The fifth installment of the Wheel Of Time saga continues Robert Jordan's quest to write increasingly long novels. A lot happens in this book, but it is really, really, really drawn out. I still love the world Robert Jordan has created, but I think in this book he may have gotten lost in "The Ways". There are a lot of character threads being woven into the wheel in this book and I hope some of them are resolved in the near term. I do look forward to seeing where our hero, Rand Al'Thor, The Dragon Reborn ends up next. On to the next, The Lord of Chaos here I come. ( )

Another great installment in the WoT 'verse. I need to not wait too long to read the next one, though... ( )

I'm not going to review these separately, see book 1. ( )

We come to the fifth book of the sequence and we can see that there is pressure to start bringing us to a conclusion. One that Jordan will again fight and sidestep around so that the series grows.

We have had in most of the books so far three streams. In the first when the party splits after being chased in Shadar Logoth, it has set us up for this sequence in all the others. But here one of the three, which might have been a conscious play on three Tevern, though often those three combined in some way, one whole third is missing. Perrin.

That makes this one of the weaker books.

It is a book about movement. Get from the Aiel waste to the land of the Kingdoms. We have had that before, but it seems when we have, we have been grounded in places. Here, that is at the beginning and the end.

We are introduced to exciting characters, Valan Luca and the menagerie, what fun. But again the story is so large Aludra returns, has met Thom before, and Jordan drops the ball by not having them recognize each other.

Galad takes more depth, and here we start to question relationships. Did not Galad and Rand share a mother? Will that not come into play? When?

But I said how things look like they could be finished at the end of the book. We have a powerful group of Aes Sedai with an army growing. We have the old Sheniaran companions of Rand growing an army, we have an army of Aiel, and we have an army of kingdom men following Rand, and more in the last few pages. We keep killing Forsaken.

So we can get to the big battle in the next. But we won't.

Too many ideas. Have to make sure every single one is fed to the faithful and noting left out. This book also spawns the rudeness that was Robert Jordan in the great RAFO-Asmodean dilemma. I have read and not found out more than a half dozen times. You can only guess at the answer. Jordan and his Hubris make this one of the worst of the series.

Another example of his Hubris. A city surrounded by, after several days of siege, 160,000 warriors. Walls may give an advantage of 5 to 1, so there has to be over 30,000 defenders inside, but that is never written. Further, until this battle, those 160,000 enemy, Aiel, could easily take on any two regular kingdom soldiers. It was only the better warriors who could face them fair.

Rand Brings over 300,000 Aiel spears, and there is another 160,000 undecided. In the midst of all this, the only kingdom soldiers a few thousand, under Mat, are roaming the battlefield with a mission.

The numbers of the Aiel in relation to all we know of the world are out of proportion. In relation to all we know of those who were to follow and who remained behind. The battle is also hyperbole in that we do not have a map, so a unit is in a gully, surrounded by hills, a light forest hiding them. This is all on the plains in front of a walled city. Jordan wanted to talk about a great fight, and though a student of military history, did little to give us a believable battlefield, or battle.

So why read this, because you have to read it to get to the rest. There is good stuff in it. And more good to follow. It adds depth to the rich world, but it certainly looks like it was written with add a careful plan on how to bring us to a conclusion. The objectives were met by bringing Rand to the Kingdoms with the Aiel, and setting up a Tower dedicated to fighting the fight that Rand has to fight. But so much more should have been done. And, where is Perrin? ( )

We come to the fifth book of the sequence and we can see that there is pressure to start bringing us to a conclusion. One that Jordan will again fight and sidestep around so that the series grows.

We have had in most of the books so far three streams. In the first when the party splits after being chased in Shadar Logoth, it has set us up for this sequence in all the others. But here one of the three, which might have been a conscious play on three Tevern, though often those three combined in some way, one whole third is missing. Perrin.

That makes this one of the weaker books.

It is a book about movement. Get from the Aiel waste to the land of the Kingdoms. We have had that before, but it seems when we have, we have been grounded in places. Here, that is at the beginning and the end.

We are introduced to exciting characters, Valan Luca and the menagerie, what fun. But again the story is so large Aludra returns, has met Thom before, and Jordan drops the ball by not having them recognize each other.

Galad takes more depth, and here we start to question relationships. Did not Galad and Rand share a mother? Will that not come into play? When?

But I said how things look like they could be finished at the end of the book. We have a powerful group of Aes Sedai with an army growing. We have the old Sheniaran companions of Rand growing an army, we have an army of Aiel, and we have an army of kingdom men following Rand, and more in the last few pages. We keep killing Forsaken.

So we can get to the big battle in the next. But we won't.

Too many ideas. Have to make sure every single one is fed to the faithful and noting left out. This book also spawns the rudeness that was Robert Jordan in the great RAFO-Asmodean dilemma. I have read and not found out more than a half dozen times. You can only guess at the answer. Jordan and his Hubris make this one of the worst of the series.

Another example of his Hubris. A city surrounded by, after several days of siege, 160,000 warriors. Walls may give an advantage of 5 to 1, so there has to be over 30,000 defenders inside, but that is never written. Further, until this battle, those 160,000 enemy, Aiel, could easily take on any two regular kingdom soldiers. It was only the better warriors who could face them fair.

Rand Brings over 300,000 Aiel spears, and there is another 160,000 undecided. In the midst of all this, the only kingdom soldiers a few thousand, under Mat, are roaming the battlefield with a mission.

The numbers of the Aiel in relation to all we know of the world are out of proportion. In relation to all we know of those who were to follow and who remained behind. The battle is also hyperbole in that we do not have a map, so a unit is in a gully, surrounded by hills, a light forest hiding them. This is all on the plains in front of a walled city. Jordan wanted to talk about a great fight, and though a student of military history, did little to give us a believable battlefield, or battle.

So why read this, because you have to read it to get to the rest. There is good stuff in it. And more good to follow. It adds depth to the rich world, but it certainly looks like it was written with add a careful plan on how to bring us to a conclusion. The objectives were met by bringing Rand to the Kingdoms with the Aiel, and setting up a Tower dedicated to fighting the fight that Rand has to fight. But so much more should have been done. And, where is Perrin? ( )

Although book four slowed down the pace, it does not prepare readers for the lengthy political wrangling, tactical debate and shoe-horned action sequences that are presented in 'The Fires of Heaven'. The sheer volume of characters that are entwined in to the Wheel's weave is startling to begin with unless you are reading the books together. Although there are some great twists near the end, the seven hundred or so pages to get there are laborious at times. Jordan is an accomplished author, however his talents are best suited to skirmish and adventure, rather than detailing war. The action seemed lacklustre when it was desperately needed to keep the story alive. Definitely a middle chapter. ( )

Rand and friends continue to meander and chase off unending plot threads (and starting others) in this unremarkable entry in the plodding Wheel of Time series. ( )

(Amy) And the Jordan re-read continues apace, with another of the Really Good books from the series, and with some time to go yet before they turn truly godawful. I don't think there's really much point in reviewing it at any length, though. As I've pointed out before, go to Tor.com for the Wheel of Time re-read if you're interested in in-depth discussion. Elsewise, well, maybe I'll have something to say after one of the other installments.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

My Bookspotcentral review ( )

In the ongoing saga of Rand and his friends, Rand finally travels to the Aiel, who would openly proclaim him the Dragon Reborn and follow him as his army - if he can prove he is actually the Dragon Reborn. He isn't the only one claiming to be the Dragon Reborn, as has happened over the years, but there are several right now. ( )

The Fires of Heaven is book 5 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. ( )

Lots of action. This is why I love fantasy fiction. The characters are evolving especially Rand. He is learning how to be a ruler and knows how to use his power. It was very hard to put the book down for the last four or five chapters. ( )

Another great installment in the Wheel of Time series that kept me turning the pages, even though there were 900+ of them. I did miss the complete lack of Perrin/Loial/the Two Rivers, although I'm sure they will reappear pretty soon. The only thing that really irked me about this book was the fact that nearly all of the women in it became unbearable characters with every minute flaw pointed out. It just seemed like Jordan was trying to make us dislike everyone that's supposed to be fighting for "the good guys", especially Egwene, who was beyond irritating and completely hypocritical in her assessments of Rand when she herself was becoming entirely too big for her own britches. ( )

This is the 5th book in the Wheel of Time series, and about 1.5 years have passed since the villagers of the Two Rivers left their home with the Aes Sedai Moiraine and her Warder Lan. Since the ending of The Shadow Rising, about 2 months have passed and it is now late summer in the Wheel of Time world.

The Shadow Rising ended with Rand uniting half the Aiel clans and capturing the Forsaken Amosdean for a teacher so he can learn how to control saidin, the male half of the True Source. This book is told mainly from Rand, Egwene, and Nynaeve & Elayne's viewpoints. There are also some sections told from the perspective of the former leader of the Aes Sedai, Siuan Sanche and her comrades, including another former Aes Sedai, Leane, that was her second-in-command, a man that could channel, and Min (another character, while not given as much page time in the series, does play a somewhat significant role). For those who enjoy reading about Perrin, he does not make an appearance in this book.

I thought The Fires of Heaven moved along at a quicker pace than even the previous book. Nynaeve & Elayne encounter dangers from one of the female Forsaken, Moghedien, who is stalking them in the dream-world and the waking world at the same time. While Nynaeve & Elayne struggle to keep hidden from Moghedien and find the rebel Aes Sedai hiding from the White Tower and their new Amrylin, Elaida, Rand is facing just as many dangers and struggles trying to stay one step ahead of all the Forsaken trying to bring him down, in addition to chasing the Aiel clan that refused to follow him.

What I liked about this book was how everything moved along faster, there always seemed to be something interesting or new occurring. Whether it was learning more about the World of Dreams, the new enemy of the Seanchan, the Forsaken, etc.

I also liked how you get more insight and knowledge about the mysterious Forsaken, especially Amosdean and Moghedien. Up until this book (and a portion of the last book), there wasn't much information given about the Forsaken. All that was given was the Forsaken were the 13 most powerful Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends that turned their backs on the Light and swore new oaths to the Dark One. But in this book, you get snippets of the Forsaken and what they are planning.

There was one big annoyance I had with this book, and that was with one particular character, Egwene. Her character personality wasn't so annoying in the previous books, but it seems that in this book she has gone beyond annoying for me to the point I wished I could put my hands through the pages and literally strangle her for her hypocritical and arrogant ways. Not to spoil, but knowing what is in store for this character, I can see why Jordan had decided to tweak her personality and have her change in this fashion as it becomes apparent later in the series when she becomes something more.

It got very annoying to see Egwene sniff and glare at Rand for what she considered arrogant ways, or to give Nynaeve a thorough scolding for not listening to her about the dangers of the Dream World. Especially when Egwene herself was just as arrogant in her belief she was right and Rand wrong, and the fact she didn't take her own advice to Nynaeve about the dangers of the Dream World (when she was ordered by others, her teachers the Aiel Wise Ones, not to enter the Dream World without a teacher, as she was still learning about the Dream World). I couldn't help but notice those contradictions, and it drove me up the wall to read this character taking the high road while expecting others to listen to her like she was the voice of authority and they mere mortals who had no clue. In this regard, Egwene is becoming more and more Aes Sedai.

The arrogance of *all* the women in the Wheel of Time world can get quite annoying too, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Egwene was thinking so much of herself. All the women surrounding Rand think they can guide him best, and only they know what's best for him in order to see him live to the Last Battle with the Dark One. Like I said, gets real irritating at times to read!

In fact, it's interesting, all the main characters have gone through some personality changes that are noticeable. They have all experienced certain events that have shaped them and changed them in ways that *are* noticeable to the reader (if you have read from the very 1st book).

Rand has become even more hard and cold, as it's the only way he knows how to do what he must do without guilt or remorse for what he is, Egwene more arrogant and lofty, Nynaeve has learned to reign in her famous temper and be more reasonable at times, Siuan & Leane having lost the ability to channel have been brought down a peg or two in Aes Sedai arrogance, Moiraine has been less overt in her prodding of Rand and even listens to him now.

Actually, of all of the main characters, I would say Mat has probably changed the least in personality. He is still the gambler and rogue, who doesn't want to take on any responsibility, although he does become more than he was by the end of the book too.

Anyways, if you can overlook the blatant sexism by the women characters, this book and the series is very good epic fantasy reading. ( )

The frantic battle at the end of this one is awesome! The trip along the way isn’t so bad either. We first start to see Mat’s talents as a general, and Rand’s starting to show his potential and power. The relationship with Aviendha keeps me reading too. Elayne and Nyneave get a little irritating in this one, but getting them to Salidar is great. The addition of Birgitte is a welcome one, and the warder bond is interesting. As a third read it was interesting, but more action than intrigue, and intrigue is what is fun to read the third time through. ( )

The plot keeps rolling on. This one is far more suggestive - tiresomely in some sections. ( )

See The Eye of the World.

This fifth Wheel of Time book goes a bit more widescreen.

Mat, now being the general to beat all generals with his Bene Gesserit-general-specific type memory knowledge, is an obvious choice when you have a fairly heavy duty war to be fought.

The only problem is, there is likely to be more than one, and in different places.

Those sneaky Forsaken are still hanging around, too.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/04... ( )

The 5th book in the Wheel of Time series. If you haven't read the first 4 in the series don't start here. This was a great book and all kinds of things were happening. Rand takes Cairhien with the Aiel from the Shaido. Matt shows his stuff as a general, wether he likes it or not. 3 more of the forsaken meet their end. The White Tower splits and Morgase disappears, and so much more. As long as Robert Jordan finishes this series it will be one of the best out there. ( )

book 5 in the series. The intrique with how the power works is still good, but the fact that he will die or go mad from the taint is slowly becoming a side note. The side stories are well done, but I began to feel divided and harder to get into stories, wanting to know more about what happens to Perrin. ( )

This, the 5th book in the series, is what I consider the end of the good books of the Wheel of Time series. More characters are, of course, introduced, and again most of the action takes place in the Aiel Waste. ( )

So intriguing a series that I'm still reading after 8 books.

This was ok. Pedestrain in places & made em weep at the thought of another 7. sadly since book 4 was great. No Perrin! Anti-climax with the battle with Shaido (rand wakes up after the event!)& Asmodean's demise is bizarrely lacking any attention. ( )

This book is one reason why I love the Wheel of Time! ( )