Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
by Robert Jordan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert JordanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-11
ISBN: 0312864256
Number of pages: 625
Publisher: Tor Books
Book Reviews of Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
Book Review: And lo! There shall come a direction!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing to see all these one and two star reviews still lingering around this late into the series . . . don't get me wrong I don't say that because I feel those folks don't have a point (they do) but I figured by now, this late in the game, Jordan would have whittled his fanbase down to the diehards. It's a testament to the strength of the early books and the promise that people still see that so many are sticking around to see how it ends, whether it's from honest interest or just morbid curiousity. Reviewing these books is a bit of an odd task these days because I'm mostly writing this to people who have already read the book and want to see if I hated or loved it as much as they did (or conversely, they've given up on the series and want to confirm they made the right decision). Any potential new readers should take these reviews with a grain of salt . . . the series really is very good, but has some serious flaws which may or may not do it in by the time it finishes. Best to wait until it's near the end and then read the whole thing straight through. This novel, book nine in a series that maybe possibly might be a total of twelve books (so he says currently, only time will tell) and unfortunately this tends to follow the same pattern left by the previous couple of books . . . characters tread water for the bulk of the novel and then in the last chapter something important happens. Really, if you were try to summarize the novel through events you'd really only be able to name the last chapter as crucial and after six hundred pages of epic fantasy, I think the reader needs more than that. However, this novel bodes well for the closing sections of the series . . . for one thing, something does actually happen that will make a difference in later books, which is probably more than the last two novels combined. Secondly, Mat returns to action after being totally ignored in the last novel . . . he doesn't do all that much but it's nice to have him back in the story itself . . . although that does come at the cost of losing Perin, who makes an appearance early on and then vanishes with nary a mention again (though to be honest, he's getting less and less interesting as the novel winds on). Jordan remains as readable as ever, his penchant for over-description never bothers me so much since when I sense it's starting to overtake the narrative, I just start skimming . . . chapters really do fly by and I managed to finish the book in only a few hours of reading. A bigger problem is that there are just too many stinkin' characters, cutting the glossary down to bare bones was a terrible idea since Jordan tends to keep exposition to a minimum and some chapters only feature supporting characters, most of whom are just people with funny names talking about stuff I don't understand (it's like visiting a foreign country only we're all speaking the same language) . . . I've found the solution to that, other than getting angry, is to simply go with it . . . the trick here is that very few of the supporting character subplots are really vital to the main story, it's just there to give the reader an idea of what's happening in the world and thus I just simply breeze through it without trying to understand and if it becomes important later by some odd chance, I'll just figure it out then. This highlights yet another problem with the book though . . . the beyond glacial plotting. Rand announces his main goal at the end of the prologue and then proceeds to putz around for the rest of the novel right up until the end. It's the same with the other characters, they fiddle about and then as the novel starts to close stuff starts to happen as if the characters all realize they're running out of space. The problem is that most people are reading because of the main narrative, of Rand getting ready to either save the world or crack it in two . . . and any chapter not dealing with Rand is mostly just taking up space and killing time, ensuring that any steps the plot takes are baby steps toward the end. Awash in characters not doing anything too important, most readers just stop caring. On the plus side, the male-female politics are toned down a bit to a more reasonable level (though Rand manages to achieve the ultimate male fantasy, it stretches credibility a bit, but hey he is the Dragon Reborn) so at least the characters aren't as annoying as they were threatening to become. What the novel (and the series at this point) is missing, I think, is a sense of momentum, what made the early books so fascinating (besides the shock of the new) was that the End felt imminent, that the world was really racing toward the Final Battle and it could happen at any second and time was running out. The series has sort of lost that "running for their lives" aspects of things and has traded it for a more leisurely pace, and yes this allows Jordan to stretch out and show a nice crosssection of a world in turmoil, but at the same time it sacrifices nearly all the drama from before. Even the Forsaken no longer seem scary, once they were terrible and fearsome, now we're not even sure how many there are, and most of their appearances involve them sitting around talking about evil things they might do. If there is anything that brings hope for future books, it's the final chapter, which should have served as a template for the rest of the novel, with a dozen things happening at once, with important things at stake . . . but even then the biggest action seems to happen off-panel and there's still a sense of momentum missing, I liked it but it still felt by the numbers to me. So what's the verdict . . . readable but lacking that pressing sense of "I gotta know what happens next" . . . I bought this when it came out and haven't read it until now, simply because all the urgency is gone, I get to it when I get to it. And while this means I don't get as agitated as some others do when it doesn't live up to my expectations, at the same time, it's clear that something is awry. It's good, solid fantasy, but I really can't recommend people start it until the whole series is finished, lest they be trapped in limbo like the rest of us.
Summary of Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
Millions of Robert Jordan fans will rejoice at the release of the ninth book in the phenomenally bestselling series The Wheel of Time. The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Path of Daggers, which swept the nation like a firestorm, Winter's Heart continues a remarkable tale that is mesmerizing an entire generation of readers.
Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Rand's destination is, in fact, one she has never considered.
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?
Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.
Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.
In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?
There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....
Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Rand's destination is, in fact, one she has never considered.
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?
Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.
Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.
In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?
There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....
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
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