I never thought I would say this but Robert Jordan has disappointed, and I have nightmares that he will continue to do so. By the end of Book 9 of The Wheel of Time (Winters Heart) I was as enthused as ever; Rand al Thor the Dragon Reborn cleanses the Dark Ones taint from the male half of the True Source, in what has got to be one of the most climactic endings to any book, ever. But at the end of Crossroads of Twilight I couldn't help but think, that was a bloody non-event.
Robert Jordan doesn't include synopses so its critical that you read the 9 previous installments to The Wheel of Time or you won't have a clue what's going on in the Crossroads of Twilight (or here for that matter).
There's a lot to it as usual, but maybe too much. Sub-plots jump from Logain, Davram, Gawyn, rival Aes Sedai, Dark Friends, etc etc, so often and easily that it's all beginning to fade into insignificance, even though you know it has to be really important. Meanwhile, others that we've come to know so intimately seem to plod along through the narrative one baby-step at a time:
Matrim Cauthon still continues to woo the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, his prophesized and very feisty future wife, whilst the Seanchan are in hot pursuit.
The rebel Amrylin, Egwene al Vere, besieges mighty Tar Valon and still attempts to reunite the factional Aes Sedai. As usual, she has a few aces up her sleeve, but could she be a little naive, and too reckless perhaps?
Perrin Aybara still continues to track down his precious Faile, who is at the mercy of seventy thousand Shaido and the psycho-bitch Sevanna.
Elayne Trakand still fights for her rightful place on the throne of Andor, unaware that her personal bodyguard is a servant of the Dark One.
And finally, Rand al Thor, the Dragon himself, with four women and a long-dead madman in his mind, is still as disturbed but determined as ever. Before he meets the Dark One in the Last Battle he must subdue the Seanchan, The Chosen, the Border Lords (amongst other countries), and the rival Aes Sedai and Ashamen.
Indeed, there are a million things going on at once. But that's to be expected after 10 large novels, with still more to come. And yes I'm being repetitive but as complicated/epic/in-depth/LARGE as this series is I can't figure out how it can be moving so slowly. Surely something has got to give, soon, or it's going to be a twenty book series. And if the next 10 books are as slow and uneventful as Crossroads of Twilight that could become a chore for even Jordan's more avid readers.
I must say that despite my being dissatisfied with this book I'm still hanging out for the next one. That's testimony to how awesome the rest of The Wheel of Time is. I truly hope that book 11 doesn't disappoint as this one has. Please die hard fans of Jordan don't get me wrong, compared to other works of fiction/fantasy this is a really solid, well written book, BUT, it's nowhere near as exciting as the other books in the series, and it ends on an anti-climax rather than the usual dynamic conclusion.
For all of you waiting on book 11, not even Robert Jordan can say when it will be finished, and he's not giving us any clues. Presently Jordan appears to be pre-occupied with The Wheel of Time prequel-trilogy, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not.
Other books in the saga:
The first prequel to the THE WHEEL OF TIME
New Spring
THE WHEEL OF TIME
The Eye of the World
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Winters heart
Crossroads of Twilight
The World of Robert Jordans The Wheel of Time (With Teresa Patterson)
Robert Jordan doesn't include synopses so its critical that you read the 9 previous installments to The Wheel of Time or you won't have a clue what's going on in the Crossroads of Twilight (or here for that matter).
There's a lot to it as usual, but maybe too much. Sub-plots jump from Logain, Davram, Gawyn, rival Aes Sedai, Dark Friends, etc etc, so often and easily that it's all beginning to fade into insignificance, even though you know it has to be really important. Meanwhile, others that we've come to know so intimately seem to plod along through the narrative one baby-step at a time:
Matrim Cauthon still continues to woo the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, his prophesized and very feisty future wife, whilst the Seanchan are in hot pursuit.
The rebel Amrylin, Egwene al Vere, besieges mighty Tar Valon and still attempts to reunite the factional Aes Sedai. As usual, she has a few aces up her sleeve, but could she be a little naive, and too reckless perhaps?
Perrin Aybara still continues to track down his precious Faile, who is at the mercy of seventy thousand Shaido and the psycho-bitch Sevanna.
Elayne Trakand still fights for her rightful place on the throne of Andor, unaware that her personal bodyguard is a servant of the Dark One.
And finally, Rand al Thor, the Dragon himself, with four women and a long-dead madman in his mind, is still as disturbed but determined as ever. Before he meets the Dark One in the Last Battle he must subdue the Seanchan, The Chosen, the Border Lords (amongst other countries), and the rival Aes Sedai and Ashamen.
Indeed, there are a million things going on at once. But that's to be expected after 10 large novels, with still more to come. And yes I'm being repetitive but as complicated/epic/in-depth/LARGE as this series is I can't figure out how it can be moving so slowly. Surely something has got to give, soon, or it's going to be a twenty book series. And if the next 10 books are as slow and uneventful as Crossroads of Twilight that could become a chore for even Jordan's more avid readers.
I must say that despite my being dissatisfied with this book I'm still hanging out for the next one. That's testimony to how awesome the rest of The Wheel of Time is. I truly hope that book 11 doesn't disappoint as this one has. Please die hard fans of Jordan don't get me wrong, compared to other works of fiction/fantasy this is a really solid, well written book, BUT, it's nowhere near as exciting as the other books in the series, and it ends on an anti-climax rather than the usual dynamic conclusion.
For all of you waiting on book 11, not even Robert Jordan can say when it will be finished, and he's not giving us any clues. Presently Jordan appears to be pre-occupied with The Wheel of Time prequel-trilogy, which I'm not sure is a good thing or not.
Other books in the saga:
The first prequel to the THE WHEEL OF TIME
New Spring
THE WHEEL OF TIME
The Eye of the World
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Winters heart
Crossroads of Twilight
The World of Robert Jordans The Wheel of Time (With Teresa Patterson)
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