Date: 2003-01-18
Type: Paraphrased
Location: Cambridge, MA
Reporter: Tallis
Hello, I don’t frequent newsgroups anymore, but RJ came by the Harvard Coop last night and I thought I’d tell you guys what I heard. Apologies if all this is old news; I’ve noticed other people have posted messages about his signings elsewhere, and they’re probably a bit more substantive.
Anyway: First, he began pronouncing some random names from the books. The ones I remember: Ice-Sedai; Thal-ah-rhan-rayad (pronounced as though he was choking on something); Sahn-chan (with the “a” homophonic in both syllables); Say-deen; Say-dahr.
RJ then announced that someone had figured out who had killed Asmodean using only the clues found in the books including and preceding the character’s death.
Give me a break; one person figures it out, and he calls it “obvious” (at least according to the FAQ)? Agh. I really don’t think it’s Graendal anymore, considering the tremendous influx of theories of her culpability in the past X years. You’d think RJ would have commented on that several books/years ago…?
Other “revelations”:
Saidar would have definitely been tainted had female channelers participated in the sealing.
There are many clues as to Mesaana’s identity, enough that we should figure it out before Crossroads of Twilight . He basically said that he’d full-out reveal her in upcoming books, though, “…and if you still don’t know, well, you’ll find out later.”
Ah, speaking of which, “Two more books.”
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.
(I’m uncertain how this fits with the ending of The Eye of the World .)
RAFO regarding Moiraine.
There are no formal educational systems; everything is—excuse the obvious—informal, but somewhat successful.
All right, take care all.
Ah, a couple more points I’d forgotten:
He bases his female characters after his wife.
(The audience laughed a bit, and a couple of us wondered just how dense and imperious that woman must be…)
I’m sure I misheard, but I could have sworn he talked about writing five prequels. Again, though, I’m uncertain.
All the other reports about prequels support the notion that RJ planned, in addition to New Spring , only two more prequels: one about Tam al’Thor and the other about how Moiraine and Lan ended up in the Two Rivers in the nick of time.
He had always planned on killing Sammael per Mashadar; his death was not determined after the ambiguous ending of that book. RJ said something along the lines of, “Yes, I know it wasn’t with trumpets and fanfare [referring to Sammael’s death]; but he deserved it. He was a louse, and he got a louse’s death. He was killed by an enemy he wasn’t paying attention to. He lived like a louse, and he died like a louse.”
Yes, he said “louse” that many times, if not more. You’d think Sammael had personally wronged RJ, sheesh—he sounded pretty impassioned. Then again, it could simply be his exasperation with people refusing to accept that Sammael died.
RJ read the Encylopedia Brittanica numerous times as a child; he claims that’s the crux of his education.
And that is that.
Take care all.
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