Do you consider Rand’s use of balefire to be a deus ex machina , as some of your critics have claimed?
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.
Editor’s Note: For more on these concepts, read Sanderson’s and Weeks’ dueling posts on the topic at Babel Clash .
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