I mentioned before that I see things differently as I read these books through for the sixth or seventh time. I’m a writer myself now, and I look at the books from that standpoint. I can still enjoy them as a reader, but I think I enjoy different things as well. For instance, I love the sheer weight of conflict Mr. Jordan gave to his characters. I often say that stories are about conflict—characters are made interesting by conflict and a setting comes alive via the pressure points where different aspects of culture grind against each other. If you’re an aspiring author, take note of the excellent variety of conflicts Rand has shown during the first book and a half:
1) Servants of the Dark One chasing him.
2) The Dark One himself (kind of) appearing in Rand’s dreams.
3) Rand’s worry about his identity and whether or not Tam is really his father.
4) Rand’s worry about his relationship and love for Egwene
5) His tension between Mat and Perrin in Book Two.
6) His worry about everyone calling him a lord.
7) His frustration that the White Tower is trying to control him.
8) The danger of channeling and his place as the Dragon Reborn
And that’s just a few of them. There’s a reason why this story has been so successful and has been able to carry so many books. Conflict. There’s no shortage of it here. Anyway, I’m still enjoying Nynaeve’s character, though I wish she’d get over her anger at Moiraine. In most things, Nynaeve is clever, but she’s got a hole in her vision when it comes to Moiraine.
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