Terry Goodkind bites.
Neal Stephenson wrote _Cryptonomicon_ and he kicks ass. _Snow Crash_
and _The Diamond Age_ are both really good. *really* good.
--
Barnabas T. Rumjuggler
"No, 'eureka' is Greek for 'this bath is too hot'"
--Doctor Who
A "motherload" is, well, a very large load. Almost( or sometimes more
than) too much of something to handle. The phrase goes back to the
American California Gold Rush, where delusional miners thought that
somewhere there was hidden a mountain of solid gold with a thin layer of
rock on it, just waiting to be found. A very apt usage of the word, in
this case.
--
Chris Venit
> He said he hoped to finish book 9 by May 2000, and that his optimum book
> length was 600-700 pages hardcover.
Does anyone know whether Jordan's estimates as to when the books will be
done have usually turned out to be at all reliable ? From this it sounds
like it should be out towards the end of next summer, but I don't have any
way of estimating how reliable his guess is.
Aginor was an "all for me" kind of guy. When someone has something that
he can't have, he gets pissy. When you're talking about something as
unique and fabled as the Eye, and you factor in the fact that he has
been waiting a few millenia to get his shriveled little hands on it, it
is easy to understand why that portion of Aginor's brain kicks into
Ludicrous Speed.
--
Chris Venit
--
-Mark Erikson, 17 year old virgin
asha...@geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/3730/
'If you have any questions, stick 'em up your ass'
-Bob Cock
>> He did describe the saidin in the Eye as a 'mother-load',
>A "motherload" is, well, a very large load. Almost( or sometimes more
>than) too much of something to handle. The phrase goes back to the
>American California Gold Rush, where delusional miners thought that
FYI: it's _lode_.
--
Nathan Lundblad lund...@alum.calberkeley.org
Here's some stuff I forgot that is somewhat important.
He gave some new information on the Shipwreck serries, he now plans to have
just one continent, like Pangaea, with a Seanchan-like civilisation on one
side and a European on the other. There is trade between the two, but
across the sea, not the land, and the trading is never direct, but passes
through many hands along the way. Therefore, the people on either side of
the continent have no idea what the other is like.
The other _really_ interesting thing he said was that ABC have bought the
rights to make a WOT mini-series. It doesn't mean they will, but they've
got the guy who wrote 'Merlin' working on a script.
And there is something else that keeps nagging at my memory, but I can't put
my finger on it. I'll post again when it comes back to me.
>The other _really_ interesting thing he said was that ABC have bought the
>rights to make a WOT mini-series. It doesn't mean they will, but they've
>got the guy who wrote 'Merlin' working on a script.
Oh. My. God.
This could be truly frightening...
--
Nathan Lundblad lund...@alum.calberkeley.org
Why is it a motherlode? That's something that been annoying me since. It
was just pure saidin, and I don't understand why Aginor wanted that.
Obviously there was something more to it than just pure saidin. Has anyone
asked him this before?
No. Aginor can get pure saidin whenever he wants. And the Eye was created
after he was locked inside the Bore. Therefore, I can't think of a reason
why the Eye was so powerful.
It's not the _practicality_ of the Eye, it's the _novelty_.
And the Eye was created
> after he was locked inside the Bore. Therefore, I can't think of a reason
> why the Eye was so powerful.
He had to hear of it sometime; it matters not when. I'm just saying that
whenever he did, his desire to possess the truly unique kicked in.
--
Chris Venit
I'm sorry, it's just a much to trivial reason. I don't like it.
Shit.
Well, there goes a 5 year old theory....
Aaron
--
Aaron Bergman
<http://www.princeton.edu/~abergman/>
What theory is that?
Now I also want to ask, why was Aginor allowed to use the TP? He was trying
to kill Rand. I didn't think to DO wanted that.
The Diamond Age was really good. Are the other 2 novels sf as well?
<snip>
> The other _really_ interesting thing he said was that ABC have bought the
> rights to make a WOT mini-series. It doesn't mean they will, but they've
> got the guy who wrote 'Merlin' working on a script.
If this is no joke and they stuff it up I will personally see to it that
they suffer. Much. For a long time.
<snip to end>
--
Willum,
"One who is a Samurai must, before all things, keep constantly in mind, by
day and by night, the fact that he has to die."
- Daidoji Yuzan -16th C.
http://members.xoom.com/greatsword/index.htm
Is one of those books about an electronic book called 'how to be a modern
lady' or something? I remember reading the blurb to such a book and
thinking it would be interesting.
[_Snow Crash_ & _Cryptonomicon_]
>> The Diamond Age was really good. Are the other 2 novels sf as well?
>
>Is one of those books about an electronic book called 'how to be a modern
>lady' or something? I remember reading the blurb to such a book and
>thinking it would be interesting.
Well, as one of the versions of the electronic primer is called in
the book, it's _Young Lady's Illustrated Primer: A Propaedeutic
Enchiridion in which is told the tale of Princess Nell and her
various friends, kin, associates, &c._, and yes, it appears in _The
Diamond Age_.
Quite a good book for the first two-thirds or so; a disappointment
for the final third.
--
Trent
That trivial reason it what motivates most of the Forsaken, and, to a
larger extent, the lower DFs. You'd be surprised at the power of Greed.
--
Chris Venit
> Finally, I think it's save to say that I have the only first edition
signed
> hardcover print of tPoD in Australia. Not a great achievement, but an
> achievement nonetheless.
Well, it's not safe to say it because yours truly ALSO got a first
edition hardback printed-in-the-United-States copy of TPOD signed. I
thought *I* was the only one.
Anyway, I can't add much, but I'll add what I can. I attended the
'spotlight on Robert Jordan' interview and book signing, and then the
reading (from TPOD and TDR) and the second book signing afterwards, but
I missed the third session RJ was at.
Firstly, RJ said 3 more books "at least" and that he'd try to do it in
three if he could, but he couldn't promise it would be only three. And
he said he thought it would take "at least 5 years".
I won't repeat the stuff about sources Mark mentioned, although it took
up most of RJ's responses to questions (and indeed, the interview) at
the 'Spotlight' session.
Someone asked him about the Creator.. he gave the distinct impression
that he wouldn't even contemplate havng the Creator step in, nor is
there any real Creator worship, because there is no need, the effects of
the Creator are all around the citizens of Randland. I believe he's
said that mcuh previously. He quoted Terry Pratchett (from Mort, I
think) regarding the way belief works.
Someone asked if the Dragon is always male, and he told them to Read And
Find Out.
I personally didn't think (idiot me) to ask any questions regarding
specific events. But at the first signing I was in a hurry, and at the
second one me and a friend held up the line for a few minutes because RJ
talked to us in answer to my friend's question about prounciation and
names and I joined in, and we had a fun chat about how the WoT was meant
to be read out loud until RJ realised how long the line was and qucikly
signed our books and let us go. Giving me no chance to ask extra
questions.
And I couldn't even hang around, because I had to go fairly soon anyway.
One thng that should probably go in another post except that I'm too
lazy to open up another one: Asmodean (and this has probably been
posted before, but so has nearly everything).
At any rate, this evidence ALONE from the FoH is enough to strongly
suspect Graendal, without further backing. Which means it passes the
'obvious at the moment of death' test.
I was actually reading through the later parts of tFoH for some other
reason, and this belted me in the face. Page 857 in this edition, about
3 pages from the end of 'To Caemlyn'.
Moghedien to Nynaeve:
"...But when he does, he will find the others as well, waiting to trap
him between them. At least, he will find Graendal and Rahvin. I think
Lanfear plays another game.."
and on p 858
"Al'Thor means to go after Rahvin today. This morning..."
It would appear that the Forsaken, Rand's beliefs to the contrary,
already knew he was going to hit Caemlyn that day. At least, Moghedien
knew, and Rahvin (from the rest of the passage, not given here) at least
knew Rand was coming soon. He probably ALSO knew that Rand was coming
that day, since Moggy did, but it's only required he know that Rand was
coming soon.
If Rahvin knew Rand was coming, and the plan was to trap him between
Rahvin and Graendal... wouldn't Graendal have been at the Palace
already, there to see Asmodean arrive with Rand and co, and take him
down for teaching Rand enough to avoid the trap?
This isn't conclusive, but I'd like to think that I've finally spotted
the bit that was meant to be obvious.
Raf Kaplan
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
tEotW was *not* just a trivial source of pure saidin. Look at what Rand, an
untrained channeler just starting his growth to full strength in the OP, did
with it. For all intents and purposes, he single-handedly destroyed a
Shadowspawn army in Tarwin's Gap with a method that took several hundred
Asha'man at Dumai's Wells to replicate, not to mention killing Aginor in
some sort of duel. Rand was more effective than the Asha'man, too; he
reduced the Shadowspawn army by a factor of 5, while the Asha'man "merely"
halved the 40,000 Shaido.
tEotW must have had some sort of angreal effect that allowed channelers to
draw saidin much more deeply than normal - something any of the male
Forsaken would have coveted.
Jason Lee
jc...@ou.edu
Did he mean that it was CHANNELING the TP that caused Aginor to
rejuvenate
or did he mean it in the context that the TP is the power of the DO?
Pointer.
I personally like to believe that there's more to it than that. I mean,
that much pure saidin really isn't much use compared to the massive amount
Rand ends up using in his lifetime.
Initially I asked 'In the end of Eye of the World, when Rand is fighting
Aginor, why did Aginor get younger?'
RJ replied 'He didn't, he died there. Do you mean the resurection? He and
Balthamel got resurrected in LoC'
I said 'I know that, but....' and couldn't think of anything else. I
thought I must have read that part wrong, so while other people were having
their books signed, I went through the book and found the line, and read it
to him.
RJ said 'Oh that. That's actually the power of the Dark One rejuvinating
him.' and went on to basically explain what the True Power is, like I was an
idiot.
So then I said 'So is the True Power the source of their immortality?'
And he said 'Effectively, yes.'
Does that clear it up?
Yeah, thanks. I thought at first you meant that Aginor was channeling
the TP.
Pointer.
Also _Zodiac_, as in "bright orange rubber boats favoured by
Greenpeace", not as in "small group of boring faint stars". Also good.
Rob
--
Reality v1.1: 15 totally new emotions! 7 extra laws of physics! 3 new ways to
achieve transcendence! Now with "Deja Vu" bug fixed and multiplayer support
for up to 8 billion people...
Robert Pfeifer E-mail: <rp @ i.am> WWW: http://i.am/the.god.of.hellfire
<why Aginor was so desperate to get at tEotW>
> > He had to hear of it sometime; it matters not when. I'm just saying that
> > whenever he did, his desire to possess the truly unique kicked in.
>
> I'm sorry, it's just a much to trivial reason. I don't like it.
Okay, how's this:
Aginor's only just popped out the Bore. Since he was so close to the
surface that he got old, I figure he was about semi-conscious at least
some of the time. He couldn't channel in there and we know that
channeling's addictive. The male channelers who took refuge in
steddings during the Breaking are said to have left because they
couldn't bear living without touching the Power sometimes, even though
they knew they'd go mad outside. Aginor was inside the Bore for 3000
years - he's hanging out for saidin.
Yes, but he's currently channeling the TP, and we know that it is _much_
more addictive than the OP, so why's he need saidin? Plus, if he really
wanted it, he could have channeled it from the usual source.
Yes, that's what I was saying. The Power of the Dark One is the True Power,
Aginor was channeling the TP at the time.
Now I have it, although it's fairly mundane. It's about the WOT game by
Legend Entertainment. He said that he asked them to have a female
character, and they were initially against it, but he pressed the issue and
they conceded. Then Tomb Raider became big, there were some design changes
and suddenly there was sex appeal.
He also asked for a replayable game, and they told him it could not be done.
So he came up with the idea of having a massive library of ter'angreal in
the game, and at the start of each game, the computer randomly selects some,
and they're the weapons you have to use in the game, allowing for many
different strategies, depending on which weapons you have and which you
don't.
He also said that Legend have done such a good job on WOT that they've been
contracted to do the sequel to Unreal. (I no big fan of Unreal, but I don't
think that he means Unreal Tournament)
This at least I can confirm. Legend has been contracted to produce
Unreal II, while UT was already a Legend project.
We'll see if Glen will confirm or deny the other stuff you reported.
--
| | |\ | | | ) Theudegisklos "Skwid" Sweinbrothar
|/| |\ |/ | |X| ( SKWID, Vulture V4 pilot ( The Humblest Mollusc
| | | | | | | ) Evan "Skwid" Langlinais ) on the Net
"BOO!"--The Man in Gray http://skwid.home.texas.net/
> I asked him about Aginor getting younger at the end of tEotW, and he
> said 'no, he doesn't get younger, he dies'. So I actually looked up
> the reference and read it to him. He said 'oh, that,' and then went
> on to explain that it is actually the TP, not the saidin from the
> Eye, that rejuvinates him.
That seems to supports my theory that the Seals somehow interfered with
Ag/Bath' access to the DO. Thus only two of the Forsaken age during
their 3000 year sleep.
Steve Cook
tEotW was *not* just a trivial source of pure saidin. Look at what Rand, an
untrained channeler just starting his growth to full strength in the OP, did
with it. For all intents and purposes, he single-handedly destroyed a
Shadowspawn army in Tarwin's Gap with a method that took several hundred
Asha'man at Dumai's Wells to replicate, not to mention killing Aginor in
some sort of duel. Rand was more effective than the Asha'man, too; he
reduced the Shadowspawn army by a factor of 5, while the Asha'man "merely"
halved the 40,000 Shaido.
tEotW must have had some sort of angreal effect that allowed channelers to
draw saidin much more deeply than normal - something any of the male
Forsaken would have coveted.
Jason Lee
jc...@ou.edu
Deja vu, this passage seems very farmilliar.
Anyway, that's a possibility, but it doesn't seem enough. It's still
doesn't make it that special.
> Deja vu, this passage seems very farmilliar.
> Anyway, that's a possibility, but it doesn't seem enough. It's still
> doesn't make it that special.
>
Well, even if that's not enough, there's always the off chance that the
Forsaken knew that tEotW held both the Horn of Valere and one of seal
focuses of the DO's prison. Both of which would make absolutely fabulous DF
social party favors.
And yeah, I did post it twice, but according to my server, it bounced. My
apologies if it was received twice.
Jason Lee
jc...@ou.edu
> Well, even if that's not enough, there's always the off chance that the
> Forsaken knew that tEotW held both the Horn of Valere and one of seal
> focuses of the DO's prison. Both of which would make absolutely fabulous DF
> social party favors.
Aginor may also have had incomplete or even inaccurate information. The common
knowledge of the time was that the Eye was some fabulous treasure, he may have
heard that. Prophecies also apparently indicated that the Eye was to be used by
the Dragon Reborn. Just denying the Eye's use by Rand might have been goal
enough. He may not have known what Rand could do with it. Another possibility
is that Aginor was operating under some unknown Dark Prophecy (e.g. 'He who
swallows the Eye will rule the World!).
-Fred
--
...
Yes, that's possibly true (although I get the feeling that the DO wants Rand
to have the seals), but RJ spoke of the saidin in the Eye in such a way that
I knew that it was the saidin Aginor wanted, not the prizes inside.
Sorry, that's a badly constructed sentence, but I'm tired right now.
Since the Eye was created after Ag was sealed in the Bore,
he would have known nothing about it until he was
released. I think that it's likely he only knew whatever
the DO or maybe Ishy told him.
The thing that bothers me is that Moir said the Eye had the
power to seal the DO's prison or to break him free.
However, it was not used for either reason. Is this good,
bad, or indifferent? It would also be nice to know why the
AS created the Eye (at the cost of their own lives).
Steve Cook
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!