The Wheel of Time turns and the ages pass. So beings each of the books in
this series, a tale of good vs. evil destined to repeat itself as evil struggles
to be free of its prison. The series opens with Rand Al'Thor, a young
boy who is about to learn that he is much more important than he could ever imagine.
Jordan's epic style is on the level of Tolkien's. However, Jordan
creates many, many subplots to the detriment of main plot advancement. Early
books in the series are fantastic adventures. The middle books slow a bit
and in my opinion, The Path of Daggers through Crossroads of Twilight
meander without much advancement of the main story. Like many Jordan readers,
I love his books, but find myself wishing the tale was told in the style of Eye
of the World.
Unfortunately, the author (real name James Oliver Rigney, Jr) passed away in 2007
before he could complete the series. While Knife of Dreams does begin to wrap up
some of the subplots, it does so in a more rushed style than was typical Jordan.
The final book, originally titled A Memory of Light (to be published after Jordan's
death) promised to conclude the story in a single volume. After the
author's death, it was decided to break A Memory of Light into 3 separate
books, co-authored by Brandon Sanderson: The Gathering Storm, The Towers of
Midnight and A Memory of Light.
Regardless of the slower pace of the middle novels, if you enjoy detailed descriptions
and conflicts of epic proportion, Jordan is definitely for you.
The Wheel of Time
- The Eye of the World
- The Great Hunt
- The Dragon Reborn
- The Shadow Rising
- The Fires of Heaven
- Lord of Chaos
- A Crown of Swords
- The Path of Daggers
- Winter's Heart
- Crossroads of Twilight
- Knife of Dreams
- The Gathering Storm (Sanderson)
- The Towers of Midnight (Sanderson)
- A Memory of Light (Sanderson)