More fun in the second book in the Wheel of Time series. Characters are still solid by this time and story more tight. ( )

RAND: His stubbornness is a bit irritating at times, but considering he was raised among people known for their stubborn nature and he's trying to deny something that could be absolutely tragic to his life, I can't say I blame him for being in denial and that I wouldn't be just as stubborn as he is. He's also done a lot of growing up since he left the Two Rivers, though sadly such maturing involves jading.

MAT: He can be such an ass sometimes! His mischievous nature was cute when he was in Two Rivers, but he's downright heartless with some of the things he says to Rand. Perhaps he can be forgiven of much of that because of his own dilemma with the cursed dagger that is slowly killing him. But still! *makes throttling motion*

PERRIN: Ah, sweet Perrin! So far, he is my favorite of the 3 boys. I love his quiet, gentle nature. And even though he, like the other boys, has personal issues to face/deal with/overcome, he bears his burden with a quiet dignity that belies his youth.

THE AMYRLIN SEAT: I was so tickled to learn who this is! If you've read A New Spring--which I suggest you do if you haven't--you'll know her =)

MOIRAINE SEDAI: Because I'm getting to know her, she has lost some of the enigmatic quality she had when I first met her in The Eye of the World. (Again, I recommend A New Spring for her back-story.) She's not as present in this novel as she was earlier.

NYNAEVE: I love this girl! This fire-cracker is really growing on me. I found her a bit irritating at the beginning of the series, but she really develops in this book. Her short fuse really comes in handy, too. *pokes Lan*

EGWENE: Such a sweet girl... and normally sweet characters annoy me, but she's not overly sweet. She's pretty much the same as she was in the first novel, but she does become a Novice. And something happens to her that really tests her strength and brings a lot of anger out of her--for good reason! I felt so badly for her. I'm very curious to see where her story goes.

PADAN FAIN: Creepy McCreeperson.

LAN: Oo, is that a chink I see in his armor? *poke poke*

LOIAL: Very similar to how he was in the first book, so not a lot of development... but he is a long-lived creature so I suppose we can't expect drastic changes occuring too quickly. He is an interesting character and I like him. For some reason I picture him as a minotaur, though I know that's wrong. He'd make a good minotaur, though!

HURIN: He plays a small role in the book as The Sniffer. He, Rand, and Loial do some interesting travelling, and we get to see Hurin act a bit more as an individual when he's not with the other soldiers. For some reason I find him very adorable, thus he earned a blurb here despite his small role ^_^ ( )

This is only the second book of the mega-epic Wheel of Time series. It is really in this book that you get the sense that there is a very long, complex plot building, with a number of critical subplots. Matt, Rand, Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve are obviously not just villagers from the countryside, but with Rand, are destined for great things.
Jordan does a masterful job of mingling multiple threads. There are so many allies, opponents and evil villains that it successfully fills even this 700 page novel, without a lot of wasted time. You get the sense that what is going on is truly serious, and there's a lot more to come.
If you like complicated, epic fantasy with a serious, but not overly dark side, you'll enjoy this book. That's not to say that the evil in this book isn't real, more that Jordan doesn't revel or dwell on it in gory detail. ( )

(Alistair) I'd almost forgotten - this is one of the high points in the series, the other one being the fourth book, The Shadow Rising (and pray forgive me if I have forgotten any significant high points in books late in the series, it's been a while). From a storytelling point of view, anyway, as the author shrugs off his Tolkien homage, the plot picks up speed, people head off in all directions, we are introduced to a variety of other players in the game, and Rand al'Thor runs smack into the destiny he's been running away from all along. But then, he's been doing a lot of growing to fit it.

Amazing how much he managed to complexify the plot and the world in this one without it bogging the whole thing down, like it did in... well, quite a few of the later books, actually.

Thoroughly enjoyable even on a re-read. Quirks of my to-read schedule mean it's probably going to be quite a while before I get to The Dragon Reborn, but I'll see you there. Probably sometime after Amy overtakes me with the big re-read, actually.

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