Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)
by Robert Jordan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert JordanEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2002-12-31
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 704
Publisher: Amazon Remainders Account
Book Reviews of Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)
Book Review: The Worst of the Best is Still Great
Summary: 2 Stars
This book gets two stars because any Robert Jordan book gets two stars automatically. Despite the way events turn in this book, or fail to turn, and despite how the author dwells on particular ideas, and discusses them at great length, Robert Jordan is a smart author: he knows what barley smells like; he knows what people should expect of wildlife; he knows how horses behave; most of all, he knows how men and women behave, both young and old. Jordan is the most believable writer of unbelievable stories I have encountered. I simply have not found more appealing, more accessible, and more humanistic writing. Jordan's writing is often touching, and can be quite moving, but most often it is believable, even though he is writing about an artificial world. Quite simply, I love Jordan's writing.
However, you will notice I'm giving this book the lowest possible rating. This book explains to me the often heard Jordan-bashing phrase "the later books really suck." I think the other "later books," are taking a lot of heat for this book. Winter's Heart was an excellent book: highly moving, great action, and big, important scenes. Winter's Heart is right up there with The Shadow Rising for me. Unfortunately, people are not only extrapolating from Crossroads of Twilight to the rest of the latter trilogy, they are really exaggerating the amount of "suckiness." Plainly this book does not suck. It doesn't suck first of all because it's Jordan's work, and secondly it doesn't suck because although it is hard to get through, everything in it happens in the service of the characters and as part of the story. I don't think, as some other reviewers have said, that Jordan made a mistake with this book, or anything of the sort. On the other hand, this is definitely the worst book of the series; a series I love, and not a bad book. That is, it's worst out of the best fantasy books I've read. It's kind of like saying The Hobbit is Tolkien's worst: that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. Crossroads of Twilight definitely doesn't suck.
Now to some specifics: the first two-thirds of this book takes place during the thrilling conclusion of Winter's Heart. Rather than picking things up a few weeks later as he has done in every other book except A Crown of Swords, Jordan backtracked and kept us on the day. This is weird, and has some implications. First of all, as I mentioned, this is not typical Jordan style. Maybe he wanted to do something really different, and maybe the events in Winter's Heart deserved more examination, however it only comes off as strange. I must admit I'm often confused by Jordan's working of details, but I'm not often confused by the sequence of events (except that weird flashback on the Caemlyn Road in The Eye of the World). The biggest implication of this is that Rand is barely in this book. Rand is in one chapter and the epilogue. Since Nynaeve, my favorite character, is with him, she is barely mentioned. Now, true to form, the way she is mentioned is done superbly and fits her perfectly. However, I really like Nynaeve, and I also really like Logain, so I would rather have seen more development of his story line. Nevertheless, I don't want to question the Creator (Jordan) so I will rationalize this treatment by saying that it means something to the bigger picture of the story as a whole. I just hope there's more of these characters in Knife of Dreams.
Another implication is that one huge chapter is devoted to the point of view of some totally minor characters, the nobles besieging Caemlyn; I couldn't figure out what this chapter was doing in the book, I just did know where it was going. I thought "these people must be Darkfriends or something, this just doesn't fit in otherwise." The other possibility is that their actions are tied in to what Rand did in Caemlyn before Elayne arrived, and I've just forgotten who they were, or what they said at the time they were talking to Rand.
Then there's the ending: Mat's story has a big climax in it, although it seems to happen rather quickly, and I couldn't tell if it was really the end. I definitely found this passage moving, however I am wondering how it changes things really. It does bring in more of the denial inherent in the Seanchan, and a few other humanistic factors that Jordan deals with well. Then there's the real ending, the conclusion with Egwene's story line. Egwene's story line is the best rendered in the book, right above that of Mat and Perrin. However, some have claimed this book ends with a whimper, and on the contrary it ends with a cliffhanger. A major twist happens in the siege of Tar Valon, and that's it: the end. There's a short epilogue and we're done.
Another implication of the backtracking timing is that none of the male channelers even comment on the cleansing of the source. Rand notices it, as do the Aes Sedai that have bonded some of the Ashaman. However, we see nothing from Logain's point of view, nor even Jahar Narishma, Fager Neald or any other minor Ashaman. The male Forsaken are totally absent. This is almost expected after the beating they took at Shadar Logoth. I found the subtlety of this aspect a bit disappointing: the Ashaman should be jumping up and down and throwing lightning bolts for fun!
Now to some good things about this book: Everything really picks up after night falls on the day Rand and Nynaeve cleanse the source. Perrin's storyline contains some very compelling material, and I was really moved by it. As I mentioned, Egwene's story line is very well done, and as she is another favorite of mine, especially her growth as a woman through all her trials, I really enjoyed all the attention she got, after we only saw glimpses of her in Winter's Heart. There is a particularly telling dream sequence with Egwene; always entertaining, but Jordan also reminds us that she is a woman as well as a woman of great importance. This is something that Jordan does really well: beyond all of what the characters do, or their importance in the history of the world, the war against darkness and all that, he always reminds us that they are human. Egwene is a very powerful woman in public, and in private she still wants Gawyn's body, and bad!
Another awesome part of this book is seeing Elaida smack the hell out of Alviarin. I started to feel sorry for Elaida at some point; on second thought, I have always felt sorry for Elaida because she's blinded by her vanity. Then Shaidar Haran bats cleanup for Elaida: now that's satisfying. I have been waiting for Alviarin to get smacked from The Shadow Rising. Almost as satisfying as when Shaidar Haran turns the screws on Moghedien. Being evil just doesn't seem to work out for anyone!
All in all, you should definitely read this book. You may be disappointed by some of the choices Jordan made, but all artists deal with that at some point. They aren't ever going to please everyone, and they are going to take chances and that has consequences. Not every artist can be Picasso, churning out three Picassos before breakfast. You definitely should not resist reading the entire series just because of this book. If you do that you will be missing out on an entirely good series with hundreds of thousands of words worth of good storytelling. Do not make that mistake, as some reviewers have suggested. To think that you would miss out on The Great Hunt, The Shadow Rising, Lord of Chaos, and Winter's Heart, just because of this book is just ridiculous. Don't do that. Read, and enjoy.
Summary of Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)
In the tenth book of THE WHEEL OF TIME from the New York Times #1 bestselling author Robert Jordan, the world and the characters stand at a crossroads, and the world approaches twilight, when the power of the Shadow grows stronger.Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy.Can he remain true to his friend Rand, and to himself?For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.At Tar Valon, Egwene alVere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Ashaman will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Ashaman themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.In Andor, Elayne Trakand fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.Rand alThor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark Ones taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and fearedeven one prophesied to save the world. Now Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.General Books
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