Jump to ratings and reviews
The prequel novel to the globally bestselling Wheel of Time series - a fantasy phenomenon

The city of Canluum lies close to the scarred and desolate wastes of the Blight, a walled haven from the dangers away to the north, and a refuge from the ill works of those who serve the Dark One. Or so it is said. The city that greets Al'Lan Mandragoran, exiled king of Malkier and the finest swordsman of his generation, is instead one that is rife with rumour and the whisperings of Shadowspawn. Proof, should he have required it, that the Dark One grows powerful once more and that his minions are at work throughout the lands.

And yet it is within Canluum's walls that Lan will meet a woman who will shape his destiny. Moiraine is a young and powerful Aes Sedai who has journeyed to the city in search of a bondsman. She requires aid in a desperate quest to prove the truth of a vague and largely discredited prophecy - one that speaks of a means to turn back the shadow, and of a child who may be the dragon reborn.

423 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2004

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Robert Jordan

679 books17.8k followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
46,545 (38%)
4 stars
44,479 (36%)
3 stars
23,539 (19%)
2 stars
4,464 (3%)
1 star
1,829 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Lucas.
83 reviews
March 21, 2024
east of eden är för intellektuell så behövde lite hjärndöd fantasy emellan
Profile Image for Biblioteken i Örnsköldsvik.
663 reviews26 followers
January 4, 2022
En prequel till fantasyserien The Wheel of time/Sagan om Drakens återkomst. På svenska heter boken Begynnelsen.

Vi får veta mer om Moiraines och Lans liv innan händelserna i The Eye of the World och hur de träffades. Rekommenderar att spara denna bok tills du läst åtminstone några stycken böcker i serien för att få bästa effekt och undvika spoilers.
Profile Image for Daniel Berglund.
55 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2026
5/10. Äntligen känner jag nån sorts bra känsla gällande WoT igen. Vissa klagar på att boken är för kort.. men kom igen - alla andra böcker är på tok för långa (i förhållande till hur lite viktiga saker som faktiskt tar plats). Att få följa Lan och Moraine var en höjdpunkt då de ligger nära mitt hjärta. Så kul att se en bok om dem. Jag har redan börjat Knife of Dreams, och jag ville konstant lägga ner den för att läsa denna boken istället.
Profile Image for Emme.
14 reviews
March 16, 2024
Jag gillade att man fick läsa om hur Moiraine och Lan träffades, och det var också intressant att läsa mer om Vita Tornet och hur det fungerade. Även om den inte var lika spännande som vissa andra böcker i serien var den ändå väldigt mysig att läsa.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews