Robert Jordan is God

Is anyone else reading Jordan's Wheel of Time series? I was up until 3 a.m. last night (um, this morning) finishing Knife of Dreams. Still some unresolved situations, but I'm very glad many of the main plot threads were finally tied up, because I promised myself I wasn't touching these books again until he's bloody well finished! Or until I finish college and have the time to sit with them again, whichever comes second. I'm patient. Besides, even now it takes me months to read it all. For anyone who's reading the series but has not yet read this book, stop reading NOW. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed.

Rand lost his left hand capturing Semhirage, who was posing as the Daughter of the Nine Moons after killing the ENTIRE Imperial Family of the Seanchan, with the exeption of Tuon herself. Suoroth, who, as it turns out, is a Darkfriend, was in a bargain with Semhirage to become the next Empress once the real Daughter of the Nine Moons could be found and killed. Rand also gave the rebel Aes Sedai permission to bond 47 more Asha'man to even out the numbers with the 51 Sisters the Asha'man had bonded already. However, it was the Tower Aes Sedai, all Reds, who approached the Black Tower, after Tarna (the new Keeper) convinced the Reds it was the only way to keep the Asha'man under control. The M'Hael gave them permission, but does he know of Rand's permission to the other Sisters? We don't even know if he's planning to betray Rand, although all signs point that way. Nynaeve, Lan, and Loial, among others, were with Rand. Loial's mother, along with Eldar Haran and Erith, finally caught up to Loial, and they married him and Erith on the spot. He's going back to the Stedding, but Eldar Haran has agreed to go search for and close the remaining Waygates, trusting Loail to speak to the Stump about the Ogier fighting in the Last Battle, although Loial is far too young for it under norman circumstances. Lan is convinced that the Last Battle will begin in the Blight, so Nynaeve sent Lan through a gateway back to the Borderlands, but at the World's End in Saldea, so he would have to ride across the entire Borderlands to reach his destination. She then Traveled all along his route, raising the lost Malkieri to ride with him when he comes.

Perrin, in hopes of rescuing Faile, made a deal with the Seanchan. In return for their assistance in battle, they were allowed to collar every Shaido Wise One they could get their hands on. They agreed, and after 52 days, he attacked the Shaido camp. Faile and her followers had thought Galina was going to help them escape, as she had promised, but they did not know she was Black Ajah, and she buried them in a basement and left them for dead the day of the attack. Rolan and some others found them and got them out, just in time for Perrin to come, killing Rolan and rescuing Faile at last, along with Alliendre and Maighdin. I wonder if Elayne will ever be reunited with her mother, and know she is not murdered after all? Aram is dead, killed by Perrin, after being convinced by Masema that Perrin's golden eyes meant he was a Darkfriend and deciding to "save Faile from him". Masema got away, with about two hundred of his followers. Bad news. Sevanna was captured by the Seanchan, and Galina was recaptured by Therava and the rest of the Shaido retreating back to the Three-Fold Land, never to leave again. Too bad for her.

Mat, after leaving Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders (the man does think highly of himself) with Tuon and the rest, heads for the mountains, only to find Seanchan blocking their path. He is caught up with by a band of Deathwatch Guards, led by a man who was once Tuon's personal bodyguard, who offers to take her back to Ebou Dar safely. She finally marries Mat, and gets back to Ebou Dar to strip Surouth of her name and titles and send her to be sold as property, since it was she who planned Tuon's murder.

Elayne is still pregnant. After having Captain Mellar followed successfully, she has enough proof to name him Darkfriend, and to capture two of the Black Ajah she, Egwene and Nynaeve were sent to hunt all those books ago. They go, only to find six, not two, and Elayne is captured. She is rescued in due time, and fortunately for her, Arymilla's army decides to attack the city gates at the same time. Elayne's army is able to catch them from behind, with the gate still shut, and capture her rival and all her supporters. All but Arymilla publish their support for Elayne the next day. Her other opponents, behind Ellorien, come to parley and discuss the Borderland army on their border, but when they learn it was Elayne herself who gave them safe passage through Andor, all but Ellorien throw support for Elayne. She has the Houses behind her she needs to take the Throne of Andor.

Egwene has been captured and returned to novice white inside the Tower, but she refuses to yield her position as rightful Amyrlin. She endures many trips to the Mistress of Novices, being beaten several times a day, but she understands the Aiel way of embracing pain and refuses to let it sway her. She is planting seeds of discontent among the sisters from within, and it seems to be working. I do believe Elaida will fall yet.

There, now maybe I won't have to go back and re-read the entire series when I pick up with the next book. Then again, maybe I'll do it anyway :)

Hollywood and religion don't mix

"The DaVinci Code" premiered at the Cannes film festival yesterday. The critics, for the most part, HATED it. From E!Online:

"I haven't read the book, but there was just a ridiculous amount of exposition," wrote Lee Marshall of Screen International. "I thought it was plodding, and there was a complete lack of chemistry between Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks."

"Tom Hanks was a zombie; thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music--and it was much too grandiose," the Boston Globe's Peter Brunette told Agence France-Presse.

The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt refused to grant it absolution either.

The filmmakers "can't do much...with mostly colorless characters designed around idiosyncrasies and weird scholarly talents--sort of academic X-Men--rather than flesh-and-blood personalities," he wrote, though he did hasten to lavish praise on (X-Men star) Ian McKellen for delivering Da Vinci's sole redeeming performance.

During the closing credits, rather than applaud, Cannes' traditionally tough audience fell into a sustained silence punctuated only by the occasionally disdainful catcall.

I think I'm still going to see it. I've read the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Dan Brown's style of writing, his meticulous attention to detail, and his choice of subject matter. Angels and Demons is still my favorite. I'm not expecting to enjoy it or not enjoy it, I just want to see how it was adapted. In my experience, a lot of books don't make good movies because there's so much more you can say in a book that you can't necessarily translate to a visual medium.

And honestly, I think the whole protesting scene is a little much. Christians are so immutable about their faith, which I think is a drawback. Open-mindedness is one of the true tenets of faith. I'm not saying I believe Jesus DID marry and have a child, but I certainly think it's possible, considering everything I've read about the history of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus himself. He was just a prophet, and a man. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the truth.

Either way, it's just a movie, folks. Get over it.