My Wife Reads A Crown of Swords - Spoiler Book Discussion

The Wheel of Time is one of Robby's favorite series. Let's discuss Liz's feelings on book 7 - A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan.
We'll see you on our next adventure!
Liz and Robby
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[@gearomkologenas5458]

Ecstatic to see you back on WoT so quickly! A Crown of Swords was definitely the book that really changed everything for those who were reading the Series as it was being written. Multiple delays. This being after it received an unprecedented promotional push… and that magnified fans’ frustration. Speaking more specifically, for me it was also the worst time to get really emotionally involved in rooting for a Wheel of Time Endgame to become apparent. A big part of that was the atypically robust blurb that accompanied this particular book. And after the publishing delays started, I resorted to investing too much hope and expectations for what the rousing blurb conclusion ‘promised’… … both because of how juicy those last lines were AND due to what a brilliant finish Lord of Chaos climaxed with. I really though ‘Rand facing the Dread Forsaken Sammael, in Shadar Logoth, where the blood hungry mist Mashadar waits for prey’ would be an Ending at least on par with Dumai’s Wells. And not least because to me, it also confirmed that Rand’s Grand Plan for Illian hatched with Mat and Bashere would also unfold majestically. Wrong. And wrong again. And what made it worse, was how mean spirited and deliberately obtuse the conclusion with Sammael was. I don’t have enough insults and epithets in my vocabulary to express just how much I loath the conclusion to this book. Another thing that has frustrated me as a fan and I suppose as my own kind of critic ( I don’t work as a book reviewer, but in situations like these I relish getting to exercise those critical muscles 😝) over the years, has been the heedless blinkered sanctimony with which many sites that have had a Wheel of Time presence, a predominance even, have chosen to establish their progressive bona fides by yelling Rape loudly and often, with respect to Mat’s relationship with Tylin. Such a lack of imaginative empathy reminds me more of book burning, jackboot wearing, goose stepping ideological thuggery, than the progressive ideals that were being tootled with vigour, when the subject of Mat and Tylin was raised and analysed. And while I don’t agree with your conclusions about small changes being needed for Jordan to hit the Comedic targets he was aiming at… I was nevertheless relieved and ecstatic again, to see you acknowledge it through the Prism in which it was clearly written, instead of flying off the didactic handle. For me, Mat and Tylin… Mat’s entire emotional progression (which true to form he was resolutely oblivious to) contained some of the best writing in the Series from Jordan. It still makes me laugh today how someone as sharp as Mat, can be so oblivious to how Olver for example, is basically aping his every mannerism and behaviour, yet become so affronted that Tylin steamrolls over his own discomfort and discombobulation at being the Prey instead of the Hunter, when it comes to initiating Relations. And the more emotionally frustrated Mat gets, the more sanguine everyone else around him is about it, when they understand the truth of what’s going on. I mean, that scene with Elayne was basically Jordan with a narrative hammer spelling it out to any but the most heedless, self involved and ideologically crippled readers - ‘How funny is it when the tables are turned?’ For me? Hilarious! Anyway, I apologise for such an exasperated stream of critical steam, but let me thank you again for reminding me that there are indeed some people here with their imaginative empathy still intact. Bear with me just a little more as I finish with one of my favourite things to ruminate on, with respect to this book, that despite all its flaws and associated reading inconveniences, still reminds me what a Capital W Writer Jordan could be at his best. The partial redemption of the Shaido through the eyes of the Moshaine Sept Chief, Maeric was barely 3/4 pages, but that last line from him ‘Moshaine! We Dance!’ STILL GIVES ME CHILLS! Thanks Again for your Work. I hope your Wheel of Time Journey continues to inspire you to stay the course, without falling on the many narrative crossroads that lie in wait ahead. If nothing else, Knife of Dreams awaits to remind you why you started, if by then you have become jaded at all. Keep tossing those Dice!

[@owls9185]

Watched all your wot reviews like a week ago, theyre so fun. Im so happy that I barely had to wait!

[@bookwormcouple]

@@owls9185 thanks!

[@aldan7812]

'sigh' if only Perrin had picked the Hawk.

[@MsNiunai]

Love your WOT videos!!

[@bookwormcouple]

@@MsNiunai thanks!

[@jamiebbooks]

There are still a couple characters from those prologues that I am not sure I have worked out how they fit. Bors especially- I'm pretty sure I ought to know who he is, but do I remember? Nope. My next reread I'll be making more mental notes of those sorts of characters and trying to remember who all is secretly a bad guy.

[@bookwormcouple]

@@jamiebbooks it does make it challenging that sometimes the stuff that’s talked about in the prologue doesn’t get referenced again for multiple books.

[@wotoholicaussie5086]

the book lasted 11 days in Randland start to finish - if you were not aware

[@wotoholicaussie5086]

7. ACOS Jan 2 1000 - Ch 1 after Dumai wells - high chasaline Ends. Jan 11 1000

[@jamiebbooks]

I also still do not like Faile. I don't particularly like Perrin, but I still feel bad for him falling for her. It also has always bugged me how pretty much all of Rand's friends react to him being the Dragon by dropping or limiting their friendship with him, rather than re-evaluating whether what they think they know of the Dragon from myths and legends tracks with what they know of their friend.

[@lucasoliver2571]

It's a shame that this series of books is already ending, but what matters is the experience of reading a book in the Wheel of Time saga. If you need suggestions for other book franchises or just a book to replace The Wheel of Time, you guys can create a poll in the community tab on your channel and we can vote on which one will be next.

[@bookwormcouple]

@@lucasoliver2571 well Liz still has 7 books left in this series to go so she’ll be reading it for a while. But definitely let us know any suggestions you have going forward!

[@lucasoliver2571]

@@bookwormcouple Good to know. But I still suggest the idea of putting up polls for the public to interact and perhaps dictate which books will be discussed next on your channel.

[@aldan7812]

I am 100% with you on the slog mate, it aint the end of the world.

[@bookwormcouple]

Absolutely, I think the series gets too much hate for it. I'm sure for people reading it while it was still coming out it was a challenge, but I found reading it all back to back was not the big deal it was built up to be.

[@GideonsRecruit]

Yeah, the Tylin/Mat plot line is one that could have been balefired out of the series, as far as I’m concerned.

[@olcuqap1789]

Crown of swords is one of the best in the series

[@WheelUpTime]

Personally I can't read this book. This and 8 are an auto skip for me on rereads because of Tylin. Idk how it can possibly be perceived as comedic when one person is literally forcing the other at knife point to sleep with them and using the power of their societal position to make escape impossible

[@PatrickStar-tr9dz]

The slog is a myth imo

[@anonymouslyopinionated656]

the slog was real when you had to wait for the next book... CoT is still a slog.

[@PatrickStar-tr9dz]

@@anonymouslyopinionated656 I guess that’s fair I did have the luxury of not having to wait. The fandom of this series just annoys me bc I see more people in the fan groups complaining about the series than I do praising it. The WoT is my favorite fantasy series I’ve read I enjoyed every book thoroughly.