Winter's Heart: Book 9 of the Wheel of Time

Jordan, Robert

ISBN 10: 1857239849 / ISBN 13: 9781857239843

Published by Orbit, 2000

The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR002709025

Synopsis:

Rand is on the run with Min, but his destination is a mystery to Cadsuane. Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar, but his purpose remains shrouded in secrecy. Meanwhile, Perrin is hunting desperately for Faile, now a prisoner of Sevanna's sept.

Review: Is Robert Jordan still doing the Light's work? Even loyal fans have to wonder. (And if you're not a fan yet, you'll have to read the previous 6,789 pages in this bestselling series to understand what all the fuss is about.)

Everyone's in agreement on the Wheel of Time's first four or five volumes: They're topnotch, where-have-you-been-all-my-life epic fantasy, the best in anybody's memory at the time since The Lord of the Rings. But a funny thing happened on the way to Tarmon Gai'don, and many of those raves have become rants or (worse) yawns. Jordan long ago proved himself a master at world-building, with fascinating characters, a positively delicious backstory, and enough plot and politics to choke a Trolloc, but that same strength has become a liability. How do you criticize what he's doing now? You want more momentum and direction in the central plot line, but it's the secondary stories that have made the world so rich. And as in the last couple of books, (A Crown of Swords and The Path of Daggers), Jordan doesn't really succeed at pursuing either adequately, leaving a lot of heavily invested readers frustrated.

Winter's Heart at least shows some improvement, but it's still not The Eye of the World. Elayne's still waiting to take the crown of Andor; the noticeably absent Egwene is still waiting to go after the White Tower; Perrin gets ready to pursue the Shaido but then disappears for the rest of the book. About the only excitement comes with the long-awaited return of Mat Cauthon and a thankfully rock 'em, sock 'em finale in which Rand finally, finally changes the balance of power in his fight against the Dark One. --Paul Hughes

Bibliographic Details

Title: Winter's Heart: Book 9 of the Wheel of Time
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: 2000
Binding: Hardback
Condition: Good