Ryan Skinner > Recent Status Updates

That last chapter left me sad. While I get it - Egwene does everything with her whole heart, her journey into Aes Sedai no different - I wish she would have told Rand where Elayne was. It's not as if she's going to hide his wanting her from Elayne. This is the first real sign I can think of though, how different Rand and Egwene have become from one another - how strained their relationship. It's a shame.

Just started it on Audible. It's time for another silly adventure with Carl and co. That sequence of events against the demon baby things was super creepy - I do like the idea of a subway themed level. Right now the Over City / Circus one was my favorite.

Alanna bonding with Rand was unexpected, and I wonder what Verin has been planning for 70 years. Still, I enjoy seeing little slices of the world changing do to Rand and co's actions - all the Two Rivers girls, in this case, now wanting to be Aes Sedai. I'm not sure that allowing Taim to travel and recruit outside of the Farm is a good idea either, but time will tell.

I'm guessing I'm about 33% done. The Strength of the Few has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. Definitely some highlights... this chariot race, the battle with Gallchobhar, everything with Duodecim most recently... but the larger novel is so disjointed it feels like we're lacking real focus on the goal here, whatever that is at this point. Additionally, I miss more time with characters we've not seen much of here.

A fair amount happened in 30 or so pages! In Lucium, we pretty much got “The Last Samurai” - Diago waking, being treated, and learning to live with a peaceful family who’d lost their father. Felt lifted right from that movie - and I loved it. Meanwhile, in Res, Relucia made more demands, Lanistia and Vis shared a laugh, Eidhin was a great friend, and I SO BADLY want to trust Emissa again.

It sort of feels like a recurring gag at this point how often the Aes Sedai, with their pompous nature, would completely fail without the efforts of "Accepted" Nynaeve and, in this case, Elayne. Lucky for the Salidar Six that she saved their bacon (again) in Tel'eranriod (or however that's written). Scary stuff, putting yourself out there and hoping they stop being stupid. Demandred, stay away!

Mat is such a fun character to follow. He's rolling along with his memories, unlike Rand who fights them, and he doesn't hesitate to "roll the dice" with his Red Hand men. In 30 pages or so, he swept a girl off her feet on the dance floor, whooped a couple of Lords in the nuts to save a young boy, found that boy shelter, mused about the Seafolk, then shocked his men by marching on Ilian. Always great stuff!

Well, that Golden door in Obiteum seems to have done a number on Vis! It seems like it will be hugely important to the story there, and possibly to his role as Synchronous. Him testing that theory with Tash was cool, even if I felt bad for the guy - and Caeror seems pretty great. Worried about Lanistia in Res though.

Ok, the way Vis put Ulciscor in his place was awesome - basically I no longer need you, but will share an uneasy alliance with you - and especially the line "you chose your dead brother's reputation over my life." Damn! Hard to argue with that. It was good to see Lanistia again as well - and further emphasizes why Res is my favorite world to revisit currently.

Darkness is a bumhole… what he did to that little girl at the shop was wild. It further adds to how out of the story of Stormlight that Lift feels - she’s a kid in a very screwed up world. It’s interesting how much Brandon likes writing her chapters.

With any luck, Sammael would be dead before he laughed. The last couple of chapters have been interesting - basically Rand navigating different tribes, High Lords, and students - playing the Chess pieces to position himself to take Illian away from Sammael. Taim's role in that is interesting, as is seeing the Aiel Chiefs challenge his plan to wait for Weiramon, the High Lords, and Mat before striking.

Re-reading this one again, this time to Lotti and Anni, who've pretty much been hooked on every word, even if I believe this book to have a slower start than the first two. Prisoner of Azkaban has remained my favorite Potter book, so I'm extremely excited for them to hear of all the twists and reveals - and the setup with Sirius Black remains excellent, they're already scared of him being out there.

"I'm taking you where you can serve me." Rand really has become a boss. Thoroughly enjoyed reading of his training, his battle with madness as well as, especially, navigating the amnesty with Mazrim Taim. It's wild how many moving parts are in the Wheel of Time, and how well they all weave together. I suspect Rand will use Taim to train other men in the power.

Hmm… still not sure how I feel about Lift. Curious what her appointment is - but I did feel like we got a bit of backstory with her, some traumatic past between her view of orphanages as well as the desire to always be on the run and never settle in anywhere. There’s more to her story than meets the eye for sure.

I just love the setup here so much. So many players, most all of them interesting to me, but especially the Chosen - kinda feels like they're not very good at their jobs, but that makes them no less interesting - all of them - Demandred, Graendal, Mesaana, Semirhage, and now especially Osangar and Arangar, are awesome to follow due to their own motivations. With so much great setup I can't want to see where it goes.

Hmm. Seems pretty much everyone in Gawyn's party en route to Cairhein wants to either capture, kill or enslave Rand. Poor guy's antics (or misunderstandings) have created him some enemies! Happy to hear that Perrin will be reuniting with him this book though - even if I suspect that means little of Faile page time.

Yeah, I started a third book at the same time as Strength of the Few and Lord of Chaos… whatever I’m in the mood for, right? I wasn’t crazy about Lift in Words of Radiance - but am enjoying her carefree, child nature alongside Wyndle now as they explore a cool underground city carved from Shardblades. Wondering where this story goes to bridge the gap to Oathbringer!

It’s crazy how much I find myself missing this series and these characters. As Elayne and Min reunite and discuss their next steps, as Faile deals with stuff in the Two Rivers… it really does feel like reuniting with old friends. I’ve had a good long break from the Wheel of Time - and now suspect I’ll fly through the next several books.

Yep, this 200 page prologue is coming back to me - I did it once already, in the hospital when my son was born! Here we go again. Suian and Leanne are still challenging, Elayne is still awesome, Nynaeve still hates Marigan (Moghedien, even if I love her). I’ve missed the Wheel of Time!

It has been too long! I think there is a reasonable chance that by the time I finish my goal of reading the top 10 fantasy series of all time, as voted on by Reddit users - the Wheel of Time will stand above the rest as my favorite. There's just so much variety and impressive world-building in this series, that I find myself genuinely missing it, and its memorable characters. Can't wait to return to this series!

Ok, NOW we’re talking! After being pretty underwhelmed with the first half of Dust, which should in theory be a really cool resolution to the Silo series, I’m happy to say that the last six or so chapters have been a thrill ride. The whole sequence of events in 18 was horrifying and also something we really needed to see, and Charlotte‘s one woman mission has been pretty great as well.

Yikes. The Thaw Man has returned, and Donny is reaping the consequences. That sucks - whatever he may have been able to do, he can’t now, and Juliette is escalating things even further with the revelation about the argon. I remain really curious where Howey is going with all of this.

And we're back to Luceum! A whole lot is happening, and it's all fairly confusing. An escape attempt into hopefully safe territory proved false - and Cian's death was definitely the most shocking one so far to me. Ruarc's men really want Vis dead. I like that in this world though, Vis has had some agency in dealing with his problems - he saved 3/4 of a family, and I wonder how he escapes his burning predicament.

Well, I've spent a bit more time in Obiteum, and the plot continues to thicken! This book is definitely more disjointed than The Will of the Many, but still well-written, and I suspect it'll all make sense in time. The Gleaners are super cool, unique enemies, and I feel bad for Djedef's fate. I also appreciate that we seem to be pulling back the veil a bit - seemingly, Ka, a Synchronous man seen as a God, must die.

Whew, ok, there's a lot to keep track of in this book! Three separate worlds, three completely unique scenarios tied together only by the main character. In one, we're to kill a God in a desolate wasteland. In another, we're captives of a seafaring people in a remote village, needing to escape before others arrive. Finally, we're home - with all sorts of political landscapes to navigate. I'm ready to tackle it all!