Wheel of Time

This latest novel in Robert Jordan’s long-lived and long-winded epic fantasy series represents an improvement over his low point, now established as books 7-10. Important and long-awaited prophecies are finally being paid off; the plot is moving forward steadily. While there are many decisions that I would have made differently, and many, many wasted opportunities, there is at least progress in a forward direction.

This is not a book that is worth returning to the series if you have already abandoned it. There are two many wasted opportunities – more than one much-heralded prophecy is fulfilled herein in a manner that seems deliberately calculated to match the wording of the prophecy exactly while avoiding the careful and considered dramatic predictions of the rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan newsgroup (and other fan locations). In other words, the author is pissed that we figured out what he was hinting at and decided to write scenes with much less dramatic value simply to avoid being predictable.

Jordan’s Wheel of Time series continues with The Fires of Heaven, the 5th volume of what may be the longest-running fantasy series ever… at least in terms of page count. Rand’s destiny has taken him to the Aiel Waste, a vast desert populated by nomadic warriors, where he will contend with the Shaido Aiel following Couladin for the title of Car’a’carn (chief of chiefs)… and with the Forsaken, who lurk as always in the shadows, awaiting the opportunity to strike.

The Dragon Reborn picks up several weeks after The Great Hunt left off… although relatively little has happened in that timespan. Rand struggles with the implications of events at Falme, where he raised the banner of the Dragon and battled Ba’alzamon in full view of thousands of soldiers and citizens alike. Rand, Moiraine, Perrin, and their small party of dragonsworn Shienarans are trapped near Falme, unable to move to rally the other small bands that have declared for the dragon for fear the established rulers will crush any evident focal point for the chaos. Rand is trapped as well by his own doubts; though the Pattern seems to be forcing him into the role of the Dragon Reborn, he is not yet ready to accept it; incontrovertible proof is required, an undeniable prophecy fulfilled, before he can accept.

The Eye of the World is the first novel in Robert Jordan’s epic series Wheel of Time. The series, which began in 1985 and presently spans more than 10 books, has been wildly popular ever since.

The author has described the first part of The Eye of the World as a homage to Tolkien’s epic trilogy. Whether the series is worthy of that comparison remains to be seen, but there are certainly many elements that the initial part of both series have in common. Readers who find the similarity uncomfortable should remember that it was deliberately done, and that the pattern is broken about halfway through the book.

Legends is a collection of short stories by noted authors: Stephen King (The Dark Tower), Terry Pratchett (Discworld), Terry Goodkind (The Sword of Truth), Orson Scott Card (The Tales of Alvin Maker), Robert Silverberg (Majipoor), Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea), Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn), George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire), Anne McCaffrey (Pern), Raymond E. Feist (The Riftwar Saga), and Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time). It is edited by Robert Silverberg.

The Great Hunt continues the story that began with The Eye of the World.

Rand, Mat, and Perrin are three young men recently plucked from their quiet farming community and thrust into the center of events as the Pattern weaves itself around them… possibly in accordance with the ancient Prophecies of the Dragon, prophecies which describe a man who once broke the world and who will be reborn to do it again.

The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.

The Stone of Tear has fallen, and the Sword That Cannot Be Touched has been drawn in accordance with prophecy, confirming Rand as the Dragon Reborn. But there is much yet to do before he must face the Dark One at Tarmon Gai’don. Goaded by Moiraine, who seeks to guide his path towards Sammael in Illian, Rand remains determined to choose his own path, and to move in a direction that no one expects. For the Dragon, to remain in one place is death – and the Aiel, who took the Stone and allowed Rand to sieze the Sword That Is Not A Sword, have their own prophecies to fulfill.

Lord of Chaos, the 6th book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, marks a turning point for the series. It is the last book that can be effectively defended as lacking major flaws. In some ways it is almost a victim of its own bloat… almost, but not quite, for the high points of the story are very, very high.

We are witness to Rand’s struggle to control the nations he has conquered; between Tear, Cairhien, and the Shaido, his political plate is more than full. Yet his forces gather to launch an assault on Sammael in Illian, even as two factions of the Aes Sedai vie for his attention and favor. In this novel Rand and Egwene, his childhood friend from the Two Rivers, become polarized figures pulled in different directions by the forces of the adult world. Indeed, as events take shape, it becomes clear that the tale Jordan seeks to tell is one of gender-based conflict as much as the simple conflict between good and evil. The nature of saidin and saidar is such that they work best in harmony, yet the Dark One strives to keep them separate, working desperately at cross-purposes, mistrusting and divided.