Character review of the Wheel of Time #6

I started the wheel of time series, written by Robert Jordan, about one year ago. Before I started this series, I read the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I absolutely loved this series, the amazing characters and the compelling story. I needed it to continue, but I had read all the books that were out, so I started the search for something new. That is when I discovered the Wheel of Time series. Because I loved Goodkind’s books so much, it was really hard for me to get into this new story, so many things were different and so many things were the same. Both things annoyed me. I wanted the story back that I loved. Fortunately I kept on reading, because Jordan has convinced me by now. I am not as much in love with this story as I was with the first, but it is still pretty damn good. For this post, I have decided I am going to expand on my opinion on some of the main characters in the book.

1. Rand al’Thor

The main character, a.k.a. the dragon reborn. He starts of as a boy, naieve and insecure. As the story progresses he quickly learns that he was raised in a very protective environment and that ‘the real world’ is a hard place to survive in. Rand is one of few men who can channel, which is the term for being able to use magic in this book. In the fifth book, he has become a hard man, a leader, using people for his personal gain. Apparantly he believes this is the only way of doing things if he is going to succeed in defeating the keeper of the underworld. (I guess I don’t have to explain more about that one.) Lews Therin was the Dragon before Rand, Rand is this person reborn and therefor sometimes thinks Lews’ thoughts. I cannot help but feel relieve that Rand became a little tougher than he was at the beginning. He was such a whiny loser, at least now he is a little cooler, even though he will probably lose his mind (because apparantly, all male channelers do at some point). The thing I find really annoying about this book though, is the fact that he seems to be destined to love three different women, and these women kind of know this, and are fine with it. Eh… Jordan… not very emancipated are we? I will get back to this while discussing the other characters. 2. Matrim Cauthon

Mat is one of Rand’s best friends. Well, he was at first, now he is maybe a little scared of him because of the whole channeling and becoming mad thing. Mat is a gambler, a womanizer and a lucky bastard. I like Mat a lot more than Rand. He is very stubborn, which gets him in a lot of trouble at first, but he is also very down-to-earth while everyone worries about everything. A character like that is really refreshing in a story like this.
3. Perrin Aybara

The big cuddle bear of the group. Perrin is the third guy-friend of Rand and Mat, but in the fifth book he is not with them anymore, he left to fight his own battle back at their home town. Perrin is the toughest looking of the three, but he has the smallest heart; or the biggest I guess. If he would be a real person I’d totally fall for him. And the best part of Perrin; he is partly a wolf! Not a werewolf or anything, not yet at least, but he can communicate with them for instance. The only thing not cool about Perrin is that he doesn’t seem to like the whole wolf thing himself. Silly man!4. Egwene al’Vere

Don’t get me started on the women in this book! You are? Ok then… Egwene is so annoying! Maybe a little less now, in book five, but that could also be because she isn’t in the story that much. Reading her thoughts makes me ashamed of women in general. Ok, it’s written by a man, trying to accept that and move on. Egwene is from the same place as Rand, Mat and Perrin, but discards the idea of home quite quickly when she discovers she can channel (and pretty well at that!). She wants to study and become an Aes Sedai (super human magic lady). She will do anything to achieve this goal and all of this sounds awesome, right? Than why am I so negative about her? Because apparantly it is most important to all of these women what they are wearing and what their hair looks like. Plus, they cannot keep their thoughts straight when there is a man around that they think is attractive. Come on Jordan! Really? You write about weak ‘fleshy’ thoughts and dresses that ‘unconsiously’ change into slutty low-cleavage whore gowns!? What are we to you?5. Nynaeve

Aaaaahhh, she’s even worse. She acts tough, but the thoughts are so damn terrible… She can channel too and feels responsible for all the characters I’ve already talked about because she’s a little older and was ‘the wisdom’ in their village, I’m not going to explain… Nynaeve wants to learn to heal as best as she can. Cool! But why does she need to whine about being in charge all the freaking time? So you are not responsible anymore, so younger people learn to also think for themselves, so you are not always the best at everything, get over it!

6. Adviendha, Elayne & Min

I’m going to end this post with the three destined-to-love-Rand ladies. Adviendha, awesome warrior lady of a people called the Aiel but changed into a pupil of lamo ‘wise-ones’ (the Aes Sedai of the Aiel people) so diminished in her awesomeness because she has to obey them, blegh… Elayne, the Daughter-heir of Andor (so, soon to be queen) also studying to become Aes Sedai and a spoiled brat. And then there is Min. The only awesome female character in the book so far, that means that I never got very irritated by her yet, and she is of course the only person who is allowed to wear ‘male-clothes’. Jordan, really? The cool girl gets pants?