Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.
You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.
Chapter 43: Care For the Living
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com:
Point of view: Perrin Aybara
Verin leads Stepper, with Perrin riding, to the Winespring Inn so Alanna can heal him. On the way he can hear calls from relatives of the young men that did not survive the Trolloc attack. He is carried into the inn and then must wait while Ihvon finds Alanna. Verin makes notes in her book while they wait. Perrin’s friends, Elam Dowtry, Dav Ayellin, and Ewin Finngar bombard him with questions about what the world outside is like and he answers some. Tam and Abell come in as Ewin asks where Rand and Mat are. Perrin provides the crowd with some general information on what Rand and Mat are up to, but avoids anything that might lead to the Dragon Reborn.
Loial arrives and Perrin tells him that the Waygate is being used by Trollocs again, despite it having been locked. Perrin plans to go with Loial after he is Healed. Faile discovers that Perrin is burning up just as Alanna arrives. Alanna examines Perrin and then has him carried to the kitchen by Loial. She explains that the Healing will be very difficult and might fail. Perrin faints from the pain.
REACTION:
This chapter covers two of my favorite story-telling plots: 1) the adventurer comes home and tells the excited hayseeds about his travels, and 2) the dying man’s stream of conscious does not realize he’s dying – though his disjointed thoughts communicate it to the reader.
This is another GREAT chapter and I have to say that pretty much every Perrin chapter since he’s returned home has been top notch.
This chapter presents the readers with a hurdle for blaming Luc for the trolloc ambush. He arrived in The Two Rivers when he apparently should not have had the time to both do that *and* go tell the trollocs that Perrin’s men were coming. HOWEVER… I think all that is really accomplished here is that we still think Luc did it, but we don’t know *how* he did it.
Speaking of Luc… he has claimed Borderlander nobility and in this chapter Andoran nobility. Heck, he says he should be the King of Andor. That is… interesting. That bit of information connects the Luc here with another Luc who was mentioned in The Great Hunt, Chapter 7. That likely means the two are the same.
Loial tells us indirectly that there is a Darkfriend in the Two Rivers who opened the Waygate. Opening it from the outside was the only way to re-open it. We already know that, though, because Slayer has already told Perrin about it.
It will be interesting to see what happens in Perrin’s recovery absence. My guess is that Loial decides to deal with the Waygate.
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