WoT: Book 6 Review

Book 6 is a welcome departure from the prior five novels in the series. The narrative shifts, and we see each character start to grow up. Rand embraces his responsibilities and actively leads. He no longer hides behind others and blames them. It isn't entirely clear why and probably a multitude of reasons: Moraine's absence, a first-hand view of the price of inaction, the growing nations folding under his banner, etc. He accepts his limits and actively tries to mitigate them through collaboration. Egwene faces her decisions both good and bad over the series. She sheds her schoolyard persona, no longer seeking authority through empty titles or clinging to illusions. Instead, she leans into her wit and ingenuity, free from the need to please others. Nynaeve lets her fear overrun her, and finally begins to address her block. All the while, she achieves a feat not even done in the Age Legends, healing severing. However, Nynaeve is very much a work in progress. Matt stops running, Perrin and Faile grow in their relationship, and the Rand love-triangle...trapezoid gets addressed by Min, Elayne, and Aviendha. The three who probably had the least growth so far, this plot thread closure hopefully opens them up to more.
Beyond the character growth, this book challenges the assumptions readers built over the course of the series so far. Rand isn't an all powerful being that can rush in the last moment to save the day. Aes Sedais aren't omnipotent, omniscient, and definitive authorities. The Forsaken show their humanity and not just some monsters from legends. While world building concepts begin to be fleshed out, the larger narrative starts to form here.

Logain as Rand’s Foil

Logain acts as a cautionary tale for Rand and the reader if the Aes Sedai dominate him. Gentled in book one and recently restored by Nynaeve, the reader understands the limit of anyone's power but especially Rand's through his example, despite being "The Dragon". Both prisoners waiting an unknown fate near the book's end, Logain escapes through Egwene's mercy. Rand's companions rescue him, but it isn't coincidental that both are powerless against groups working together. The subtle message being quorum breaks potency. Despite being repeatedly reminded by Moraine in prior books and even the Whitecloaks' assassination attempt, Rand underestimated the Aes Sedai when they ambushed him in Cairhien. It tied nicely with Morgase's captivity by the Whitecloaks for underestimating Pedron Niall's determination for her to sign a treaty.

Aes Sedai, Jungian Dark Magicians

The Aes Sedai have decayed over the millennia. The Forsaken often refer to them as "untrained school girls." Likewise, the Wise Ones reiterate how little the Aes Sedai know. Their blundering in Tel'aran'rhiod, their blind adherence to traditions without question or thought, and the unchecked ego brought to every situation reveal their delusion. They expect the world to bend to them, but they no longer wield the raw power to make it so. Their true power works through illusions, narrative building, and manipulation. Quite literally, the rebel Aes Sedai ambassadors in Caemlyn used the Mirrors of Mist, an illusion with the one power, to try to intimidate Rand. Ego and Hubris consume the Aes Sedai as they direct their power and influence to the detriment of their own causes .

Faile’s father, Davram Bashere, brings up to Perrin the need for fresh blood. Otherwise, weakness creeps in. Equally, the Aes Sedais have been in desperate need of an infusion. Prior to the Tower schism, the new generation was already surpassing the tradition laden elders by leaps and bounds. Now the rebel Aes Sedais have the largest influx of accepted in generations and rediscovered skills long-lost. Rote traditions do not work in a dynamic and changing world.

Ji’e’toh: Honor in Action

Acting first and accepting consequences later, the Aiel concept of ji’e’toh is translated through Egwene's experience lying to The Wise Ones. "You did what you had to do, then paid the cost." It's a very 2010s Silicon Valley motto of "move fast and break things." However, here you actually accept the consequences. Egwene exemplifies this by bearing herself to The Wise Ones, and to the reader, it reminds them that actions no matter their necessity or intent have to be dealt with. It is a theme that will probably crop up in the future. Likewise, it blends well into the Egwene's new found maturity.

[S]he had to put matters right. It was possible, under ji'e'toh.
You did what you had to do, then paid the cost." p. 657 Book 6 Chapter: Courage of Strengthen

Connections: A Double Edge Sword

In book six, these connections took center stage for the entire novel. Whether it was gateways between physical places, warder bonds between individuals, or channelers linking, connections played both a benefit and a curse. With the warder bonds, the sheer pain of loss with Siuan, Alanna, and the captured Aes Sedai was heart breaking. At the same moment, Rand forcibly becoming Alanna's warder, with questionable morality, cutting through Rand's growing isolation. Elayne and Nynaeve link with other Aes Sedais for the first time, while Sammael and Graendal playing a game of chicken if they link or not. The prominence of gateways, linking of physical spaces, appeared in nearly every chapter. Each and every connection here opens up both opportunities and risks for the various factions. Hopefully, this aspect will develop further in the upcoming books.

Notable mentions

According to Herid Fel's theory, the Dark One's Prison has been broken open before. In the Age of Legends, Lanfear only discovered the scar of a previous tear and ripped it open, speculatively reading between the lines. Neither Rand nor any human channeler could ever truly repair it. The goal is to reseal it before the age end, and the wheel will do the heavy lifting to fortify the seal (B06C18, P428-429). It reminded me of tectonic convergence. Where subduction forms new plate boundaries.

Information asymmetry plays the dominant force in the story so far. Who knows what and when. Every faction employs spies even against themselves: Aes Sedai vs Aes Sedai, Aes Sedai vs Rand, Forsaken against Forsaken, Whitecloaks vs everyone, Kingdom vs whoever. Whatever the permutation, spycraft comprises a central pillar.

Faile shows herself as a pragmatic economist in the book's beginning. She seems to be developing the Two-Rivers's economy beyond the tobacco and other goods.

My Crazy Theory

There is no evidence to substantiate this claim. However, the strength of the Two Rivers and surrounding areas channelers has bothered me. The books suggest a genetic element to channeling ability. My hypothesis is Amadacian channelers and likewise have migrated north to the Two Rivers area. They had to flee the Whitecloaks, and the general distrust of White Tower would probably prevent some from directly going to the Tower even if they would've been welcomed. They helped fortify channeling abilities in the population.