Give the people what they want. @iamloubones this incoherent #WheelofTime review/ramble is for you.

I cried about six times in the final book, especially the bit where *spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler*.

I have never related to a character as hard as I relate to Nynaeve. Grumpy girls who care too much... And are grumpy.

Of all the 4 million plus words Robert Jordan wrote, '"I won't shout at you," shouted Nynaeve' are the seven funniest.

if Joanna Scanlan is not cast as Verin, I don't know what they're playing at.

(Sending a little weave out into the Twitter ether @rafejudkins @sarahenakamura @WOTonPrime)

The range and diversity of female characters was a joy - there were heroes, wise ones, geniuses, badasses AND villains, incompetents, liars and cowards. I love that no one female character had the bear the burden of representing all women.

It meant Elaida could be erratic, Elayne vain and arrogant, Lanfear an obsessive and Min could moon about over Rand because it was right for the character, without it being a commentary on all women.

On the the sexes and sexism, the book is complicated and RJ is tussling with his own feelings in a way that is honest and muddy and contradictory - and I far prefer that to boaky insincere Disney corporate girl power.

But having said that he was definitely horny on main from time to time. No gratuitous rapeyness that plagues Game of Thrones but QUITE A LOT of spanking. And it did at times remind me of that Patrick Stewart episode of Extras. ("And all her clothes fall off?'). Lol RJ, wot u like

And is the magic system sexist? Yeah, kinda, maybe. But it fits with the bigger themes of duality in an interesting way. And it's fiction.

Loved the way it wove together Norse mythology and Western fantasy conventions with Daoism and Buddhism and probably a whole load of other traditions I didn't notice.

Bit disappointed it didn't go more into the more conceptual, sci-fi, dimension-hopping vibe hinted at in the first two books.

Also disappointed that Padan Fain wasn't more of a thing. And Logain - feels like there was a whole chunk of plot or character development that was meant to happen didn't?

RJ did, for the time, an ok job of creating a diverse world w a real mix of cultural influences, recombined in unexpected ways and reflective of the fact he'd actually been out in the world. (Puts AOIAF to shame). Think the casting so far for the show really captures this.

Since learning that the Profesor from Money Heist has been cast as Logain, I can't think of the character without his aviator spectacles.
I also think the Inspectora would be an amazing Elaida.

Tel'aran'rhiod/ the Wolf Dream would look incredible as an animation, especially something really painterly - either washy watercolour or oily like Loving Vincent.

I'd also love if they could steal some visual ideas from Soul to visualise the Pattern & the final battle of wills

I found the male Forsaken pretty interchangeable and am still quite confused about who was who. But actually love the high camp of Lanfear, Graendal, Semirhage and Moghidien.

The slog is real. It just is.

Controversial take: I actually didn't mind all the pages and pages of clothes descriptions.

But that might be because my New Year's Resolution is to not buy any clothes in 2021 and Mat's frilly shirts and Nynaeve's frocks are the outlet I need right now.

Love the imagery of the magic - weaving and threads, just beautiful.

I will wrap up by saying having a big escapist project during Covid, a little door into a different world during lockdown was incredible.

Can't wait to see how the team interpret it for the show #wotonprime

In the mean time... Re-read?