This is NOT a review of the Wheel of Time books. I suppose you can call it a reaction blog... For it is a collection of my live reactions and thoughts to reading the Wheel of Times series for the first time.
The thoughts were originally shared on Twitter and have now been collected here for everyone's convenience. These are my full reactions from the first Wheel of Times book, with some post-read writerly thoughts at the very end.
To gain better understanding of what this is all about, please refer to this blog.
Spoilers for Wheel of Time book 1: The Eye of the World ahead!
Good thing that Thom taught Rand and Mat some tricks! There’s some hope for them.... but apparently not for long... hope never seems to last long here.
If it goes well in one chapter, you can be certain you’ll see Whitecloaks in the next.
So..... folk have been looking the wrong way at Rand because of his Heron-marked sword pretty much since he left Two Rivers. This might be a stupid question, but: couldn't he just cover up the heron-mark...? Why can’t he do that? Is that somehow impossible...?
Uff, there is not a nice atmosphere in Four Kings, with an inn-keeper wanting to rob them and a dodgy rich guy staring at them, but things could be worse. At least the map shows that they’re close to Caemlyn
Though I fear Caemlyn will be worse!
Oh wow. I thought this was going to take a very different turn. I thought they’d escape the inn with the rich guy who would then turn out to be a lesser evil and they’d make a dramatic escape from his carriage.
Nope. Not where that went, at all.
Lights, help them. After a promise and declaration like that, they’re definitely going to get separated, one way or the other..
Lights, I hope it just happens in a way where neither of them abandons the other.
So much evil chasing Mat and Rand!!! So many servants to the Dark One! Even a skimpy villager I did not suspect, at all. Thankfully the two lads did suspect him, and got away.
This does make me wonder - cause we’ve seen a lot of evil people here, and every single one has been a man. Does the evil only take men...?
Moiraine said something about it being rare with women, but that implies that it also happens with women just to a lesser degree.
Oh. Yep. Definitely also happens with women. That answered that! Lights, I keep getting fooled because I keep thinking: it can’t be another one! Surely this time it must be a nice person.
Nope. Nothing sure about that.
I thought maybe this lady would be an Aes Sedai but one who did not agree with Moiraine and had a different approach. A darker approach. I do wonder how the Aes Sedai will react if any of the lads manage to show up in Tar Valon.
Very wise! Don’t become that which you hate, Mat my lad.
Rand is right, you’re better than this.
I do hope they don’t get separated now, because like Egwene and Perrin, Mat and Rand have now learned to rely on each other and help each other.
It’s a heart warming sight.
I feel like every person who gives these lads a ride tells them that Caemlyn is two days away... How is it always two days away? Is that code for: really really far away!?
I also keep hoping that every new person they meet might be someone they can trust. The two lads keep being reluctant to trust anyone, and I keep trusting everyone...
Eventually one of the people they come across will be good, right?
All this talk of Queen’s and royalty... we’re going to get really close and personal with the Queen and royalty aren’t we..?
I bet Thom used to perform for the court. He has this pride about his work. He has to have performed for the court.
Oh I hope Thom comes back soon.
Hmm yes, maybe not the queen, but I think we shall meet Lady Elayne and maybe also Lord Gawyn before this whole journey is finished.
Is Lady Elayne going to fall for one of our three Two Rivers lads...? Who is it going to be? Place your bets now!
Everyone they meet who doesn’t end up attacking them keeps saying that they know nothing and want to know nothing.
The people of this Queendom are terrified!
Ah, they meet someone decent at last!?
I’m with the inn-keeper on Thom btw: “I’ll believe he is dead when I see his corpse”
Oh wow! I mean I figured Thom had performed for the court..... but that close to the Queen? I would not have guessed it, but it makes a lot of sense from what we know of Thom so far.
Uh uh I don’t like that the inn-keeper is gone. Did someone come and take him...?
I mean he seemed so nice so I don’t want to believe that he willingly betrayed them but.... I’m worried.
Cool!!! An Ogier!! He seems like a really nice fellow too. I like these calm moments of conversation in between.
And it’s nice to see Rand let down his guard. Mat is guarded enough for the both of them.
Oh! Very unexpected! But yes!! Yes yes yes!! Please!! Let this happen!
Come on Rand! Think how nice it would be to see your party grow again and be surrounded by wise folk!
Oh and also, I can proudly announce that Rand has FINALLY decided to cover the heron-mark on his sword! After travelling half-way across the map.
All it took was for it be a fashion trend.
In a book with so many characters I find it remarkable that I like all of them.
I still don’t have one that makes me annoyed - and that’s a rarity for me.
....I take that back.
The Wisdom is getting on my nerves. I’m okay with her on the surface but the tone of her chapters is so negative. I’d like her if she could stop looking down on Moiraine and Lan (and herself too).
I feel like I sense something between the Wisdom and Lan...
What’s this about..? Is this the beginning of a romance I’m sensing...?
Wait!!!! Hold up!!!
Lan’s full name is: al’Lan Mandragoran???
al’Lan???
Alan??
So we have a...
Randall (Rand)
Tom (Thom)
Matt (Mat)
Alan (Lan)
When are Bob and Sam joining?
It’s fun that the girl names don’t seem to be following this pattern.
Moiraine.... Egwene... Nynaeve...
Yes I’ve got nothing on those.
Uhh Perrin’s eyes really are turning golden! That’s really cool.
And I’m of course excited that Moiraine heard my call last night and has arrived to rescue Perrin and Egwene.
I do have one concern though. Now that Perrin’s Wolf affinities are so clearly visible to others, I’m worried he will grow even more insecure.
Especially in the presence of the others. He grows a lot when he is alone and has room to do so, but he is SO insecure too.
Aw there is this little moment between Perrin and Lan after the rescue - Lan is really coming out of his shell lately.
He has been this silent, camouflaged figure of strength until now, but he is starting to open up now and reveal himself for who he truly is.
We like this!
So red means support for the Queen. White the opposite...
Rand chose red because it was the cheapest, but white is more commonly seen these days...
So it’s more expensive to be AGAINST the Queen..?
Someone seems to be profiting well off this.
Gawyn.... wait a minute!! Wasn’t it only yesterday that I claimed we would see the Lady and Lord of these lands before the end?
Frankly, I did not expect for it to happen quite this soon.
(She is so going to fall for Rand isn’t she?)
Ha! Even her brother is in agreement with me!
The pattern has been spun.
At this point, when Rand tells someone his real name and where he is from, I am not even surprised anymore.
Yes sure, Rand, go ahead and tell them everything. Just please keep your mouth shut when you cross the Queen’s Aes Sedai!
Wow. Rand has learned well from Mat. He really knows how to get into trouble
This is the kind of escalation of trouble I’d expect from my lad Mat.
The Queen seems cool though. Just under very dangerous advisement.
Yes, see? When you spend some time away from Mat’s suspicions, everyone suddenly don’t seem so bad, do they?
This inn-keeper has been so very nice and helpful.
REUNION!!!!
All back together!!
Except.... Except for Thom. Please come back, Thom.
Uhhh see, we knew that dagger was bad news, but it was much worse than feared, when even Moiraine can’t part Mat from it...
I worry for Mat’s future. Because surely with so many books ahead, Moiraine isn’t going to be with him the entire way.