The eagerly awaited 10th installment (after 2000's Winter's Heart) in Jordan's monumental Wheel of Time has all the breadth and depth that have made this fantasy author one of the acknowledged greats of the genre. Like Tolkien's Ring trilogy, Wheel of Time is a single, extended novel rather than a series, and in Crossroads, new characters join the cast and old favorites grow ever more complex. Yet if the scope of Jordan's richly nuanced creation has won him millions of readers, it also forms the saga's biggest obstacle. Here Mat Cauthon is still fleeing the Seanchan; Perrin Goldeneyes still hunts the Shaido to free his beautiful wife, Faile; the cities Caemlyn and Tar Valon are still besieged and the battles have not been joined. Those impatient with the glacial movement of the last four books will find more of the same. As the title suggests, this entry represents a turning point, a time of momentous decisions as the rebel Aes Sedai consider an alliance with the Asha'man and Rand ponders a truce with the Seanchan. Lending perhaps the most recognizable humanity is Mat's love interest, Tuon, the spoiled, adorable Daughter of the Nine Moons, whose kidnapping is concealed by Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders. She twists Mat around her finger, deliberately annoying him by calling him "Toy." The epilogue suggests Tuon will play a major role in volume 11. Jordan fans who miss the breakneck pace of the earlier books can always hope the action will pick up again.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The Wheel of Time continues to turn slowly and purposely in the tenth novel in Jordan's popular, epic series. Jordan follows his well-established pattern of tracking the activities of his widely spread characters as he moves them inexorably toward the looming Final Battle between the Dark One and those who oppose it. In this story, Mat flees with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, pursued by the army of the Seanchan Empire as well as by the Dark One. Perrin is trying to rescue his wife, Faile, from the Shaido. Egwene, now Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, and her forces lay siege to the White Tower, where Elaida wears the Amyrlin shawl. The Aes Sadai must be reunited to defend against the Dark One. And Rand al' Thor, the Dragon Reborn, faces his own demons, even though he has managed to cleanse the Dark One's taint from the males who can channel. As usual, Jordan's canvas is vast and his plotting intricate. Each of the many characters is as distinctively recognizable as any of those in the series' other volumes, while on all fronts, intrigues and dangers intensify. Must-reading for Jordan's huge and faithful following. Sally EstesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, continues his effort to unify the diverse people of a discordant world against the Dark One in this fifth tome of the Wheel of Time series (begun with The Eye of the World ). While the Aes Sedai, women who channel the One Power, and the Forsaken, ancient disciples of the Dark One, strive to bend him to their purposes, Rand leads the clans of the Aiel in a war of unification. Rand must try to master his powers as a man who can channel, while eluding the concomitant madness, as two groups of women attempt to come to his aid. His love, Elayne, Daughter-Heir of Andor, and Nynaeve, both Aes Sedai in training, join a circus to evade an angry sisterhood, and Siuan Sanche, former leader of the Aes Sedai now stripped of her powers, and two companions seek other rebels in an attempt to avert the final doom. Jordan deftly weaves details from previous books into this narrative and includes a glossary so that new readers can pick up the saga at this point. But all should beware: the few months covered here suggest it may be years and many more volumes before this series reaches its conclusion. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, leads his army of desert warriors toward a destined war against the forces of the Dark One. Elsewhere, while the Forsaken seed the land with their plots of corruption, a few stalwart individuals gather their strength for the coming battle. Jordan's epic saga of a world threatened by evil incarnate builds steadily as separate strands of a complex plot begin to come together. Fans of this richly detailed and vividly imagined series will not be disappointed.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Having declared himself the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor must proceed to fulfill the prophecy that he will protect the world from the return of the Dark One. Jordan's hefty addition to his massive series begins very much in medias res as an unknown danger threatens the city of Tar Valon, home of the powerful, nunlike Aes Sedai. In a whirlwind of uncertainty stirred up by the conflicting motivations of such groups as the Whitecloaks, the Darkfriends and Trollocs (among an abundance of others), Rand travels to the city of Rhuidean in the Aiel Waste for answers. Jordan ( The Dragon Reborn ) seems to be intent on turning the series into an endless soap opera; in each successive volume he introduces more new elements than he resolves. What was originally a mood-setting technique--the tendency of most characters not to share their special knowledge with either their companions or the reader--has by now become boring. Hundreds of characters and dozens of conflicting plots cause much of the action to take place offstage. As a result, this fully imagined saga threatens to burst the seams of its steadily more intricate design. Nevertheless, the sheer force of his invention develops a momentum that established Jordan fans, and probably like-minded new readers, will find hard to resist. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
As the power of the Dark One grows stronger, Rand al'Thor and his friends face greater challenges in their war against the Shadow. From the halls of Tar Valon, where the Aes Sedai mystics discover agents of darkness in their own ranks, to the Aiel Waste, where a hidden city holds secrets forbidden to all but a few, Rand and his companions seek to fulfill the destiny laid out for them. Jordan's multivolume epic continues to live up to its high ambitions. Complex plotting, an array of strong characters, lavish detail, and a panoramic scope make this series a feast for fantasy aficionados. Expect demand for this.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From Publishers Weekly
The eagerly awaited 10th installment (after 2000's Winter's Heart) in Jordan's monumental Wheel of Time has all the breadth and depth that have made this fantasy author one of the acknowledged greats of the genre. Like Tolkien's Ring trilogy, Wheel of Time is a single, extended novel rather than a series, and in Crossroads, new characters join the cast and old favorites grow ever more complex. Yet if the scope of Jordan's richly nuanced creation has won him millions of readers, it also forms the saga's biggest obstacle. Here Mat Cauthon is still fleeing the Seanchan; Perrin Goldeneyes still hunts the Shaido to free his beautiful wife, Faile; the cities Caemlyn and Tar Valon are still besieged and the battles have not been joined. Those impatient with the glacial movement of the last four books will find more of the same. As the title suggests, this entry represents a turning point, a time of momentous decisions as the rebel Aes Sedai consider an alliance with the Asha'man and Rand ponders a truce with the Seanchan. Lending perhaps the most recognizable humanity is Mat's love interest, Tuon, the spoiled, adorable Daughter of the Nine Moons, whose kidnapping is concealed by Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders. She twists Mat around her finger, deliberately annoying him by calling him "Toy." The epilogue suggests Tuon will play a major role in volume 11. Jordan fans who miss the breakneck pace of the earlier books can always hope the action will pick up again.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From
The Wheel of Time continues to turn slowly and purposely in the tenth novel in Jordan's popular, epic series. Jordan follows his well-established pattern of tracking the activities of his widely spread characters as he moves them inexorably toward the looming Final Battle between the Dark One and those who oppose it. In this story, Mat flees with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, pursued by the army of the Seanchan Empire as well as by the Dark One. Perrin is trying to rescue his wife, Faile, from the Shaido. Egwene, now Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, and her forces lay siege to the White Tower, where Elaida wears the Amyrlin shawl. The Aes Sadai must be reunited to defend against the Dark One. And Rand al' Thor, the Dragon Reborn, faces his own demons, even though he has managed to cleanse the Dark One's taint from the males who can channel. As usual, Jordan's canvas is vast and his plotting intricate. Each of the many characters is as distinctively recognizable as any of those in the series' other volumes, while on all fronts, intrigues and dangers intensify. Must-reading for Jordan's huge and faithful following. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved