Welcome back all! Here we are in week 5 of The Dragon Reborn, where we cover chapters 40-48. I’ll be hosting this week, so please leave your link to your post in the comments so we can visit one another. Spoilers roam free below.

1) In this section, we see Mat putting on a tough demeanor and then shelling out coins to those who need it. Do you think such behavior will perpetuate his good luck, in a karmic sense, or will he be taken advantage of?

Can I say both? I know, I made up the questions this week. But Mat needs all the karmic help he can get because 1) He’s up against some mighty foes and fumbling around in the dark and 2) He keeps trying to slack off his load. Slacker. Yep, I just called Mat a slacker.

And yes, sooner or later, someone may well use Mat and his kind inner core to do either him harm or someone close to him. I applaud him for shucking off Lanfear earlier in the book, but can he recognize a sneaky male foe in the same way? Well, some dude who wants to be buddies as I don’t get the impression that this epic fantasy will be inclusive of the homosexual or bisexual male population (pouty face).

2) Loial is writing a journal of sorts of his adventures. What do you think he is focusing on?

OK, so the little kid part of me that still believes that The Neverending Story is for real, says that we are reading Loial’s journal. Yes, that Loial and all live in some alternate universe and Loial wrote down the adventure and then somehow, through some worm hole or other, Robert Jordan was gifted with it. Then Jordan spent decades translating the work and putting polish to it to bring us The Wheel of Time.

That’s my theory, and I am stikcing to it.

3) At Easing the Badger Inn, Perrin is treated to some bawdy songs, making him blush furiously. Have you ever found yourself in such a situation unexpectedly?

The first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the college stage silliness with the movie playing in the background. I had not seen it in highschool and my housemate was playing the blonde lady (Janet?). So, she dragged me along to it on Halloween night. I was also to meet my new-ish, sort of boyfriend there and perhaps go to some party afterwards. Well, I didn’t get a lot of the audience participation because it was all brand new to me and the fishnets were so fishnetty and the androgynous characters made me think of 80s rock bands (I grew up on country music – which I abandoned for alternative as soon as I left the house). Anyway, it was culture shock – in a good way. Yes, I was blushing. And then my date stood me up.

I went back to the house after the show. He called, gave me some lame excuse, I called him on it. 20 minutes later, he showed up drunk, dressed as an angel. We chatted. He fell asleep on the table. I kicked him out. He called late the next day, sober, apologized profusely. 15 years and 6.5 months later, we are still together. The power of fishnets.

So, maybe this blushing episode will mean a future lasting relationship for Perrin. And I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a fishnet shirt.

4) Illian has issues. Darkfriends, Darkhounds, Grey Men, and a Forsaken. Do you think all that badass evil is there for Perrin or Moiraine, or is there something else about Illian that brings them?

Ooooo! This is a good question because I still haven’t made up my mind on it. On one hand, we know that Perrin is ta’veren, so the Dark One wants him in a bad way. We know Moiraine has done much to thwart the Dark One, so he probably wouldn’t mind removing her from the picture – but has he designated resources to do that? Hmmm… But on the other hand, Illian seems to be in the throes of some mass depression and paranoia. So, I am guessing some of these baddies have been in residence for at least a few months. But why? That I don’t know yet. Let’s say the Grey Men are after Perrin. Moiraine is simply bonus points if eliminated. And the group of good guys happened to walk into a snake pit that was busy minding it’s own evil business ruining lives and trying to take over the world.

5) Mat makes it to Caemlyn and proceeds to play delivery boy for Elayne’s letter to her mum. As luck would have it, he overhears a plot to take Elayne’s head. Whose danger is greater: Morgase’s or Elayne’s?

Right now, I would say Elayne. Obviously whatever dark forces want Elayne dead have decided that Morgase is currently useful to them (I assume without her knowing). Elayne has plenty of danger on her plate to avoid, but she isn’t expecting this danger. So while she is on high alert, she probably is tightly focused on the Black Ajah she hunts and looking out for Grey Men.

6) Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve make it safely to shore and nestle down with a Wise Woman called Mother Guenna. What do you think of Nynaeve’s caution and Egwene’s snippy behavior?

OK, you know how several people find Nynaeve’s abrupt behavior annoying in the first 2 books? Well, Egwene is turning into that annoying person with all her snippy behavior. On one hand I understand she wants to be treated as an adult, not a child. On the other hand, I think she is seeing conflict where there is no conflict. Perhaps she is being subtly influenced by her dreaming, some dark influence as I believe that TAR place is, and has been for many decades, the stomping ground of grief, consternation, and evil concentrated.

Nynaeve’s caution does her credit and I can see that she has learned the benefits of trying to blend in and stay below the radar. Perhaps she will live a few more books.

Other Tidbits:

Mat has fireworks. Is anyone else concerned? I know Thom is concerned.

Hopper is very concerned that the Grey Men are after Perrin. But Hopper doesn’t really answer Perrin’s questions. I think this is because Hopper was deeply concerned, perhaps shocked, and then focused on keeping Perrin safe, which means kicking him out of Dream Land while warning him to flee.

I found Mat’s whole escapade to get into to see Morgase quite amusing. He made it sound so simple. Then he was denied at the gate. So he climbed Rand’s wall and lurked around corners and in bushes, where he overhears that plotting death conversation. He ‘brilliant’ idea to simply tell Morgase about the plot didn’t work out so well.

What Others Think:

Musings on Fantasia

Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers

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