Review: Lord of Chaos

Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



*Spoilers for books 1-5*

Lord of Chaos is another solid installment in the Wheel of Time saga. Definitely solid, at roughly 1000 pages! I'm happy to report that the women are not at each others' throats throughout the entire book. Now that Elayne and Nynaeve are back as Accepted in Salidar - no longer in charge of themselves - they actually begin to train and learn again. Nynaeve works on her block (reluctantly) and continues her healing studies (we find she has another goal besides revenge in becoming Aes Sedai!), and Elayne works with ter'angreal and teaches novices. That's not to say that Nynaeve isn't still... Nynaeve, but at least her personality is not the sole focus in this book.

Unfortunately, Egwene is absent for at least the first half, since she can't enter the World of Dreams after being injured in the battle with Lanfear. Once she returns, I continue to like her story best. She's still one of my favorite characters overall. In this book, she finds her honor with the Aiel and sets down another challenging path. Out of all the women in this book, Egwene is one of the ones who is actually strong, not just bossy.

Mat is present in this book, sent on a mission with his Band of the Red Hand - although his storyline definitely stalls before finally taking a completely new turn. Perrin does finally make his way back in the last third, although he is mainly struggling to understand his wife and avoid being considered a Lord by the Two Rivers folk, before showing himself to be ta'veren as much as Mat and Rand. I'm glad he's back, though - Perrin is another one of my favorites.

Rand Travels between Caemlyn and Cairhien, trying to manage all the women in his life from Wise Ones to Aes Sedai, to Aviendha and Min. It's a lot of political maneuvering, there are a lot of threads (women!) to keep track of, and Sammael seems to be a target that no one is in a rush to move towards. Meanwhile, the Dark One is setting new plans in motion that his own Chosen don't even know about, introducing new threats (Shaidar Haran, Osan'gar, Aran'gar) shaking up the game and causing chaos.

It is true, the series is starting to slow at this point - but it's not bogged down - yet. The level of detail is increasing, and partly that means that the story jumps to minor characters periodically (Whitecloaks, Black Ajah, Morgase, Elaida, the Shaido, various Forsaken, etc.). Although these snapshots add insight to what's happening all across the tapestry, I do find myself feeling it interrupts the flow of the main story, which I'm engrossed in until I'm snatched out of it to view a small thread on the other side. It's almost like having 50 pages of prologue tossed in every 300 pages.

The action is still strong enough that it's a small complaint, and ultimately doesn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. There are plenty of surprises and turns to keep it moving, for me anyway. It's involved, there are many strands to keep track of, lots of hints to stay guessing about, and it's wonderfully broad yet absorbing. And the ending is definitely climactic. This is one of the last really good ones in the series for a while, so savor it!



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Review: The Fires of Heaven

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The first few times I read The Fires of Heaven, it was one of my favorites of this series. Somehow I was able to gloss over the annoying, bickering women that dominate an entire section of it and focus on the rest, which is still really great. Maybe it's just all the Fantasy I've read since then that is forcing me to look at this with more discerning eyes, but my opinion has shifted a little - sadly.

I would like to give this 5 stars for all but the Nynaeve/Elayne portions, which are unbearable. Those parts were more like a 2 or 3. I believe this is the worst book of the series for the women, with them constantly bickering and fighting, and generally being obnoxious and catty. Plus their location is not appealing - in Ghealdan dealing with refugees and bandits and the Prophet, and traveling with a menagerie. Nynaeve does improve some in the next book, so although she is not likely to become one of my favorites anytime soon, there is hope that this is the worst.

My dislike of 'the women' does not extend to Egwene and the Aiel, or to Moiraine. I really like the Aiel and what they are teaching Egwene, and the humor and humanity they bring to Rand, and I enjoy the Aviendha storyline - hers is one of the romances in this series that actually develops instead of just popping into existence. And Moiraine actually tries new approaches to helping Rand in this one, so I feel that she isn't just a bossy woman throwing a fit all the time.

Perrin is completely absent, sadly, but Mat develops significantly into a ta'veren in his own right, and Rand's story really moves. So much happens in this book! From the Aiel Waste into Cairhien and beyond, the world changes, and people change.

I really wish I could still give this 5 stars, since I love all but the Nynaeve/Elayne portions. But I have to knock a star off because I just can't say I enjoyed the whole thing without reservation.



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Review: The Shadow Rising

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



*Possible spoilers on the previous books*

The Shadow Rising is one of my favorites of the series - and one of my all-time personal favorites. It's almost 1000 pages long, but it doesn't feel like it. Actually, it feels more like three separate books once the group splits up again. The introduction to these 'three books' takes place in Tear as Rand tries to figure out how to rule a nation and deal with political intrigue. I enjoy the machinations and details of court just as much as I do fast-paced adventure, so the time in Tear doesn't seem slow to me. Then once the action gets going...

The part on Perrin is fantastic. He comes into his own in this book, and I love where it takes him. We get to meet the hawk, and see a lot more of the falcon. Mat gets himself into a couple of interesting situations, digging himself deeper and deeper into the hole he's trying to escape from, and Egwene grows into one of my favorite characters - she is now solidly my favorite of the girls. Even Nynaeve manages to improve so that her part of the book is enjoyable as well.

I also love anything to do with the Aiel - seriously, they are one of the best aspects of this entire series in my mind. And this book really starts to explore their culture.

I am almost bursting from not saying anything more specific! This is not the sort of book that lends itself to plot summary without giving it all away. You just have to experience it.

And pay attention - a lot of details in this book turn out to be important later!



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Review: The Dragon Reborn

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Contains spoilers on the previous books!

The Dragon Reborn takes a slightly different approach by stepping back from Rand, only really showing his perspective at the end. Most of what we discover about him is through the eyes of other characters. This provides a distance between the naive and confused farm-boy Rand who has so far been swept along by events, and the harder one who has learned something of using the Power and manipulating people that we begin to know in the next book.

The parts of this book that I enjoyed the most are the stories of Mat and Perrin. Each of them becomes more defined, and their overall importance begins to emerge as their lives are tossed about by being ta'veren. Mat is that roguish sort that loves to gamble, gets into trouble, and ultimately has a good heart and ends up doing the right thing in spite of himself. Love Mat.

Perrin is solid, down-to-earth, dependable, and yet has that dangerous unpredictability to him as well, when he lets the wolf out. Love Perrin.

A third major focus of the book is at the White Tower with Egwene and Nynaeve. I enjoy the intricate dangers of the White Tower, with political intrigue and the Black Ajah making everyone jump at shadows. I also enjoy any scenes involving ter'angreal and the rediscovery of old magic. Some people find this part of the story slow because there's not much action, but I really do like fantasy that builds in a lot of intrigue as well as action. I even like both Elayne and Egwene - but what I don't enjoy is Nynaeve.

Nynaeve single-handedly brings my rating of this book down to a 4. She gets a little better later in the series (as far as I remember), but in this book particularly she is so bullheaded, arrogant, and self-satisfied (with no reason to be), I can hardly stand her. She is always angry, or trying to be so she can channel. She is always tugging on her braid and bristling with indignation. For someone who is supposed to be a Wisdom, she has none yet that I can tell, but she has a big enough head about being Wisdom back in a tiny village to think she's better than a whole tower of Aes Sedai. She doesn't believe she has anything real she can learn from anyone else, except for actual use of the power, and her only motivation at this point is revenge. Because everything is Moiraine's fault. Everything. She needs a good dose of humility, and I don't blame Egwene for wanting to stand up to her. Frankly, I don't understand what Lan sees in her.

So, this is a solid installment in the series - the story is still building, the web is growing more intricate, Mat and Perrin are getting more interesting, but this one only gets 4 stars because I spent a third of the book wanting to smack Nynaeve!



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Review: A Clockwork Fairytale

A Clockwork Fairytale by Helen Scott Taylor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is an interesting fairytale about a girl brought up as a boy thief, with spies and monks, and a plot to take over the throne. There's a mix of steampunkish gadgets and a sort of magic involving the spark inside of things that can be brought out and manipulated.

There is plenty here to entertain, and the romance is sweet, although it jumps up rather than building slowly. I do feel that it could have used some more polishing in some places, and I have a couple unanswered questions (maybe there will be a sequel?), but all-in-all it was a quick, fascinating read. I wouldn't mind reading a follow-up story.



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Review: The Great Hunt

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It's so hard to write a good review of this book. There's so much going on, and this is already much more complex than the first in the series. It is no longer a 'flight' narrative, and so there is not as much to compare to the Lord of the Rings anymore. It really takes off in its own direction from this point onward.

The main focus in the first book was the danger of being chased by myrddraal, trollocs, and darkfriends. Now the wider world is opening up, and there are new dangers and challenges. Enemies are introduced - the Forsaken, the Seanchan - and old dangers persist with the White Cloaks, Padan Fain, and of course more myrddraal and trollocs. We meet new Aes Sedai - the Amyrlin herself, Verin, Liandrin - and Egwene and Nynaeve begin their training in the White Tower. There is plenty of world-building, with more glimpses of what has been lost from the Age of Legends, travel in new lands and cities, and political intrigue building both in the White Tower and in Cairhien. On top of it all, ta'veren takes effect and all hell breaks loose!

It's really impossible to do this justice in a review, but I felt I had to try. I can't put into words how I love these books, and what an adventure they are. This is one of my favorites of the series, and it was just as exciting this time as the previous times I've read it. I was trying to skim so that I can get to the books I've not read yet, but it kept sucking me back in. I finally surrendered and just settled in for the long haul.


2/3/2013:

This is still one of the best books I've read. Still gripping, fantastic. Great stuff.



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Review: And Only to Deceive

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



And Only To Deceive is the first of a cozy historical mystery series set in the Victorian era. Our amateur sleuth is Lady Emily, a widow who is guilt-ridden because she didn't love her husband - or even really know him. As she sets out attempting to find a way to mourn him properly, she realizes both the freedoms and dangers of widowhood, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Along with a budding interest in Greek antiquities and art, she also discovers that her husband's death was not as simple as it appeared. Not knowing who to trust but dizzy with freedom, she stumbles headlong into danger.

This is the kind of mystery I can really get into. It's not just all about the mystery and putting together the clues. But it's not just a historical romance, either. It's about the time period, the social scene, the friendships, the romance, and the mystery all at once. There's the focus on antiquities and museums and art, and on Emily discovering that she enjoys scholarship on her own, as well as other scandalous male activities like drinking port. There's the setting, which is in Paris more than London, and a nice change from the usual. There are Emily's adventures while exploring her new-found freedom in society, finding new friends in a less restrictive atmosphere, insisting on doing things that are traditionally reserved only for men, and getting into trouble because of it.

I can't love it as much as The Lady Julia Grey series simply because there's no impetuous Brisbane with a touch of the paranormal to spice up the story. This one seems very ordinary and within the bounds of upper society to me - at least in comparison. Still, I recommend this to those who like their mysteries diluted with drama and a dab of romance.




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