Book 11 definitely picks up the pace a bit again, after books 9 and 10. See book 1 for longer review. ( )

Almost there. Book 11, the last of the Jordan books. By now I believe Jordan knew he was sick.

In the reread before The Gathering Storm, and after 20 years, new perspective on the series has come to light. One that Jordan was dying as the final books were generated.

We also learn that as the series gets popular, Jordan can afford to hire assistants to work for him and try to keep track of all the elements. But that must have been a waste of money.

Still errors exist in the grammar. Then the errors of characters who have met previously running across one another, the fans did a much better job for free then the paid staff. The Hubris of Jordan, and the horrible description of battles in what is a series that is to culminate in a battle. By a man who went to the Citadel. Perhaps that claim is false. The teach military history at the Citadel, tough perhaps Jordan flunked all the medieval history elements which is where fantasy battles reside.

But why stick with a series for so many books. I have told how the author breaks the rule of Show don't Tell, by telling and telling and telling even more. We have POV errors though maybe not as bad as others. (Listen to the Audio Books where they try to keep each chapter by the sex of the first POV character. That becomes confusing, especially trying to hear when each of the readers tries to sound like Rand or another character from a different POV.)

The answer is that 1800 named characters make a rich story. The Travelogue and history fest of this prophecy coming to fruition, even where it does not make sense in so many places, is full and enrapts you in its depth.

Knife of Dreams does have too much Tell again. The chapters of each of the Protagonists (more than one, another rule broken) get started and pick up speed, and then switch across the world to the next... A few Arcs are tied up, but too many are left hanging.

The time frame again is too much is happening all at once, when before months were given to developing the growth of the characters. These are all still young people who are making decisions way beyond their years and experience.

But better then several of the last, and the end may be in end sight... If left to Jordan, he was probably told to finish it at 12. With his death, stretching the 12th book into 3 books, so 14 books may be a sop to his memory. Just being content that it is nearly finished, and nearly complete means getting through this book, finally there is a light at the end of the tunnel. ( )

Each installment of the Wheel of Time series is like getting acquainted with old friends. Jordan had a lot of loose threads that he was weaving in his personal tapestry. It is frightening to consider what a new author may do with his story. Hopefully there will be a satisfactory resolution for Rand, Perrin, Mat and the ladies. ( )

Calling it a return to form is being a bit charitable, but the book is a rise in quality from the previous ones and sets up things for the much awaited finale. ( )

I've been waiting for this book for a long time. Robert Jordan started his series a long time ago, and it started well. But somewhere around the fourth book it started to lag, nothing happened anymore, and none of the characters were likable. I hung right up to this book, hoping that some of the old wonder and excitement could be found again, and also because I feel compelled to finish any series I start.

And I wasn't disappointed. A lot of the lag was still in this book, but there were moments that were very, very good. Some of the more annoying characters did some wonderful things. I wouldn't say this was the best book in this series, but it is certainly much better than the previous, oh, six books.

I am very sad that Robert Jordan passed away before he could finish the series. Good luck to whomever is saddled with the task of wrapping the whole thing up. ( )

Knife of Dreams is book 11 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. ( )

My Bookspotcentral review ( )

After reading the 10th book, Crossroads of Twilight, I was really looking forward to the next book, Knife of Dreams. It’s nearing the conclusion of the series, and although the previous book was slow-moving, I felt it was necessary to set up for this book (and the one after it, the final book..woohoo!).

There are a lot of things going on in this book. The plot does move forward, not as quickly, or with as much action, as earlier books, but a vast improvement over the last book. This book was very good. I think what makes this book better is the fact the conclusion is imminent. The Last Battle is coming, all the key players are being lined up, and so I have a feeling the final book, A Memory of Light, is going to be fantastic. It’s all building up for a great finale.

A quick re-cap of Crossroads of Twilight: Egwene was getting ready to lay siege against Tar Valon, and was turning the iron chains that surround the harbor into cuendillar when she was caught by the White Tower Aes Sedai, betrayed by one of her own (although she doesn’t know who betrayed her...), Rand is in hiding in a remote manor house in Tear, Perrin was contemplating how to rescue Faile having found the Shaido camp where she is being held, Mat was still on the run with Tuon from the Seanchan (not to mention agents of the Shadow), and Elayne was grappling with another claimant for the Lion Throne who had surrounded Camelyn and was laying siege.

Knife of Dreams picks up where all these plot lines left off in Crossroads of Twilight. There are more Rand chapters in this book, and he is now contemplating an alliance with the Seanchan as he doesn’t have time to fight them into submission as the Last Battle is nearing. There are several signs (besides his appearance, The Dragon Reborn) that show this: the dead walking the earth again (i.e, ghosts), food and drink that spoil after a few days, the distortion of reality, and the abundance of rats, crows, and ravens (the “eyes and ears” of the Dark One, he uses them as spies).

There are several action-packed scenes in his chapters, one in which the voice inside his head (Lews Therin) actually gained control of the One Power. Basically, Rand was helpless and had no control over saidin and watched as this “voice” wielded the One Power during an attack on the manor. Btw, that scene was great to read, Jordan was able to describe the destruction created very well and my only complaint was that it was too short! LOL.

The voice in Rand’s head gaining control raises questions on whether this voice *is* separate from Rand, or only a side effect of the taint on the male half of the Source. While Rand did cleanse the taint back in book 9, Winter’s Heart, whatever effect the taint had on him up to that point remains. One theory on this voice I’ve heard is that Lews Therin never fully integrated into the current reincarnation of Rand in the Third Age. Rand is the reborn soul of Lews Therin, just as Lews Therin was the reborn soul of a previous one. (Note: in WOT world, everything is circular). Perhaps something got mixed up, although if Rand is the creation of the Creator (born to combat the Shadow, the Dark One), then you’d think it wasn’t a mistake on the Creator’s part. However, I still hold to the theory that the voice of Lews Therin in Rand’s mind is only a side effect of the insanity all male channelers were threatened with prior to the cleansing of saidin.

Anyways, I could go on about that, but I’ll also mention another new development between Rand, Mat, and Perrin (all three are ta’veren that can shape the Pattern and those around them). It was always obvious reading the series that the three were connected. They were all raised in the same village, Edmond’s Field in Andor, and all within the same age range (months apart). Starting from Crossroads of Twilight each of the three “see” the other, they truly *are* connected. For instance, whenever Rand has thoughts of Perrin or Mat, or if someone else mentions their name, he can see in his mind’s eye exactly what Perrin or Mat is doing at that moment miles away (and the same goes for Perrin and Mat). I speculate this is only now happening between the three of them because the Last Battle is very close, and this connection has somehow strengthened the ties between them. Rand needs Perrin and Mat in order to win against the Dark One.

Besides Rand, most of the book is told from the perspectives of Mat, Egwene, Elayne, and Perrin (with a few from other characters such as Faile). I had a lot of favorite scenes in this book and to name a few: the opening prologue had a very good scene with a minor character, Elayne’s half-brother Galad, the battle scene at the manor house near Tear, Mat learning about Moiraine from Thom, Egwene’s defiance and determination in the White Tower, and perhaps my most favorite scene with Nynaeve and her rousing speech of asking men in the Borderlands to ride to Tarwin’s Gap with her husband when the Last Battle comes.

In Perrin’s chapter, Perrin has decided to make a temporary alliance with a Seanchan general to get rid of the Shaido, as the Seanchan have also faced trouble from the Shaido Aiel. I have to admit, Perrin has never been a favorite character of mine, more so once he married his wife, Faile. While Faile’s character could get frustrating, she isn’t the worst, and she was always firm in her decisions once they’re made so that was admirable. Perrin seems too self-effacing and reluctant to do anything! Of course, except when it comes to Faile and then he’s willing to do anything for her. I understand Jordan wrote Perrin’s personality that way for a reason, but he never was my favorite character. I even like Rand’s character at the present time more than Perrin. Rand’s continual self-condemnation over women that died because of him is better than Perrin and his awkwardness. He is always self-conscious and never changes throughout the series from the first book personality-wise. The times he did display some grit and backbone only occurred when he let his temper fly and I’d think, “Finally!”.

My favorite character perspectives in this book were Egwene and Mat. I enjoyed reading about Egwene here. In the beginning of the series, she came across as a petulant girl most times, and trying too hard to be Aes Sedai when she wasn’t. I didn’t find her very likable in the beginning. IMO, Egwene really shines in the later books and I like her character better. Starting in Lord of Chaos, but more so in Crossroads of Twilight and in this one, Knife of Dreams. Egwene is brought back to the White Tower after her capture. Instead of facing execution as an imposter Amyrlin Seat, the Tower Amyrlin, Elaida, puts her in novice white again as Egwene is too talented to waste, with her knowledge of new weaves of saidar being a benefit to the White Tower. Egwene is punished quite frequently for refusing to bend and acknowledge to the Aes Sedai she’s only a novice and not Amyrlin.

I loved reading about Egwene’s different ways of defiance, all subtle and some outright, and her determination to win the battle to become the leader of all the Aes Sedai. From within the White Tower itself, her machinations may cause Elaida to be deposed and stripped of the Amyrlin’s stole, with Egwene and her rebel Aes Sedai winning without having to resort to a more traditional means of fighting. I can’t wait to see what happens when she takes Elaida down, not to mention when she faces Rand (in a prophecy noted in a prior book, it was said the Dragon Reborn, that’s Rand, would face the anger of the Amyrlin Seat, that’s Egwene). That will be interesting to read about!

Another character I really enjoyed reading about was Mat, although I will say I didn’t enjoy reading about Tuon as much in those chapters. It was amusing to watch Mat play his little game with Tuon, trying to “woo” her and failing was very funny. Mat even gave a pet name to Tuon, calling her “Precious” in retaliation for her refusing to call him by his name and naming him, “Toy”. My favorite part of Mat’s chapters was Mat learning from Thom about Moiraine. I won’t go further and spoil, but I *really* look forward to how Mat and Thom will go about doing this “thing” for Moriaine in the final book, A Memory of Light.

Before this gets too long, I will say in conclusion that the next book is expected to be the longest in the series. Anywhere from 400,000 words to 600,000 words, which means the final book will probably be split into 2 volumes (similar to Tad William’s To Green Angel Tower was split), with one volume published one month and the second volume the next. As of the date of this review, it’s too early to tell but Brandon Sanderson has said on his blog that it could be longer than he estimated (which would have been 400,000 words at the most). For those worried the book will not be the book Jordan would have written, it will end the way Jordan wanted. Jordan was able to write the prologue *and* the conclusion of this book and he left behind a tremendous amount of notes and detailed outline to assist Sanderson in exactly what could be written (Jordan didn’t want to answer every plot thread, some will be left unanswered on purpose).

I will definitely wait in eager anticipation for this long-awaited conclusion to my favorite epic fantasy series. In the mean time, if you’re like me, you can always re-read until the last book comes out next fall!LOL. ( )

Better than what Jordan has been putting out of late, but it still felt a little off. A lot happened in this book for a change, but a good bit of it felt rushed through. There were really awesome parts, however, and some really interesting points of view. I loved Egwene's manipulations inside the Tower. Mat and Tuon were a joy, especially her point of view, where he was always referred to as "Toy." I also got a big kick out of Romanda's point-of-view chapter. ( )

I love these books...just wish they could finally wrap up! ( )

At long last Jordan comes through with a book that recalls much of the magic of the first five books of the series. Not only do Rand and Mat and Perrin and Egwene and Elayne and Nynaeve all see their stories move forward, but several important plotlines that had been hanging (and in some cases just ignored) for book after book after book are finally resolved. After getting glimpses of Tuon’s character for the last few books, we learn quite a bit more about what has turned out to be one of the more intriguing characters in the series. And several annoying bad guys finally get their comeuppance.

This is a very different kind of fantasy than you would get from Martin or Erikson. In Jordan's world the good guys always win in the end, and the bad guys ultimately prove to be surprisingly incompetent. The prose still wanders at times. There is still plenty of the stereotyping characterization that some people find objectionable in Jordan’s writing. But the man shows that he hasn’t completely forgotten how to weave a story to a satisfying conclusion.

I would probably have given the book an overall rating of 7, but as it's soooo much better than recent books in the series, and I loved the superbly moving “Golden Crane” chapter, I'm going to give it a 8/10. I am left with some hope that Jordan will be able to bring the series to a reasonably satisfying conclusion, though it is hard to see how he will pull that off in only a single additional book. ( )

The 11th book in the Wheel of Time series does not dissapoint. ( )

What keeps this book from working well are the same flaws present in the other recent volumes. The book has no story of its own, it just continues the existing threads and at times has an almost plodding pace. There is constant description of things such as the outfits of every character who enters a room, even if they play no part in the story. Most of the first 600 pages are devoted to slow-paced political maneuverings and things don't really start to pick up until the last 200. Rand has the most interesting storyline, but is only present in the book for a few chapters. The disturbing obsession with spanking continues, with characters talking about spanking or being spanked every few pages.

Still, this is a slight improvement over the recent books in this series. This time a few plotlines actually have some resolution, and it looks like the series is moving towards an overall conclusion. Hopefully Jordan is serious about concluding the series in the next volume as promised. ( )

This book had a satisfying feeling of events finally building to a climax. No new storylines were introduced and some subplots were finally tied up without feeling rushed.

I really admire Jordan's skill at keeping threads running so tightly through so many big books and over so many years. While there were surprises, nothing happened in this book that wasn't a logical product of events to date. I'm really looking forward to the final book. ( )

http://yoyogodreviews.blogspot.com/20... ( )

It is nigh impossible to review the eleventh book in a series for someone who has not read at least a few of the earlier titles. In this review of Robert Jordan’s Knife of Dreams, I will not even attempt to describe the back story, which would be a massive undertaking: instead I will speak first to those who have read at least a few of the previous volumes and then address why you might want to attempt Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. One major reason to read this book is the closing of some plot lines in the series, giving real hope that the next release will complete this saga.

The book opens with the main characters scattered across the land. Egwene is captured and returned to the White Tower where she has been demoted to a novice. Perrin is still tracked the trail of his kidnapped wife and finds his best hope for recovering her is to join forces with the Seanchan, even though they are “the enemy.” Meanwhile, Mat is trying to escape Seanchan-controlled territory with the a run away future empress in tow. A pregnant Elayne weaves a perilous political dance as she seeks to gain enough support to claim the throne of Andor. And Rand is gathering the forces for the Last Battle which not only prophesies the end of the Dark One, but also Rand’s death. All are in different locations, but slowly turning toward each other, preparing for the big fight.

There is more resolution of story threads in this volume than any other in this series, and it even has one character taken hostage and freed in the same book! The pacing is definitely picking up, which is a refreshing change from the last two Wheel of Time books. Jordan has captured part of the original feel of excitement the first books contained. I enjoy Egwene’s method for conquering the White Tower from within, which has a Gandhi-like feel of passive resistance. The culture clashes between Mat and Tuon, who see each others signs of the Dark One as ignorant superstition, are fascinating, especially when both appear to be correct. One of the main reasons I read this series is for its contrasting civilizations and cultures: these books are almost an anthropological study, one with lots of magic.

If you have never read any of this series, you might want to start now: by the time you get through to this book, the twelfth (and hopefully final) volume could be in print. If you are one of many who have given up a few volumes into the series, you might want to try this again. With some plot lines complete, you should find this a more satisfying experience. And for those of us who have read our way through almost 10,000 pages, be strong: the end is near.

From WSFA Journal, April, 2006 ( )

http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/00... ( )

A welcome return to Jordan's old form. ( )

Just trying to finish the series... then I'm DONE with this author! ( )

After getting bogged down for several books following Lord of Chaos, plotline and character development surged forward again in this so fast I was not prepared for it. It's been awhile since Jordan touched me emotionally, but he did it again in this one--easily a stand-out book in the series. ( )

Since it had been many years since I had read some of the earlier books in this series, I decided I wanted to go back and reread each of them, in order, before beginning this book. I felt I'd enjoy it the most in that manner. Rereading helped remind me of many details I'd forgotten. In all honesty, I'm very impressed with Jordan's continuity. He must keep good notes... for if there are discontinuities, they certainly are not obvious.

During this reading, I was focusing on the details. There are many side- and sub-plots to this series. Jordan certainly has an effective way of moving from scene to scene in a manner that is effective, rather then jarring. (As compared to, say, Martin's Fire and Ice series. I'm not sure what quality of his writing it is that bugs me, but every change of scene there makes me feel like it's a whole new book.) Perhaps it's the way Jordan blends people from different groups into some of the same scenes, though various means, be it the dreams of the women, or the "colors" that have entered the latest books through the men. It's just a much more smooth transisition each time.

I'm enjoying the way that many lines are being tied, while others are continuing and even a few beginning. I'm going to hate to see the end of this book, and, honestly, I don't get the feeling at all that it's being "dragged on". I'm much more worried that as the end nears, too many lines will have unfinished or rushed endings... An abrupt, pasted-together final book, just to have an END, would be a disappointment after such a wonderful series.

http://latentcontent.net/entries/463/... ( )

Jordan seems to be trying to drag this series on as long as he can without actually providing any new developments. Most of the book appears to be summarizing what has been happening with all of the characters from previous books with very little new action to move the storyline forward. Let's hope the next book is the last. ( )