WoT 7 - the one I can never remember what the hell it's called
I had to go to the bookcase just to find out what the damned book was called. Turns out it's A Crown of Swords.
Plot summary:
Ehm. Yes... *runs off to wiki* Fuck this. I'm just going to paste the summary from the wiki because I am lazy.
So.
"Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, prepares to attack the Forsaken Sammael in Illian while enjoying life with his lover, Min Farshaw, and attempting to quell the rebellion by nobles in Cairhien. He also establishes control on the Aes Sedai who vowed to serve him. In the end, Rand al'Thor, accompanied by Asha'man, attacks Illian and defeats Sammael in a duel of the One Power in Shadar Logoth. Rand then takes the crown of Illian, formerly the Laurel Crown, but now called the Crown of Swords.
Egwene al'Vere and Siuan Sanche attempt to manipulate the Aes Sedai rebels in Salidar to move against Elaida's Aes Sedai in the White Tower in Tar Valon. Lan is found, and Egwene sends him to help Nynaeve in Ebou Dar.
In the city of Ebou Dar in Altara, Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Mat Cauthon search for a ter'angreal, the Bowl of the Winds, to break the unnatural heat brought on by the Dark One's manipulation of climate. They are accompanied by Aviendha, Thom Merrilin, Juilin Sandar, and Birgitte. They find it and enlist the help of the Kin and the Atha'an Miere, or Sea Folk. They also confront a Gholam."
Some thoughts:
Okay, this book annoyed the HELL out of me. First we have Elayne and Nynaeve (formerly part of the Daft Trio, now definitely the Daft Duo). These two walk around so snootily and act so haughty you want to hit them very very hard with something heavy. Or do something with a spoon, depending on your preference. They absolutely refuse any help from men because men are useless and act like spoiled brats. GAH!
Second, the whole Mat/Tylin thing. I just can't get over that this is played for laughs. The woman forces sexual favours at knifepoint. This is rape, no way around it. And I just find the part where he actually starts feeling a bit of affection to her CREEPY. It reminds me of relationships where the abused part simply tries to handwave all the horrible things. It's Stockholm syndrome. And to make it worse the people who knows about it LAUGHS at him. Sorry, but to me this is just wrong. And it gets even worse in book 9. (Not book 8, because a building falls over Mat at the end of this book when the Seanchan invade Ebou Dar. Which incidentally makes book 8 very very boring.)
Funniest scene:
The Swovan Night sequence when Mat and Birgitte go out drinking heavily (offpage) and we get to see Elayne getting tipsy by proxy. Great fun. The morning after is also pretty funny when The Daft Duo are forced by Aviendha and Birgitte to go apologize to Mat for being horrible to him and not thanking him for rescuing them back in book 3, and he's got the hangover from hell and barely acknowledge them.
Plot summary:
Ehm. Yes... *runs off to wiki* Fuck this. I'm just going to paste the summary from the wiki because I am lazy.
So.
"Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, prepares to attack the Forsaken Sammael in Illian while enjoying life with his lover, Min Farshaw, and attempting to quell the rebellion by nobles in Cairhien. He also establishes control on the Aes Sedai who vowed to serve him. In the end, Rand al'Thor, accompanied by Asha'man, attacks Illian and defeats Sammael in a duel of the One Power in Shadar Logoth. Rand then takes the crown of Illian, formerly the Laurel Crown, but now called the Crown of Swords.
Egwene al'Vere and Siuan Sanche attempt to manipulate the Aes Sedai rebels in Salidar to move against Elaida's Aes Sedai in the White Tower in Tar Valon. Lan is found, and Egwene sends him to help Nynaeve in Ebou Dar.
In the city of Ebou Dar in Altara, Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Mat Cauthon search for a ter'angreal, the Bowl of the Winds, to break the unnatural heat brought on by the Dark One's manipulation of climate. They are accompanied by Aviendha, Thom Merrilin, Juilin Sandar, and Birgitte. They find it and enlist the help of the Kin and the Atha'an Miere, or Sea Folk. They also confront a Gholam."
Some thoughts:
Okay, this book annoyed the HELL out of me. First we have Elayne and Nynaeve (formerly part of the Daft Trio, now definitely the Daft Duo). These two walk around so snootily and act so haughty you want to hit them very very hard with something heavy. Or do something with a spoon, depending on your preference. They absolutely refuse any help from men because men are useless and act like spoiled brats. GAH!
Second, the whole Mat/Tylin thing. I just can't get over that this is played for laughs. The woman forces sexual favours at knifepoint. This is rape, no way around it. And I just find the part where he actually starts feeling a bit of affection to her CREEPY. It reminds me of relationships where the abused part simply tries to handwave all the horrible things. It's Stockholm syndrome. And to make it worse the people who knows about it LAUGHS at him. Sorry, but to me this is just wrong. And it gets even worse in book 9. (Not book 8, because a building falls over Mat at the end of this book when the Seanchan invade Ebou Dar. Which incidentally makes book 8 very very boring.)
Funniest scene:
The Swovan Night sequence when Mat and Birgitte go out drinking heavily (offpage) and we get to see Elayne getting tipsy by proxy. Great fun. The morning after is also pretty funny when The Daft Duo are forced by Aviendha and Birgitte to go apologize to Mat for being horrible to him and not thanking him for rescuing them back in book 3, and he's got the hangover from hell and barely acknowledge them.