Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

The Shadow Rising - Robert Jordan

August 2, 2020.

Please delete this post if this thread is locked or something (I’m new and still unsure how things work). I’m currently reading The Shadow Rising and have just finished two of the most amazing chapters I’ve ever encountered.

(view spoiler)[ The Road to the Spear & The Dedicated. (hide spoiler)] I’d been waivering on whether it’s worth it to fully commit to this series up to this point and am now completely invested.

(view spoiler)[ “Forward. And back in time.” (hide spoiler)]

I’m spending my current Goodreads time in the Dragon Reborn thread, but I am now well into The Shadow Rising. I’m 200 pages in and the novel really has not taken off yet for me. That is not necessarily a negative.

I will be here tooʘ‿ʘ

Edgarf wrote: "I’m spending my current Goodreads time in the Dragon Reborn thread, but I am now well into The Shadow Rising. I’m 200 pages in and the novel really has not taken off yet for me. That is not necessa..."

This is the book that largely sets up the rest of the series, I think... linearity and large groups are gone, in favor of multiple storylines more spread out, that don't magically meet up at the end... I don't think all the characters end up in the same place, at the same time, again until The Last Battle... even tho plenty of shuffling happens...

I just finished my re-read, and continue to be impressed with how much I remember... I jumbled the events with the Aelfinn & Eelfinn in my head quite a bit, but they're a touchstone in my memory of the series...

Timelord lain — since my post last month about being 200 pages in and the story had not started, I have since made to page 370. Most of that added progress during the past week. I think I read the first 3 novels too quickly and needed a break. Now that I have started up again I am fully engrossed. If I could describe The Shadow Rising in two words it would be ‘world building’. Jordan is really adding an extra layer of it in this book and that is definitely a good thing.

I will be here this week for sure!

Timelord Iain wrote: "multiple storylines more spread out, that don't magically meet up at the end..."

I think you have just mortally offended the whole Malazan fandom, Iain :D

I'll be here in one book.

Mayim wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "multiple storylines more spread out, that don't magically meet up at the end..."

I think you have just mortally offended the whole Malazan fandom, Iain :D

I'll be here in o..."

I still need to continue Malazan... I did the first 3 books and some novellas in early 2018, and haven't made any progress since...

Hahaha, expect a lot of convergences. The whole series is basically built on this concept. ;)))

I'm starting the audiobook for this one today! I'll prob have loads of questions if this is a world building kinda book XD

Got 1/4 through this then paused for the readalong, starting over from the beginning.

Katie wrote: "I'm starting the audiobook for this one today! I'll prob have loads of questions if this is a world building kinda book XD"

Be prepared to learn a lot about the Aiel! :-)

So apparently Gleeman are different than bards according to Tom? Who Knew?!

Also lots of weird stuff goin on in those beginning chapters. Spoilers up to chapter 5 ~ (view spoiler)[Card characters attacking people, axes attacking on their own accord, etc. Our poor boys. Wonder what's going on O.o (hide spoiler)]

I totally forgot the others met up with (view spoiler)[Rand. Did that happen at the end of the last book? ^^; (hide spoiler)]
~~

Edgarf wrote: "Be prepared to learn a lot about the Aiel! :-)"

Oooh! Who are the Aiel again? ^^;

I'm enjoying this more than I remembered, maybe I needed that break. @Edgarf same same.

Katie wrote: "Oooh! Who are the Aiel again? ^^; "

The super warriors from the east who look a lot like Rand. Also (c25): (view spoiler)[apparently they're descended from Tinkers? the Jenn Aiel, the "true" aiel, don't kill or hurt anyone, and travel in wagons. Probably obvious. I need to reread this chapter. (hide spoiler)]

So many people distrust each other, hide secrets from each other. Literally world ending stuff and people are still being petty.

Faile's scene was really funny (c14): (view spoiler)[

Chuckling to herself, and occasionally rubbing her shoulder, she walked on with a light heart.

laughing during and after being manhandled. (hide spoiler)]

James wrote: "I'm enjoying this more than I remembered, maybe I needed that break. @Edgarf same same.

Katie wrote: "Oooh! Who are the Aiel again? ^^; "

The super warriors from the east who look a lot like Rand..."

Chapter 25 was where I realized this is a series I may want to reread. Was there any foreshadowing for that chapter's events in Book one?

Edgarf wrote: "Chapter 25 was where I realized this is a series I may want to reread"

I had the feeling in a previous book where the Aes Sedai start eyeing each other suspicsiously that that would make a lot more sense on a reread when we know where everyone's loyalties are.

Was there any foreshadowing for that chapter's events in Book one?"

Maybe: (view spoiler)[the only thing I can think of is that the Tinkers were allowed to travel in the Wastes? I don't want to search to confirm this for fear of spoilers. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve finally made to the back half of the novel. I’ve heard from veteran WOT that book 4 is where the series really takes off. I’m now witnessing that. Jordan seems to have by this point made his world itself into a character in the series. I’m beginning to see why fans think this series is special.

There does not seem to be a lot of activity for this particular thread, but I want to pipe in again. This series as got me hooked now. To be honest after the first three books and the first quarter of The Shadow Rising I was ready to give up. In fact, I did quit for 2 or 3 weeks. When I did decide to pick up and I hit Once Rand (view spoiler)[goes to Rhuidean (hide spoiler)] this novel hits another level.

I did make the mistake of joining the Dragonmount forum and ended up seeing a major plot spoiler in a thread title. I'm now not going back to that site until I complete the series.

Finally, I should say I have not read a lot of fantasy in my lifetime, only Lord Of The Rings back in the 70s, 3 novels of the Song Of Fire And Ice series (only really liked the first one), and Sword Of Shanarra (just okay). I've been enjoying this series so much I just bought Way Of The Kings to try another series. I have no idea when I will have time for the latter book.

I am sorry I left you on your own for a bit... Trying to catch up with life, you know how it is...

I just finished Ch. 10... Wow! I know you said it doesn't pick up until Rand leaves the Stone, but I just finished that battle with the trolloks and Fades, and that was awesome! (view spoiler)[ I felt so horrible for Rand trying to make the little girl live again, it kind of broke my heart.

Elaine and the girls are terrible at flirting, but I guess the guys are just as bad, non of them has any idea how to go about courting the other gender (✷‿✷)

Lanfier, I am surprised she is still trying to save Rand for herself and as such is actually protecting him against the rest of the Forsaken. I kind of feel sorry for her, because she at least wants his love too, not just his potential power...

The three boys being attacked the way they did from the Bubbles of Evil, now that was both creative and terribly exciting!!! Also evil, but very compelling!!! Loved all three scenes!

I have no idea what Min was talking about when she sees those images of death all over the place in the Tower... It worries me... (hide spoiler)]

When our girls were questioning the Dark Sisters, a question came to me I would really like answers to, by the end of the series I guess, that is : if a Black Adja Sister or any Dark Friend truly repents and wants to come back to the side of the Light, is that possible??? I guess we have no was of knowing if they truly changed their hearts, but if they did, is there a chance for their souls' redemption????

James, about all the secrecy, isn't that what is always one of the reasons people don't trust each other, and if eventually they try to actually communicate, they have grown so distrustful of each other, that no one believes the other... I see it today in our real life and it is completely disheartening... I think Jordan does a great job describing it, we as readers though, we want to strangle the characters for doing it, because in the book, as observers, it is easier to see the big picture...

Katie and James, how far have you guys gotten?

I’m making headway in book 8...

Re:redemption: I think the series explores that more, towards the end...

Thanks, Iain! I really hope there is some way for those who truly repent to be able to have some peace after they are gone...

I finished, it was great and I'm excited for the next one. The world does open up.

Redemption: (view spoiler)[this book starts exploring that - Egeanin is a Seanchan, who are one of the 'bad guys' at this point, but she helped out Elayne and Nynaeve. Then we have the Whitecloaks, who are another 'bad guy' faction who seemed to be able to put aside their hatred, but ended up holding on to it. Lanfear, I have no idea if she will redeem herself, if she wants to be redeemed. (hide spoiler)]

I am in the middle of chapter 39. I plan to knock off a chunk of what’s left for me tonight.

So, just got through Ch. 15... Mat went through (view spoiler)[ that red gate into the other dimension to ask his three questions. That boy is so impulsive! He is obviously smart, charming and has the best gambling luck ever, but he is so restless... So what I got is that he has to go to Rudian, or he will die and not fulfill his faith, which is supposed to be to marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons, to die and live again, and to give up half the light of the world in order to save the world . Interesting!!! (hide spoiler)]

James wrote: "I finished, it was great and I'm excited for the next one. The world does open up.

Redemption: [spoilers removed]"

Thank you... I am really interested now how this is treated in the series, maybe because I had not really noticed before...

Edgarf wrote: "I am in the middle of chapter 39. I plan to knock off a chunk of what’s left for me tonight."

I will catch up with you, I know I will... Hahahaha! One of these days:)

Just finished Ch. 22... Rand (view spoiler)[ decided to go to Rhuidean without even realizing that this is where Egwene and Mat were planning on going anyway... That was surprising and really pissed off Moiraine... I do wish they would trust each other more. It would make all of their work so much easier... I don't trust the Sea People very much, but I don't trust the lords from Tier even more... I can't wait to see what happens when they get to their destinations! (hide spoiler)]

Choko wrote: "Edgarf wrote: "I am in the middle of chapter 39. I plan to knock off a chunk of what’s left for me tonight."

I will catch up with you, I know I will... Hahahaha! One of these days:)

Just finishe..."
To me the whole (view spoiler)[Rhuidean (hide spoiler)] section is where this book really leaves the launching pad for me. I'm in Ch 42 now and (view spoiler)[Perrin is will the Tinkers again. I am really enjoying this section as I since the events in Rhuidean have made me want to learn more about these Tinkers (hide spoiler)]

Sorry! My sister's wedding was this weekend, so I haven't had too much time to listen to the audiobook >_<

I'm around Chapter 10 so far. I have to admit I kinda was in and out of a few of those with my attention. I did like the moments where (view spoiler)[Elaine and some others were trying to train Rand to use the source. Those little character moments were great.

And Rand trying to tempt fate by bringing that girl back to life...or trying. (hide spoiler)]

But yeah I used the wikia to review my listened to chapters to see if my brain missed anything super important. lol.

I plan to listen more today~

Congratulations to your sister!!!

Just read Ch 25-26... My goodness! All those (view spoiler)[ Tinkers are the actual, first Aiel! They follow The Way of the Leaf, peace and no murder... And the way the rest of the world treated them because they wouldn't fight to protect themselves... Heartbreaking!!! And how can you blame those who broke the covenant, since I guess even the meekest people can be pushed to their limits... But it is fascinating how much believes change through the years, so much so that it completely changes the original meaning... So disheartening... (hide spoiler)]

I am absolutely loving this book! I am supposed to be reading together with another book, but I can't stop this one, so the other will have to wait...

Thanks Choko ^~^

I don't trust those paddlers at all! And Mat, dude, the woman might be hot, but she is obviously trouble - stop thinking with your... !

The whole thing while they were in the Waste was fascinating! I wonder why Avienda is acting the way she is with Rand... Something is up...

James wrote: "I finished, it was great and I'm excited for the next one. The world does open up.

Redemption: [spoilers removed]"

You're right... (view spoiler)[I viewed Egeanin as more of an exploration of overcoming prejudice and indoctrination... similar with some of the Whitecloaks really... but most organizations/empires in this world are being corrupted from within by Darkfriends...

Seeing an actual Darkfriend (or Chosen/Forsaken) repent be more pure, since they KNOW... (hide spoiler)]

I finished book 8, and was kinda surprised the book was over... I forgot how much the later middle books are broken up to stop from just being one mega book... some things happened, but some of the biggest ones actually happened early in the book... the later ones are more "Butterfly Effect" events, where they don't seem big, but will probably have big consequences...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I finished book 8, and was kinda surprised the book was over... I forgot how much the later middle books are broken up to stop from just being one mega book... some things happened, but some of the..."

I'm not even halfway to completing 8 books. It's going to be a long haul to get through all 14 + 1, but I'm in for it. As of book 4 Jordan has built a heck of a world. Does he keep building?

Besides whether Rand defeats the dark ones, here are a couple of things I want to see as I move ahead in the series.

1. Nyneave, Egwene, and Elaine become full aes sedai.
2. The Tinkers find their darn song.

What am I missing?

Edgarf wrote: "Besides whether Rand defeats the dark ones, here are a couple of things I want to see as I move ahead in the series.

1. Nyneave, Egwene, and Elaine become full aes sedai.
2. The Tinkers find their..."

Egwene is the best... I was reminded of this skimming the reviews of friends... it's half the reason I'm re-reading the series...

In "Egwene's book", Knife of Dreams and/or The Gathering Storm, what she does is awesome... (view spoiler)[repairing the Schism of the White Tower from within, while captured... and then linking with novices to repel the Seanchan Assault (hide spoiler)]

You really shouldn't click that spoiler if this is your first read-through... that section of the series just has so many vague memories for me, even a decade later...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Edgarf wrote: "Besides whether Rand defeats the dark ones, here are a couple of things I want to see as I move ahead in the series.

1. Nyneave, Egwene, and Elaine become full aes sedai.
2. The Tin..."

This is my first read-through is I won't be clicking on that spoiler just yet:-) Egwene is one of my favorite characters so far.

You guys, these books are long, but with the world building being as it is, it makes you completely emersed in it! I was just reading Ch. 42, and couple of the previous chapters where we had The World of Dreams, it feels almost like if this was more current Sci-Fi, we would be in an interactive game platform, with the main space is established for all, but the players can control their own person and influence the environment. I love those scenes. I wish they were learning faster how to actually enter bodily into the"game", or those who already know can really harm or kill them... And they can use it more efficiently as a tool to communicate. I am glad that the Wise Ones are teaching the girls how to at least basically survive in it.

About Ch. 42 (view spoiler)[ I am pretty sure at this point that Master Luke is the Slayer, and I hate him despite knowing very little about him, already...

Faile, I think this is how it is spelled, is a princess, which is not surprising at all... I like her, but she is overly ambitious for Perrin at times and it looks like she is pushing him to hard to establish a place of power, when although he is very capable, he really doesn't want that... Let's see how this goes... (hide spoiler)]

Al

Choko wrote: "You guys, these books are long, but with the world building being as it is, it makes you completely emersed in it! I was just reading Ch. 42, and couple of the previous chapters where we had The Wo..."

As for your hunch in the spoiler, I did not think of that, but I bet you are right. We'll see soon enough.

I've read online that Robert Jordan is/was surprised that people thought he'd created a matriarchal world, when he set out to create a more balanced one, where neither gender had the real upper hand...

This ended up being like a critique on society, where people think a fair world is unbalanced in favor of women, because of how shifted the real world tends to be, in regards to power balance...

But personally, I feel like the world Jordan created tends to alot of annoying characters of both genders, misunderstanding everything and trying to manipulate without discussing...

You see it with so many characters... whether it's Perrin/Faile, or Rand/Min/Aviendha/Elayne, or Mat/anyone, lol...

In a similar vein, Jordan is very good at making you sympathize with bad guys... FOR A SECOND... when they're being manhandled by worse guys... then they open their mouths, and you hate them again :D

@Timelord Iain Redemption: (view spoiler)[I mean Egeanin did literally lock someone up in her basement, that's something that needs redemption. Although thinking on it now, it's interesting that at the start of this book the Aes Sedai also locked people up - the Black Ajah at Tear.

Seeing an actual Darkfriend (or Chosen/Forsaken) repent be more pure, since they KNOW...

we've got a chance to see this with Asmodean (hide spoiler)]

Faille (view spoiler)[seems like the reverse of Min - princess to tomboy, where Min is tomboy to lady. Although maybe after this book Min goes back to her old style. (hide spoiler)]

I am at Ch. 48... Is it crazy I actually cried when (view spoiler)[ in a previous chapter, when Perrin found out about his whole family being killed and he was so heartbroken! I cried! But I was almost as devastated when they stilled Suan and Leander... And felt betrayed by Gawen, I actually wanted to strangle him for being so stupid at this point!!! However, I do think if Suan was even a little bit more forthcoming with him and his brother about where the girls are, despite herself not really knowing at this point, I think they would have stood up for her, Instead of against her... But I am still very disappointed in those guys...

Also, is it just me, or do you guys have this feeling of helpless rage every time a Black Adja Sister or a dark friend, or a Forsaken gets away with compulsion (like when the girls told everything to that woman and she made them forget all about it), or whenever they kill folks and no repercussions follow at all... I want them all dead right now!!! (hide spoiler)]

Choko — you are ahead of me now. You must have been doing some power reading. I’ve just reached ch 46. Now thinking of pushing on ahead another hour before going to bed to see what happens in ch 48.

Yeah, I will slow down... I am a bit fast when I read... This is why I try to read several books at the same time, but this one has my attention completely and I can't drop it...

Choko wrote: "Ch48..."

This is very much a series, where good overcoming evil seems like a miracle... the deck is just so stacked against them...

Choko wrote: "Yeah, I will slow down... I am a bit fast when I read... This is why I try to read several books at the same time, but this one has my attention completely and I can't drop it..."

I'm a multi-tasker too when it comes to reading. I usually have a fiction and a non-fiction book going at the same time. I am toying with the idea of starting Way Of The Kings too.😀