The Shadow Rising

The Wheel of Time #4

by Robert Jordan

Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

The Stone of Tear, fortress of legend, as been taken and Callandor, the Sword That Is Not a Sword, is held. But for Rand al'Thor, the shepherd who has become the Dragon Reborn, it is only the beginning.

As his friends and enemies alike plot and mobilize, the Lord Dragon studies the texts of the prophecies and struggles to control the Power that is his. But all know that it must be war - war against the Forsaken and all who oppose the Dragon Reborn. And the prison that holds the Dark One is slowly but inexorably, losing its power. In the final battle, Rand al'Thor knows who he must face...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

1031 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.

Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.

He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.

Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Updated on February 2022

There are so many comments and I can't keep up with replying to all of them. I'm sorry! So, here it is. It's been almost three years since I wrote this review. I've decided to continue my journey with the series, and I highly enjoyed The Fires of Heaven! I will, however, let my review down below, which reflected my experience and disappointment on reading this book the for the first time, intact until (or IF, to be precise) I reread this book again. Until then...
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I give up. Here’s where I say goodbye to The Wheel of Time.

The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in The Wheel of Time series, it’s been claimed by many fans of the series that installment is one of the better books—some even said it’s THE best–written by Robert Jordan before Brandon Sanderson takes over. I personally found this book to be the worst in the series so far.

Just like the extremely repetitive nature of the series, the only way I can explain why I found myself incredibly disappointed is, again, by repeating the cons that I’ve mentioned in my review of the previous three books. What I mean by this is that the story starts awesome, became extremely boring, and then a great conclusion again. Seriously, I read through the first 25% in a day, then it took me six days—with skimming Perrin’s story—to finish the remaining content. I won’t lie that a ridiculous amount of determination was self-forced on me in order for me to able to finish this.

A huge factor of why this series doesn’t work for me is that to me, it contained some of the most infuriating and annoying set of characters I’ve ever read in my entire life; at this moment if a bird comes over and peck them to death I’ll at least laugh and enjoy it more. The more I read Jordan’s prose, the more I realize just how easy the writing serves to push me out of my immersion. For a few days, there were moments where I literally stared at the blue sky and look at the cloud moves slowly for 15 minutes; it was more exciting than reading this. If this IS the best work, I can’t even imagine reading through the infamous book 7-10.

Honestly, I have not much else to say. From what I’ve read so far, there’s nothing in this series—except the fact that Sanderson finished the last three books—that makes me want to continue reading it. I know my reading preference, and I know I CAN push myself if I want to, but I have zero doubt that it will put me into a reading slump (I’m very close to one now because of this installment) or at least makes me hate reading fantasy for a while; Sanderson, one of my favorite authors of all time, finishing the series brilliantly isn’t enough of a reason for me to risk that.

I’m truly glad that a lot of people loved The Wheel of Time. It’s also a series that has sparked a lot of incredible modern fantasy work and I won’t deny that achievement. However, I seriously believe that this is a series that would’ve worked so much better if I were at least a decade younger and haven’t read through—in my opinion—tons of other superior fantasy work. For me, this series sounds better when someone else described what they loved about it rather than the reading experience itself; that’s not a good thing at all.

Trust me when I say that I’m genuinely saddened that I can’t love this series. I own two first edition hardcover of A Memory of Light, and I WANT to read and love through the series but I simply can’t. The Shadow Rising will be where I stop reading The Wheel of Time. I don’t know whether I’ll ever return to this series, maybe when there are no more interesting books in my TBR. But for now, this is it. The wheel weaves as the wheel wills, and it’s telling the man who calls himself Petrik to go Marie Kondo on this series now. In her words, this doesn’t spark any joy for me. Goodbye The Wheel of Time, other worlds more suitable for me awaits me.

You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!! ❤️

[Sean Barrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about reading this series is the constant reminder of how long it is. As I read this I frequently looked up at my Wheel of Time shelf, at the nine books I have yet to read in the series, which serve as a reminder that I’ve barely scratched the surface of this totally epic fantasy world. I have so much left to see.

And this really did get epic this time round. Rand decided to go and visit the vast Aiel waste and through the process discovered much about himself. I’ve criticised his character quite harshly in past reviews, but it’s good to see that he’s finally getting his shit together. He has grown up and discovered that destiny cannot, in fact, be avoided, so he grits his teeth and gets with the pattern. He knows what he must do; he knows that he must defeat the darkness and fulfil the prophecy to bind his true people to him: the people of the dragon.

“I surrender to it, and by surrendering, I control it.”

As always, this isn’t just Rand’s story. This does have the pretty standard fantasy trope of the light verses the dark, but the world is much more complex than that. It is full of factions that attempt to do good, namely The White Cloaks, though they are completely misguided and tend to do very stupid things. They are noble hearted men, for the most part, and they remain true to their cause but they cannot identify evil. These fools deserve pity more than anything. The same is true for the Aes Sedai; they attempt a controlling approach, and whist their cations are benevolent, they do lean towards tyranny. Sometimes they need to guide mankind, give him a gentle push, rather than try to control him directly.

The Mighty Wolf and the Absent Raven



So the world is rather complex, and one character that has remained absolutely true so far, to himself, and his friends, is Perrin. This book was his first taste of real heroism. He has gone past denying what he is capable of and just accepts the label men assign to him. To the people of the Two Rivers he is a hero and to his friends he is also a hero. He is a character I look forward to seeing him stand beside Rand in the Last Battle. He is very loyal, though a little flat. I don’t think he can develop much more. Mat is much better rounded and less constant.

And unfortunately this wasn’t Mat’s finest hour. There is little of him in this book. He follows Rand, and he gets a new weapon, though the significance of it is yet to be explained. He felt rather absent for most of the plot, but I suppose that’s what comes with being the travelling companion of the protagonist for a large part of the book. I hope in the next book to see a little more of him, a shift away from Perrin is in order I think to keep things a little evener. I miss his roguish adventures.

The future looks bright



The plot has progressed a great deal. I love the friendship between the three girls; they have a mutual respect and fondness for each other. Their relationships are much stronger than the three boys. Their individual character arcs are also very storng. These girls rely on each other rather than striving out on thier own. Nynervea is becoming my favourite of the three. Egwner’s dreams are growing in potency, and Elayne, the daughter hier, feels much less like a spare wheel this time round.

This was another strong instalment. I’m looking forward to finishing the series one day, though after 1007 pages I’m going to wait another year until I pick this up again.


Here's how I've found the series so far:

The Wheel of Time
1. Eye of the World- An unoriginal five stars
2. The Great Hunt- A reluctant three stars
3. The Dragon Reborn- A well-developed four stars
4. The Shadow Rising- A strong four stars
5. The Fires of Heaven- A slow two stars



“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”

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[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

The best book in the series thus far, and a highly enjoyable read from start to finish

It's the hallmark of a great series when the book continue to get better and better as they go along, and while that's certainly not possible through all these books as this series is extremely long, it's certainly been the case in the first four books. This book is fantastic and hits all the right notes. For me, this is where I really am starting to understand why so many people are in love with this series.

I was a bit weary that this book went down the path at splitting up all the characters and having a bunch of mini-stories within the larger book. But it was done with precision and I'm thoroughly glad for what Robert Jordan did here.

The scenes in the Aiel Waste with Rand are amazing. I love everything about the Aiel and their culture, so to have so many pages in this book devoted not only to them as they currently are, but also delving into the history of what brought them to this point was incredible. I love the history here, and the sections that do a huge time jump backwards were some of the best that I have ever read in a fantasy book. As soon as you figure out what is happening and why, it's a jaw dropping moment and is extremely special to the reader.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Perrin sections involving the Two Rivers. Without spoiling anything, it's a wonderful side-quest that his all the right emotional tones and does a great job at developing Perrin as a main character.

Likewise, the Nynaeve and Elayne plotline was incredible and action packed. The Sea Folk is such an awesome aspect to these books, and seeing Nynaeve turn into such a strong power in this world was wonderful.

The White Tower section was shocking, and I really didn't see the twist coming but love it and can't wait to see what is in store for Siuan and Leane.

I'm extremely excited to keep on reading in this series and continue this journey with Robert Jordan.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno – The Wheel of Time may be just too much for me!

I have been aware of this series since about the mid-90s and have heard many of my friends talk about it. I even have a friend who really isn’t into reading but read the whole thing. I figured if someone who is generally a non-reader really got into it, it should be perfect for a voracious reader like me. So, I finally started the series a few years ago.

Now, after 4 books, my feelings have pretty much stayed the same on it for each book. Lots of characters, locations, and other world building elements all with crazy names to the point it is really hard to keep everything straight. Also, many of these elements will disappear from the narrative for extended periods of time so that when they return, I don’t always remember the relevance quickly because I have just been immersed in an already difficult to follow section for several hours. When I started book four, even thought it has only been a few months since I read book three, nothing sounded familiar because my brain was like “all of that was to complicated to hold on to – I need that room for some other stuff!”

I don’t know that I am the minority in my feelings on this book, but generally I do see people fawning over this series. Some say to stick with it because it really gets going after the first few books. But I have seen others say they got up to book 7 or 8 and gave up because it didn’t seem to be going anywhere or getting any better. Do I keep going with the hope it gets better? 10 more books to go seems very daunting if it doesn’t improve. I just keep waiting for the “click” to happen and everything to fall into place so that not only am I excited for the plot because I understand it more, but also that the ending of each book has more of a cliffhanger feel so that I cannot wait for the next book. At this point, I don’t feel like book four left me hanging and that I need to rush out and start book five.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.


In The Shadow Rising, things start to slow down. In fact, it often feel like the reading of the story must take longer than it took for the events to actually occur.

Part of the problem is that Mr Jordan tells us nearly everything except when the characters make a bowel movement. Also, he regularly launches into pre-set spiels in which he re-describes something or someone who we've encountered numerous times before or re-explains something we've been told dozens of times (e.g., Loial sounds like a bumblebee, Perrin likes to think things through, wet bowstrings are bad, trollocs eat anything as long as it's meat, Aes Sedai never lie but ....). Every time a Tinker shows up, you may as well skip the next two paragraphs because they invariably describe first the "eye-jarring" wagons and then the even gaudier clothes. The format is nearly the same each time. This is especially noticeable when reading the novels one after the other, of course.

A similar problem is that although Mr Jordan's world is large, diverse, and interesting, there is not much realistic diversity within a culture or group. Every Aes Sedai of the red ajah hates men, all the greens love men, the whites are arrogant without exception, the browns love books and don't notice the ink on their noses. All Domani women are seductive, and people from Tear use fishing metaphors. It gets to the point of ridiculousness when, even though they've nearly been destroyed by enemies, Tinkers are still cringing at the swords of the people protecting them. And the Aiel, who use spears and knives and are the fiercest fighters on the planet look disapprovingly at another culture's choice of weapon (the sword) and transportation (the horse). Oh, come on — get over it.

Another device that's getting annoying is the technique of giving the reader (and other characters) information by having a character say something out loud that they didn't realize they'd said. Or stop in the middle of a sentence that they realize they shouldn't be saying. Or stupidly have an important and potentially damning conversation in front of someone who they just met.

In addition, some of the writing is overdone. We occasionally hear of measureless steps, heartbeats that take centuries, moments that last forever, infinite slowness, bottomless drops, razor edges of something or other.

Okay, that's a lot of complaining, but that's what happens when you read these books contiguously. You start to notice this stuff and it grates on the nerves. But, even so, the slowly advancing plot is still unpredictable and compelling and the characters are mostly enjoyable. The best parts of The Shadow Rising actually focus on the secondary characters of Siuan Sanche and Egeanin. I truly enjoyed their stories and look forward to hearing what happens to them.

So, even with all my gripes, The Shadow Rising is still keeping me entertained.
Read more Robert Jordan book reviews at Fantasy literature.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the eye of the world in 2016. I loved it.
I read the Great Hunt in Sept 2019. loved it.
I read the Dragon Reborn in Aug 2020. I loved it.

In each case: the first month afterward, I’m so excited to read the sequel. Yet, the more I waited, the more difficult it was to read it. The first few chapters weren’t the easiest to get through. But once I did, I couldn’t stop reading.

Only this time, I just waited 3 months to read the sequel. And I was so sure Shadow Rising is going to become an instant favorite. Yet, it took me 25 days to finish during which I barely read anything else because I wanted to focus on it.

It was probably a mistake on my part, I shouldn’t have forced myself to read it. it only made it worse. I tried and tried and made so little progress that I only wanted to be done. Luckily, I love the characters. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it through. But even that glorious ending was overshadowed by my relief that it’s over.


You might wonder, why 4 stars and not less?
It wasn’t like nothing was happening. I think the writing style simply didn’t do it for me.
The story itself was great. Many parts were very interesting and some things FINALLY made sense. I truly loved the storylines in this one, I really wish it wasn’t so hard to read. This book takes place in many different locations after Tear, the White Tower, the Three-fold land, and two other locations I won’t mention because of spoilers. I also liked Rhuidean part. I also predicted many events! I’m not sure if that’s because they were obvious or because I was paying attention.


I enjoyed Perrin’s part but I have to admit: Rand was the star of this book. We barely saw him in Dragon Reborn but here? He was finally accepting his destiny (and thankfully no more doubt and hesitation) and taking charge. Even Perrin. This was so refreshing after seeing them so indecisive in the last books. And the girls splitting up made things more interesting. I wanted to see more of Min however she truly was an underrated character in this installment (not enough spotlight).

Rand’s development in this book was amazing. He surely didn’t appear so smart in the previous books but here we can see how much he’s taking everything seriously, analyzing, and doing his absolute best to do the right thing. His development impressed me.


While I haven’t seen the well-beloved Mat yet, he certainly grew on me. Not much after Dragon Reborn but now I don’t mind reading from his perspective.
I found most of the female characters a bit similar in a way that’s more like how men see them, especially how uptight they are. I still love them and I found this easier to accept in this book.
Moraine, the Amyrlin, Egwene, Elayne, and Min are my favorites. But now I’m more curious than ever about Aviendha. I might reread some of her parts in Dragon Reborn because all the Aiel women were very similar to me. I don’t remember much about her from the former book. I believe she’s going to be a major player in the future books.

Faile is probably my least favorite of the main cast. She’s too uptight. I like her and appreciate how loyal she is and love how much she supports Perrin but she has yet to grow on me. I feel bad for it but I simply can’t feel much towards her.


Sure, Mat still complained a lot.
Naynaeve still pulled her braid.
All the boys considered the other expert with women.
Both genders found the other a mystery.
And while their repetitiveness tired me at first, I don’t think these things will stop anytime soon. So I eventually ignored those comments and kept myself from rolling my eyes.


I’m honestly very much looking to reading the next book. I won’t read it anytime soon. I have them in mass market which is honestly a pain. I don’t know why they make them so unlikable. Tor can at least use different page quality, a more off-white one rather than grayish. Or add some margin. Or make them easy to open like the French livre de poche… I still need to buy 5 WoT books. Never buying mass market again. unless it was hella of a deal

Overall, I loved the story and the characters as always. And I can see why this book is superior to some of the previous ones. But the writing style made it difficult for me to fully enjoy it and appreciate it like I should’ve had.

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

4.5 stars

I'd forgotten how much happens in this book . . . Holy WOW.

This is the first (but not the last) book that begins with a several seemingly non-related POVs, and as impatient as I always am to "get to the good stuff," I always appreciate these early updates/reminders of what's going on with maybe less important subplots that maybe aren't a main focus of the installment at hand.

B/c really . . . even though you're just starting #4, SO MUCH has already transpired . . . Sometimes it's hard to keep track.

SO. Min (*whispers*), in disguise, returns to the White Tower, and everywhere she looks, she sees future violence and death.

But when or why?

No clue.

Which, Siuan, of course, uses as an excuse to keep her in the Tower. Not that she needs an excuse (b/c Amyrlin). She also decides that it would be best for Min to remain disguised (b/c sneaky Aes Sedai), so poor Min, who prefers to keep her hair short and dress in men's clothing, is forced to play a silly, simpering young miss while keeping her eyes peeled for anything that might be useful.

Meanwhile, somewhere not-on-the-main-landmass, the Seanchan are regrouping, but the High Lady Suroth is distracted by the new information she has in regards to sul'dam and damane . . .

What's an enslaving empire to do when it finds a flaw in its plan for world domination? *whispers* Suppress the new information and ignore it, of course.

And last but not least, a fatal character flaw is revealed in a certain usurping Aes Sedai.

I won't be able to say for certain until much further into my reread, but I'm pretty sure I could directly connect every, single crack in her foundation to this singular flaw . . . *unsuccessfully attempts to suppresses rage* OHMYGAWD, I HATE her!!

After all of that is out of the way, one of the coolest ( and creepiest) things that happens in the whole series goes down:

“As the seals holding the Dark One’s prison weaken,” she said after a time, “it may be inevitable that a . . . miasma . . . will escape even while he is still held. Like bubbles rising from the things rotting on the bottom of a pond. But these bubbles will drift through the Pattern until they attach to a thread and burst.”

Bubbles of Evil. So frickin' cool.

Other ridiculously awesome things I can only vaguely reference:

1. Snakes and Foxes.

Everything about this rocks my socks off. The idea of wholly alien worlds touching our own, a child's game for remembrance in dealing with the inhabitants of those worlds, Slayer disappearing into an entrance to one of those worlds when we know that Slayer is some weird Luc/Isam mashup person, AND that Cyndine is some alternate, depleted version of Lanfear . . . GAH. I can barely handle all the awesome.

2. Rhuidean.

Both that it exists and that it's full of . . . what it's full of.

But more importantly, what Rand learns about the Aiel there. AND how he learns it. <------experiencing defining moments to a culture's history by reliving them through your ancestors . . . Are you getting what I'm saying about ALL THE AWESOME?

3. Perrin and Faile.

I love them. Yes, Faile's Saldean-ness can get tiresome, but I love that they love each other so much that it doesn't even matter.

Ask me again when I'm in the middle of the two-birds-for-two-shoulders traveling companions shenanigans and maybe you'll get a different answer, but right now . . . LOVE them.

4. Thatbadthingthathappens in Tar Valon.

Okay, so this one isn't ridiculously anything except a big ol' mess, but it's kind of a big deal, and warrants mentioning.

Poor Gawyn . . .

And those are most of the highlights.

Fair warning: this installment will shatter your heart.

More than once.

But it will also slowly reassemble it.

This is a series for readers who want to FEEL something. You only think you've experienced characters vividly in other books. THESE characters . . . they are real. This world is real. Its struggle is real. And YOU . . . You become part of it.



My other reviews for this series:

The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1) by Robert Jordan
The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time, #2) by Robert Jordan
The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time, #3) by Robert Jordan
The Fires of Heaven (Wheel of Time, #5) by Robert Jordan
Lord of Chaos (Wheel of Time, #6) by Robert Jordan
A Crown of Swords (Wheel of Time, #7) by Robert Jordan
The Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time, #8) by Robert Jordan
Winter's Heart (Wheel of Time, #9) by Robert Jordan
Crossroads of Twilight (Wheel of Time, #10) by Robert Jordan
New Spring (Wheel of Time, #0) by Robert Jordan

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you plan for the worst, all surprises are pleasant.”

fourth book in WoT and I learned few things from last three book, 1) pack your bags to embark on a journey as one set of the character or the other is always on the move, and we hit the jackpot here with everyone on a journey of their own, 2) close your eyes if you don't want them in your brain because the girls would make you eye-roll in every time you meet them, 3) be ready for the dragging middle chapters. And if you somehow still end up liking the characters, world, and magic (like me), then you would be rewarded in end.

This book mainly has three plot lines; Rand & Mat going into Aiel Waste, Nynaeve & Elyane going to Tanchico to find Black Ajah, Perrin & Faile going back to Two Rivers to save from the Whitecloaks. While all the three plot lines were great, I loved Perrin's the best. He really came out of Rand's shadow and hold his own against Whitecloaks and Trollorcs. He was simply superb in his leadership and how he dealt with the whole situation.

Rand's journey was marvelous too, though it took almost whole book to see him in action but the build up to that final scene was amazing. He also got to know about his past, parentage, and got himself a bodyguard. Yup, it was funny to see his bodyguard shadowing his every move.

and in the end, few words for my favorite lady from the book, Nynaeve. She can drive me mad with her antics, and be stubborn like a mule at times but she has a heart of gold and always delivers when it matters the most. That's what she did here. Almost a novice and still she held her own against an old power. You are simply amazing, girl!!

So if you have patience and don't feel too bad for slow burns, this series is definitely for you.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wheel of Time, book 4: Taking round 61 (!!!!) weeks to finish, like the previous volume this was just to much hard work me. I feel like I am only reading this now for two reasons 1: I own all the books in the series; 2: because it is so popular. All the convention adventure, intrigue and relationships work from, but all the super-fantasy mythology in and around Rand and his protagonists, actually bore me! SO does any world building in this area, especially around historical events. It's the stories of Aes Sedai, around Matt and Perrin around Edgwine, Elayne ect. that at least keep me interested. Saying all that, I have to respect the creation and writing of such a gigantic cast, and it being done so well, but the index at the back of the book is there for a reason 7 out of 12, Three Stars.

2023 read

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book so far! I am committed! I bought the hardcovers :).

Spoilers below!!!







My favorite: Rand. Seeing him make his own decisions and finding his way was gratifying.

Most annoying person award: Nynaeve. Girl, don’t be that rude to everyone.

Increasingly more likeable: Leaving what I call his “Fool of a Took”-ways behind him and gaining memories of being a general as well as his use of the Old Tongue.

”Aah, go on and be a bloody Aiel chief. You have the face for it.” (Mat)

Not enough page-time : Lan. Stoic competence is my crack.

Character I want to see die the most: Dain Bornhald. No. Couladin. No. Bornhald. Fanaticism is worse than lust for power.

Highlight: Rand using his powers. Now that was cool. Can’t wait to see what else he’s capable of. There doesn’t seem much else left!

Awkward romance moment: Rand and Elayne kissing. The second-hand embarrassment was real.

Women in love: Elayne, Faile and Aviendha continue to stumble and blunder awkwardly. Jordan really took that sentiment I found best expressed by Lorelai Gilmore to the next level:
”I’m afraid once the heart is involved, it all comes out in moron.”

Weird fetish revealed (?): Women always having to face some task naked; nakedness as a means of humiliation for women. Butt pinching - the threat and execution of it. What’s up with that?
(I think the worst example is Mat threatening Berelain, the ruler of Mayene, with a butt pinch because she doesn't react to him greeting her in a hallway. So cringy.)

Biggest tease: Waiting for 140 pages to find out what Rand’s plans are after he announced he’d reveal them “tomorrow”. At least it was worth it.

Biggest surprise: Not being bored once in 1004 pages.

I am completely sold on this series. It has already gained another fan. On to book 5!

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither Light nor safety. And he who shall be born of the Dawn, born of the Maiden, according to Prophecy, he shall stretch forth his hands to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in the pain of salvation. All Glory be to the Creator, and to the Light, and to he who shall be born again. May the Light save us from him.

The People of the Dragon hold the Stone of Tear, and mighty Callandor lies in the hands of the Dragon Reborn. The prophecies are being fulfilled one by one. But in the tombs of Shayol Ghul, the seals are being broken. The Black Ajah grows stronger by each passing day. And the Forsaken return to the world of men, heralding the coming of the Dark One. And a group of ordinary men and women from the village of Emond’s Field are left to combat the Shadow Rising.

The Shadow Rising is in many ways the best book in The Wheel of Time series so far. But unfortunately there are a few negative parts too. For the first three hundred pages or so, our heroes do not take a single step away from Tear, though some of them try. The storyline is put completely on hold as Rand and his companions take a break in the Stone, which is rather unfortunate in a fantasy series that’s already this long. Still, the politics of Tear and the mysteries of its great fortress are interesting enough to keep the reader entranced even through the dreary chapters.

My main issues with this book lie with certain characters. The first of those is Faile, Perrin’s exotic love interest. As a knife-wielding rogue who ran away from her family to become a Hunter of the Horn of Valere, Faile could have been… no, should have been a very interesting character. However, that is not the case, as she spends the entirety of the book acting like a spoiled child whose stubbornness makes Rand seem rather normal in comparison. The second character is Aviendha, a Maiden of the Spear whose only purpose in this book is to yell at Rand and whine about him supposedly having mistreated Elayne. And the third is Dain Bornhald, a Whitecloak captain who has decided to blame Perrin for his father’s death and devotes his life to see him hang as a Darkfriend. Perrin’s innocence is completely irrelevant to Bornhald’s hatred.

On the positive side, the book is almost flawless otherwise. It has some of the best scenes in the series so far; in Rhuidean, the holy place of the Aiel, and in the White Tower. Characters like Rand, Nynaeve, Perrin and Egwene, who frustrated me immensely in book two and three, seem to have grown up a little. We also get to see more of the Forsaken reveal themselves, learn more about the history of the Aiel and visit new places. It is difficult to say any more about the book without revealing details about the plot, so I’ll leave you to figure the rest out for yourselves. But in the end, I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and that it was probably my favourite Wheel of Time book so far.

Wheel of Time reviews:
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

[Dana Ilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow Rising did everything right when it comes to continuing a series by continuing to flush out the characters and their relationships in addition to moving the plot forward. There was a well done balance between character and plot development which moved the overall story arc along in a way that remained engaging and exciting for the reader.

Even with all this action the question whether The Shadow Rising is too long remains. I don’t really think so, or not by much anyway. Jordan manages to weave the four main story lines into a good novel as far as I am concerned. Although not as fast paced as the earlier book he makes good progress in each of them. Jordan has shown himself quite capable of handling the four main story lines in this book. The beginning of the novel is a bit slow, Rand hesitates too long. But then, that was Jordan’s point. This book is a change in direction for Jordan. If you do not like where he is taking it, there really is no point in continuing with the series, if anything, the story becomes even more sprawling than it already is. Still, I think this book shows Jordan is capable of more than he has shown us in the previous entries in the series. Maybe the series, and Jordan’s world-building in particular, is becoming too ambitious. If it is, it doesn’t show in The Shadow Risings. All things considered, it is a very satisfying read for people who enjoy epic (and yes, that implies it is long) fantasy.

[Melina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Until this book, I really enjoyed this series. But at #4, it starts to take a harried, complicated turn and I started losing interest in the characters because so few of them act realistically at all as far as emotions go. And the attitudes toward female characters finally wore thin. At least in George RR Martin's books, even though the women were treated like crap, raped, beaten, etc, they still maintain dignity, bravery, and are overall very well-developed characters. Almost all of the females in Robert Jordan's books are cruel, stubborn, naggy, spiteful, foolish, or simpering and frou frou. It got very tiring quickly with all the "Rand is so awesome!" crap, and his character went from a cool, down-home farm boy to some cold-hearted, cynic in just a few chapters. I understand per the plot that he would change, but I didn't expect it so quickly. I think the simple farmboy should still be around in there somewhere.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm buddy reading this entire series a book a month with the great fantasy loving peeps at Buddies Books and Baubles

The great thing about that is that I know I have so many great people to discuss all the happenings in this book with. The bad part is that after taking a month to read a single book a few chapters at a time it feels like some of it happened so long ago and perhaps an entire season on one of your favorite shows has gone by and how do you sum that up without a review that is ten pages long? The answer is you don't so I'm just going to hit some highlights.

In my opinion this is Perrin's break out book. Much of the focus was on him and his struggle with the life of a blacksmith he thought he would have and the new life of a leader he is going to have. He goes back to help the people of the Two Rivers and you can really see how much he has changed from the country bumpkin he used to be. Overall Perrin's was my favorite arc in the book. Not just because he goes back to Two Rivers but also because I really enjoyed his love interest Faile. I know a lot of people aren't a fan of their relationship....but I'm not one of them. I totally love the banter and how each has a warriors heart and they fight with each other but always for each other.

So while Perrin is off in the Two Rivers Rand and Mat have their own journey. While a lot of this is still really interesting due to the time spent with the Aeil I struggle so much with Mat. I'm waiting for him to break out of his selfish thoughts and become truly great but currently he is busy going through mysterious doors and talking with alien people. When he isn't doing that he seems to be busy chasing women and playing dice. I'm hoping the next book he will grow a little more.

Rand however is very distrustful of almost everyone around him and keeps everything to himself. There is some headway on the Three women who will love him and I have a really good idea of where that is going but more than that we see how strong he is when he channels. Too bad he has very sporadic and sparse control of it.

Lan and Nynaeve finally got to have another semi-sweet conversation and I really did miss that in the last book. I wish we get a little more time with them together but Nynaeve is busy at the moment hunting Black Ajah and so little time for romance there.

Nynaeve and Elyane's was the other arc that was interesting because they are on a very dangerous journey to find the women who left the White Tower and have given themselves to the Dark One. Two against Thirteen doesn't seem fair odds but with a little company they might do okay.

This was my favorite book of the series so far. There is a lot more action and story progression. Plenty of danger and bad guys to go around between the Trolocks, Black Ajah, Forsaken and White Cloaks. It also seems that there are more dangers afoot than just those and I can see why the prophecies say The Dragon Reborn will break the world.

Very much looking forward to book 5

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither Light nor safety. And he who shall be born of the Dawn, born of the Maiden, according to Prophecy, he shall stretch forth his hands to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in the pain of salvation. All Glory be to the Creator, and to the Light, and to he who shall be born again. May the Light save us from him."

Loved each and every one of its 1000 odd pages. It's one of the crucial volumes in the series, a lot happens here, and our main characters are starting to get knowledge about the One Power, some talents even unknown to the Aes Sedai of today. Aiel history and the last days before the Breaking, as always, filled me with awe, and the last battle in Emond's Field gave me goosebumps for more than a few minutes.

It's hard to match its complexity and imagination in terms of worldbuiding. All the stars this time too.

Notes to myself, major spoilers: Min carries message to Amyrlin / afterwards, Elaida deposes and stills Siuan and Leane / during the fights in the Tower, Min gets the two out of Tar Valon and on the way they find Logain / Siuan promises him revenge against the Red Ajah who stilled him / Whitecloaks led by Ordeith/Fain go to the Two Rivers / High Lady Suroth is leading the Return and dreams to capture The Dragon Reborn / in Tear, an evil bubble escaped through one of the Seals and tried to kill the Ta'veren: Perrin, eith his own ax, Mat, with the playing cards and Rand with the doppelgangers from the mirrors / fight with trollocs in Tear / Rand finds out that Selene is Lanfear / Egwene meets Amys in Tel'aran'rhiod and go to her in the Waste with Rand / Elayne and Nynaeve with Thom and Juilin are bound to Tanchico / Elayne exchange experience with the Jorin, the Windfinder / Perrin, Loyal, Faile together with Gaul, Bain and Chaid are going through the Ways to the Two Rivers / Rand and Mat enter Rhuidean, later Moiraine and Aviendha too / Rand sees the history of the Aiel back in time until before the Breaking, and the moment when both female and male Aes Sedai wield the power from the same source / Aiel were Da'shain, who sing to trees and never touched weapons / Mat gets the spear and fox medallion, the Old Tongue and memories of great warriors / Rand is acknowledged as Car'a'carn, destroys Ruidhean in his fight with Asmodean/Natael and sever his ties to the Dark One / Lanfear leaves Asmodean with just a trickle of Power to be able to teach Rand / he finds the two ter'angreal, woman and man with the sphere in hand / The girls in Tanchico, together with Egeanin steal the male a'dam and release Amathera, the Panarch, from the Black Ajah / Nynaeve fights Moghedien and wins / she gives the a'dam to Bayle Domon to throw it in the ocean / Perrin marries Faile in Emond's Field and saves the Two Rivers from the Trollocs and Whiteclocks / finds out that Slayer from the wolf's dream is Lord Luc/Isam, Lan's cousin, who disappeared long ago / Isam brought the trollocs and killed the wolves in the Two Rivers.

(3rd read, January 16 - February 4, 2022)

----------

“And when the blood was sprinkled on ground where nothing could grow, the Children of the Dragon did spring up, the People of the Dragon, armed to dance with death. And he did call them forth from the wasted lands, and they did shake the world with battle.”

A lot of things are revealed in this 4th instalment: Rand goes to Rhuidean and learns the history of the Aiel and his own, Mat, despite his shallow behavior, becomes a very complex character but little of that is shown here, Perrin and Loial take a different path from their friend and return to the Two Rivers to settle some scores.

From being an utterly nuisance and the most annoying character in the beginning, Faile finally breaks her shield and shows her true emotions.

Nynaeve and Elayne go to Tanchico in search of the Black Ajah and get a surprising new friend and an even more surprising enemy.

Egwene’s path take her to the Aiel Wise Women to learn more about Tel’aran’rhiod and Moiraine is still keeping an eye on Rand.

I can’t say more without spoilers, but a lot of other crucial events are taking place with consequences yet to follow.

I’m surprises how many details I seem to have missed on my first reading. Although the main events are still fresh in my mind and I know what happens next, there are lots of bits and pieces which makes more sense now and have a greater impact in the books to come.

And of course, I can’t keep the promise to me that I will stop after this volume, because I just can’t stop and leave those characters to go on without me. I must be there…

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 5 ***

A push to catch up with the BB&B read of the full series by August!

WOW!!! What an amazing book!!! Everything that happens here could fill ten regular books and make all of them burst with content! Once again, only superlatives come to me when writing about this series and objective review is impossible... Thus, I am only going to note that Rand is making strides toward establishing himself as The Dragon Reborn and havoc follows wherever any of our three Tav'eren step foot. The five kids from The Two Rivers are all learning and slowly but surely are establishing their influence on the web which The Wheel of Time weaves... There were battles and evil everything trying to corrupt the Light, and our heroes are doing the best they can, still stumbling and fumbling but determined as ever.

I have no words to express how much I wish everyone would give this enormous, but very readable work of Epic Fantasy a chance - it is more than worth it!!!

Happy reading to all and may you always expand your mind with books of the fantastic!

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither Light nor safety. And he who shall be born of the Dawn, born of the Maiden, according to Prophecy, he shall stretch forth his hands to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in the pain of salvation."

4.5 Stars: ✰✰✰✰½

In terms of overall content, this was the best book so far. Book Four of the Wheel of Time continued in the same vein as The Great Hunt, making huge developments in the worldbuilding, the characters, and the story as a whole.

The Dragon Reborn almost felt like a break compared to this book - it had relatively slow pacing, few developments in the story, even fewer developments in terms of worldbuilding, but a strong focus on characterization that carried into the heart of this book. There's something so cool about the way that Jordan develops the qualities and characteristics of each character - down to their weapon and clothing of choice. It gives each character in this book an almost iconic vibe to them, that I really wasn't expecting. I don't want to give any spoilers, because it's best experienced as you make your way through the books, but it's honestly a lot of fun to see it all unfold. We're not just discovering the story and the world, we're watching some seriously cool characters come into the fullness of their destiny. Perrin, of course, is still my favorite. His POV in this book had some of the best scenes and sequences of the entire series.

Regarding POVs - similar to The Great Hunt, there was another significant increase in the number of POVs in this book. Some of them were actually characters that we're meeting for the first time, others were characters we saw only in passing from prior books. This really did a great job of broadening the scope once again, showing us almost every corner of this vast world, and tying together many different elements of the story that have popped here and there throughout all of the previous books.

The way that Jordan develops the story in these books is honestly really unique and interesting to me. It's a weird analogy, but he writes almost like the way you sharpen a knife. In book one, we got a pretty full understanding of the plot, and the plot hasn't changed at all. It's just been sharpened. Each book introduces new elements, new ideas, and new developments, bringing us further along and honing the plot to a much finer edge. It might be too slow for some, but it's been great for me, as I have plenty of fast paced books to keep me occupied. This book had a few things in it that really changed the way you think about both individual characters and entire people groups as a whole. It was seriously good stuff.

The only reason I took off half a star is because this book definitely felt a little too long. I feel like certain aspects of it could have been condensed, resulting in a much better flow of the story. Just to put it into perspective, book three was roughly 24 hours long... This book was over 40 hours long. The length itself isn't a problem, as I've listened to books even longer than this one and loved them, it was more the fact that I didn't feel like it needed to be as long as it was that was the problem.

Overall, this is a series I don't think any fantasy fan should miss. I'm heading into the more controversial territory now, as many people seem to have mixed opinions about the remaining books in the series, but we'll see =]. I've genuinely loved reading these books.

For this review and more, check out my blog: Thoughts of a Thousand Lives. I have only just started it, and there are a few pages still being worked on, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or feedback!

Happy reading =].

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 5 ***

"...“Do not try to stop us,” Sulwin cautioned. Adan made his fist loosen again. “You are not Aiel,” he said. “You betray everything. Whatever you are, you are no longer Aiel!” “We keep the Way of the Leaf as well as you, Adan.” “Go!” Adan shouted. “Go! You are not Aiel! You are lost! Lost! I do not want to look at you! Go!”..."

This is my second time reading this book, and it is interesting the things you notice every time are slightly different than the other... To me, apart from the epic battle that is brewing between The Light and The Darkness, and above the interpersonal relationships between the characters we have grown to love or hate by this fourth volume of the Saga, this time the most impact on me had the way people refuse to change through the ages, despite plenty of disasters following the set of actions they have clung to for seemingly ever. We, humans, even tend to change our legends and bases of our religions and creeds, to such a degree, that they have nothing to do with their beginnings, but we twist them to fit what we think we want them to be and say about who we are... The original Aiel, the predecessors of the current guards and people Rand is hanging out with because of their skill as warriors, those Aiel used to abhor violence, any weapons that have no other use but war, and murder was a reason to be shunned by the clans, those remnants of the original Aiel are ridiculed now, and are not even called Aiel... How does a base for a whole People change so much, that they are known for their warrior prowess now, and look with condemnation to any whom they perceive as weak?

"...“Keep the Covenant, Jonai. If the Da’shain lose everything else, see they keep the Way of the Leaf. Promise me.” “Of course, Aes Sedai,” he said, shocked. The Covenant was the Aiel, and the Aiel were the Covenant; to abandon the Way would be to abandon what they were. Coumin was an aberration. He had been strange since he was a boy, it was said, hardly Aiel at all, though no one knew why.”..."

I have been fascinated lately about "historical content" and "historical perspective"... We tend to change our historical view depending on the time the work has been written and the time we, the readers, actually read it. This seems very much a theme in this series, since we have hundreds of generations' stories converging into our main timeline. What was the real meaning of a prophecy, what was the context when it was written, what were the attitudes of the people who wrote and rewrote it for posterity, and what does it all mean in the hear and now... Another of my favorite authors, Janny Wurts, deals with this same theme in a very different way, but just as impactfully... What lays in the heart of an Order, like the Aes Sedai here, is not necessarily what the Order stands for anymore... Just because you have a badge that should stand for the good guys, doesn't make your actions always good... Why do we always choose the easier, most radical way of dealing with things, thus causing collateral damage, instead of doing the hard work and sticking with the hard won ideals? Maybe the answer is that we are all human, but I resent that on principal, because once it touches you personally, then you want the hard work to be done and for you or yours not to be the ones lost in the crossfire... As the old saying goes, death, or anything as harsh and permanent is the easy way out, the hard way is figuring out how to live peacefully without losing yourself... I know, I am getting off on a tangent, so I will stop here.

"...“Fools,” Mat muttered, half to himself. “Hiding inside the wagons, as if that would make any difference to a Trolloc. They could all have roasted alive, easy as not.” “They are still alive,” Rand said, and Mat realized he had seen them, too. “That is always important, Mat, who stays alive. It’s like dice. You can’t win if you can’t play, and you can’t play if you are dead."..."

Great Book! Yes, it has its issues, but in my opinion, they are not enough to mar the book's impact! Recommend it to EVERYONE!

[Krell75 · Rating 2 out of 5]

E siamo giunti al quarto...
Anche questo romanzo soffre della collaudata sindrome di Jordan: lunghe divagazioni su particolari non rilevanti, ripetizioni di concetti espressi fino alla nausea, infiniti elenchi di nomi e cognomi di ogni persona incontrata ma senza alcun peso nella trama, dialoghi infiniti su tresche amorose a senso unico ogni tre pagine nate di sana pianta dal nulla, personaggi con la personalità appena abbozzata o inamovibile, e poi, il collaudato marchio di fabbrica di Jordan, il "copia che tanto non se ne accorge nessuno".

--ATTENZIONE SPOILER--

Le prime 300 pagine sono un susseguirsi di dialoghi da salotto, stile telenovela, per me noiosi e assolutamente privi di interesse su questioni amorose oppure sulla scelta degli abiti da indossare per fare colpo sugli ignari bersagli della loro passione. Inizio a preparare un litro di caffè.

Il caffè non fa effetto. Mi risveglio con un certo interesse per la presentazione del popolo del mare, purtroppo decisamente breve.
Poi arrivano gli Aiel e la parte nel deserto del Rhuidean che tutto sommato è anche interessante e ben curata, peccato che Jordan ha iniziato nuovamente a prendere idee da altri, stavolta dal "Dune" di Herbert e adatta gli Aiel ai Fremen senza alcuna vergogna. Riprende addirittura frasi e concetti: "L' umanità è fatta per le incertezze, gli sforzi, le scelte e i cambiamenti", quanto Dune c'è in questa frase? Tutto.
Le scopiazzature a Dune non finiscono, continuano con maggiore insistenza, non solo dai libri ma anche, dal finale del film di Lynch... la pioggia nel deserto! Tocco di classe, magari quel film lo ricordano in pochi.

Il viaggio di Perrin nei Fiumi Gemelli è una rivisitazione del ritorno degli Hobbit nella Contea al termine del "Ritorno del re". Assistiamo alla, permettetemi, ridicola resistenza organizzata da Perrin contro migliaia di mostri Trolloc affamati e centinaia di assassini Myddral che cadono stupidamente come mosche, battuti da semplici contadini e sbarbati giovinetti armati di archi storti e zappe arrugginite...non ho altro da aggiungere ma almeno ho davvero riso di gusto.

Jordan crede di scrivere fantasy epico ma fallisce su tutti i fronti, specie sui suoi personaggi.
La storia scorre come acqua sotto i ponti non lasciandomi alcuna emozione o meraviglia, le rarissime morti, sempre di personaggi secondari, risultano semplici fatti che vengono dimenticati voltando pagina.

Rand è già fuori scala, sembra imbattibile e la non simpatica Nynaeve con la sua frusta/treccia selvaggia potrebbe camminare sull'acqua e affrontare le fiamme dell'inferno facendo scappare tutti i demoni. Entrambi risolvono ogni conflitto e difficoltà al primo tentativo e senza problemi.
Perrin è un leader non per le sue scelte o azioni ma solo perché sono gli altri a dargli il titolo senza alcun motivo. Dobbiamo accettarlo e basta.
Mat... c'è anche lui? Povero Mat, oltre a giocare a dadi con una fortuna sfacciata ha una piccola parte del tutto incomprensibile nel Rhuidean che gli dona i ricordi di qualcun altro...ma dai? ancora una volta mi viene alla mente Dune e i poteri delle Reverende Madri del Bene Gesserit.
La sindrome di Jordan colpisce ancora.
Per il resto del romanzo Mat rimane passivo e si limita a seguire Rand tenendosi ancorato alla sua ombra.

I nemici sono la cosa più deludente della saga finora, continuano ad essere presentati sulla carta come terribili e imbattibili ma al primo scontro, o vengono battuti subito o vengono messi in fuga a gambe levate, ma che figura!

La medaglia d'oro per i peggiori in questi primi quattro romanzi è riservata senza alcun dubbio all'ordine dei Manti Bianchi, quante risate!
In quattro romanzi sono risultati inutili, bigotti fino al midollo, stupidi e ridicoli, davvero esilaranti. Forse Jordan voleva renderli la parte comica dei suoi romanzi...ci è riuscito appieno.

Cosa mi rimane di questo romanzo? A parte tre o quattro eventi utili alla trama generale, abbiamo solo le solite infinite descrizioni di edifici, camini e tegole rosse, e di ogni abito indossato da ogni abitante del mondo. Adoro il world building di Jordan sempre così vario e profondo...

E si, anche questo ho faticato a finirlo. Fortuna che l'ho già dimenticato.

-----------------------
And we have reached the fourth...
This novel also suffers from the tried and tested Jordan syndrome: long digressions on irrelevant details, repetitions of concepts expressed ad nauseam, infinite lists of names and surnames of every person encountered but without any weight in the plot, endless dialogues on one-sided love affairs every three pages born out of nothing, characters with barely sketched or immovable personalities, and then, Jordan's proven trademark, the "copy that no one notices anyway".

--SPOILER WARNING--

The first 300 pages are a succession of parlor dialogues, soap opera style, boring for me and absolutely devoid of interest on matters of love or on the choice of clothes to wear to impress the unaware targets of their passion. I start preparing a liter of coffee.

Coffee has no effect. I wake up with a certain interest in the presentation of the people of the sea, unfortunately decidedly short.
Then come the Aiel and the part in the Rhuidean desert which all in all is also interesting and well cared for, it's a shame that Jordan has started taking ideas from others again, this time from Herbert's "Dune" and adapts the Aiel to the Fremen without any shame. He even takes up phrases and concepts: "Humanity is made for uncertainties, efforts, choices and changes", how much Dune is there in this sentence? All.
The Dune riffs don't end, they continue with greater insistence, not only from the books but also from the ending of Lynch's film... rain in the desert! Touch of class, perhaps few people remember that film.

Perrin's journey to the Two Rivers is a retelling of the Hobbits' return to the Shire at the end of "The Return of the King". We witness the, allow me, ridiculous resistance organized by Perrin against thousands of hungry Trolloc monsters and hundreds of Myddral assassins who fall stupidly like flies, beaten by simple peasants and clean-shaven young men armed with crooked bows and rusty hoes... I have nothing else to add but at least I actually laughed out loud.

Jordan believes he is writing epic fantasy but fails on all fronts, especially his characters.
The story flows like water under the bridge, leaving me with no emotion or wonder, the very rare deaths, always of secondary characters, are simple facts that are forgotten when the page is turned.

Rand is already off the charts, seems unbeatable and the not nice Nynaeve with her wild whip/braid could walk on water and face the fires of hell making all the demons run away. Both resolve every conflict and difficulty on the first try and without any problems.
Perrin is a leader not because of his choices or actions but only because others give him the title for no reason. We have to just accept it.
Mat... is he there too? Poor Mat, in addition to playing dice with incredible luck, he has a completely incomprehensible small part in the Rhuidean that gives him the memories of someone else... come on? once again I am reminded of Dune and the powers of the Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit.
Jordan syndrome strikes again.
For the rest of the novel Mat remains passive and simply follows Rand, keeping himself anchored in his shadow.

The enemies are the most disappointing thing in the saga so far, they continue to be presented on paper as terrible and unbeatable but at the first battle, they are either beaten immediately or put to flight, but what an impression!

The gold medal for the worst in these first four novels is undoubtedly reserved for the order of the Whitecloaks, so many laughs!
In four novels they turned out to be useless, bigoted to the core, stupid and ridiculous, truly hilarious. Maybe Jordan wanted to make them the comic part of his novels... he totally succeeded.

What do I have left of this novel? Apart from three or four events useful to the general plot, we only have the usual endless descriptions of buildings, chimneys and red tiles, and of every dress worn by every inhabitant of the world. I love Jordan's world building, always so varied and deep...

And yes, I struggled to finish this one too. Luckily I've already forgotten.

[Literally Lesia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже цікаво, як в цій частині змінювалися мої емоції та враження протягом читання: спочатку мені все дуже подобалося, але я двічі розпочинала і двічі десь на 100 сторінці зупинялася, щось мене стопало, мені переставало бути цікаво абсолютно ВСЕ, всі лінії ставали якимись нудними і місцям незрозумілими. Але я все-таки вирішила продовжити (хоч і через певний час), середина була досить затягнутою, однак остання третина - найкраще у всьому циклі, багато динаміки і цікавих поворотів.

Спочатку історія дівчат мені була найнецікавішою, але під кінець якраз за нею було навпаки найцікавіше спостерігати, адже було зовсім незрозуміло, до чого це призведе.

Звісно, історія Перрина - це така милота, я декілька раз навіть просльозилася, Мет - мій улюблений персонаж до сих пір, бо я відчуваю величезний потенціал за ним. Парадокс - але за Рандом мені взагалі нецікаво спостерігати.

Єдине, що мені зараз дуже не подобається - як швидко ці персонажі виросли (морально), такі серйозні рішення приймають… з Рандом ще все зрозуміло, але от інші - чомусь мені неправдоподібно. Навіть любовні походеньки для мене повний крінж, як ніби я спостерігаю за дітьми, які ведуть «дорослий спосіб життя». Це незначний мінус, але він мене дуже бентежить . Також я розумію, що вони всі дуже сильні, але ж вони не навчені, як так у них все виходить - це питання. Тобто, мені не вистачає якоїсь реалістичності.

Ну і звісно дуже цікаво, як продовжиться історія в Білій Вежі. Я синхронізувалася з цією історією, зі світом, а тому налаштована читати наступну частину відразу.

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll write a full review when I have time (not to mention finally getting around to writing proper reviews for the last two books), but for now, here were some random thoughts I had after finishing "The Shadow Rising":

- Fourth book in the series, and this was my favorite one yet!

- Loved that we learned so much more about the Aiel culture in this one. More Aiel = more awesome!

- Jordan really raised the emotional impact this time around. Just that tender moment alone when Rand was so exhausted from being part of everyone machination's and took a moment just to "sit and remember a shepherd named Rand al'Thor"...excuse me, *sniff* I have something in my eye, *choke* I believe they're called...tears!!! :'(

- One of Jordan's greatest tricks, taking a character I absolutely despised in "The Great Hunt" and making me actually feel sympathy and affection for that person this time around.

- Nynaeve still remains my favorite WOT character so far! (Although, did every single chapter with her have to make a reference to her tugging her hair?!?)

- As much as Rand distrusts Moraine on the surface, he sure is learning from her...Rand has become a master manipulator in his own right!

- Liandran, Lanfear, and now Moghedien...Jordan sure knew how to write a magnificent villainess!

- I don't care if her eye color is all wrong for the part, Is they make a Wheel of Time movie, Eva Green should totally play Moiraine. Don't fret, Eva, you'll always be Moiraine to me!


Listing the Wheel of Time books in order of preference so far:
The Shadow Rising
The Great Hunt
The Eye of the World
The Dragon Reborn

[Miche · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a huge improvement when compared to the previous one. The plot advanced with a good pace and the world building was impressive. However, this is where I will stop reading the books written by Jordan. While I admire the world he created, his writing isn't to my taste. His female point of views are extremely annoying, as the only way he knew how to depict strong women was to make them bullies.

For my Goodreads friends that will continue the journey, I wish you lots of fun. It is time for me to take other journeys.

[nettebuecherkiste · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Re-read 2025
The best of Fantasy


"The Shadow Rising" ist eines der längsten Bücher der Wheel of Time-Reihe und für viele eingefleischte Fans, inklusive mir, eines der besten. Zu Beginn sind alle wichtigen Charaktere endlich mal wieder vereint und es gibt ein paar schöne Szenen für Lanaeve-Shipper. Das Großartige an dem Buch sind aber Rands Erlebnisse in Rhuidean. Die Leser*innen erfahren dabei aus Rands Perspektive die gesamte Geschichte des Volkes der Aiel, und die ist absolut mind-blowing (das ist für mich das beste Wort dafür). Es ist ein Fest des World-Building, genau das, was ich an den Büchern so liebe. Auch mag ich das Buch dafür, dass mein Lieblingscharakter Nynaeve eine Szene hat, in der sie einfach unfassbar clever ist und ihre ganze Stärke offenbart. Und das Schöne an Jordans Charakteren ist, sie sind nicht perfekt, sie machen Fehler, verhalten sich kindisch, was, wie ich weiß, viele hassen, aber meiner Meinung nach gehört das zu einem runden Charakter (wer will schon eine Mary-Sue?) und lässt besonders in Nynaeves Fall Raum für eine fantastische Charakterentwicklung über die 14 Bücher hinweg. Auch beim Re-Read nach fast 30 Jahren habe ich dieses Buch geliebt.

[Tina Haigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend."

Really, what can I say that hasn't already been said? This is the best high fantasy series I've ever read, hands down. So much so that I am reading it all the way through for a second time. I am not a re-reader of anything, but it's 2020 so anything goes. I know it's massive, but it's worth all the time spent, every second. Plus, honestly, with books this big and a series this long, you've forgotten the beginning by the time you've gotten to the end, and it's impossible to remember all the details, so it's almost like reading something brand new.

This series is easily my favorite fantasy series. I truly can't stress that enough. I won't tell you anything about the plot, you can read a synopsis for that, and sometimes a leap of faith is required. Well I feel like I've rambled on enough, so I'll just say this: Read it! Make this your to-read series of 2021. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

P.S. Since this is a series, and the plot is too intricate to include without spoilers, this will be my review for every book in the series. If you've read this one, then you've read the others. I stand by what I said. In my opinion this is the best fantasy series of all time, and that's all that needs to be said. Thank you Robert Jordan, for sharing your masterpiece with the world. RIP.

"The night's cold was already coming on."

[Wera · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I have a YouTube channel now! Check it out here. ***

4.25 stars
**Although this is a spoiler-free review (spoilers are hidden), there may be spoilers for previous books (scroll down)**

This time I am keeping the spoiler-free section fairly small because there is so much I want to talk about. After the ending of The Dragon Reborn, the squads split up on many missions: Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, and Juilin go to Tanchico in pursuit of the Black Ajah; Rand, Egwene, Moiraine, Lan, and Mat journey with the Aiel to the Three Fold Land for various reasons; Perrin, Faile, Gaul, Loial, Chaid and Bain go back to the Two Rivers in hopes of resolving the Children of the Light/Trolloc conflict; (and farther north, and somewhat unrelated) we get the perspective of Min who arrives at the White Tower and has a vision of a great catastrophe that is about to befall the Aes Sedai.

All the perspectives were engaging and furthered most of the characters. There were parts that I definitely enjoyed more than others, but overall the plot was well progressed, characters built up better, and more cultures explored. The story manages to pull out of the slightly formulaic flow it was starting to build up by book 3, and really developed into its own thing.

Overall, I can totally see why this is a favorite of so many people. It is filled with many small amazing, and great breath-taking moments. It's short comings for me were pacing and the confusion that sometimes followed the fact that so much was going on and I needed to go back and wrap my head around things. But thats because I'm stoopid sometimes :) Highly recommend.



Ok, now onto spoilers :)))


This will be divided into my thoughts on each separate story-line.

Rand and gang in the Aiel Waste:
This segment was pretty epic, but it was also the segment that had me going "what" every two seconds. This is probably because I have a problematic memory and listened to the audiobook for many parts of this book. This meant I had to go back and reread many moments to remember who was who. And that reveal at the end that the fat lady Keille was Lanfear? Didn't see it coming. The reveal that the gleeman Natael was Asmodean? Didn't see it coming. I guess I was thrown off by all the Isendre and Kadere stuff going on. When I went back and reread the first interaction that Rand/Mat have with Keille/Lanfear it clicked and I saw the foreshadowing. Honestly, I can't believe I missed it. Epic reveal, nonetheless. Also, I want to appreciate that Rand didn't face the Dark One in an epic battle at the end. The epic battle happened, but it was to further the plot in a way that made sense. This was a great deal-breaker for me in book 3 and the issue has been rectified.

Another thing that was hard for me to understand was Aiel culture. It is really intense and different. Around 80% through I think I actually understood what was going on. When Rand tries to reveal himself as He Who Comes With the Dawn, and Couladin is being a brat, I understood what was going on enough, so that was nice. Rand and Mat's journeys to Rhuidean were some of my favorite moments. I want to know more about the Aelfinn and Eelfinn. I think that they have been set up well. I also think I can puzzle out what the Eelfinn do. Requests right? As much as I liked this segment, I didn't like Mat as much. He was by far the best part of book 3, but here he was either nonexistent, comic relief, or whiney. I want more of who he was in book 3 please. As for Rand, I thought the backstory of the Aiel was honestly really interesting. The way that so much of what the normal Aiel know is lies. Fascinating. I also love seeing how slowly Rand is coming to fulfill more and more prophecies.

Egwene and Moiraine, especially the latter, I wanted more from. Egwene was there in the beginning when she did her thing to Rand where she passed Rand to Elayne, but then she is not always very present. Moiraine had an epic fight scene in the beginning (loved that scene OMG), but then she and Lan both fade. Aviendha is coming more into the spot-light which is kind of cool. I see so much of myself in her so obviously I am drawn to her and her story. I hope the next book has more of her. I love her friendships with Egwene and Elayne. Looking forward to more of her.

Nynaeve, Elayne, and the boys in Tanchico:
First off, Nynaeve is pissing me off. She was my favorite in book 1 and I liked her a lot in book 2, but these past two instalments are making her into a person who really is pissing me off. She is rude, she is senseless, and she is entitled. Did I absolutely love that scene between her and Moghedien at the end when they both try to still each other? Yes. Does it excuse all the BS from the other 900 pages? No. Thing is, even Elayne could see it. The way she went off at Egeanin just for being Seachan was annoying too, especially since it is obvious that Egeanin is going through a lot of character development. She is not the same woman as the captain who caught Bayle Domon's ship back in book 2.

Talking about Egeanin, she is actually one of my highlights for this book. We get tiny glimpses into more of the Seanchan culture through her; something tells me we are going to be seeing much more from them soon. I like her and Domon getting along. I wonder were this will lead. Overall, I want more of her too in the next book. I want the Seanchan to come back for another attack and I want her to suffer not knowing whose side to choose after growing closer to Elayne and Nynaeve and learning about the Sul Dam being able to Channel.

Elayne took the female spot-light. I absolutely loved her. That scene where she gets drunk is great. All her interactions with Thom are great and heartwarming. Her admonishing Amathera for how she knows nothing of how her people live like, was great. Elayne will be a great queen. I didn't think she'd jump higher on my ranking of characters I love, but she did. In the previous two books she was overshadowed by Egwene a lot, so I hope that those two stay apart for a little while longer.

When it came to the actual story with the Black Sisters, not a lot happened. I mean, they found them in Tanchico and they rescued the Panarch, but so what? They all got away either way. At least they have the a'dam for Rand and neutralized a threat. So although I liked this story, it was more so because hanging out with Elayne and Egeanin was fun.

Mistress Elmindreda and the coupe of da Tower:
This might have been my favorite story-line. Firstly, the Trakand brothers?!? Gawyn went nuts in the end. Galad obviously will now become a White Cloak (way to go Elaida). UGH! SIUAN IS STILLED!!!! WHAT! UGHRAAA! Real talk, the foreshadowing with Elaida and Min's visions was so much fun, although I didn't see the coupe coming. Siuan was probably my favorite character in this book (surprising I know). Siuan, Leane, Min, and Logain are bound to make an interesting group in book 5 and this is the part that has me hyped the most. There's not much to say here. It was a ride. I love Siuan. I love Min. I am really excited for Logain. This will be great.

Perrin Goldeneyes and his troubling love life ft. Emond's Field:
This section was great. Perrin unfortunately didn't come back to my no. 1 spot he used to share with Nynaeve after book 1, but he had the most character growth I think. It was definitely reminiscent of Rand in book 2, where he says he isn't a lord, but is forced to be one anyway. The entire situation with Faile really pissed me off in the beginning. The way she used Loial pissed me off and I hated her. By the end though, I found her kind of endearing and the entire marriage stuff was hilarious and heart-warming in a bizarre way. Do I want a lot more of Faile? No, but I think things will die down a bit now that they are married.

The segment with Aram giving up the Way of the Leaf was heart-breaking. I cried so hard. It was one of the most powerful scenes I have ever read, to be honest. The Emond's Fielders getting together for that final showdown was epic. The struggle with White Cloaks in the end, was epic. It was all epic. I have no words. I am speechless. The one thing I want more of will be the pursuit of Slayer (Lord Luc?) and Loial. Then I will be happy.

That about wraps up my general thoughts on what happened. Hope it wasn't too chaotic :)


-----------------------------------
Books in series :
#0 New Spring: ★★.75
#1 The Eye of the World: ★★★.5
#2 The Great Hunt: ★★★.75
#3 The Dragon Reborn: ★★★
#4 The Shadow Rising: ★★★★.25
#5 The Fires of Heaven: ★★★★
#6 Lord of Chaos: ★★★★.25
#7 A Crown of Swords: ★★★.75
#8 The Path of Daggers: ★★.25
#9 Winter's Heart: ★.25
#10 Crossroads of Twilight: ★.5
#11 Knife of Dreams: ★★★.5
#12 The Gathering Storm: ★★★★.5
#13 Towers of Midnight: ★★★
#14 A Memory of Light: ★★★.5

[Jake Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing display of worldbuilding, and character development. It is really the book where The Wheel of Time starts to differentiate itself, and becomes The Wheel of Time.

That being said, it doesn't pull on my heart strings the way some later WoT books do.

9.2

[Omerly Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 increíbles ★★★★★

El Ascenso de la Sombra se convierte en mi entrega favorita de La Rueda del Tiempo (de los libros leídos hasta el momento).

¡Disfruté muchísimo esta lectura!

En esta oportunidad, la historia sigue cuatro hilos. Tenemos el que se desarrolla en el yermo, la tierra de los Aiel, y definitivamente mi favorito. Me encantó por completo todo lo que tiene que ver con los Aiel y lo que se descubre sobre ellos me voló la cabeza. Regresamos a Dos Ríos, y me ha gustado porque desde la primera entrega había quedado olvidado. Un pequeño hilo se desarrolla en la Torre Blanca, estoy muy intrigada por todo lo que sucederá debido a lo acaecido. Me fascinó. El otro hilo nos lleva hasta Tanchico, una ciudad nueva para descubrir; al principio me parecía el hilo más flojo, pero después se volvió tan interesante como los demás.

Sin duda alguna, esta ha sido la entrega en la que más me han gustado los personajes. Primero aclarar que Loial sigue siendo mi favorito. Pero debo admitir que en este libro me gustó mucho más Perrin y Rand (dos de los protagonistas que no me terminaban de convencer). Mat y Thom me siguen fascinando.

Rand ha cambiado tanto desde que se sabe que él es el Dragón Renacido. Me gustó cómo comienzan a verse atisbos de la locura, y el poder que posee.

Perrin convirtiéndose en el Lord de Dos Ríos. Y Mat, las profecías, eso esta muy interesante.


El romance no es punto fuerte. Menos mal que estoy aquí por la trama, porque ha pasado de todo. Es el libro más largo hasta el momento, y por mucho el que más giros y descubrimientos tiene. Robert Jordan me sorprendió de principio a fin, los caminos de todos los personajes se cruzan de manera tan increíble. Y los personajes secundarios también me fascinan. A mí, particularmente, me encanta lo detallista de Jordan, sé que a varios no les gusta exactamente eso, pero a mi sí y lo disfruto mucho.

No sé qué más agregar a esta reseña, es la cuarta entrega y con lo recorrido puedo decir que esta saga será de mis favoritas. Y todavía me faltan diez libros, ¡qué emoción!

[Maddie Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 4⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4⭐️

This is my favorite installment yet! The plot arcs for each POV were all so interesting and eventful! I love that the forsaken are becoming more and more involved in the plot. The Aiel are such an amazing addition to the world and lore. Perrin's arc is EVERYTHING! So satisfying and such an amazing payoff from Eye of the World. The Ai Sadai coup was so insane, and the escape was exhilarating. Nyneave is showing her potential! I just need her to stop fighting herself!

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A wise ruler takes advice, but should never be seen to take it. Let them think you know more than you do. It will not harm them, and it will help you.”

Introduction

One of the rare cases of expectations meeting reality. The Shadow Rising is one of the most hyped novels, I’ve ever read. I was somewhat cautious to read it because of those expectations, but I’m glad I undertook it. One of the fundamental strengths of the novel is how to build upon a culture, throughout the series, we have slowly been unveiling the truth of the Aiel and here it’s a full examination of their ins and out. Furthermore, it’s the culmination of many character arcs in particular Perrin, almost every plotline has something substantial going on. For a novel that’s almost 1000 pages, there is very little fat in pages beyond some repetitive aspects for the readers who read this novel as it was coming out.

World Building

The culture and worldbuilding in this entry blow the other novels away by a significant margin. Reading this novel, you have a feeling that Jordan very much wanted to write this novel but had to build the foundation first. I’ve briefly mentioned the Aiel but one of the most interesting aspects for me; was seeing their daily lives. The rituals, customs and whatever they do for jest, all these elements are engaging to me. Aviendha thoroughly explaining their culture to Rand and experiencing it, is truly amazing. One of the profounds pieces of worldbuilding and best chapters in WoT was chapters 25-26, being an eyewitness account of a lot of major events from WoT. Seeing how Aiel and The Way of the Leaf use to be one and slowly became apart after many generations. Witnessing true horrific events from the world, the pacifist Jenn Aiel slowly disbanded and became a new entity. I love how small actions from the past become the basis of their culture, as a whole, it was just so unique. Another interesting way Jordan builds upon culture is by taking elements from Eastern Philosophy and Religions from the East and incorporating that into the novel. A particular new character discusses some principles of Hinduism and Buddhism which I found intriguing to see a fantasy novel tackle.

Plot

One of the most impressive things about the novel is the plotting. It is extremely meticulously and purposeful. There are many POVs with their own plotlines and all complemented each other. Rand's plot line is the most unique, but Perrin’s plot is heart pumping and it’s my favourite. As a whole, this novel breaks the formula of Books 1-3 and caves into something of its own. The climaxes were glorious to witness for each plotline Min, Rand, Perrin and Elyane. Some I felt were very clever and adored the plot was able to make the world feel so open by the end. Anything can happen from now onwards and I’m excited.

Characters

The best aspect of TSR is that every character has time to shine. I’m not exaggerating but being quite literal. Rand is the greatest example, from that young boy in book 1 to where he ends up, his character growth is quite extraordinary. The same can be applied to Perrin, becoming a true leader, both men took responsibility and sincerely lead people. Mat is always a wildcard ever since the last book and the same applies here, but he also understands the importance of sacrifice in this novel even if it's unintentional. Elayne for the first time I enjoy her character a lot, it's not like she was bad in the other novels, but she wasn’t particularly noteworthy either. In the case of TSR, I thought she was an intriguing character who went through a lot. She understands the game of politics, she often is more cool-headed, quite knowledgeable in broad subjects and she often has to be the mediator between the troublemakers that is Nyaneve and Egwene. There’s a particular section with Elayne I thought to be quite cute. Now Nyaneve, yeah she always has one time to shine and here is no exception, I think Jordan wrote her well here and her love for Lan is probably the most believable here than in the prior 3 novels. Egwene stands out less compared to the other characters, in her plotline, she was able to meet some intriguing people and she learnt about herself on this journey. The exploration of Moraine I adored, and this is the novel I think you truly understand her thought process. Lastly, Min is just a fantastic POV and seeing how she uses her wits during her plotline was great.

Spoilers: this section will be a tad messy, so I will apologise in advance.



Perrin's arc was truly exceptional in this novel. I love how he becomes a leader as this crisis was occurring. Taking charge, as no one is willing to take upon the burden. He grew during the process, and I feel Jordan’s experience in War is more reflective of Perrin’s character. The consistent paranoia of being on a battlefield, taking charge and large-scale action at the end of the novel was glorious. I even enjoyed the Faile and Perrin relationship. Both love each other sincerely but express it terribly. I didn’t mind the relationship being the way it was, but I understand being annoying for some. Coming back to the Farm was very fitting like the Scouring of the Shire, the journey back home gives you a great outlook of the transformation of our characters. It will be fantastic seeing the other characters coming back home eventually but just seeing Perrin interact with the members of the Village was brilliant. One of the most brutal scenes is when Perrin is being told that his entire family got murdered, during that moment both he and Faile had a very tender upon which was beautiful. The encounter with the white cloaks had a brilliant atmosphere to it and the plotline concerning the way of the leaf was tragic. I loved his interactions in this book in particular with Verin (who is a queen), Loial, White Cloaks and the Aiel. Perrin’s conclusion at the end of the novel was very fitting and it was cute he had a wedding at the end.

The other leader that emerges from this novel is Rand. Seeing his growth from book 1 to the present is amazing, he makes tough decisions throughout (like going to the Aiel Waste), but he has that aura of a leader which appeared gradually over time. One of the key advantages of a series running this long is subtle development like that. This is evident from the offset, in particular from the Great Hunt onwards. I love how firm he becomes over his journey and acts like one of those great figures from history from an outsider's perspective. His confrontation with the past and being a beckon of hope for the future, was heart pumping. I didn’t expect that twist, him telling the Aiel about the truth, which fulfils the prophecy:

He will come from Rhuidean at dawn, and tie you together with bonds you cannot break. He will take you back, and he will destroy you.

Overall, I found it to be quite clever. I think this quote however best explains Rand’s growth and struggle:

Limping to the foot of the bed, he lowered himself onto the chest there and laid Callandor across his knees, bloody hands resting on the glowing blade. With that in his hands, even one of the Forsaken would fear him. In a moment he would send for Moiraine to Heal his wounds. In a moment he would speak to the Aiel outside, and become the Dragon Reborn again. But for now, he only wanted to sit and remember a shepherd named Rand al'Thor.

Once he learnt about the truth of the Aiel, he stopped becoming the shepherd sadly. That section where Rand learns the truth about Aiel through the memories of his ancestors was amazing. It’s one rare chapter of the series where I reread it straight away. Aiel's use to be Tinkers was just a genius move overall. The worldbuilding is intricate, so many details and the character moments even with their appearances hit hard. I love seeing the truth about legends and how they form over time and the beginnings of certain customs and their origin.

Now Rand's romance with Aviendha. Honestly, I didn’t mind like it’s not amazing, but out of all the romances in Wheel of Time at least this one took some time establishing it. Rand is dense as a rock concerning Aviendha's feelings, but you do witness them being intimate with each other. Though you have the occasional Mat or other characters stating they have become close, it’s evident without being told that information, that is the case. I also enjoy Aviendha's character in general, her conflict about her new duties being forced upon her, unable to take her own path.

Mat plotline is a lot of fun, having his memories filled and able to speak and understand the old tongue fluently. Mat having his Oden moment was fantastic. It showcases how wide Jordan’s influences are for the series. Implementing Buddhism, Hinduism and now Norse Paganism interweaving them almost seamlessly. Mat has Jordan’s most distinctive voice. That natural balance of seriousness and what is a jest. It’s walking on a thin line of a rope, if there’s any imbalance you have lost the scene and its momentum.

I’ve already talked about my thoughts on the Aiel, and I find them intriguing. Though I would admit that a lot of the Aiel characters blur to me, just due to the overabundance of names. However, there are some great characters I’ve talked about Aviendha, I like her character a good deal, Rherac might be my favourite Aiel (except Rand obviously) he has a certain presence and charisma that’s fun to read. There is Egwene teacher Amys, and there are some fun personalities but those are the core ones.

I love Min's introduction, you do feel for the poor women, forced to be burdened by this curse (her ability). The tension for that plotline was excellent from the offset knowing people from the tower are going to see and people will permanently change from this experience like Gawyn. Her plotline gives Gawyn some nice character development probably one of my favourite speeches of his:

"That is my duty since the day she was born. My blood shed before hers; my life given before hers. I took that oath when I could barely see over the side of her cradle."

Everything just hits upon her at the moment. Then the invasion does occur. It’s shorter than I expected but powerful. The death, the presence of Elaida rule and so forth. Where will Min's plotline go from here, how will Siuan cope with not being able to channel and that whole situation about Logain makes me excited for the future.

The dream sequence with Egwene had some great imagery and I liked it a lot. There’s not too much to comment upon though I would admit, that it could have used some trimming. But I do like how strict Amys is, as Egwene can be very arrogant and adamant.

This is the book that made me enjoy Elayne a good deal. I thought her process information to be compelling, though she evaluates her situation to determine what needs to be conducted. She even acknowledge the unrealistic romance with Rand which was cute. Honestly, that could make or break people, but I didn’t mind it. It was cute but I understand it being cringe. My expectations for romance went downhill fast with Nyaneve's sudden romance with Lan, so I had my expectations in check. Furthermore, I feel Jordan acknowledges yeah this is unrealistic as hell. Anyways this novel is featured with good quotes from Elayne like this one:

"War will come whether Rand begins it or not. The Forsaken will not stand idly and wait. Sammael cannot be the only one to have seized a nation's reins, just the lone we know. They will come after Rand eventually, in their own persons perhaps, but certainly will whatever armies the command. And the nations that are free of the Forsaken? How many will cry glory to the Dragon Banner and follow him to Tarmon Gai'don, and how many will convince themselves the fall of the Stone is a lie and Rand only another False Dragon who must be put down, a false Dragon perhaps strong enough to threaten them if they do not move against him first? One way or another, war will come." -Elayne

Her back and forth with Thom was also a highlight. Her being drunk was genuinely fun and they did have some good heart-to-heart moments. One aspect people I think people overlook is Elayne's intelligence. I’ve said this prior, but she’s quite knowledgeable and understanding of different cultures. In this book, her interaction with Seafolk is a good demonstration. She isn’t without her faults like those two letters to Rand haha. Overall, I just thought she was a compelling character.



Conclusion

In Conclusion, this novel was bloody fantastic. It did everything it set out to achieve and more at the same time. Some interesting interweaving of philosophy, some nice politicking, some genuinely mind-blowing worldbuilding reveals, great character arcs and all of them had urgency. It expands the world and makes me excited about what is in store for the future.

9/10