Genre: Fantasy Age Range: Adult Star Rating: 1.5 stars Series: yes - book 10
*SPOILER ALERT: contains SPOILERS for THE EYE OF THE WORLD, THE GREAT HUNT, THE DRAGON REBORN, THE SHADOW RISING, THE FIRES OF HEAVEN, LORD OF CHAOS, A CROWN OF SWORDS, THE PATH OF DAGGERS, and WINTER’S HEART*
Synopsis:
Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, must fight on against the Dark One in a struggle that has drawn an entire world into its vortex – claiming the souls of friends and enemies alike.
He has cleansed the taint of madness from the male half of the True Source, so may now draw on its power as a weapon of awesome potential. This could tip the balance in a perilous battle against evil as Rand must gamble with himself at stake. He cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies – even among lifelong companions.
Synopsis taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
I would like to know what the supposed point of this book was, what was supposed to happen. For once, there wasn’t even a sudden (and not set up at all) rush to some sort of action in the final few pages. There was just nothing. The book felt like a filler book, moving people into place for something, with no actual change in the overall plot or characters, despite 660 pages.
Faile is still a prisoner, and Perrin is still hunting her. Then he goes on a side trip for food, to a place full of weevils and possibly a hint of there being zombies in a later book? It was a weird few chapters that had no apparent point (even more so than the rest of the book!)
Elayne and Aviendha are possibly trying to get support for Elayne to take the throne? They’re wandering around a palace talking to people and discussing Elayne’s pregnancy, pretty much. They have the most pages in this book, and I am the least sure what they were doing, which sums up this book well.
Mat is travelling in a circus and getting annoyed at a haughty women he thinks is going to be his wife?
Egwene’s army is camped out before Tar Valon, and is discussing miniate rather than attacking.
Rand doesn’t arrive until page 520 (of out of a 660 page book), and then is around for about two chapters before being done for the book. In all fairness, I didn’t mind his absence so much as he’s been boring me (too over powered and not seeming to ever hit a challenge.)
There are, of course, a few other random characters coming in for a chapter to update us on their many-books-and-yet-doing-nothing-so-no-memory-of-them events. Mostly sitting around speculating.
It just felt like I was in a holding pattern all book, waiting for literally anything to happen. At least it was easy enough to read.
Read my reviews of other books by Robert Jordan:
The Wheel of Time (this series):
- NEW SPRING (#0)
- THE EYE OF THE WORLD (#1)
- THE GREAT HUNT (#2)
- THE DRAGON REBORN (#3)
- THE SHADOW RISING (#4)
- THE FIRES OF HEAVEN (#5)
- LORD OF CHAOS (#6)
- A CROWN OF SWORDS (#7)
- THE PATH OF DAGGERS (#8)
- WINTER’S HEART (#9)
- KNIFE OF DREAMS (#11)
- THE GATHERING STORM (#12)
- TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT (#13)
- A MEMORY OF LIGHT (#14)
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 