So far, the book has managed to be surprisingly compelling, given the vaguely bad buzz that I've heard about this series. I suspect that it might be sort of an X-Files thing, where it started off alright, then stretched on until it wore out the audience's goodwill. Actually, I haven't watched that show, either, but it's on my to-do list.
Point is, I've been pretty pleased with the last few chapters, but I don't think this one works as well. Some parts worked, but overall, it was a step down, and the overall turn the plot took as a result is not the one I would have picked. I'll get to why in a second.
First though, I have a nitpick about the chapter title, which doesn't make much sense to me. I'm not seeing anything which can be overtly described as a watcher, except for the scarred man Lan identifies as a spy for the Whitecloaks, and the hunters seem to be restricted to the tales that Thom tells the inn's patrons at the beginning of this chapter, which doesn't seem connected to anything at this point. I know I'll probably get this later, but the chapter sort of put me in the mood to nitpick.
My main complaint about this chapter is that after a cute scene where the patrons revel and Rand dances with Nynaeve, Moiraine, and Egwene, he finds himself alone in the inn and is promptly attacked by a Myrddraal! I guess I should be happy that the book established Myrddraals at all, but I don't recall the characters mention anything about how they're able to sneak into a populated city to find their targets! Also, I thought Moiraine said that they didn't have eyes, and this one clearly does!
Aside from the rushed feeling of this new development (I felt Jordan writing it, to turn a phrase), it also means that the party, which includes Nynaeve now, leaves Baerlon immediately, and I wanted to see more of this city than just one inn and a few streets. Yeah, they want to get to Tar Valon ASAP anyway, but I was hoping to get a few more chapters in Baerlon before they had to leave.
That said, the rest of the chapter has some pretty good moments as well. There's the dance scene, where Nynaeve teases Rand for not doing so well with her, and she proves more outgoing now that she's away from the Women's Circle. Then comes the escape from the city, where those Whitecloaks from before accost the party just as they're about to leave. As I wonder how in the hell these idiots zero in on Rand without seeing a goddamn Fade (you know, one of their mortal enemies and all) in their city, Moiraine holds them back and scares them off by growing thirty feet tall! I'd say that this was just an illusion, but then she steps over the outer wall before returning to normal.
As awesome as this was, it brings to mind another thing that deserves rumination. What exactly are the limits of the Aes Sedai's powers, anyway? There have to be limits, or else magic becomes just a plot device used to solve conflicts with no creative effort. I can only presume that Moiraine is teaching Egwene about these limits in their little lessons, but how much of that we learn depends on how often Rand can work up the nerve to eavesdrop on them.
When the group is outside, they see that the Stag and Lion is on fire, which prompts a new argument between Nynaeve and Moiraine. For once, I can't decide whose side I'm on. Nynaeve demands that they go back in and help save the people who are no doubt in danger, while Moiraine implores the party to take advantage of their escape and run, promising that she'll send money to rebuild the inn to the owner (assuming he's still alive). Both characters have good intentions and understandable motivations for what they want to do. Of course, Moiraine wins out in the end, leaving Nynaeve disgruntled once again.
They make camp, preparing to leave for Tar Valon, and I realize that I'm now a third of the way through Eye of the World.
NEXT TIME: Fight and flight.
The limits of magic are laid out neatly later on, when we get more PoVs from characters that are more involved with it.
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that Moiraine didn't want to tell them much about that - it suited her much better for the younger people to see her as very powerful. Of course, that's just a theory ;)