[Ballinda]

I just read "The Eye of the World" for the first time, and there was something glaringly apparent in that book that has always bothered me in fantasy. Too often, authors trap their characters in fascinating, perilous situations, and instead of coming up with a clever way of getting the characters out, one of the characters whips up a magical spell and solves the problem. Sometimes the magic isn't something you knew the character had. Others, it's just too convenient.

I think magic is great when used to augment a character, or in other capacities in books, but too often it's used as an escape route for avoiding a clever solution to an impossible dilemma.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[ChrisW]

Could you please provide an example/s from The Eye of the World please. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Oh possible ***SPOILERS*** below. Two just below this post infact and possibly more to follow http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif.

[This message has been edited by Caldazar (edited January 19, 2002).]

[Asraloth]

e.g

*when Moiraine uses the ter'angreal (or is it the other one, i don't know) to set the land on fire and escape the Trollocs, well, temporaily at least.

*when Moiraine grows to a the size of a giant in Baerlon to scare off whitecloaks (i think?)

granted she is an Aes Sedai, and magic is her "business", but I get what you're saying Ballinda.

[ChrisW]

Those two examples a pretty damn poor. As you said she is an Aes Sedai and therefore both of those actions are in character. Surely you can do better than that http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif.

The reason I asked for examples is that every bit of "magic" performed by a non Aes Sedai in EotW is an essential part of the story. There is an explanation and a reason(apart from just an easy way to escape) behind each instance.



[This message has been edited by Caldazar (edited January 19, 2002).]

[JohnH]

I am thinking that the reference from tEotW stems from Rand at the end.

***Spoilers**
though for a book out ten years plus
this seems a bit too nanny'ish, but I'll
play.

Rand's duel with Aginor and then later Ishamael are rather integral to the whole story. Surely no reader who reaches this scene didnot see it coming. Rand comes into his powers. Something hinted at and developed since the beginning. I would be shocked that anyone reading this book would be taken off guard at the revelation that Rand can channel. Or is the DR and the target of the Shadow's minions. Frankly it would have been poorly conceived had Jordan played this scene out any differently, imo.

It is one thing to reveal magical abilities, build upon the theme and then use them to extricate a character from a foreseeable situation (as I believe Jordan does though YMMV). It is another to bring out the all powerful character (a la Pug) or to build in an impossible solution that the hero always manages to find anyway(a la Richard Rahl). Credibility,no doubt, resides differently in each reader.

[ChrisW]

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I am thinking that the reference from tEotW stems from Rand at the end.

Yeah thats what I was thinking but if Ballinda was reading carefully he/she might of picked up that Rand did channel three times before that and each time it let him escape so I wasnt sure.

Just wondering but I have a question for people who have only read EotW once. Did you notice the three times rand unkownly channeled and do you know how Jordan let us know that he did channel each time?
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gosh you really need to install the hack http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif.




[This message has been edited by Caldazar (edited January 19, 2002).]

[JohnH]

This is in reponse to WoT spoilers and that is all the warning ya get! (considering that if you made it this far you done be spoiled)

I did not know Rand had channeled until Moiraine goes to refresh Bela and notices that she does not relly need it.

[lukaspriest]

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How about when Kahlan thinks Richard's dead near the end of the book and goes into her "Blood Rage" (or whatever its called) that so conveniently allows them to get into the palace? Talk about cheap!

[Sammie]

Yeah, but it wasn't totally out of the blue, though. That ability had been hinted at earlier in the book.

[saintjon]

This may seem unrelated, but the reason I now hate Star Trek is because that's always how they resolved their problems, except instead of magic it's always some kind of stupid scientific factoid one of them discovers.
I'm trying to think of a good fantasy example but my brain refuses to help me in this, even though I know I've read a lot of stories where that happened.