspective, only a writer perspective. Sorry.
3. Harriet is more likely to be right than I am, but I don't believe it is a new magic. I think it is a result of Rand touching the Pattern directly.
iwasazombie
Awesome! So, I'm still unsure about Mat's luck. Would you say that's part of his "ta'veren-ness?"
Thanks for the great answers. I'm more at peace now with some of the previous answers you've given.
Brandon Sanderson
My gut tells me Mat still has his luck, but not to the extent he once had. But I have no foundation for this in the notes.
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Interview: 2013
Xx255q (March 2013)
If full Dragon had the same amount of power as pre-Dragon with the access key, how much power was full Dragon holding with his power multiplied? Or orders of magnitude larger? Such as, how many people who can hold the power equal him, or what could he do with all of it?
Brandon Sanderson
One of the realizations that Rand came to in the books was that brute, raw power was of far lesser importance than he'd once imagined. Comparing his power post and pre access key is a moot point, as it wasn't power he was seeking. It was a method to accomplish what he needed to accomplish. But, to give you something more of an answer to the question you're actually asking, Rand post-epiphany is not more powerful than Rand with the access key. However, he was far more efficient, as he gained hundreds of years of experience with the use of weaves.
Xx255qImpressive using the sword with the power and skill like that.... He could do anything.
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Interview: 2013
DaBoffinIsMyUsername (June 2013)
Just finished the chapter "Older, More Weathered". Funniest chapter so far IMO, what are your most humorous scenes?
woodchuck_vomit
New Spring—Moiraine gets thrown into a pond.
Eye of the World—Min takes Rand aside when he re-enters the inn to tell him about Nynaeve, Thom immediately assumes they're gonna make out, Min says "Go juggle something."
The Great Hunt—Egwene smuggling Rand into the women's quarters to hide from the Amyrlin.
The Dragon Reborn—Moiraine catches some fish.
The Shadow Rising—Elayne gets drunk; Aviendha describes Elayne to Rand in detail.
The Fires of Heaven—The Aes Sedai in Salidar make Siuan and Leane go over every prank they played in the White Tower as novices and Accepted to prove they're really them; "It happened on the other side of the world and the Maidens still knew!"
Lord of Chaos—Aiel humor; Mat before he realizes Egwene really is the Amyrlin.
A Crown of Swords—Mat and Birgitte get drunk, Elayne gets bond-drunk; Min likes it rough.
The Path of Daggers—Aviendha describes some of her night with Rand to Elayne; Elayne and that mysterious red rod ter'angreal; the Maidens collect some toh from Rand.
Winter's Heart—Aviendha, Min, and Birgitte all feeling it in their heads.
Crossroads of Twilight—"She would bond him as her Warder one day, somehow, and she would marry him, and make love to him until he cried for mercy!" Whoa there Egwene.
Knife of Dreams—Tuon allows Mat to kiss her. "Do I remind you of your sister? Or perhaps your mother?"
The Gathering Storm—"Women are like goats..."
Towers of Midnight—"Your royal bloody pain in my back..."
A Memory of Light—Aviendha suggests that the most honorable way to win would be to take the Dark One gai'shain.
Brandon Sanderson ()
A note for those curious, but a spoiler for the ending. Regarding the AMOL one, have you noticed yet that Rand, to an extent, did this very thing?
Mithre
Is it just how he imprisoned the Dark One without killing him? Or did I miss something?
Brandon Sanderson
The usual way to take a person gai'shain is to touch them while they are holding a weapon. Rand seized and held the Dark One in his hand, then chose not to kill him, instead taking him prisoner.
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Interview: Feb 1st, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - TsorovanSaidin (Paraphrased)TsorovanSaidin
The only other thing we asked him was about a certain lighting of a pipe.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He said that he has no idea what the ending with Rand lightning the pipe truly meant. That was completely RJ. I asked him, based on my own theory, that what Rand did was a by product of him being almost a convergence of the Pattern. Since he wove with all three powers and wove the whole of the Age lace that he was now able to bend the Pattern and essentially "weave reality." Which would be more far helpful than the One Power. It may also explain why he's burnt out and not going crazy because of, he has a far better substation.
TsorovanSaidin
Pops! Forgot to add! Brandon said he doesn't know for sure but, that is close to his own theory. And they ARE releasing the complete encyclopedia on the series. He estimates by sometime next year.
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Interview: Feb 1st, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - craiye (Paraphrased)craiye
While Brandon was signing my book(s) I asked him about Alivia and if she had a role in the body swap. I assumed it was Nakomi but the others I was reading the book with all decided it HAD to be Alivia and that's how she fulfilled Min's viewing.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Brandon confirmed that Alivia had NOTHING to do with the body swap but wouldn't go into it further.
TsorovanSaidin
Nothing is popping up man, but what did you ask? We had someone actually ask who killed Asmodean, literally THE ENTIRE CROWD booed this guy. Alivia helped him die by disappearing. It was quite anticlimactic.
craiye
Huh, not sure why the spoiler isn't working right. Anyways, I was having a debate with the 5 other people I'd been reading with and felt like I was taking crazy pills—all the others thought Alivia is the one who found Rand outside Shayol Ghul after the battle and did the swap. I asked Brandon to confirm that it wasn't Alivia and was in fact Nakomi and he said he wouldn't answer anything about Nakomi, but vehemently denied Alivia had anything to do with the swap.
TsorovanSaidin
The body swap was a result of the crossed balefire stream.
craiye
Sure, it's clear that was what triggered the whole event but the end of A Memory of Light heavily implies that the woman outside Shayol Ghul finalized the deal. I'd assume that was Nakomi.
Anyways, BS has made it clear he can't/won't answer any questions about Nakomi so I was just hoping for a solid confirmation that Alivia wasn't involved in anything at Shayol Ghul, and he confirmed that. That was good enough for me.
TsorovanSaidin
Ohhhh you're talking the old woman in the tent with Alivia? I'm almost positive it was Caddy and Alivia was referring to her as an old woman. You're talking about "The wise ones and the old woman with them" line correct? It's not Verin, we know that much. Nakomi, I'm convinced is no one, and everyone is just assuming there's something special about her. Though I found that old woman line suspicious.
craiye
Nah, I'm talking about the first page of the epilogue—892. The figure outside Shayol Ghul that says "Yes, that's good. That is what you need to do" as he brings Moridin's body out. For some reason a fair amount of people I've talked too (including the group I read with) thought that was Alivia, since it's suggested this person starts the body swap at that point (or finishes it I suppose). BS confirmed it was NOT Alivia though. I assume it's Nakomi. Who Nakomi actually is is an entirely different story.
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2013
Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)laenare ()
Hello, Mr. Sanderson. This may sound like a strange question, but in Russian WoT-fandom we have a lot of heated debates about it. Some people think "Rand trying to kill Tam"—is part of Cadsuane's Plan. So, [was the] meeting with Tam in tGS:47 planned to "soften" Rand or to purposely provoke him (by mention of Cadsuane's name) and cause emotional outburst that had led him to catharsis after all?
Brandon Sanderson
Cadsuane did not expect what happened to happen.
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2013
Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)laenare ()
At what point did Rand begin planning his fake death? At least in Towers of Midnight or in A Memory of Light timeline?
Brandon Sanderson
He never planned to. It was a matter of opportunity.
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2013
Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)smb89 ()
The Flame of Tar Valon—what does it do other than shore up the Pattern? Does it have effects also opposite to balefire? Was the weave related to the weave that Rand used to seek out Shadowspawn in The Dragon Reborn?
Brandon Sanderson
This is left for your consideration and discussion for now.
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2013
Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)SakisRakis ()
I wondered particularly about, in the epilogue, Alivia leaving the supplies for the body-swapped Rand. I honestly had to go look up Alivia as a refresher upon seeing her name; was she included from Robert Jordan's draft, and if so, do you think he envisioned more involvement from her throughout A Memory of Light?
Brandon Sanderson
That scene was indeed one of the ones that Robert Jordan wrote before he passed away, and was include as is. He MIGHT have included her a tad more in other scenes, but the notes were blank on her save for this last scene, so I don't know. I know for certain that her helping Rand to die meant only leaving the items for him. It was a very small thing that fandom (perhaps by RJ's design) blew up into something much larger. The characters did too, to an extent.
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Interview: Apr 15th, 2013
Reddit AMA 2013 (Verbatim)The_Black_Dread ()
During Towers of Midnight, Rand says "How I wish I had listened to Gilgame..." while he and Min are in Far Madding. Was Rand going to reference Gilgamesh before Min interrupted him?
Brandon Sanderson
He finished the word, I believe. Gilgame is the person referenced.
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Interview: Dec 6th, 2012
West Jordan Signing Report - Josh & Mi'ch (Verbatim)Question
Oh, my question was does Perrin lose a body part in the book, since Mat has lost one, Rand has lost one, does Perrin lose one next?
Brandon Sanderson
Perrin’s body part was the knee, where he got shot through the leg with the arrow. Because the mythological symbolism is with Mat- it’s the Odin mythology, and Odin lost an eye. Perrin is actually the blacksmith mythology, which if you’ve read in Hephaestus and Perun and of the various blacksmiths, they usually have a bad leg. I wasn’t going to chop off his leg. I had that wound, and he kind of feels a phantom wound, if you’ll read in the last book there are several times where his leg aches even though he was healed. That’s the symbolism there.
QUESTION
So, did you just decide to [inaudible] or was that..?
BRANDON SANDERSON
No, Robert Jordan had done that, that was him.
QUESTION
I wasn’t sure if I was just coming up with a fantasy or not.
BRANDON SANDERSON
Though I knew he had to be wounded in the leg, I didn’t know how or how badly so I kind of came up with how it happened.
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Interview: Dec 6th, 2012
West Jordan Signing Report - Josh & Mi'ch (Verbatim)Question
Approximately how old are the scabbard and hilt of Rand’s new sword?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO
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Interview: Oct 15th, 2013
Brandon Sanderson's Blog: The Wheel of Time Retrospective: The Gathering Storm: Writing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson
Rand
In taking on this project, one of my personal goals—if the series would allow it—was to focus more time on the main characters, particularly Rand. I love the middle books, with their exploration of other plots and characters, but the first book presented to us Rand, Perrin, Mat, and Egwene as our main characters. I feel that, in the true nature of the Wheel of Time, the appropriate thing to do was bring the attention back to them for the final books—and I feel Robert Jordan would have done so himself.
Rand needed to be the heart of the three novels. In pondering how to accomplish his outline, I was reminded of things I'd felt when first reading The Dragon Reborn. Rand's anguish as a character was powerful to me, and I thought, "Surely he can't go lower, be forced to go through more, than he's had happen to him here." The next few books affirmed this.
Then I read Lord of Chaos. That book breaks your heart; I found myself amazed that Rand could be brought down even lower. This progressed through the next books, with more being piled upon Rand—but the low points of Lord of Chaos are the most stark in my mind. I remember thinking, "Surely this is the bottom."
That was why, in The Gathering Storm, I needed to attempt what Robert Jordan had successfully done twice. I needed to bring Rand even lower than the reader had assumed, expected, or even thought possible. This was in part to fulfill arcs Robert Jordan had in place, in part because of his love for the Monomyth and the Campbellian hero's journey, but mostly because it felt right to me. Rand's redemption, so to speak, needed to be preceded by his lowest point in the series.
This also offered me an interesting storytelling opportunity. In the original outline, Rand's descent, his decision on Dragonmount, and his following actions as the Dragon Reborn would all happen in a single volume. In splitting the books, I could do the first part in one book, then have his actions in the second book introduce an interesting tension—the question of whether or not this new Rand was still the Rand we loved. I could prompt readers to fear that just as he became unrecognizable in the depths of his fall, he might become something unknowable in the heights of his redemption. It would make for a new kind of conflict, one I'd never explored before, through Towers of Midnight—before finally giving Rand more viewpoints in A Memory of Light to humanize him again. (Something Harriet was very glad to hear I was planning to do. Her main point regarding Rand was that he, in performing the actions he did in the last book, had to be very human in his approach to them. This was to be the story of an ordinary man who achieved something amazing, not an unknowable deity doing the same.)
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Interview: Oct 15th, 2013
Brandon Sanderson's Blog: The Wheel of Time Retrospective: The Gathering Storm: Writing Process (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson
Other Characters
I have a fondness for Aviendha, my personal favorite of the female leads in the Wheel of Time. (My favorite among the male leads is Perrin.) I wanted to see a return of Avi in the last books, as I felt we just hadn't had enough of her lately. I also have an interesting relationship with Nynaeve, a character who I (as a young man) resented. My opinion of her is the one that grew the most during the course of my reading as just a fan, and by Knife of Dreams I absolutely loved her. I knew that with all of the crowding in the last books, she actually wouldn't have a large part to play in the Last Battle. (Very few would be able to do so, beyond Rand/Egwene/Perrin/Mat.) Therefore, it was important to me to give her a solid and interesting sequence of scenes through both The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. Her raising was not instructed by the notes, but was something I was insistent be in the books. (And along those lines, one thing Harriet insisted happen—and I was all too ready to oblige—was a meeting between Rand and his father.)
To be continued.
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Interview: Oct 30th, 2013
Brandon Sanderson's Blog: The Wheel of Time Retrospective: A Memory of Light: Perrin and Egwene (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson
Egwene
There were three particular things that were quite a challenge in writing this last book. The first was how to use Rand fighting the Dark One in a way that would be interesting, visual, and powerful. The second was how to do the tactics of a large-scale battle. The final one had to do with Egwene.
In his notes, Robert Jordan was very specific about the fact that Rand and Egwene needed to almost come to blows in the lead-up to the Last Battle. He called it the grand union of the armies against Rand, whose decisions were considered too radical, too dangerous, to be allowed to proceed. Moiraine was to be the force that brought the two of them together, unifying the armies of light, cementing her importance—and showing why she needed to be rescued by Mat before the Last Battle. (There were a lot of instructions about what Moiraine was to say, and some good writing on that meeting at the Field of Merrilor.)
The burden upon me was to realistically bring Rand and Egwene to the point where the reader believed they'd fight one another—or at least go to the Last Battle separately, without cohesion—if Moiraine hadn't intervened. This was difficult. Having The Gathering Storm end on such a high note for Egwene left me struggling to figure out how, in Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light, to make her go at cross-purposes to Rand without alienating the reader from her viewpoints. I felt what she was doing was very realistic and in character for who she was, but I also knew that making the decisions she would make was going to cause some readers to be very annoyed with her.
In the end, I decided that the proper course was to let them be annoyed. The very same strength that had made Egwene shine in The Gathering Storm was also the strength that let her lead the Aes Sedai—of whom she had truly become one. The will of the Aes Sedai against the rest of the world is a major theme of the Wheel of Time, and say what you will of it, the theme is consistent—as are the characters. Egwene was at their head. Yes, I wanted her to be relatable, but I also wanted it clear that she was Aes Sedai, and she wasn't about to let someone else dominate the decisions on how to approach the Last Battle.
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Interview: Nov 1st, 2013
Brandon Sanderson's Blog: The Wheel of Time Retrospective: A Memory of Light: The Black Tower (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson
Rand and Logain
I made a few interesting decisions with the Black Tower sequence. The first was to not involve Rand. Though it would have been a nice narrative balance to have Rand come save the Asha'man in contrast to them saving him in book six, I felt that Rand was riding to the rescue too often. The Black Tower was about to lose him permanently, and if its members could not face their problems on their own, then thematically they'd be left at the end of the series hampered and undermined. Beyond this, I believed that Rand's personality (as shown in earlier books) would push him to avoid being pulled into a potential trap at the Black Tower. His argument that he couldn't risk a confrontation is a good one. Androl and company had to face their problems on their own—save for the help of an Aes Sedai, another thing I felt to be thematically important.
Perhaps the most controversial decision (among Team Jordan) that I made with this sequence was to push Logain toward being a darker figure. Following his extended torture, I felt that Logain would emerge as a different person—though he'd always been somewhat dark. Some members of Team Jordan felt he was past that, and I disagreed. Logan was a false Dragon, gentled then healed, head of a group of men going insane who owed loyalty to Rand—but who rarely interacted with him. There is so much going on with this guy that he could have carried an entire series on his own.
I wanted him to wrestle with all of this. Logain's life ever since his capture way back when seemed to have been one of being shoved this way and then that. He needed to decide for himself what kind of Black Tower he was going to rule, if he was going to earn the honor of men as was promised. (And yes, this had not yet happened at the end of the series.) Logain, so far as I know, never once let go of power in the series—it was always ripped from his fingers. In this case, he was allowed to choose.
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Interview: Jan 10th, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - NutiketAiel (Paraphrased)NutiketAiel
MAJOR SPOILER for A Memory of Light in the next one. Be warned:
One fan asked Brandon about a particular incident in the epilogue of A Memory of Light, when Rand lit his pipe by thought.
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon related that there were two kinds of notes that Robert Jordan had left—one set of notes to himself, to remind himself of various things, the other notes intended to help someone else complete the series. The epilogue, however, as has repeatedly been pointed out, did not need anyone to complete it—Robert Jordan had written it [almost] in its entirety. So, there was no explanation about how Rand accomplished this. Brandon did relate his own theory about the incident to the inquiring fan, however: "Certain people are touching the Pattern, and certain touches leave certain kind of marks."
NutiketAiel
For me, this was one of the highlights of the entire evening. The Great Brandon Sanderson himself, who has seen all of Robert Jordan’s notes and writings, and spent years working with Harriet and Team Jordan to complete the series… when it comes to this one thing, he has to come up with theories just like the rest of us fans. It made me feel really close to Brandon, in that moment.
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Interview: Apr 10th, 2014
Terez
[You said that RJ wrote the scene where Rand comes out of the mountain, but you said you based Nakomi on something "deep in the notes". Did you add anything to the scene RJ wrote?]Brandon Sanderson
[RJ wrote the woman in the scene. I had to dig deep in the notes to figure out...] ...who this person is. It is something that I had to put together myself.
Terez
So you had to...you didn't change anything about that scene.
Brandon Sanderson
I don't believe that I changed anything about that scene. You will have to compare it to the original if that ever comes out in the notes—I don't know whether that's in the stuff that was released to the [library]—but I don't believe any changes were made except for perhaps proofreading and editing changes as we went through. The big changes I made to the epilogue were the addition of certain viewpoints, but were not changes to what was written. Some of these scenes we have in the epilogue were some of the cleanest scenes that we got. And sure, we had to clean them up in some ways, but I don't believe that scene had any major edits to it, but it's now been quite a long time since I worked on that scene, so take that with a caveat.
But that was one of those scenes, when I read it...now, you'll have to remember, it was 2007 when I went to Harriet's house and I got handed this stack of paper, and I sat down and I read it, and I started with that scene. That was the first thing that I read, because that was the completed—like, I wanted to read the ending, right? There was stuff written before that, but [...] the ending to me that I read started right with what you're talking about, that exact moment with him stumbling out, and the things that he's kind of mumbling, and the things that he's hearing and saying and stuff. But, you may have to—I honestly, it's so hard for me, some of these things, it's so hard for me to remember because we're going back seven years, where I started working on that outline, right after reading what he'd written—and started building it, and over the years, we get a lot of questions, was this you? was this him? I've forgotten. [laughter] Because...no, you have this whole thing and you're working on it for seven years, and what was him and what was me stopped really being that important when we're building the story. Granted, there are certain things we really wanted to preserve of his because we wanted the actual writing he completed, but you know, which themes, and which concepts—there are things where I'm like, "Oh!—I was looking back through my outline, and I'm like, "Oh, I put this in. Why did I put that in? Oh, it's because of this," and then I went back into his notes, "No wait, no he said to do that!" And he wrote that! And they blended together quite a bit. Like, that scene, over the years, I thought, "Oh, I added some stuff to that scene." And then I went back to the original when I was going to put it in, and lo and behold, I hadn't added anything to that scene, is my recollection. It was there, and I'm like, "Oh wait, no that was him, and that's what sparked me to do this other thing," which then, we turned into this other scene, and...but it gets really hard for me to parse without having, in front of me, to say, "Okay, did I change any words?" So...
Next Question
What can you tell us about that woman?
Brandon Sanderson
That right there is one of the two main things which I have said I'm not going to say anything about. So I'm not answering...that's...that's one of the big...I feel that the notes indicated that this should be a mystery that he wanted to be left, and...things that...there are actually very few of those that we haven't said anything about, and I think this is the one that I'm just not gonna talk about. The other one of course is the pipe, and that's because we don't know. That...the woman you're talking about, I do know things about, but I'm just not...that's...you know, this is the mystery that he wanted us to have, and the pipe is another one. Those are the two big things I can't give you answers on, one because I won't, and one because...um, because I can't. The other thing I haven't been answering is I haven't been answering who made the decision on every specific character, who should live and who should die, and I don't think that focusing on that is really productive, and so I haven't been telling people who, except for one character [looks at Harriet; audience laughs] that I didn't want to die [awws], that Harriet decided needed to go, of the four-hoofed persuasion. [laughter] In general I just don't talk a lot about those, so I'll just give you a warning, those are things I'm not going to answer. I am pretty free about a lot of other things, but I don't answer those.
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Interview: Aug 13th, 2014
Ask the Author: Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Question
In the Wheel of Time books, did the Creator have a power, similar to the True Power that the Dark One had?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm afraid I don't have the answer for this, not for certain. I think that readers of the text could argue both ways. For example, a certain event in the epilogue of AMOL could be interpreted this way—though everyone in Team Jordan seems to have a different opinion on what is going on, and RJ didn't leave an explanation.
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Interview: Sep 30th, 2014
archaeonaga (1 October 2014)
Did the body swap take place before Rand stumbled out of the cave, or during the period of time in which Rand and Moridin were in the tent? That first paragraph of the epilogue is quite ambiguous.Brandon Sanderson (1 October 2014)
This is one of those that I don't actually know. My instincts say that it happened after, as I believe the idea from RJ was "the soul that wants to live finds the body that lives, and the soul that wants to die finds the body that dies." But I can't honestly remember if that's his explanation for why (he wrote most of the epilogue, so this event was done and written before he died) or if it's Team Jordan's explanation after the fact. But it's the one I embraced.
Footnote—Terez
I'm fairly certain that this did not come directly from RJ based on conversations I have had with Maria about this at the "Unanswered Questions" panels at JordanCon 2017 and 2018. Just to be certain, I will ask her at the same panel at JordanCon 2019; she loves this panel and we're going to do it every year.
MatrimRivers (16 October 2014)
Sorry, very late to this party as I just finished AMOL today. So many feels. Just on this topic, as Min, Elayne, Aviendha and Alivia are the only ones who know that Rand still lives, wouldn't Nynaeve etc return to the tent after Rands funeral, see Moridin is gone and be like "oh fuck, the Nae'blis is on the loose. We better hunt him down". Or should we just sort of assume that the important characters are brought in on the secret by those who know?
Brandon Sanderson (16 October 2014)
I am amused imagining Nynaeve's reaction, both to what you just described and to her discovery that Rand is alive. But I DO think she's got an inkling of what's happening, and will bully it out of someone before too long.
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