Wait! I remembered the important thing:
In the prologue for … aw, hell. I think it’s Path of Daggers–the one where she’s messing with the sisters captured at Dumai’s Wells in the Aiel camp–Verin’s POV indicates that she’s rationalizing everything she says in her head in a way that makes it clear she is still bound not to lie.
And she never said that Moiraine sent her after Ingtar. She just said Moiraine sent her. For all we know, Moiraine sent her for a pizza. 
I’ve never read a single word of this series, but I faithfully read all of the Dope threads about it, because all you self-flagellating fans are so doggone entertaining when you rant about it.
Stuff like that.
The Battle for Cairhien is when the suckness of this seires first hit me in the face. I was enjoying it up until that point, even if I thought the quality had gone down somewhat. But when Jordan decided to skip the last part of the battle and tell the rest through flashbacks while everyone partied at the victory feast, it really pissed me off. Even so, it took me 3 more books to quit. Actually, I think what happened is that my wife unearthed the first book from an old box, we both read it, then we ran out and bought everything up to Path of Daggers, which was the last one at that time. If I didn’t have those later books lying around, I might have stopped sooner.
well confirmation on the Oct 11 release date, but see how much the cover sucks.
Newsflash! They all suck.
Marc
the first 3 weren’t so bad, but yeah I have to agree, this series has some sucky covers in general.
Auugghh!! Who are those people even supposed to be? I hate that. sigh
pretty sure that’s supposed to be Perrin and Berelain. Dunno who the random Aiel looking guy is, especially as he appears to have spears ANd a sword. That military guy could be Queen what’s her face’s(captured with Faile) guard commander.
You’re right–that’s probably the head of either Berelain or Alliandre’s guard standing with Perrin. The only male Aiel in that storyline is Gaul, IIRC, and he wouldn’t have a sword. Stupid cover artist. grr
I think we can come to an agreement that some do suck more then others. I think the cover of the first book is the best.
Marc
Is it me, or do they look like munchkins? And that Aiel has something of a gut on him…
sigh
The Eye of the World (and maybe the Dragon Reborn) was the only one with decent cover art. And don’t get me started on the Illustrated Encyclopedia.
btw - could the Aiel on the cover be Aram the Tinker? Maybe he’s ‘gone Aiel’, but he’s still a blademaster.
You guys are tough. I manage to slog most of the way through book 5. I just didn’t want any more. And I keep wanting the heroes to just effing cut the bad guy’s heads off and be done with it!
I swear, it’s like the Black Company all over again. How many books has that thing gone onto?
My god that’s some bad cover art.
Obviously, since messing with the weather didn’t work, the Dark One is now tinkering with atmospheric pressure and relative gravity.
Help, Rand! The weight of the air is making us all squaty and ill-tempered!
snort Yeah, Rand is the one to go to about somebody being ill-tempered. Him, then Nynaeve.
And my mind has decided to think that Gaul has a really big knife, not a sword. But my mind also thinks that rereading the whole series by October is a good idea. :eek:
As I said above, I haven’t read a single word of this series, but based on everyone’s kvetching, I wonder if it’s significant that the cover art shows a group of people standing around talking instead of, y’know, doing something.
And since we are all talking about the reasons we keep reading (or not), I’ll have to agree that Jordan can write one hell of a climax.
There are little scenes, too, that I like to remember. I always reread those parts, and think to myself, "Wasn’t it cool, when:
*Moiraine explains to Nynaeve that she, too, is a filthy dark-friend channeller
*Algemar (?) relating the story of Lan (the uncrowned King of Malkier)
*Nynaeve, in desperation, visualized the a’dam and captured Moghidean
*Mat and Birgitte are sitting in the bar, talking in the old tongue
*Elayne picked out the weave of the gateway and blew up a whole hillside
*When the “rebel” Aes Sedai realize that their Amyrlin Eqwene has just taken over and out-smarted them (Aes Sedai, for a bunch of supposedly strong, powerful women, vomit a lot when they’re surprised)
There’s always a nugget or two of gold in all the dross of split skirts and hair coloring. 
Oh, man…he had me anticipating that confrontation for a book and a half! Just when all the details fade into grumbling about length of time between books and the fluff that seems to fill them, someone reminds me why I love this series…
That’s what makes us tear our hair out (or just tug at our braids) over the whole thing…
Do yourself a favor…go to your local library and get the unabridged books on tape instead. Save yourself the pain of re-reading it.
-XT
I never thought about that before. But you’re right! I, for one, have never vomited because I was surprised. I have, however, been surprised because I vomited, but never mind that now.
A couple other scenes that make you remember why you read in the first place:
–Nynaeve breaking her block.
–Logain’s Healing.
–The First-Sister ceremony.
–The kidnapping of the Daughter of the Nine Moons.
And my personal favorite: Mat trouncing the Princes of Andor with a quarterstaff. Good stuff.
Ye gods these books are bad crack.
I told myself I wouldn’t read them. I love fantasy, but I like my series’ (serieses?) finished (and preferably with the seperate volumes being shorter than War & Peace).
But there came a day when there was nothing left in the house for me to read. Now I can’t stop. There are just enough cool things to balance out the really annoying ones.
It’s the awesome end-of-book battles. I love big battle scenes, and he does write them well.(I just finished the battle at Cairhien. Mat was so cool, and I HATE Mat.)
So, people who’ve read the whole thing, give me some hope. Tell me Nynaeve goes spontaneously bald at some point. Tell me Tar Valon explodes. Tell me Galad just DIES. Tell me Mr. Jordan introduces a female charcter who isn’t some variety of manipulative shrew-harpy.
I know that Moiraine dies/disappears. That’s a start.
