Kevin's Watch

I was wondering, if it were possible to go back to the earlier books and plant more numerous seeds for the Last Chronicles, what would be the key elements to focus on? Perhaps SRD would argue that things are fine as they are, since he had the outline for the Last Chronicles at the same time as the Second Chronicles occurred to him. And yet wouldn't it be nice to have a mention of the Insequent or perhaps She Who Shall Not Be Named earlier in the series? This could only strengthen the continuity and reduce the sometimes jarring revelation of new beings.

I'm sure there are other possibilities as well.

And yet wouldn't it be nice to have a mention of the Insequent or perhaps She Who Shall Not Be Named earlier in the series?

Certainly if some foreshadowing of Mrs Voldemort had been present in the first 6 books, her presence in AATE wouldn't have been so jarring.

I agree also that a mention of the Insequent in the 2nd Chronicles would have been helpful.

Well, we know that there is an inconsistency between the Second Chronicles and the Last Chronicles regarding the identity of the Guardian of the One Tree and the circumstances in which he became the Guardian. Ironing that out would be the logical window into prefiguring the Insequent in the Second Chronicles.

Another inconsistency between the Second and the Last Chronicles relates to the circumstances of Caerroil Wildwood's passing. What Covenant is shown in the Soothtell is not what we see in the Last Chronicles. However, addressing this could be more complex than what would be required to tidy up the Guardian's identity.

What I find magical is that the Insequent could be the old Lords, in disguise. Like if Elena were the Mahdoubt, and maybe Lord Hyrim were the Ardent!
But of course that's too easy where Stephen Donaldson is concerned. Having not read the Last Dark, it is a nice thought to keep.

As for, 'She Who Must Not Be Named'. Isn't She 'The Worm of the World's End', like the real name of an Insequent -
'She Who Must Not Be Named The Worm of the World's End'.
Who was around, partly, in the Second Chronicles!

I don't think that there is any inconsistency with Caerroil Wildwood. It was said he passed on because things seemed well in hand with regard to the forests. Surely Linden's visit, and her answer to his question, encouraged this end.

Regarding the Insequent, I think the need for new experiences in the story outweighs other concerns. Any failure to mention the Insequent in the earlier books is matched by also not mentioning Berek meeting Linden, for example. Not all history is known -- that's part of any time travel story.

Inconsistency with regard to the Guardian can be explained by the Guardian not wishing to reveal his true nature. For reasons which become apparent when we meet the Theomach. If he couldn't reveal who he was to Linden in the Land's past, then he certainly couldn't when he knew Linden would be going into the past. The only thing needed to resolve the stories is that the Theomach beat the Elohim Guardian without Worm-rousing combat. I can accept that - witness the "battle" between the Mahdoubt and the Harrow.

+JMJ+

wayfriend wrote:[...]

Inconsistency with regard to the Guardian can be explained by the Guardian not wishing to reveal his true nature. For reasons which become apparent when we meet the Theomach. If he couldn't reveal who he was to Linden in the Land's past, then he certainly couldn't when he knew Linden would be going into the past. The only thing needed to resolve the stories is that the Theomach beat the Elohim Guardian without Worm-rousing combat. I can accept that - witness the "battle" between the Mahdoubt and the Harrow.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it stated (or implied) that the past could actually be changed -- up to a vague, unspecified point -- without breaking the Arch? That the threads of time had some inbuilt tolerances within the bounds of which they could be harmoniously "rewoven"?

If so, then 'twould seem that the Guardian of the 2nd Chrons could well be a wholly different Guardian than that of the "Theomach Timeline".

Of course that's correct. Once Joan was dispatched, travelling back into the past would be more like warm summer meadows,
rather than ice fields filled with stinging bees. Something to do with Jeremiah's impoverished temple and makeshift rood.