Saturday, November 03, 2012

The Shadow Rising

The Shadow Rising. (Wheel of Time #4) Robert Jordan. 944 pages.

The Shadow Rising is the fourth in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It's a series I've come to LOVE. I'd definitely say this series is addictive! Each book leaves you wanting--needing--the next book. But not in a mean way. Not really.  So much happens in this one. Each character (almost) has a major story, and each story matters. It's not unusual for me to get annoyed with books with multiple points of view because they can be uneven. But for me, it works so well with Wheel of Time. 

One of the things I loved about The Shadow Rising was how big a role Perrin plays in this one. Readers get to spend a LOT of time with Perrin and Faile and Loial back in Two Rivers as they fight to protect their homes and land. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Perrin.

I also enjoyed revisiting Tar Valon in this book. Min has returned just in time, it seems, to be of great use to the Amyrlin Seat (Siuan Sanche), and it's a time when she finds herself out of friends and out of luck--minus an Aes Sedai named Leane.

And two of our heroines (Elayne and Nynaeve) are still in search of the Black Ajah...

But most of the action does occur directly around Rand and Egwene. Probably my new favorite character was Aviendha.

This one had plenty of world building. I loved getting to know the different cultures in this one--revisiting a few of them, getting introduced to a few new ones. I thought Aiel culture to be very interesting. I liked learning more about the Wise Ones and the Maidens of the Spear. But it also had plenty of action.

Read The Shadow Rising
  • If you have enjoyed previous books in the Wheel of Time series
  • If you're a fan of fantasy series
  • If you're a fan of character-driven, highly-detailed fantasy series focused on the fight between good and evil

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

CarpeDiem said...

Great review!