Since we’re 2 weeks out from the release of Book 11, I thought I’d ask. Wheel of Time Fans (and haters who can’t help themselves and read anyway) And yes, I’ve checked out WOT boards, and there’s not much help there.
Whodunnit? I’m totally stumped.
suspects:
Lanfear
Graendal
Moraine
A gholam
Moridin
Shadar Haran
random Aiel
Avienda
Slayer
Mazrim Taim
plus 50 other folks I’m forgetting. For all of his posturing that it should be obvious, I think that Jordan set up a pretty good mystery here.
What we know:
He dies in Caemlyn
He does fast
He knows his killer
Whoever did it had to be able to take out a channeler
they hid the body
it’s likely that it was not a targetted killing (he was in the wrong place at the wrong time)
Though I gave up on the WoT series a few installments ago, I remember this being a juicy mystery with just enough info to drive people crazy. Would it be against board rules to post the paragraph detailing his death in this thread? I remember a certain point that many people latched on to was the fact that it says something to the effect of “he was dead while his voice was still ringing in the air” or something like that.
What’s his last statement - “You!?” or something like that?
The book is a zillion years old now so I’m not going to bother with a spoiler box.
Jordan was being lazy. He said over and over again that, essentially, “All the clues are there for anyone who bothers to put them together.” Which was, I assure you, total bullshit.
Some very serious fans have gone through and worked it all out so that they had a 100% certain answer - Graendal. Basically because everyone else had been accounted for (supposedly).
Until in book 9 or 10 (long after everyone was supposed to have worked it out all by their lonesome) we see that Slayer has some thoughts that indicate that he might have done it.
Meh. Unless book 11 is absolutely fantastic, I’m done.
Oh, I’ve already preordered it. But if I don’t like it, I’ll be doing the “It was a gift for someone who already had it” because I’m done support Jordan if he’s not gonna produce something worthwhile.
Wasn’t the Prologue of CoT something like a sixth of the book? And didn’t he go ahead and introduce a bunch of new characters while ignoring the people who are supposedly the focus of these books?
I’m re-reading WOT now, just finishing up book 8. That’s where I started thinking, “boy, he’d better pick up the pace in the next few books.” IIRC, he didn’t. Lord, how he didn’t.
Even so, I’ll soldier along until the bitter end. Tho if RJ ends up dying before writing the ending, I don’t think I’ll mind all that much.
BTW, I think Moridin killed Asmodean, and I also think Moridin is Ishamael.
Probably not, not only was she the one who set him up with Rand but at that point in the book she had already gone through that arched doorway with Moiraine.
Maybe, she might have struck out of surprise.
See Lanfear.
None of the other Chosen, I mean Forsaken, knew who Moridin was and at first they all thought Shadar Haran was just a really tall Myrrdraal. Given that Asmodean’s last words were someting along the lines of, “YOU!” I’m going to guess that he knew was a least passingly familiar with his murderer and we don’t know if he knew any of the gholams by name.
I do think it was the gholam who killed that philosopher who was looking into the Dragon Prophesies for Rand.
I don’t remember who the slayer was. I don’t think the others had any real motivation for killing Asmodean as they probably didn’t know who he was. As far as I know Taim wasn’t even in the picture at this point in the series having only been mentioned. I think Taim didn’t make any deals with the dark side until after he teamed up with Rand.
Asmodean’s abilities were curtailed at that time by Lanfear’s shield. He may have been killed by someone channeling or stabbed, I don’t believe we know either way.
I’ve been leaning towards Graendal for quite some time. There are just very few others who could have done it. I also think Asmodean was balefired, because of the way the paragraph was written, which completely discounts Slayer. (MGibson, Slayer is the wolf-killer/Shadow assassin who seems to be a melded version of Lan’s cousin Isam and Rand’s uncle Luc.)
But no, the clues were not all there. Honestly, I no longer give a damn who killed Asmodean, but I’m really looking forward to finding out who killed Adeleas and Ispan.
And for what it’s worth, I think it was Sareitha and her Warder–though I’m not entirely sure Ispan was the target.
I have read all of the books and I don’t know who half these people are. I don’t know if that’s a statement about my memory or Jordon’s story telling. Maybe both?
With the books being as long as they are and the first one being published in 1988 or 89 I think we can excuse your lack of memory. I only know because I read all the books before a new one comes out so I can refresh my memory.
My guess? it was her sister. She’s also the one that sent the warded Dragkar after Moraine on her farm.
My grand theory is that there’s another DF among Rand’s entourage we don’t know about - someone doing something fishy when Asmodean happened along, and killed him to conceal it.
I think I remember Asmodean ‘shivering’ shortly before opening the door to the back hallway (he thought it was a pantry)…so it was likely a female channeler.
Jordan has discounted Moridin, at least, as he was fairly disgusted with the pun of ‘Death’ took him.’ (Moridin is OT for ‘Death’) I also discount Slayer, unless he didn’t know who Asmo was…he brags bout killing AS, so you’d figure he’d recall something about taking out a rogue Forsaken.
That would be my preferred killer, as well. But there’s just enough evidence I can’t recall right now to disprove it.
I would especially like it if Vandene and her warder killed Adeleas not because Vandene is Black, but because Adeleas was, and Vandene didn’t want anybody to find out. Meaning Adeleas is the one who warded the dragkhar. I would totally love that.
However, we didn’t know he existed at the time of Asmodean’s death, so in theory, if RJ was telling the truth, he could not have been the killer.
RogueRacer, if I remember correctly this series has a Daigan, a Diagian, and a Daigon or something like that. Keeping track of the characters is for someone with a big-ass flow chart.
By the way, here’s my ideal opening chapter for the next book: Rand goes batshit for a while and balefires the crap out of a few dozen evil characters, then says, “There. Now we know THEY’RE not coming back in new bodies!”
I always thought it was a slam dunk that it was Lanfear and that she wacked him because she thought he was betraying her with Rand (this was shortly after Asmodean seemed resigned to being with Rand to the end and clinging to that bush at the cliffs edge IIRC…and finally deciding to support him fully).
Though I didn’t think so at the time, this is a pretty good guess too, though I’m not sure Asmodean would have recognized Moridin for who and what he was…as he clearly did recognize his killer. Still, Moridin has ways to easily get around someone else who can channel (though in Asmodean’s case this wouldn’t have been a major problem in any case as his powers were crippled…and he doesn’t seem to have been all that great even at his best).
Lanfear had gone through the doorway with Moiraine already, and her snippet at the end of Winter’s Heart makes it clear that the Aelfinn and Eelfinn held her. No way she got out in time to kill Asmodean.
Ah, good point. I hadn’t thought of that…I guess I assumed it happened before she fell through. Like maybe it was happening before or something, though now that I think of it thats obviously wrong. Oh well…no idea then. Could have been any of the Forsaken I suppose…or maybe the dark one himself.
