Lord of chaos

With book six of Jordan's giant Wheel of Time fantasy saga, it becomes obvious that one more book is certain and two are probable. This quite excellent volume gives, however, a clearer notion of what the final set of conflicts will be, if not necessarily their resolutions. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, is teaching men to use magic. He is pursued by three excellent women, captured by and then freed from hostile Aes Sedai, and all the while he tries to be a savior who does not destroy everything in his path. Rand's comrades face similar situations: Egwene al'Vere becomes leader of the dissident Aes Sedai while not yet out of her teens, Mat Cauthon blunders into some high-comedy mistakes in spite of advice from the spirits of a hundred long-dead generals, Nynaeve learns how to restore magical powers, and so on. The number of subplots and characters that Jordan is resolutely carrying forward will both reward longtime readers of the saga and frustrate newcomers. The latter, at least, will also be challenged, perhaps to the outer limits of tolerance, by the multiple shifts in viewpoint. But really, no one should expect to start a work of this size except at the beginning, and if libraries purchase this title as well as its companions, no one will have to. (Reviewed October 15, 1994)0312854285Roland Green

While Jordan's prose is sometimes bloated, he rises above his Tolkien-influenced contemporaries (Brooks, Eddings, et al.) with his skill at narrative pacing and his ability to create fully realized characters (though his treatment of sexuality will appeal primarily to adolescents). In this sixth volume in the immensely popular The Wheel of Time series (The Fires of Heaven), Rand al'Thor consolidates his power base and attempts to come to a rapprochement with the Aes Sedai, the female mystics who channel the One Power and whose schism lends tension to his meetings with them. The schism has unexpected consequences for three young women: determined Egwene al' Vere, precocious Elayne Trakand and braid-tugging Nynaeve al'Meara. Centering upon that trio's exploits and discoveries, and on Rand's further adventures, this volume offers several major turns of events while laying the groundwork for future intrigues. It may be be several more volumes before Rand al'Thor confronts the Dark One in Tarmon Gai'don (``the last battle''), yet, as Jordan demonstrates here, he's likely to keep his fans interested throughout the long and winding journey. 250,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

While the armies of Rand al'Thor, a farm boy cast by destiny into the world-changing role of the Dragon Reborn, continue their progress toward the Last Battle against the forces of the Dark One, other powers seek to exert control over the reluctant hero. Panoramic in concept, yet always focusing on the individuals whose actions make up the unfolding drama, the complex interweaving of plots and counterplots continues to gain momentum. Jordan's talent for sustaining the difficult combination of suspense and resolution, so necessary in a multivolume series such as this one (which includes The Fires of Heaven, LJ 11/15/93), is nothing short of remarkable. Libraries should anticipate considerable demand for this title. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The sixth installment of The Wheel of Time series (The Fires of Heaven, 1993, etc.), which is now projected to be an eight-book epic. Propelled by a number of ``Chosen''--who are something like fallen angels--and animal-human hybrid Myrddraal, the Dark One's plan to break free of his Shayol Ghul prison nears completion. Meanwhile, the one fated to oppose him in a cataclysmic showdown, Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has persuaded at least some of the all-female, One Powerwielding Aes Sedai that he is indeed what he claims to be. Falsely accused of murder and opposed by legions of deluded, religious-fanatic Whitecloaks, not to mention the Dark One's unspeakable minions, Rand must unite the good-guy opposition if he is to sustain any hope of victory. So then as now: Enormous, imaginative, uncontrolled, and utterly unintelligible to outsiders. (First printing of 250,000; author tour)