Road to Tar Valon : The Wheel of Time Podcast

It’s a mad cap dash out of the Two Rivers, a week’s worth of hard bread and cheese, topped off by the grandest welcome you could ask for at the Stag and Lion in the first “city” our down country folk have ever seen.  There’s a special musical moment towards the end of the first half that we are pretty darn tickled over and we hope you like it as much as we do.  The format is the same as all our other episodes: contained to spoiler free in the first half, followed by our musings and questions that land us square in spoiler territory.

Annnnd! We have a shop where you can find Wheel of Time inspired designs on t-shirts, coffee mugs, phone cases, stickers, buttons, and MORE.  Seriously.  You need to go look.  It’s so cool.  There are new designs uploaded on the regular, as well as sales and specials that we will share with you on our social media pages.

https://roadtotarvalon.threadless.com/

There’s a new website we’ve poured some time and love into and we would love to check it out, even if it has one of the most needlessly long web addresses but we’re working on it. https://roadtotarvalonawheeloftimepodcast.wordpress.com

As always, thank you for joining us!  Contact us if you feel inspired to do so, at any of the links below.

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  The link is pinned to Amber’s Twitter page.  We’ve been told it’s a nice place to be and, perhaps a bit biased, we agree.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

Note from the editor:

The music for the serendipitously created Jurassic Park theme song/melodica cover is the highlight of my life at the moment.  Amber found this gem on YouTube and we had to use it!  Thank you to the musical genius who made this.

Correction at the end of spoiler discussion, Them on Amazon Prime is a different show than the one I had mentioned, although it also looks really good.  The show that Lily Rabe is in is Tell Me Your Secrets.

We do meander into our hopes and fears for the show at the end of the spoiler free half, we talk American Horror Story and the Expanse and what Amazon Prime has made recently that might give us an idea of what to expect.  

Moiraine is already an imposing figure, but when she adds pyrotechnics into her storytelling, she’s straight up mesmerizing.  Not to mention an excellent diversion for the real main event happening in the shadows. This episode was straight up fun, and more than just a little ridiculous which is even more reason to listen to it, we’ve got Moiraine the distraction tactic, Lessons with Lan, and a mini 101 about Draghkar all in the spoiler free section. Our conversation becomes even more raucous in the second half when the restraints come off and the spoilers come out.

Our group of main characters are leaving the Two Rivers behind and starting their journey out into the great, wide world, a place where, as Mat says, all the stories happen.  He is not wrong. Join us next week for Chapters 11 - 14 of Eye of the World.

Annnnd! We have a shop where you can find Wheel of Time inspired designs on t-shirts, coffee mugs, phone cases, stickers, buttons, and MORE.  Seriously.  You need to go look.  It’s so cool.

https://roadtotarvalon.threadless.com/

As always, thank you for joining us!  Contact us if you feel inspired to do so, at any of the links below.

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  The link is pinned to Amber’s Twitter page.  We’ve been told it’s a nice place to be and, perhaps a bit biased, we agree.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

Frankly, we can’t believe that we find this cranky little thatcher making sense either, but somehow that’s where we are.  This week we meet the peddler and the gleeman, and Winternight is filled with a lot more nightmare fuel and a lot fewer honeycakes. For the episode, the routine is the same as per usual: spoiler free first half, spoilers second half.  We had a great time on both sides of the conversation and hope you do, too.

We aren’t diverting away from Eye of the World anytime soon, not just as the story is starting to carry us further into the world of the unknown, so next week you can expect a recap/react to chapters 7 - 10.

Annnnd! We have a shop where you can find Wheel of Time inspired designs on t-shirts, coffee mugs, phone cases, stickers, buttons, and MORE.  Seriously.  You need to go look.  It’s so cool.

https://roadtotarvalon.threadless.com/

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us, follow any of the links below:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

For anyone who may have missed it, we have a bone to pick with the White Tower so this week we are putting it under a microscope and pulling out some of the main shortcomings of this centuries old institution.  It’s not that we hate the White Tower, it’s just we think some of the stuff they do is...questionable.  Join us if you’re down for a cynic’s approach to the manuevering’s of the Aes Sedai.

The time has arrived! We are really excited to be jumping into our own re-read of The Eye of the World beginning next week.  We each read this series at different times in our lives and with different ideas that have adapted to what we have gained through our life experiences.  Robert Jordan’s series offers an opportunity to reflect on history, philosophy, the horror of warfare, and, ultimately, the value of hope, not to mention the opportunity for hilariously offbeat theories, and new found friendships.  We love what we have shared with everyone so far and we hope you will join us in our romp through the book that, for most of us, started it all.

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us you can reach us in several different ways:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

Tai’shar Manetheren! The true blood of Manetheren flows strong in the Two Rivers; but what does that mean? This week’s 101 is going to focus on the history of this great nation that formed after the Breaking of the World, as well as its crucial role in the series as a whole.  The first half will be spoiler free for new readers, and after the break, proceed at your own risk! There will be spoilers!

If you feel we glossed over Moiraine's mesmerizing tale of Manetheren in Eye of the World, it's only because we knew we would never be able to match the perfection of Recappa Sedai's Lego masterpiece retelling.  Please, do yourself a favor, and go watch it if you haven't already. 

For anyone who may have missed it, we have a bone to pick with the White Tower, so next week we are putting it under a microscope and pulling out some of the main shortcomings of this centuries old institution.  It’s not that we hate the White Tower, it’s just we think some of the things they do are...questionable.  Join us if you’re down for a cynic’s guide to some of the unsavory antics of the Aes Sedai. (That's for you, Snakes and Foxes :) ) 

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us you can reach us in several different ways:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

Just a quick heads up, we did have a moment where a conversation started to take a bit of a spoilery turn in the first half and we found a...more creative way to “bleep” out what shouldn’t be heard.  One word: sandwiches. 

We continue our exploration into the bare bones of the Wheel of Time series with another Westlands 101 episode and will be focused on ta’veren; what it is, who’s got it, and how it affects the plot line of the series.  The first half will be spoiler free for new readers, and after the break, proceed at your own risk! There will be spoilers!

Our conversation this week is enhanced with the insight and humor of Felicia James of Call Me Nakomi.  If you want to check out the episode (and you do), Favorite Nyneave Moments,  we kept mentioning, follow either one of these links to find it.  We look forward to our next chance to work together. We do believe there do be a friendship here! 

Next week, we cover our first nation in the Westlands 101 series: Manetheren! We learned a lot about this nation and encourage anyone who may be looking for a little extra knowledge, or a refresher, to check out Recappa Sedai’s video, Cry Me Two Rivers.  The LEGO recreation of the Battle of Manetheren in that episode should not be missed. 

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us you can reach us in several different ways:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

There are two momentous occasions we are celebrating today: Traci, after starting the series 29 years ago, was finally able to finish reading A Memory of Light AND it’s our six month anniversary!  There’s no way these two achievements could not be celebrated in some way, and this seemed the most fitting way to do it.

We also have a HUGE thank you to the absolutely wonderful, constantly welcoming, and pleasantly supportive people we have met in the Wheel of Time community.  Six months seems like a long(ish?) time, but instead it has flown by, filled with lots of laughter and new friends.  Nothing but gratitude from the two of us!  You guys are the best.

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us you can reach us in several different ways:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

There are some characters in the WoT world who are written so well, you don’t realize what role they have played until the very end.  This could indeed be said of today’s 101 subject, Verin Mathwin. Our first half is recorded spoiler free for our pals who are still in their early days of the series, while the second half is where we get to let loose and discuss Verin's role, and our appreciation of her,  more deeply.  If you have any particular feelings around Verin Sedai, we would love to hear them!

Happy half-iversary to us!  That's right!  The Road to Tar Valon is six months old!  Next week, Traci and Amber reflect a bit on what these months have been like, but then take time to celebrate this milestone with another one: Traci finally, after nearly three decades, finished the series.  Of course we have to talk about that! 

As always, thanks for joining us!  If you want to get in touch with us you can reach us in several different ways:

Email: [email protected]

Amber Twitter: @RoadtoTarValon

Traci Twitter: @MistressLaras

Instagram: roadtotarvalon

We also have a Discord channel we would love to have you join!  Send Amber a message and she’ll be sure to send you an invite.  You can also leave us a voice message from the Anchor and Spotify app.  Mostly, we just want to grow this wonderful conversation with the WoT community.  Take care!

Link to the letters written by Verin mentioned in the spoiler section.