Hell yes it was cool! This is some seriously awesome stuff, and I am going to spend the next 48 hours freaking out til I get the book. I mean, no scowling madman, no obsessive listing of the names of women who have died in Mongolian herding accidents (which are totally Rand's fault), and he didn't go screaming at Bunt, accusing him of being some illusion created by the DO to "make him soft" or whatever. Love it, by god!

And holy crap... Almen Bunt himself. I've been waiting a long while to hear from him again, or to at least know what's happened to him since his badassery in EotW. Though I could probably blame Faile's nagging and Egwene turning into the ultimate shady politician for my Bunt-distraction, he's still the man.

Was anyone else pretty creeped out by those damned towers, or hell, just by Seanchan itself? They are one of those nations and cultures that is so freaky and alien they may as well be completely evil to most people. Plus, I'm a history nerd, so I'm automatically wondering why those things were built and who built them. They put me in mind of the temples of Bagan, or some lonely Azerbaijan graveyard with huge creepy monuments, but infinitely more sinister.