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Interviews: LOC Signing Report - Edward Liu
Summary:
Entries
9
Date
Oct 25th, 1994
Type
Paraphrased
Location
Seattle, WA
TourCon
Lord of Chaos Book Tour
Reporter
Edward Liu
Links
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1
Edward Liu
I just got back from the signing less than an hour ago (so my memory is pretty fresh) and I was able to find out a few interesting things. I was able to ask him 10-15 questions—anyone top that? It seems most people didn't have questions for RJ and so I was able to stay near RJ after I got my Lord of Chaos signed and listen to what he said and occasionally ask him something. I was able to do this for about an hour and a half and I even got to help him stack up books that he signed! Alright, I'll get to the point now.
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2
Edward Liu
Channeling saidin and the taint:
As some of you know, there was a pretty big debate over this topic, especially whether Thom could or couldn't channel, which I participated in. Well, I'm happy to say that I was mostly correct in my theories.
Robert Jordan
What RJ said was that once a man channeled he will inevitably die (if nothing else kills him first) as a result of the taint, whether from going mad and getting himself killed or from the wasting sickness. When I asked him if continued channeling only sped up the tainting, he said yes.Edward Liu
So the theory that tainting only occurs upon channeling is incorrect as well as the conclusion that a man will only go mad or waste away after years of frequent channeling. The important thing is that once you've channeled, you're doomed. I'm not sure whether it's the first time you grasp saidin or the first time you channel that counts.Robert Jordan
He said yes when I asked him something to the effect of, "When a man channels early in his life and never channels again, will he go mad or die from the wasting sickness?" I'd guess it's the latter, but I'm not sure. He pointed out that once a man channels he basically cannot stop himself. He (the man) becomes addicted to it; RJ made an analogy to a junkie: he might want to stop but can't. I know some of you might think, "Well he eventually dies because he can't stop himself from channeling, thus it doesn't mean tainting is a process unaffected by the amount you channel."Edward Liu
Realizing this I asked, "Theoretically if he channeled once and never channeled again, would he still die?"Robert Jordan
The response was still a yes.Tags
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3
Edward Liu
Now, regarding Thom, those who argued that Thom could channel are correct.Robert Jordan
RJ said a man will not go mad or sick away if he never channeled. Thus, he agreed that a male channeler who could be taught to channel (as opposed to having the inborn ability) and has never channeled would not die from the taint. BUT, when I asked him if he ever intended to make people think that Thom could channel, he said no. I brought up the hereditary point (i.e., Owyn) but he said just because your parents have a particular gene doesn't mean you'll receive that particular gene. Also he made a point that Owyn was his nephew so therefore not necessarily very similar gene-wise. When I pressed him again on it, he said (I'm quoting) "There is no way in hell Thom can channel." All he offered for explanations is that Thom is a "mysterious man." Enough said.Footnote
Emphasis added for clarity. Edward's assertion is apparently in reference to arguments that, since Thom is so old, he couldn't possibly have the ability to learn.Tags
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4
Edward Liu
I told him about the theory, which someone posted, that Taim is Demandred who will eventually be discovered and killed with Logain replacing him.Robert Jordan
He sounded interested at first, but then he laughed (I think about the part of Logain replacing him as the teacher of the Asha'man). And of course he said, "Read and find out."Tags
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5
Robert Jordan
He said the amount he writes on a single day varies widely. He said slow days could be 8-10 pages and fast days up to 30.Tags
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6
Question
Someone asked him about bonding between Aes Sedai and Gaidin.Robert Jordan
He said that the ability to locate the other is not at all an exact ability. He said something like they can sense distance only in the sense that the feeling of the other person becomes stronger or weaker. I suppose this is nothing new.Tags
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7
Robert Jordan
I asked him of the three women in love with Rand who he (RJ) preferred; he said because all the women characters were based on his wife, he couldn't say which he liked most. Maybe I was getting too personal. Dunno.Tags
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8
Edward Liu
Oh yes, this is interesting. I asked him if what he has read on the net has ever affected what he writes.Robert Jordan
He said if many people correctly theorize what will happen latter on, he tries to put less clues of what will happen in the future. Also he said that if he finds out that too many people have a totally wrong idea of something, he occasionally tries to put in a clue hinting to what is actually right.Tags
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9
Edward Liu
Well, that's all I remember at this point; maybe I'll remember something later.