The Fires of Heaven

The Wheel of Time #5

by Robert Jordan

The bonds and wards that hold the Great Lord of the Dark are slowly failing, but still his fragile prison holds. The Forsaken, immortal servants of the shadow, weave their snares and tighten their grip upon the realms of men, sure in the knowledge that their master will soon break free . . .

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, knows that he must strike at the Enemy, but his forces are divided by treachery and by ambition. Even the Aes Sedai, ancient guardians of the Light, are riven by civil war.

Betrayed by his allies, pursued by his enemies and beset by the madness that comes to the male wielders of the One Power, Rand rides out to meet the foe.

And the Fires of Heaven scour the world.

Be sure to look out for the Wheel of Time Companion - the definitive encyclopedia for this global bestselling fantasy phenomenon.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Audiobook, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Epic

926 pages, ebook

First published October 15, 1993

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.

Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.

He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.

Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.

Reviews

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

For being such a long book (nearly 1000 pages in my trade paperback copy), amazingly little happens in The Fires of Heaven, and this is why so many readers have abandoned this otherwise interesting story. Approximately the first third of the novel contains so much recap and repetition that, if I'd had "my hair in a proper braid," I would have been yanking it as often as Nynaeve does.

The formula for the first 100 pages or so goes something like this: One or two lines of dialogue, two paragraphs of backstory, another line of dialogue, another couple of paragraphs of backstory... It felt like the proverbial "one step forward, two steps back!"

I managed to stick with it, though, only because I was listening to it on audiobook (and therefore only half listening while I accomplished something else at the same time) and because I wanted to write a review. Besides, I found it immensely entertaining when I could complete Robert Jordan's sentences for him... <>...

In The Fires of Heaven, we never see Perrin or Faile, which is fine with me. There is an interesting plot-line involving Siuan Sanche, Logain, and Gareth Bryne. Rand's adoption of Asmodean is entertaining, too -- I like that we're not really sure which side Asmodean and Lanfear are on. The plot does finally move forward a bit, but it takes way too long to do so. The book could have easily been cut to half its size and been better for it. If I had been the editor, I would have taken a blue pencil to all instances of:
* females obsessing about the modesty of their clothing
* males obsessing about the modesty of female clothing
* needless skirt smoothing and straightening
* silk clinging to hips and breasts
* shivering or sweating that has nothing to do with the weather
* disgusted talk about not understanding the opposite sex
* braid pulling, tugging, and yanking
* sniffing
* thoughts or actual instances of bottoms being switched or spanked
* Nynaeve's cat fights

At this point, I'm quickly loosing patience as The Wheel of Time quickly looses steam. That's a shame, because the story itself is very good -- but it's just too hard to extract it from the dross.
Read more Robert Jordan book reviews at Fantasy literature.

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’re not in Tel’aran’rhiod. The flaming ta’veren has indeed pulled me back into this series.

“Mat had not learned the lesson that he had. Try to run away, and the Pattern pulled you back, often roughly; run in the direction the Wheel wove you, and sometimes you could manage a little control over your life. Sometimes. With luck, maybe more than any expected, at least in the long haul.”

The passage above felt like it was directed at me. No one is more surprised by this turn of events than I am. Yes, not only did I actually continue reading The Wheel of Time, but I also ended up enjoying The Fires of Heaven, the fifth book in The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. For the past two and a half years, I was uncompromising in voicing my disappointment with The Shadow Rising. But deep inside, there was still a part of me that had been tainted by the sweetness and danger of saidin, and he was determined to finish the series no matter what. And then last year, the TV show adaptation came out, and the final episode of the first season was, in my opinion, so bad that it put the book series in a better light for me. Plus, taking a break from the series for years definitely helped a lot. One of the things that decreased my experience with reading The Shadow Rising most was my ridiculously high expectation towards it. For years before I started reading The Wheel of Time, I heard from many fans of the series that The Shadow Rising is the best book written by Robert Jordan; I failed to shake that notion entering that book. With The Fires of Heaven, I read it with the lowest possible expectation, and I more or less knew what I’m getting into; I felt like I could appreciate the good and tolerate the flaws of the series equally. Or maybe, The Fires of Heaven is just overall a superior book than The Shadow Rising for me.

“Always leave a way out, unless you really want to find out how hard a man can fight when he’s nothing to lose.”

The story in The Fires of Heaven continues from where The Shadow Rising ended. Right from the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised by what I was reading. I never expected I would end up devouring the first quarter of this 350k words novel so quickly, but that transpired. The Fires of Heaven is an incredibly character-driven novel. The slow-pacing of the series persisted in this novel, and there were a few sections in the middle of the book where it did feel difficult to continue; I'll get to that later. But I just loved reading Rand al'Thor's POV chapters in The Fires of Heaven, so much more than I expected. It may have taken five novels to get this development, but I found it refreshing to see Rand learning (and using) more of his power as the Dragon Reborn. More importantly, even though Rand can be categorized as arrogant in this book, I think it's not wrong for him to act and behave as he did. For the past four books, every faction and everyone insisted on using Rand for their own benefit, and that situation continues to this novel. It was super satisfying to see him becoming more of a leader and standing his ground strong in many instances instead of constantly being led around like a puppet. I mean, Rand IS The Dragon Reborn! He could destroy or save the world. I can't stop thinking about balefire and the implication of its power we get to witness here. And guess what? Rand's story wasn't even my utmost favorite section in The Fires of Heaven; it's Matrim Cauton's POV chapters.

“He hoped Mat had a fine time while he was free. He hoped that Perrin was enjoying himself in the Two Rivers… He hoped it because he knew he would draw them back, ta’veren pulling at ta’veren, and he the strongest. Moiraine had named it no coincidence, three such growing up in the same village, all nearly the same age; the Wheel wove happenstance and coincidence into the Pattern, but it did not lay down the likes of the three of them for no reason. Eventually he would pull his friends back to him, however far they went, and when they came, he would use them, however he could. However he had to. Because he did have to. Because whatever the Prophecy of the Dragon said, he was sure the only chance he had of winning Tarmon Gai’don lay in having all three of them, three ta’veren who had been tied together since infancy, tied together once more.”

I’m trying my best not to raise my own expectation here, but I must say, I absolutely enjoyed reading Mat’s POV chapters in The Fires of Heaven. Despite his relatively few appearances here, the impact of what he achieved raised his potential to become my favorite character in the series. Mat ranged from underwhelming to okay in the past four books, in my opinion. It felt like Jordan didn’t know what to do with his story arc yet. Or maybe, Jordan did know, but it took him five books for Mat’s character arc to begin. If you don’t know me, I’ve mentioned constantly that reluctant heroes have always been one of my favorite types of main characters to read, and Mat fully embodied this. His determination to try to escape the Pattern he’s pushed into was understandable; I actually felt bad for him and the streak of bad luck he encountered. But luck, good or bad, has always been a part of his life. Gambling is deep inside Mat, and reading the implementation of the new abilities he has acquired to turn the tide in his favor was a fist-pumping moment. This and the creation of The Band of the Red Hand, plus the ending sequence of the book, were my favorite parts of the entire novel. I loved it, and I look forward to the next chapter of his story and development.

“I'm a gambler, a farmboy, and I'm here to take command of your bloody army!

Other than Rand and Mat, I also loved being exposed to learning about the Aiel culture. Jordan’s world-building has always been something that I admired about the series, and The Fires of Heaven expanded upon this further. I also think most of the supporting characters played a role in enriching my reading experience. And as I just mentioned, the final quarter of The Fires of Heaven was well-written and exciting. Honestly, I love to continue to the next book immediately, but I will not make the same mistake I did a few years back when I tried to binge read this series for the first time.

Picture: The Fires of Heaven sketches by Dan dos Santos



All of these praises, however, don’t mean that I thoroughly loved The Fires of Heaven. As I said at the beginning of the review, this is a book filled with noticeable flaws; I just enjoyed it despite them. Perrin is absent in The Fires of Heaven. I genuinely don't mind Perrin's lack of appearance; Perrin is simply not a memorable main character at this stage of the series yet to me. But in exchange for Perrin, we get a lot of Nynaeve’s POV chapters. And I have several problems with this. Nynaeve continues her status of being one of the most infuriating characters I've ever read in fantasy here. Yes, she is a strong-willed character. But there were too many moments where I seriously just wanted to bash her head in and tell her to shut up, listen, and start admitting your own mistakes. Oh my god, Egwene lecturing Nynaeve made me internally scream with joy. Female characters—especially Nynaeve—continue to undermine men every step of their way, and I stand by my words that Jordan wrote some of the worst romances in fantasy. I am not sure whether it is apt to call them romances. They all just happened without proper build-up or developments; they were all totally impossible to understand. Then there is the boring circus and also Elayne's line of thoughts towards Thom, which confused the heck out of me, and Aviendha's never-ending tantrum and mood swing. Frankly, the only parts I enjoyed reading in Nynaeve and Elayne's chapters were the events in Tel’aran’rhiod and Uno—what a bloody riot, this guy.

“We have made the world dance as we sang for three thousand years. That is difficult habit to break, as I have learned while dancing to your song. You must dance free, and even the best intentioned of my sisters may well try to guide your steps as I once did.”

So, the problems in the series are still evident in this installment; if you struggled with them as I did, do not expect them to disappear with this book. Jordan frequently relied on traveling sections, overly detailed descriptions, and repetitive explanations to fill the pages of his series; these undoubtedly affect the pacing in the middle parts of The Fires of Heaven. I also preferred the action sequences to be longer and more vivid. I found Jordan's prose during his descriptions of the clothing and setting way too detailed for its own good sometimes, and unfortunately, not detailed enough during the battle scenes. I did, however, get what I wanted in the final quarter of the novel. So overall, what changed for me? How was I able to tolerate these issues? Regarding the female characters' behavior, I suggest accepting them for what they are and maybe, treating their antics and behaviors as a running joke in the series. I am sorry, but that's the only method I could apply to my reading experience to barely understand why they needed to be that long. If I accept their antics seriously, it would just drive me nuts and insane. As for pacing issues, taking a break from the series feels mandatory. Based on my experience, I don't think I would be able to tolerate the flaws if I had binged read this series like I did almost three years ago. By doing this, I felt like I successfully embraced the good while acknowledging, but not being too infuriated by, the flaws of the novel/series.

“Take what you can have. Rejoice in what you can save, and do not mourn your losses too long.”

At the end of the day, this could all be just because The Fires of Heaven is, in my opinion, a much better book than The Shadow Rising. I know that this is an unpopular opinion. I seldom heard anyone consider The Fires of Heaven one of their favorite books in the series. I am speaking regarding the one written solely by Robert Jordan. Personally speaking, The Fires of Heaven is at least up there with The Great Hunt as the best of the series so far. I cannot determine when I will finish reading the series. But I do know I will be reading the Lord of Chaos within this year, and hopefully, the seventh book, too! Going further beyond that within this year might be pushing my luck. This 2,000 words review I wrote is me circling around to say: “The Wheel of Time, I am back. You win again, ta’veren.”

"We'll drink the wine till the cup is dry,
And kiss the girls so they'll not cry,
And toss the dice until we fly,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows."

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

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[Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.

The most thrilling and engaging Wheel of Time book yet

In most ways, this feels like a continuation of the previous book but I actually think it exceeds that one in quality. It's the first time in any of these books where I was never bored or impatient for things to get moving. The characters and world-building remain top-notch. There were select moments and plot points that didn't 100% work for me but that is to be expected in books and end series as long as this one.

I appreciated that this book didn't attempt to give a little slice into every single character, but instead focused on a few. While I was a bit frustrated no getting to read about Perrin, Faile or Loial - it's fun knowing more about the characters that we did get, and the expectation that we will get a more thorough focus on those other characters in other books.

[Foomy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I like to call Volume 1 in the "Women Hating Men" trilogy. At almost no point in these three books did women interacting with men consist of anything beyond: insulting men, assaulting men, sniffing at men, or thinking about how stupid men are compared to all the omniscient women. I almost didn't finish this book because of all the negative energy towards men.

Lessons I learned from this trilogy.

1) It is always a man's fault. Always.
2) Women are always smarter than men.
3) It is okay to break your promises as long as they were to a man.
4) Hitting a man is a perfectly acceptable response to anything he says.
5) If a man proves you wrong, it is okay to lie about it and also hit him.
6) A man raping a woman is a horrible crime.
7) A woman raping a man is funny.
8) A man of his word is easy to manipulate.

The best part of this whole trilogy was the end of book 6 (Lord of Chaos) because we finally saw some turnabout in the men vs. women thing.

Seriously, what kind of women did Robert Jordan have in his life? He was utterly incapable of creating a strong female character without also making her a hateful, spiteful harpy. They are either spineless doormats or unbearable battleaxes. The only reason this one has a second star in its rating is because he actually moves the plot along in interesting ways.

[Sean Barrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fires of Heaven bored me to tears. Nothing happened. My favourite character wasn’t even present. I feel like the story hasn’t progressed since The Shadow Rising.

It's 900+ pages of nothingness!

The problem with epic fantasy is that is can easily become too long. It’s usually filled with big descriptive passages, history and lore with a huge cast of characters in order to fully illustrate the world. And I usually love it, as I have done with books in this series, but the story needs to move forward for these elements not to feel superfluous. Unfortunately, this remains very much stationary and stuck deep in the mud (the mud of one of Rand’s endless campsites.)

This is the worse book in the series so far for me. The first third is loaded with recap material and repetitive storytelling. Some parts felt eerily similar to what I’ve read before. If I had the time, and the patience, I could find paragraphs and passages from the first four books that were almost identical to those printed here. I found myself skimming sections that added nothing to the story and just rambled on about things that have already been established and are growing tiresome. This book needed some energy! It needed a direction rather than the movement of an army and camp across the map.

The good bits (such as they are)

The only real interesting parts were some of the character interactions. I liked the tension created by having a Forsaken very close to Rand. Asmodean would have been killed by Rand’s allies if they knew of his identity. Moraine is rigid and unflinching and is unable to understand that there is a space in between darkness and light, the moral grey area. Asmodean is a survivalist, nothing more, and Rand is his best opportunity at escaping annihilation. Though, that being said, Jordan could have done a lot more with this story thread.

Moraine and Rand continued to clash, and eventually she begged him to let her stay with him. She’s sacrificed her own dignity just so she can be there to help him. Although toward the end of this book something has clearly changed to alter their relationship forever, I still found myself growing bored of their repetitive interactions and conversations. It follows a very similar pattern: Moraine advises Rand. Rand ignores her. Rand gets hurt. Moraine saves him. (repeat.)

I just want it to hurry up and be over with. At this point, I’m seriously considering skipping the next eight books and just reading the last one to see how it all ends. I’d read plot summaries to fill me in on the ones I’d miss. I will give Lord of Chaos a go first but if doesn’t move quickly I will not waste my time reading the entire thing. That won’t be until next summer though, this one took me almost four months to get through and it was a slog. (I'm in hope that it gets better and moves forward.)

The Wheel of Time
1. Eye of the World- An unoriginal five stars
2. The Great Hunt- A reluctant three stars
3. The Dragon Reborn- A well-developed four stars
4. The Shadow Rising- A strong four stars
5. The Fires of Heaven- A slow two stars

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth book in the series and I must say Jordan is still keeping things interesting. True, at some it felt like story is stagnant but soon he threw in some action and I was hooked again.

This book marks the absence of Perrin. I was expecting him to do great things in this book especially after that heroic performance in book 4 but sadly his name was mentioned here and there only, and not a single glimpse. I was very sad throughout the book because of it.

Elayne, Nynaeve, Aviendha and Rand, more than made up for Perrin’s absence here though I must say I only liked Rand here. As for the girls, they kept bickering throughout the book. Sometimes they fought among themselves and sometimes it was others who bore the tantrum thrown by these silly oafs.

Surprise of the book for me was Mat. He really came out of Rand’s shadow in this book. Though he was not prominently featured but whenever he was present in a scene, he was owned it. And he totally stole the show in final chapters. He is slowly paving his way into my list of favorites.

I simply loved how Rand has behaving from the last book. No one can order him around and he will make people do his bidding even if they are dead set against it. He knows what he has to do and he won’t let anyone do him otherwise. With each installment he has become calmer (perhaps except the parts where Aviendha and Elayne drives him mad) and strong.

Last but certainly not the least, Nynaeve. She has been my favorite since book 1. And I will admit graciously that she drives me mad sometimes but she is one of the strongest characters in the series so far. What she did in Shadow Rising and here, I don’t think can be outdone.

Overall it was a satisfactory addition to the series. Slow most of the time but it sure has its moments.

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 4.5 ***

A sprint to catch up with the buddy read at BB&B WoT crowd!

This is an amazing Epic Fantasy full of excitement, drama, wonderful as well as ridiculous situations, very flawed main characters, and a feeling of enchantment which is almost unattainable for most authors... Robert Jordan has made us already fall in love with all our thick headed leading boys, creatures, and girls, but in this book he tests our patience with them as readers, because he shows how VERY FLAWED they can get. At times I thought all of them needed to get taken down a peg or hundred, or at least they needed a good switching.... Some of them got exactly that, some steel need some direction with a firm hand... But despite the infuriating cat fighting and frustrating stubbornness they all exhibited at times, this is still an amazing, BRILLIANT, and addictive read which should be read by EVERY Fantasy fan!!!!

I wish you all Happy Reading and may you find the books which make you feel the way this series makes me feel!!!!

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

That this book took me nine months to read says it all, right? When I think about what appears to be a convoluted tale of history repeating itself in countless conflicts ridden reality is just too much going o for me. Too many towns, too many supporting characters, too many sub-plots and on and on. For what it's worth my fave character is Min who doesn't get much of a show in this one. I have to really think before I start the next volume. 4 out of 12 low Two Star read! The fact that I have only managed to watch one episode of the TV adaptation is another indicator of how this reality does just not work for me.

2023 read

[Richard Bray · Rating 2 out of 5]

To this point, I’ve enjoyed my re-read of THE WHEEL OF TIME, but I struggled at times to wade through this one. The length — nearing 1,000 pages in the mass-market paperback edition — wasn’t so much the problem as the character Nynaeve.

To this point in the series I’ve been mostly positive about Jordan’s use of women. There’s no disguising the fact that WHEEL OF TIME is heavily inspired by LORD OF THE RINGS, and seeing Jordan correct one of Tolkien’s weaknesses — the role of women in his stories — seemed like a solid step. And while some of the male protagonists seemed passive, merely reacting to the world around them rather than making proactive choices, Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne at times drove the plot, making decisions and bringing the fight to the bad guys.

But in this book, Jordan relies more heavily on Nynaeve’s point of view, and that sucks much of the fun from the story. To this point, Nynaeve has mostly been a side character. Surly and grouchy, almost always criticizing the other characters, she has always been portrayed as a good person who’s a bit overbearing and rough around the edges. But spending as much time inside Nynaeve’s head as we do in this book, I came away with almost the opposite impression. She hates almost all of her “friends.”

Elayne is a slut because of the clothes she wears, even though Nynaeve is often wearing something similar.

Anyone who disagrees with her is a fool.

All men are morons, except for Lan.

Thom is an old fool.

Juilin Sandar wears a silly conical hat (Nynaeve seems obsessed with this damn hat. In every Nynaeve POV chapter, the first thing she ever says about Juilin is that his hat is silly, yellow and conical. She is literally unable to mention Juilin’s name without commenting on how much she hates this hat).

It’s exhausting to be around someone this negative, and Nynaeve’s POV dominates this book, making her constant negativity impossible to ignore. In the end, it drains this book of much of its fun. Even some of the plot developments late in the book are overshadowed by Nynaeve’s personality, and that’s too bad because Jordan moves the story forward and takes it to some interesting places. I just wish Nynaeve didn’t have to be in any of those places.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment with some major surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed this book especially the last part, it was crazy! I also didn’t want the book to end because I love the characters and this tale very much. I honestly don't have the time to review it but I'd like to mention a few points.

This book had a strange format. I assumed the climax was around p 750 and wondered what’s gonna happen in the last 100 pages.. but after that was "resolved", a completely different set of events took place in the last 150 pages. Suffice to say, I did not see that coming. I first assumed it's impossible to wrap that particular plotline before the end of the book but my friend reminded me that 150 pages are half of an average book's length! So strange to think that while reading a 1000 pages book..

Other than that: while I didn't mind the menagerie subplot, I admit it streched a bit. I also didn't care about the Shaido and wasn't really invested in that particular plotline. But nonetheless, I really enjoyed the book otherwise.

I think the Prophet’s characterisation is on point. We have zealots everywhere who ruin the picture of those they worship or follow.

the last 150 pages WERE EPIC. It was 4 stars read but then stuff happened and I was left disbelieving.

I enjoyed the Fires of Heaven more than the Shadow Rising but at the same time, I know the latter had an overall stronger plot.

I will wait at least 5 months before reading the Lord of Chaos. I struggled with the Shadow Rising because I have read it too soon. I want to avoid that with WoT's future books.

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Storms rumble beyond the horizon, and the fires of heaven purge the earth. There is no salvation without destruction, no hope this side of death.”

The White Tower is shattered by a brutal struggle for power. The remaining Forsaken enter the fray, as kings and queens dance to their tunes in secret. And the greatest army the Westlands have seen in thousands of years emerge from the Waste, as the clans of the Aiel cross the Spine of the World at the command of He Who Comes With The Dawn.

The Fires of Heaven is unfortunately not as interesting as previous instalments in the Wheel of Time series. To briefly summarise, there were three hundred pages of following a travelling circus, chapter upon chapter of nothing happening in the Aiel Waste, very little action at all, and quite a lot of talking. And precious little interesting talking, mind you.

Still, reading this book was like taking a break after a long and tedious workout session. Its most important strength was that the main characters, previously dubbed the worst characters in fantasy by this particular reviewer, seems to have improved immensely. Rand al'Thor, while further exploring the depths of madness, behaves rather civilly for once; both Egwene and Mat turn into characters I can respect, perhaps even like; Aviendha and Nynaeve have become almost tolerable; and Perrin and Faile don't even appear. So in one way at least, this was a series highlight so far.

Min's early POV chapters were great, and so were Rand's late ones. Watching Siuan Sanche race across the countryside with a gentled false Dragon in tow and encountering a bunch of interesting characters was perfectly enjoyable. As was reading about the Aiel and their second crossing of the Spine of the World. So there were certainly great parts included in this book as well.

The ending was definitely not as good as the one in The Shadow Rising, but neither would anyone expect it to be. The book as a whole was unremarkable and not particularly impressive, but the (almost) complete lack of negative qualities made me able to appreciate the insane worldbuilding skills of Robert Jordan even more. And for the first time in a while, I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Wheel of Time reviews:
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was trying to decide in which order of Knight Radiant some our characters would fit. Sanderson actually confirmed Rand as a Bondsmith (Windrunner as secondary fit), Mat as a Lightweaver, and Perrin as a Willshaper. Besides those, Galad has to be a Skybreaker, right? Nyneave I’d probably make an Edgedancer, Egwene an Elsecaller and Lan a Stoneward. I’m not sure about Elayne – maybe I need to read more books before I can make a decision. Thoughts, friends?

Anyway, it’s hard to write a review that is not repetitive in a series – let me just say again how much I love it! The fact that, so far, I’ve been reading books 1-5 back to back tells you about everything you need to know. I keep having this wonderful feeling of being on a journey with our characters, which might also have something to do with them going places so much, and I’m constantly in my happy place when reading.

A part of my enjoyment is that the combination of prophecy and the nature of ta’veren really works for me. I enjoy seeing our characters being led in general and being led to one another. In any other book, you’d be skeptical of all those “chance” encounters, but here it just works. Also, it is comforting to me that the core characters have plot armor to a certain degree – though I’m sure that’s going to change at some point.

Still, there continue to be some things that drive me up the wall:
🙄 people having to be naked for weird reasons constantly
🤨 Rand smoking a pipe
🙈 the name “Couladin” sounding way too close to "Kaladin" for my liking (I’m fine with “Adelin“ and “Adolin“)
🤯 Egwene and Nynaeve’s lack of empathy towards Rand (calling him out for being arrogant without considering his fate and his reasons)
🤦‍♀️ Elayne’s misplaced infatuation with a man that could be her grandfather and is her mother’s ex-lover

I would be lying if I said those things didn’t bother me from time to time, but I am happy to note that they don’t diminish my love for WoT at all. On to book 6!

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another month and another Wheel of Time book down.

This is epic high fantasy at its best. Rich engaging world with a lot of different PoVs and exciting happenings everywhere.

A few points of interest:

Rand - gets his groove on with a special lady and Lanfear looses her mind over it. But he also becomes more of a strong leader everyday.

Nynaeve - Unfortunately almost all the female characters in this get a personality change and spend most their time bickering and postering with each other enough to drive me crazy. But she does get to have a battle with Mogadine and that is pretty awesome.

Birgetta - The one female character that I loved through this entire book is more in the fight than I ever thought she’d be.

Mat - FINALLY DOES SOMETHING….I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for him to become more than a man that only gambles and chases skirts around. He might try to be hiding from his destiny but it looks like it is going to find him no matter what.

Eylane - Tap danced on my very last nerve with her actions towards Thom and some of the other petty crap she pulled. But she has learned to do something that has been lost for millennia so good for her.

The White Tower Divided - WOW this seems pretty troublesome overall. All I know is that Moiraine is pretty much the only Aes Sedae I like and the light burn all the others. It is amazing how dense they all are in themselves and their greatness. Hubris will kill them all eventually I think.

Min - Was one of the few female characters that didn’t turn into a total ninny this book. I enjoyed her chapters traveling with a deposed Suane the most and I hope she makes it to Rand to have her shot soon.

There are some great surprises in this book but I liked the last one just a little more. I think that has a lot to do with all the women in the book becoming silly, whiny and a little stupid for the most part.

But the Wheel weaves as the Wheel Wills and I am so caught up in knowing how this cycle will play out.

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite The Fires of Heavens being slightly weaker compared to its brilliant predecessor, it is still an outstanding novel, once again confirming how well-thought-out and consistent the Wheel of Time world is. At this point, it is blatant that the whole series is beyond interesting and intriguing, and becomes outright addictive.

The momentum of the presented world is overwhelming and shocking, and yet I can’t get enough of it. While the multi-level main plots in their meticulousness and fastidiousness, harmony and the ability to maintain the logic of the created world in even the smallest, subtle details should place Mr Jordan on the second step of the podium, right behind Professor Tolkien, Mr Jordan is already a master in terms of plotting. Compared with Mr Jordan’s panache, the Lord of the Rings is a single-threaded good-night tale. It amazes me how skilfully Mr Jordan controls everything, over several hundred pages of a dense story, and the only thing that can be criticised is basically too many PMS women, featuring mostly Nynaeve in the form of ever-furious comic relief.

“Is that steam coming out of her ears?”

For me, the first time in the series, Mr Jordan does not even try to give the plot the appearance of being an independent entity that can be read as a story of its own. On the contrary, some plot lines are pushed forward, while others, were completely omitted (e.g. Perrin).

Of course, so much is happening, that it would be impossible to recap everything here. The threads, instead of explaining each other, develop, interweave, grow in complexity and as if it was not enough, new ones appear (we are still not even halfway through, after all!). The story is moving forward in a mad gallop from the very beginning. We mostly accompany Rand and the Aiel, Nynaeve and Elayne, and Siuan Sanche accompanied by Min and Leane. We also are offered glimpses into the split White Tower. At the same time, the Forsaken pursue their goals more and more boldly, either alone or by cooperating with each other. The unexpected, heartbreaking twists Birgitte! Moraine! are well-integrated with the lighter chapters that give us breathers, and simultaneously only whet our appetite. Their proper length does not allow for boredom, as was sometimes the case in previous volumes.

“We all have to do what we must. Now what we want to, very often. What we must.”

Simultaneously, I can see that these moments, interspersed with long passages, which show a love of detail, meticulous descriptions or, in the worst cases, introducing the thoughts of individual characters to the narrative, can be trying. On the one hand, this is an advantage - the reader has the impression that the world is precise, and the characters’ motivations are clear, clear and understandable.

However, when we look at this book (and series!) with a more critical eye, we notice the text blown out to the outer limits, full of repetitions, banalities or descriptions of completely irrelevant details that in the long run becomes simply boring and tiring. When we overlay it with a strongly exposed element of male-female relations (especially the awful 3+1 leading triangle), we get a product that can be sometimes really irritating.

Luckily, those lengthy details and descriptions that slow down the action, do not dissipate the overall tension. This is achieved thanks to the individual characters, colourful and interesting: some we grow to like (Mat) or love (Moraine), others are irritating (Aviednha), but they are consistently led through actions and events that explain character development. They are human, they make mistakes, you can identify with either their flaws or their dreams (or even both), which is not always obvious in fantasy.

“We all make our limits. And we set them further out than we have any rights.”

For me, Siuan Sanche was the shining star of this instalment, especially when contrasted with Egwene (who is 80% bluff and 20% luck wrapped in insufferable smugness), Siuan shows what happens when all the tools of power are taken away from you and you need to rely on wit and a stubborn will not to give in.



This is just one of the things worth mentioning. It shows that overall, the Wheel of Time is a series that has quite a lot to offer to readers with high expectations. The question is, is it worth being patient and going through this popular saga? I guess so. There are several scenes in The Fires of Heaven, which can provide great entertainment. For some, it is not enough, for others, it will suffice. For me, it is just right. I was genuinely delighted with the epic ending; the last 100 pages crushed me. A very short epilogue, however, left me unsatisfied…

…And prompted me to start the Lord of Chaos immediately.

Also in the series:

1. The Eye of the World ★★★★☆
2. The Great Hunt ★★★★☆
3. The Dragon Reborn ★★★★☆
4. The Shadow Rising ★★★★☆
6. Lord of Chaos ★★★☆☆
7. A Crown of Swords ★★★☆☆
8. The Path of Daggers ★★★☆☆
9. Winter's Heart ★☆☆☆☆
10. Crossroads of Twilight ★★☆☆☆
11. Knife of Dreams ★★★★☆
12. The Gathering Storm ★★★★☆
13. Towers of Midnight ★★★☆☆
14. A Memory of Light ★★★☆☆

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review to come, but for now, here are some random observations:

The book started out strong, with those tricky Forsaken up to their shenanigans, which is always fun to watch.

But as Rand and company traveled without getting anywhere, things got slower...

...and slower...

...and sllllllllloooooooowwwwwwwer!

But then Nynaeve and Elayne met a circus menagerie, which was really cool!

And the Forsaken started causing trouble again, so my interest was once again piqued.

But then a battle that had been built up for hundreds of pages wound up mostly happening off camera, so then I was annoyed again!

But even if I found some parts dull, the last few chapters more than made up for it, with the most exciting climax since The Great Hunt!

So, overall, this was my least favorite of the Wheel of Time books so far, but ultimately still a good read (especially the last quarter of the book).

If I were to stack Wheel of Time books in order of favorite to least favorite, this is how it would look so far:


I was a little disappointed in myself that it's taken me so long to read through this series so far, but then I noticed something when I turned the books around:


Light! That's a lot of pages! I expect the table will collapse by the time I get to Book 10! :o

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Who would rule a nation when he could have easier work, such as carrying water uphill in a sieve?"

[Wera · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I have a YouTube channel now! Check it out here. ***

4 stars
**Although this is a spoiler-free review (spoilers are hidden), there may be spoilers for previous books (scroll down)**

Guys!! Based on pure enjoyment, this is my favorite Wheel of Time book so far. Where the previous book focused more on Rand and Perrin, this one treats all the side quests (Min, Rand, Mat, Egwene, and Elayne/Nynaeve) fairly equally... but excludes Perrin. As Couladin declared himself the 'real' Car’a’carn and promises vengeance on the treekiller Cairhienin, he sets out on a killer rampage to Jangai Pass. Rand soon follows suit. With Foresaken taunting and chasing after him, he will soon be facing more than one enemy... but will his mind hold up until then?

“With his coming are the dread fires born again. The hills burn, and the land turns sere. The tides of men run out, and the hours dwindle. The wall is pierced, and the veil of parting raised. Storms rumble beyond the horizon, and the fires of heaven purge the earth. There is no salvation without destruction, no hope this side of death.”

I absolutely loved the plot of this book. It is everything you want. The set up starts up right in the beginning. From the quote above (with which the novel starts), to the gripping prologue, to the tension-filled first chapter. Then the climax and the third act were all phenomenal. You get this feeling of strife through Rand's perspective. At this point I feel like he might become my favorite character overall with time. From the Nynaeve/Elayne side, their plot gives them an opportunity to set up other conflicts and explore parts of the world that we have only heard about previously. They also give the story a tranquil tone with comic relief that doesn't feel forced. Where in some other previous entries to this series I thought the humor and plot was a little bit forced, here I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The one aspect of the story that really put a bad taste in my mouth were the women. I cannot stand some of them now. I have been told that it gets better but WOW do I want to (as Nynaeve would say) "box their ears". Min, Moiraine, Siuan, and sometimes Elayne and Nynaeve are the only women that I actually like. The two main offenders in this book are Egwene and Aviendha. First off, Egwene is a brat. She has this moment in the book where she turns into a pretentious jerk to everyone other than the Wise Ones, Aviendha and Moiraine. There are no words that express how disgusted I was in her while reading her segments. On the other hand, Aviendha is a bad friend: for what reasons I cannot say, but let's just say, if I was Elayne I'd be pissed.

The Fires of Heaven, is the most fun book in the series so far. Despite its usual Jordan pacing issues (though those too haven't been very prevalent), I was more than satisfied in the set up and pay off of the plot and the progression of some characters. Unfortunately the females are getting on my nerves and taint my impression of this novel. Quick note: I am reading New Spring after this book.

Spoiler thoughts:

Ok I need to talk about something great and something not so great: character development for Nynaeve and Mat, and how much I hate Egwene and Aviendha at the moment.

Firstly Robert Jordan is fantastic at developing characters as evidenced by what he does with Mat and Nynaeve in this book. Mat's moments, though lamentably infrequent, are fantastic. They include the part where he decides to help the Tairens against Couladin's Aiel, and the part where he accidentally kills Melindre. Both moments are headstones that show who Mat is:

“He had killed men, and Trollocs, but never a woman. Never a woman until now. Women were glad when he came into their lives. It was not boasting. Women smiled for him; even when he left them, they smiled as if they would welcome him back. That was all he ever really wanted from women; a smile, a dance, a kiss, and to be remembered fondly.”

The fact that Mat is thinking all of this as he holds a dying Melindre is heart-breaking. He hates himself, he feels disappointed in himself. A part of him took over, the warrior/violent part of him. And in letting that little part take over, he did something against his morals. No matter that his newfound battle prowess brings help and joy to his armies, it killed a part of him too. I cannot wait to see where this goes.

Then there is Nynaeve. Although that entire segment when she and Elayne leave the caravans and Valan Luca declares his love for her was frustrating (what with her being oblivious to him and harshly rejecting him), I loved her contrast to Moghedien. Nynaeve's battle with fear and cowardice is fantastic to read about; how she fights to overcome fear and access the power through anger. The ending when she binds Moghedien in an a'dam was so powerful and also terrifying. As she starts torturing the Forsaken she mutters that she isn't the other woman and stops. I wonder if this is hinting at a future darker path for Nynaeve. Out of the entire cast, in the beginning, I wouldn't have guessed that she'd be one to turn morally-gray, but I'm here for it if it happens.

Egwene and Aviendha. EGWENE IS SUCH A BRAT!!!!

“For that matter, she ought not to shout at Nynaeve, either; she was a woman, not a girl throwing tantrums.
She found herself giggling. She especially ought not to raise her voice with Nynaeve when speaking calmly produced such results.”

There's this one section where Egwene just spends her time thinking on how to manipulate Nynaeve. I hate that. I was so so disgusted by this. Probably Egwene feels powerful that she can now have power over a woman who taught her, but the way she disrespects Nynaeve puts a bad, bad taste in my mouth. Aviendha is a different story. She ever hear of girl code? First, she and Rand have sex in the tent. Then, she just walks around him naked. Sure Aiel customs and Wise Ones intervening, whatever. She disrespects Elayne by doing this. Her near-sister. I am all for a poly relationship. However, I am only ok with it so far for it being Elayne-Min-Rand because Aviendha pisses me off. Min is so pure and sweet, Elayne is powerful and I love how flustered she gets around Rand. BUT AVIENDHA IS JUST A HOE. For those who read The Witcher series, she reminds me of Triss... but with anger issues.

Basically, I know that Jordan can handle characters wonderfully. WHY DOES HE DO THIS WITH EGWENE AND AVIENDHA OH MY GOD! My greatest hope for book 6 will be to fix this.

-----------------------------------
Books in series :
#0 New Spring: ★★.75
#1 The Eye of the World: ★★★.5
#2 The Great Hunt: ★★★.75
#3 The Dragon Reborn: ★★★
#4 The Shadow Rising: ★★★★.25
#5 The Fires of Heaven: ★★★★
#6 Lord of Chaos: ★★★★.25
#7 A Crown of Swords: ★★★.75
#8 The Path of Daggers: ★★.25
#9 Winter's Heart: ★.25
#10 Crossroads of Twilight: ★.5
#11 Knife of Dreams: ★★★.5
#12 The Gathering Storm: ★★★★.5
#13 Towers of Midnight: ★★★
#14 A Memory of Light: ★★★.5

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain / Time to roll the dice"

5th volume and as awesome as the others. Rand starts to build his army, they all learn more about the One Power, and thus they become more powerful with each day.

As a side note, whenever I hear Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds' Red Right Hand I think of Mat and his band, not of Peaky Blinders.

Notes to myself, heavy spoilers: Asmodean is teaching Rand / He leaves the waste after Couladin / Siuan finds out about Salidar, later Nynaeve and Elayne / Elayne bonds Birgitte to save her life after being ripped from Tel'arah'rhiod by Moghedien / Couladin and the Shaido's attach Cairhien / Matt's memories about battles help win against Shaido / Matt kills Couladin (the dragons on his hands were put there by Asmodean, before Lanfear made him obey Rand)/ Rand and Aviendha start their affair on a Seanchan island / Nyneave and Elayne, Thom and Juilin travel with the circus to escape Galad and Moghedien / Kadere kills Isendre for not being able to seduce Rand / Elayne flirts with the idea to make an angreal by studying an a'dam / Gareth Bryne pursues Siuan, Leane and Min to Salidar for breaking the oath given to him, and finds himself in the position of gathering and lead an army for the Aes Sedai in Salidar / Morgase flees Andor and Rahvin with Tallanvor, Lini and Basel Gill / Everyone thinks Morgase is dead / Moiraine gives Rand a letter for him and one for Thom / Lanfear tries to kill Rand after finding out about him and Aviendha (she kills Kadere too), but Moiraine fights her and both fall through the red door angreal / Lan leaves Rand, drawn by his new bond to Myrelle / Mat leads the Band of the Red Hand / Rand kills Rahvin in Tel'aran'rhiod with Nynaeve's help / Nynaeve traps Moghedien with an a'dam in Tel'aran'rhiod / Asmodean is taken by surprise by someone known to him (not to us at this moment) and killed / Bashere swear loyalty to Rand / Rand reveals that he will use every man who can channel.

(3rd read, Feb 4 - March 5 2022)

------

Rand has indeed become the Dragon Reborn; he is such a powerful character, far from the boy who could be easily manipulated by Aes Sedai. Most of the Aiel clans follow He Who Comes With The Dawn and together they cross the Spine of the World into the Westlands, trying to gather all nations under his flag in preparation for Tarmon Gaidon which is approaching fast.

Mat is finally achieving his long-awaited fame. He makes use of the knowledge gained so painfully in Rhuidean and turns over the result of the confrontation with the Shaido. However, as much as he wants to pull himself away from Rand, the Pattern is more powerful and their ta’veren bond not so frail to be broken on a whim.

The White Tower is still broken; there are two sides now and no sister trusts the one next to her.

Nynaeve is fighting one of the Forsaken and later on even uses her; Elayne makes a very bold move, one which ever find out, will probably end her association with the Aes Sedai.

But more than the plot are the new details which are being thrown into the story with every volume. The more you read, the more secrets are unfolding under you eyes and fingers; the One Power holds yet so many secrets, if only the wielder knows how to use it.

And there are so many more surprises yet to come; my fingers itch to start the 6th volume but I will take a break now, because I want to be able to savor it gradually.

[Maddie Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 3⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 4⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 3.75⭐️

I loved the end of this book! Really explosive for several of the characters, and a great payoff with bale-fire. There was a bit of plodding that got old around the 60% mark, and the dream world gets a little tiresome at times, plus I really missed Perirn in this book, but overall, I enjoyed all the political maneuvering, the character growth, and the interpersonal relationship work.

[Krell75 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anche stavolta sono giunto alla fine arrancando e solo grazie ad ossigenazione forzata e litri di caffe nero. Mai avrei pensato si potesse peggiorare ma anche qui la noia ha prevalso per buona parte del romanzo.

Per circa quattro quinti del volume non assistiamo ad alcun accadimento degno di nota che abbia fatto procedere la trama generale, abbiamo solo le solite infinite descrizioni sui vestiti e finanche i bottoni, le acconciature dei capelli, i cibi e anche le posate, gli edifici con i loro tetti di paglia o tegole rosse, le mille comparse inutili, tutte però rigorosamente con un nome e cognome da riempire il vecchio elenco telefonico, alla fin fine non necessari in alcun modo alla trama.

Continua l'invettiva sulla stupidità dei maschi e sulla loro inettitudine, ricordata ogni due pagine nei terribili dialoghi delle protagoniste, quando non parlano di vestiti o acconciature dei capelli. Beautiful levati!
Tutti i personaggi femminili continuano ad essere insopportabili, si potrebbe fare una gara, vincerebbero tutte.
Inspiegabilmente ogni occasione è buona per renderle nude pubblicamente, sia per punirle o a caso, naturalmente sono tutte bellissime da mozzare il fiato. Le uniche doti che Jordan sa conferirgli sono una bellezza senza eguali e un'alterigia fuori scala condita da una lingua tagliente. Nessuna diversità o mezza misura, tutte noiosamente, insopportabilmente uguali.

Pagine su pagine sono dedicate agli amoreggiamenti improbabili dei vari personaggi che neanche un romanzo rosa di serie "b" riuscirebbe a contenere.
Quando finalmente Rand inizia a dire la sua e prova a prendere in pugno la sua tragica situazione, invece di essere guidato e soccorso, viene puntualmente etichettato dalle sue meravigliose compagne come tronfio d'orgoglio perché si è montato la testa...credo sia una vera fortuna avere amicizie così comprensive...

Mat continua a trascinarsi contro voglia senza trovare un motivo che giustifichi la sua presenza nei romanzi. Probabilmente se lo chiede anche lui, insieme a noi.
Perrin non compare per tutto il romanzo...ormai disperso e dimenticato.

Lan...perchè esiste? E' meglio non parlare di Lan, uno dei tanti personaggi che sono arrivato ad odiare, risulta più interessante parlare della forma arrotondata di un ciottolo trovato lungo la riva di un fiume che di lui. Spero finisca il suo viaggio presto... in fondo ad un precipizio!

A parte alcuni eventi interessanti diluiti nell'oceano infinito di pagine, c'è davvero poco altro.
Unica parte, forse degna di nota è la misera battaglia finale che ridesta un minimo l'interesse e spinge leggermente l'acceleratore sul ritmo, peccato duri meno di un centinaio di pagine e sia narrata dall'esterno (vabbè, Jordan non è Erikson o Tolkien o Abercrombie).

Sarà dura continuare...

----------------------------
This time too I reached the end trudging and only thanks to forced oxygenation and liters of black coffee. I never thought it could get worse but even here boredom prevailed for a good part of the novel.

For about four fifths of the volume we do not witness any noteworthy event that moved the general plot forward, we only have the usual infinite descriptions of clothes and even buttons, hair styles, foods and even cutlery, buildings with their thatched roofs or red tiles, the thousand useless extras, all however strictly with a name and surname to fill the old telephone directory, ultimately not necessary in any way to the plot.

The invective about the stupidity of males and their ineptitude continues, recalled every two pages in the terrible dialogues of the protagonists, when they don't talk about clothes or hair styles. Beautiful arise!
All the female characters continue to be unbearable, you could have a competition, they would all win.
Inexplicably, every occasion is a good one to make them naked publicly, whether to punish them or randomly, of course they are all breathtakingly beautiful. The only qualities that Jordan can give him are an unparalleled beauty and an out-of-scale haughtiness seasoned with a sharp tongue. No diversity or half measures, all boringly, unbearably the same.

Pages upon pages are dedicated to the unlikely flirtations of the various characters that not even a "b" series romance novel would be able to contain.
When Rand finally starts to have his say and tries to take control of his tragic situation, instead of being guided and helped, he is promptly labeled by his wonderful companions as pompous with pride because he has gone to his head... I think it's a really lucky to have such understanding friends...

Mat continues to drag himself along without finding a reason that justifies his presence in the novels. He probably wonders that too, along with us.
Perrin does not appear throughout the novel... now lost and forgotten.

Lan... why does he exist? It's better not to talk about Lan, one of the many characters I've come to hate, it's more interesting to talk about the rounded shape of a pebble found along the bank of a river than about him. I hope he ends his journey soon... at the bottom of a cliff!

Apart from a few interesting events diluted in the endless ocean of pages, there is very little else.
The only part, perhaps worthy of note, is the miserable final battle which arouses a minimum of interest and slightly pushes the accelerator on the pace, too bad it lasts less than a hundred pages and is narrated from the outside (oh well, Jordan is not Erikson or Tolkien or Abercrombie).

It will be hard to continue...

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wheel of Time series represents, for me, the perfect example of a guilty pleasure in the world of fantasy.

This series is not actually written very well. Robert Jordan was not a very good wordsmith, and he really only knew how to say and describe things one way. His characters are generally unbelievable, and have ridiculous dialogue. The plot is tremendously predictable, and is heavily influenced (close to the point of being unoriginal) by the fantasy works that came before. The whole story is much, much longer than it needs to be and obviously became bigger than Jordan could handle.

That being said... I still enjoy these books. I can't rationally explain it, and I've re-read most of them at least a couple times. I shouldn't be so attached to them, yet I'm chained by my own embarrassed desire to periodically dive into the wheel of time. The only explanation I can think of, is that Jordan was a wizard. Not a skillful, subtle, thoughtful wizard; a sneaky, dark, and soul-sucking wizard who has enchanted me by his mediocre writing.

Many people despise and look down their nose at these books, and I totally understand that. Many people also love and adore these books, and will forever place The Wheel of Time series upon their list of all-time favorite books. I can understand that impulse too.
I realize this review is lacking in helpfulness, but the important thing to take away is this: try these books out. If you hate them, then fine. At least you'll have given them a chance. If you Love them, then great! Good for you, and you have a long, LONG, journey ahead of you filled with something you love. Either way, you'll have exposed yourself to one of the most famous fantasy series of all time.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Always leave a way out, unless you really want to find out how hard a man can fight when he’s nothing to lose.”

The reception behind The Fires of Heaven is so polarising (for good reasons). My friend calls this “the most Robert Jordan book” all his excesses are on full display (for better or worse). I was both excited and concerned about this book because of that fact and one plotline which often is discussed. So firstly, I think this book is great, I loved my time with it and that single plotline must be one of the most overblown hatreds, I’ve seen for a plotline. In this review, I will be describing why I found this to be a fantastic entry in the Wheel of Time, despite being one of the flawed in the series.

FoH is the first Wheel of Time book where it’s a proper continuation of the prior books’ plotline. Book 4’s major plotline was somewhat independent, breaking the formula of the series and continuing that trend. So, the plot threads like Couladin, Eladia, Min, Rand, Mat, Aviendha and Nyneave are directly followed up. In turn, becomes its biggest advantage.

The world-building is brilliant (as usual). It's not mindblowing akin to Book 4, but there’s a lot of juicy information. So firstly, the polarising element is Jordan's descriptions. His descriptions of bosoms aren't what annoyed me, it’s more so the filler. What Jordan states in 30 words, most authors could communicate in 10. It's less of a byproduct of beautiful prose, but more repetitive descriptions that are littered throughout that serve little purpose. On the other side of the coin, he's excellent at setting a scene. Even people who dislike his prose have a good grasp of the scene he sets, sprinkling nuggets of beauty. It’s not necessarily action (which is often fantastic) but how inner conflict is conveyed to set this incredible atmosphere and deliver certain emotions vividly. If I were to sum it up, I would say it’s uneven in its brilliance. However, I’m mostly a fan but when a chapter's heavy lifting is entirely on its prose with very little of anything interesting transpiring it’s Jordan excesses at his worst.

Another polarising component is pacing. Whenever TSR book slowed down, it's often for meaningful reasons. Each chapter felt like it was delivering something vital like character, culture, plot development etc. In the case of FoH, it felt a lot less meaningful. Chapters could be cut in half, without many meaningful elements being removed contrary to TSR. There were just a ton of meetings and less variety compared to TSR. This didn’t bother me significantly; there were only a few chapters that I didn’t like but even then, elements of those chapters I enjoyed. I even found the Circus plotline to be good, which is the silver lining of the book. If you do not click with this plotline the pacing can drag immensely.

Before going to the positives (as there’s a lot), I think the make-it-or-break is the female bickering. This element can hit the nerves and in certain stages, it did annoy me. The arrogance of the Aes Sedai on display is insane. There’s just a certain section that makes me feel in disbelief by their stupidity and ineptitude. Another oddity is some of the inconsistencies. There’s a certain subplot with Elayne that came out of left field, and I question why it exists. It doesn’t serve any purpose and only undermines what was established in TSR. Similarly, Nynaeve made certain decisions you would think after 4 books you would know not to make. In general, I think some characters felt more inconsistent which is atypical of Jordan. Which is usually one of his biggest strengths. Now I can talk about the positives of the book, which there’s a lot!

Positives

One of the big strengths of the book is the continuation of the character arcs from The Shadow Rising. Plotlines such as Mat and Rand were a lot of fun to read. In either plotline, there isn’t as much building of culture compared to TSR. However, the building of the culture we get is fantastic. I particularly enjoyed seeing another perspective of the Maidens. One of the more interesting themes of the novel is connections. Characters such as Moraine, Nynaeve and Rand are used to explore it comprehensively.

Moraine states it best:

“I will not be with you forever,” Moiraine said urgently. Her hands gripped her skirts so hard that they trembled. “I might die in the next attack. I could fall from my horse and break my neck, or take a Darkfriend’s arrow through my heart, and death cannot be Healed. I have given my entire life to the search for you, to find you and help you. You still do not know your own strength; you cannot know half of what you do. I—apologize—most humbly for any offense I have given you.” Those words—words he had never thought to hear from her—came out as if dragged, but they came; and she could not lie. “Let me help you as much as I can, while I can. Please.”

Her sacrifice to protect Rand from Lanfear was even more heartbreaking. Moraine clearly understands the importance of honesty and forming a connection with Rand. He predominantly heeded her word and was generally one of the healthier relationships (not love) in the series. Moriaine had the best arc of the book by far and one of the best moments of the series. Her noble sacrifice and the letter she sent Rand were brutal.

Subsequently, the talk with the Maidens was even more brutal. We are witnessing the family-like dynamic Maidens have with Rand. They treat Rand as their son and sometimes brother. It’s a very adorable relationship, there's so much sincerity and beauty in their protective nature. Because of that fact, Rand has similar feelings, wanting to protect them. Nonetheless, they have their tradition, pride and duty so his action was an insult to them. He realises his errors, but it’s still tough to allow them to endanger themselves to protect him. Then by the end of the book with the number of dead Maidens, I was just sad. At least they died protecting their Car’a’carn.

Both the boys' and girls' plotlines were compelling for different reasons. During the boys' plotline, we are witnessing what it takes to be a leader whereas, for Nynaeve and Elayne, it's the importance of honesty. In the case of Nynaeve, her arc is to explore depression, trauma and how it can damage the relationships around you. She consistently treats characters in this book in a poor light, it's hard to stomach at times, but during the process, she loses a lot. An example is Moghedien traumatising her by “killing” Birgitte and Egwene's bullying. This can be a frustrating book for Nynaeve, but in the end, I think she changes considerably. I loved her involvement with the climax of the book, I thought it was extremely clever. I also love the chapters near the end of the book, where Nynaeve is just helping people.

My most unpopular opinion is most likely enjoying the circus plotline. It added layers I didn't expect. The Seanchan subplot was intriguing, I thoroughly enjoyed Elayne's chapters (except her loving Thom) and the introduction of Birgitte (part of the main cast) was a brilliant choice. The reappearance of characters from TGH like Uno and seeing Galad was unexpected but great. Genuinely for the first time, he felt like a proper character. One of Jordan's big strengths is how alive his side cast can be in this giant world. Like the world is progressing outside our main cast. The girls' plotline was a net positive like the exploration of the Dreamworld was fun. It's the contributing reason why I enjoyed the circus immensely.

Lastly, one highlight of that plotline concerns Elayne. In chapter 36, she was actually honest with Thom and the other dude. Openness is rare in this series, so it's beautiful to see. In general, the conversations often revolve around the subject of honesty and guilt, and it’s explored very well with Elayne and Nyaneve.

It's difficult to articulate precisely why I love Aviendha. Let's face it, most tsunderes' are annoying rather than endearing, yet Aviendha is the latter. There are many beautiful moments with her, saving Rand from the Draghkar and being a good soul. Out of the numerous awful romances in WoT, it’s probably the most believable in my eyes, as Jordan allowed the relationship to blossom. Unlike Nyaneve and Lan's setup, here I think Jordan took his time (and it paid off). It’s far from amazing, but you do see the chemistry and understand why they get to like each other besides a dumb prophecy (which is a cop-out). Anyways I really enjoy this character and I’m excited to see more of her in the future.

Mat POV has been a lot of fun since the events of The Shadow Rising. How he recalls the memories of ancient battles so vividly. I liked how he attempted to leave but was forced to become the leader-hero during the process. That moment was just gold. Though it was pretty tragic when he was forced to kill a woman (even a dark friend) and his reaction to Rand after that event.

There was a ton of clever writing in this book, like the climax during this sequence:

The corridor was doubly familiar, once for having seen it before, once for having seen something similar.

I walked this way with Elayne and Gawyn the day I met Morgase. The thought slithered painfully along the boundaries of the Void. He was cold in there, without emotion. Saidin raged and burned, but he was icy calm.

And another thought, like a stab. She lay on a floor like this, her golden hair spread as though sleeping. Ilyena Sunhair. My Ilyena.

Elaida had been there that day, too. She Foretold the pain I’d bring. She knew the darkness in me. Some of it. Enough.

Ilyena, I did not know what I was doing. I was mad! I am mad. Oh, Ilyena!

Elaida knew—some—but she did not tell even all of that. Better if she had told.

Oh, Light, is there no forgiveness? I did what I did in madness. Is there no mercy?

Gareth Bryne would have killed me, had he known. Morgase would have ordered my death. Morgase would be alive, perhaps. Elayne’s mother alive. Aviendha alive. Mat. Moiraine. How many alive, if I had died?

I have earned my torment. I deserve the final death. Oh, Ilyena, I deserve death.

I deserve death.

Bootsteps behind him. He turned.

Lew’s attempt to take over throughout the book is excellent and builds up to this moment beautifully. The internal conflict, the atmosphere, the prose … all of Jordan’s comes to light with sections like those. In general, the climax was just masterfully crafted, and I was hooked on every page. It’s also nice that I can finally understand the prologue of EoTW.

The prologue was excellent, doing a great job of introducing the Forsaken, Elaida and Padan Fain. Establishing the major players in this book (and going forward). Speaking of Forsaken, Asmodean was a great addition. I felt sad that he died at the end. I know he wasn’t a good person, but his dynamic with Rand was fantastic.

Concerning Min’s POV, her plotline was a lot of fun, the least expected thing for me was Leane. Her growth and development were one of the most interesting aspects. How she is forced to adapt to her situation. Jordan’s exploration of life after being stilled was handled tastefully. How would an Aes Sedai face another day? The contrast between her and Siuan was executed well. That whole plotline was filled with intrigue like what does Jordan plan to do with Logain, what does he plan to do with Siuan? All these are very interesting questions that will be addressed in LoC, I’m sure! The Gareth POV was refreshing, showcasing how a “normal” person comprehends these chaotic events.

Now the last POV I will be discussing is Morgase. I didn’t realise her chapters were polarising, but I genuinely loved it. How she realises she’s being mind controlled was done very cleverly. The political situation I found to be intriguing. Seeing the ramifications of her actions (while being mind controlled). How it has impacted the common people, the excessive taxes, the damaged relationships etc. Curious how she can turn around this situation and restore her dignity and honour. The new two characters from that POV were nice like Lini and Tallanvor.

As you can see I had a ton of positives though speaking of missed potential I will mention a few. I felt Jordan was setting up Couladin to be a major player. Which is a thread that was introduced from TSR and built a lot in FoH. Ultimately it was disappointing that a large chunk of that conflict was offscreen. Rand and Mat's POVs were still great in those chapters, but the event itself could have been executed better. We could have seen a Lan or Rhuarc during that encounter, that would have been amazing. The high point was the aftermath, rather than the battle itself. Rand's delirium and madness seep after the destruction of the building. Plus, I’m always a sucker for outer perspectives on Rand.


Conclusion

In Conclusion, there’s still a surprising lot that can be said for this book which speaks volumes about its quality. Is this book flawed? Absolutely! However, this is probably my second favourite entry in the series. I loved how it built upon the prior books, expand on it and I’m excited to read the fan favourite Lord of Chaos!

8-8.5/10

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one where Nynaeve runs off to join the circus.

I am not joking. It felt like 400 of 700 pages were Nynaeve fretting about neckline depth, while following a character arc that took her from being scared to being slightly less scared, kind of but not really learning some humility, sitting still with Master Luca's circus for pages and pages and pages until she finally remembered where the rebel Aes Sedai were gathering, and in total leaving me wondering why Lan should ever continue their stated long-distance romance.

The remaining 300 pages were Rand and his Aiel moving back into Randland and facing the Shaido Aiel, and by the end Mat converting into his character for the rest of the series. There are several explosive moments to cap it all off, and these were welcome, but they did not erase all of that dead time spent at the circus. Perrin stays out of this book except in mention by other characters.

In past readings of this series I always lost track of all of those Forsaken, so MAJOR SPOILERS HERE as I track them for my own sake:
Fate of the Forsaken:
Aginor - Greedy for power. Green cloak. Killed by Rand at the Eye of the World; burned up when Rand stole away the connection to the EotW saidin.
Asmodean - weakest of the Forsaken? Quick to abandon plans if they turn difficult. Made captive to train Rand in using Sai'din. Killed by ??? in a "Oh, it's you," moment
Balthamel - enjoys "pleasures of the flesh" (torture). Grey cloak. Killed bodily by the Green Man.
Be'lal = High Lord Samon in Tear. Called "the Envious" and "netweaver" but doesn't matter b/c balefired by Moiraine.
Ishamael = Ba'alzamon - finally killed for real, right? Bodily stabbed through heart by Rand with Callandor in the Stone of Tear (in ?Telaranrhiod but confirmed in the real world)
Lanfear - obsessed with the Dragon, wants to make him powerful and make him hers. Stays close to Rand. Shoved into the red twisted doorframe by Moiraine; dead?
Rahvin - "with his thirst for power," "best plans take time to mature". Tall dark man, white at temples. Controlled Morgase in Caemlyn with Compulsion. Balefired by Rand in Tellaranrhiod/Caemlyn.

Demandred - hates Rand (the Dragon)
Graendal - lurking in Arad DomanMesaana - ?
Moghedien - "the spider"; fought down by Nynaeve in Tarabon. Now captured by Nynaeve in Tellaranrhiod and held captive by Nynaeve and Elayne in Salidar.
Sammael - envies Rand (the Dragon); rules in Illian as Lord Brend on the Council of Nine. Swordmaster. Supposedly antagonizing Rand while he fought the Shaido Aiel.
Semirhage - ?

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all the rest of the Wheel of Time books this was an enjoyable and engaging read. It was not quite as well paced as the 4th book in the series, but Jordan has a knack for keeping my attention even when not a lot is actually happening. A sure sign of a master storyteller.

The biggest shock was that this book did not feature Perrin at all! That left Rand and the pairing of Nynaeve and Elayne as the main POV characters. Luckily that worked out well enough as both story arcs were good. Rand and the Aiel are on the move from Rhuidean. Mostly to save Cairhien from Couladin and his renegade Aiel. Rand also has to deal with attacks from a few of the Forsaken. Nynaeve and Elayne were on the move from Tanchico to Salidar, where they aimed to join up with the rebel Aes Sedai. Along the way the had to dodge Moghidean and the Black Ajah. Their journey was lengthy and while this was not the best book for Nynaeve as a character, she was a little too crazy at times, I did always enjoy her POV segments.

Min, Siuan, Mat, Morgase, and Egwene all had supporting roles in the story. I loved the addition of Siuan and Morgase as POV characters. Egwene did not have a lot to do, but I did feel she showed a bit of growth and maturity. Mat was an ass for the majority of the book, but had a few good moments towards the end.

This was another highly addictive read. I like the balance between the action and the somewhat weird and crazy humor that Jordan favours.

Rating: 4.5 stars. Not quite as awesome as the 4th book, but still great.

Audio Note: What to say? Krammer and Reading were as awesome as ever.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s interesting rereading Wheel of Time and really seeing how great of a series it is, in terms of being simply such great fantasy, but also recognising where some areas do happen to lack slightly, and I think that this was fairly prevalent in this novel. Now, whereas there were some truly epic scenes, especially towards the second half of the novel, which were so, my god, so good, there were also some fairly long travelogues where nothing really happened for dozens of pages at a time, and it was just characters bickering at each other.

Now, I’m generally fairly lenient with my Wheel of Time ratings, as generally, for each book, while I have criticisms, I also adore the series so damning much as a whole that I tend to give books rating higher than I might otherwise give a book of the same quality. I feel for me that the series as a whole and what it accomplishes, the worldbuilding and the characters make it one of my series of all time, yet despite that, I would probably not actually name any of the individual books as my favourites of all time, as I tend to think of it as one body of work set in the same world, but the series overall is just fantastic.

This book had so many great moments and scenes that were just absolutely top tier, 10/10 content, and I simply loved so much. I mean, everything that happened around Cairhien and that ending in Caemlyn, just fantastic. I also really loved Siuan Sanche and Morgase’s pov, and frankly, Morgase is such a legend with such a strong will, that no wonder Elayne is the sort of character that she is. We also have some interesting development from Rand, and especially Mat, who really started to shine in this book. Mat is one of my favourite characters ever, and I don’t know how far I will get into this reread before I decide reading something else, but I definitely make it through the whole series eventually, where Mat is really is such a remarkable figure in fantasy.

After the prominent role Perrin played in The Shadow Rising, he didn’t even make a single appearance in this novel, which was fair enough, as the mini arc in book 4 did wrap up nicely, but it is also an interesting choice to make I found, as he is one of the main characters in the series, and he didn’t even make pop up this book at all.

One thing this book could have been was maybe about 150 pages shorter. Nothing too important really happens with Nynaeve, Elayne and that whole situation on the western side of the continent, and a large chunk probably could have been cut. There were some nice moments and important sections to be sure, but a lot of it was also just them travelling along and slowly making progress and I feel much of that was really not all that necessary to the overall plot of the novel at all. The series as a whole does contain a lot of travelling and some really enjoy that, others don’t. I’m sort of in the middle, like, travelling is nice and all and we get to see the world being described, but sometimes it can really be overdone, and I’m aware it gets much worse in the slog books, but I don’t even remember if there was a lot of travelling or just that the plot didn’t move much.

Also, as an end note, Moiraine deserves all of our respect. 9/10

[Nimrod Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable ride with great characters. and finally we see the Forsaken coming to the front. It was good but it doesn't quite match the brilliance of "The Shadow Rising".

While the book was very enjoyable, the first two-thirds had a slow pace, with not much happening. There were a few interesting events, but it dragged more than it should have. Keep in mind that two-thirds of such a mammoth is the length of a full book (and not a short one), so I did expect more interesting things to happen.
Having said that, the last third was brilliant. Jordan shows that when he wants to, he can write great stuff. Chopping off 300 pages would have greatly improved this book.

We see a lot of Rand, and he does grow as a character, gets stronger, and always trying to be unpredictable.
There's not much focus on Mat throughout the whole book, even though he's a Ta'veren. Actually, he only got some spotlight towards the end of the book, but when he did, he shined. His future role in the series is getting clearer.
Egwene is great as always. One of my favorite characters.
Moiraine played her part well of giving some guidance to Rand when needed. They're stating to get along with each other.
Aviendha starts to grow on me. She wasn't one of my favorites but does evolve into a compelling character.

The second major plotline follows Nynaeve and Elayne's POV. Their plotline was mostly slow, especially throughout the first two-thirds, despite having quite a lot of POV chapters. Actually, unless they interacted with other important characters, their plotline just dragged too much. When they did interact with others, it was much better.
Elayne earned a few points, while Nynaeve was a bit annoying to be honest, though she did very well toward the ending.

Min and a few others get numerous POV chapters, but they had a rather weak plotline

Forsaken - more of them are coming to the front in this book, which is great!

Perrin is totally missing. After a significant development in book 4 I did expect to see him... :(

All in all, the first 2/3 was just nice, while the last third was a roller-coaster of events (including a few shocking ones).
The first 2/3 was quite good but scratches the 4 stars (3.75-4/5).
The last third shines bright as balefire (4.5-4.75/5).
4.25/5

[Daniel T · Rating 4 out of 5]

و بالاخره این جلد هم تموم شد
هرچند خوندنش بسی طول کشید (به لطف خشکی جناب رند) ولی خب تموم شد.

🔴این ریویو حاوی اسپویل هست🔴

توی ۱۰ فصل پایانی جردن هم زخم کاری هاشو کرد و هم داستان رو بسیار زیباتر کرد و کلی مسیر باز کرد که معلوم نیست شخصیت ها به کجا میرند و چه سرنوشتی براشون رقم خورده.

گلایه ام به این جلد حضور نداشتن پرین بود. بعد از اتفاقاتی که توی جلد چهارم پشت سر گذاشت به شدت منتظر دنبال کردن داستانش بودم ولی خب متاسفانه جردن در حق پرین کوتاهی کرد و هیچ خبری ازش در این جلد نبود.

مورگیز … داستان بسیار جالبی رو پشت سر گذاشت، عروسک خیمه شب بازی شدندش توسط یکی از مطرودین و فرار اون با بدبختی و پشت سر گذاشتن تمامی میراث و کشورش دردناک بود، هرچند امیدوارم این اتفاق باعث بشه انقدر هوس باز نباشه و مملکت رو سر این چیزا به باد نده🥸😂

خط داستانی رند این جلد تا یک سوم پایانی کتاب حقیقتا برام حوصله سربر بود، درکل رند تا به اینجا شخصیت جذابی نداشته و تنها نقطه عطف شخصیتش اینه که بر خلاف فانتزی های دیگه که شخصیت اصلی خودش رو بسیار بالا میدونه و وقتی میفهمه بقای دنیا بهش بستگی داره بلافاصله تبدیل به شخصیتی رویایی میشه، رند ما اینطور نیست و دقیقا برعکسه، فرار از دست سرنوشت، و وقتی میفهمه فرار فایده ای نداره سعی میکنه یاد بگیره و این یادگیری به طور منطقی پیش میره و رند کم کم شروع به یادگیری میکنه، حتی راحت زخمی میشه و توی نبرد معمولا بی خاصیته که تو این جلد هم باعث رقم خوردن یک تراژدی بس غمگین و دردناک در عین حال حماسی شد.


بریم سراغ مت 😅 مت هم این جلد یک کار خفنی کرد، از وقتی مت توی جلد یک اون خنجر رو پیدا کرد شد یکی از شخصیت های موردعلاقم و توی جلد چهارم خیلی بیشتر پسندم شد اتفاقاتی که از سر گذروند و اون معامله های عجیب غریبی که با یه سری موجودات کرد و تبدیل شد به مرد به دار آویخته ماجرا و صحبت کردنش به زبون باستانی و کسب اطلاعاتش راجع به استراتژی و تاکتیک های نبرد و ایجاد گروه red hand و … دست به دست داد و شخصیتی خفن تر از رند ساخت.

سوان سانچه … آمریلین سقوط کرد و سوان ما شد بینوا و بیچاره که برای جونش فرار کرد، هرچند اونقدر زحمت کشیده بود توی این سالها که نمیتونه راحت از به پیروزی رسیدن رند در نبرد آخر و علیه شیطان چشم بپوشه. پس به هر نوحی مسیرو پیش میبره. سوان تبدیل شده به یکی از شخصیت های مورد علاقم البته جز وقتایی که با ناینیو کل کل میکنند😕

و اما جذاب ترین بخش برای من تو این جلد خط داستانی ناینیو و الاین بود مسیر جالبو پر پیچ و خمی رو پشت سر گذاشتند و مخاطب رو بیشتر با عالم رویا آشنا کردند، هرچند این عالم رویا هم دردسرهای خودشو داره و حماقت های ناینیو باعث شد اتفاق عجیبی رقم بخوره(هرچند بسی از این اتفاق هیجان زده و خرسند شدم)

مرگ مویرین هم به شدت حماسی و دردناک بود، طوری که خودش رو فدا کرد برای نجات رند که اگر انجام نمیگرفت این عمل،طبق نامه‌ای که مویرین به رند داد : یا رند معشوقه لنفیر میشد و یا لنفیر، رند رو میکشت.

آسمودین هم اومد زرنگ بازی در بیاره و طرز عجیبی توسط شخصی ناشناس به قتل رسید، شخصیت جالبی بود از زندانی شدنش توسط رند و آموزش هایی که به رند میداد همه جذاب بودند و حتی در اواخر کتاب کارهایی میکرد که انگار نه انگار از مطرودین بود.

بعد از فتح کاملین و کشتن rahvin توسط رند شخصی که مامور از بین بردن مزریم تعیم بود به نزد رند میاد و خبر میده که تعیم در آندور هست و اینجا نقشه عجیب و جالب رند رو میبینم، با اینکه تعیم اژدهای دروغین هست، رند سعی داره از اون به نفع خودش استفاده کنه و ارتشی از جادوگران مرد رو هرچند کوچک ایجاد کنه.

و در آخر هم کتاب با مورگیز و سفرش برای یافتن متحدین برای بازپس گیری تاح و تخت تموم شد.

[Michael Mayer III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Jordan continued his hot streak with The Fires of Heaven, which is my new favorite of the series and may end up being the best of the whole series when it's all said and done. This fifth book picks up right where The Shadow Rising left off, much like previous books before it. I've noticed that a common theme seems to emerge when reading these tomes. I'll often be going through and realize I'm 50% or 70% done and it doesn't seem like much has happened. Then, upon reflection, I'll realize a lot has happened and the end rips through like a hurricane to throw everything into chaos and progress the plot forward ten-fold. The Fires of Heaven amplified this feeling more than the previous four books did.

The main POV's this go 'round are Rand, Nynaeve (monotone "yay"), with a little Mat sprinkled in. Rand and Mat's chapters are fantastic and keep driving the plot forward while revealing the most new information and lore of the world. I found myself eagerly awaiting them whenever I was in the middle of Nynaeve's sloggish chapters and disappointed when the story moved away from them to her. Mat has really grown into his own and I love his constant struggle with wanting to run away and be his own person while feeling a sense of responsibility to those around him. I don't think we see a greater effect of the ta'veren pull than with him. Rand, well, let's just say Rand levels up a few. He was at a Level 40 at the end of The Shadow Rising and he's up to Level 60 now while finally having the confidence and determination to match. His growth is, perhaps, starkest as you see less of him being manipulated and more of him manipulating and positioning others. The entire final 5 chapters show his growth in channeling and his new teacher helps him unlock a lot of potential.

So, can you tell yet that I strongly dislike Nynaeve yet? The Shadow Rising really set me off in how she acted like a know-it-all petulant child that never admitted their mistakes and always bullrushed into things to get everyone else in trouble. The Fires of Heaven features a heavy dose of Nynaeve and that may cause you to shudder as it did for me. At least I knew what I was in for and the promise from Wheel of Time fans that her arc ends up being a fantastic one is the only bright hope I have in struggling through being in her head so often. You do see a little bit of that growth by the end in that she messes up so often and so badly that she has started to realize she can't do this alone and she needs some serious help. Not just with her 'block' but with her stubbornness to rush into situations as if she knows what she's doing. She gets a particular tongue-lashing from Egwene that was hysterical and thrilling to read as I'd feel for any little kid finally sticking up to the bully and putting them in their place. By the end, I still can't stand Nynaeve, but I have hope for the future.

Of course, it didn't help that most of her chapters progressed the plot at a snails pace with a large amount having her, Elayne, Thom, and Juilin being in a... circus... yes, a circus. It was a horrible idea and weak plot device to get them around the land and reading it was about as fun as watching paint dry. And yet, I still love this book because of little things that would happen in these chapters that were amazing enough to keep my interest. Whether it was engaging battles with imaginative sword play or frequent visits in dreams that powered the mysteries and lore of the world forward, there were always these little snippets to keep me coming back. Also, everybody's favorite flaming son of motherless goats is bloody back in her POV chapters and that bumps everything up a notch.

The Fires of Heaven features more POV's from secondary and tertiary characters than any of the previous 4 books combined. I won't spoil whose mind you get to be inside of, but there's plenty on both sides of the fight. The best ones involve the Forsaken who, to this point, have been mostly behind the scenes and elusive. Seeing just how much they don't know or struggle with was eye opening and made me curious to know more of their backstories and how they came to serve the Dark One. Surprisingly, we don't see Perrin at all, but it makes sense considering he had a big chunk of The Shadow Rising and I expect he'll be back in Lord of Chaos.

My biggest gripe with the Mat and Rand storyline is the battle that has been foreshadowed and built up through the first half of the book. Just when you finally start seeing some payoff, you get Hobbit'ed and shoot to the aftermath. I literally kept swiping back and forth in my Kindle to be sure I didn't accidentally jump ahead or skip a chapter. If I had a physical book, I would've checked to be sure pages weren't ripped out. It was that disorienting and a very confusing choice by Robert Jordan. Especially since the major shocking moment occurred off-page, and it's the one moment I wanted to see. I mean, I have to drudge through reading about circus events and then, when we get to the big battle, it's just... over? Considering the wonderfully descriptive battles that have been in the series to this point, I was shocked.

Fortunately, the ending of The Fires of Heaven redeemed that horrible choice in a major way. The last five chapters, starting with the always foreboding 'Choices', put the reader on a rollercoaster that I can't help but feel inspired Brandon Sanderson's writing style with his Sanderlanches he does at the end of every book. Where it feels like the first 80% of the book progresses the plot slowly a mile ahead, the ending shoots the plot forward a hundred miles. Major confrontations I've been anticipating for a couple of books happened, revelations were shared, tears were shed, battles were raged and the game was changed. Much like a Sanderlanche from a Stormlight Archive book, I started Choices and knocked off the remaining 120 pages in one sitting over a couple of hours. I could. NOT. STOP! Endings are very important to me and determining my overall enjoyment of a book. I need satisfying and earned payoffs. I need big revelations. I need game changing events if it's mid-series. The Fires of Heaven delivered on all of those and I couldn't be more excited to go into the next book in the series. Bring on Lord of Chaos!

*Shudders as to what that title might mean*

The Wheel of Time
The Eye of the World - 8/10
The Great Hunt - 9.5/10
The Dragon Reborn - 8.5/10
The Shadow Rising - 10/10
The Fires of Heaven - 10/10
Lord of Chaos - 10/10
A Crown of Swords - 9.5/10
The Path of Daggers - 10/10
Winter's Heart - 10/10
Crossroads of Twilight - 7/10
Knife of Dreams - 10/10
The Gathering Storm - 10/10
Towers of Midnight - 10/10
A Memory of Light - 10/10

[Books with Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the WoT series. Minor quibbles here and there, but otherwise highly enjoyable fantasy.

SPOILERS PEOPLE.

Highlights:
- ♪ Da, da, dum dum, dum - ♪♫ another one bites the dust! Forsaken, that is.
- Padan Fain gets reunited with his long lost love. And then disappears for the rest of the book.
- Morgase is pronounced dead. o_O Like anyone fell for that Mr Jordan.
- Mat’s BATTLEMASTER © skills are revealed.
- Bye bye Couladin
- Rahvin kills Mat, Asmodean & Aviendha. WHAT???
- Siuan vs Gareth.
- Salidar road trip.
- Lanfear LOSES. HER. SHIT. But it's ok. See Vicky Mendoza diagonal
- Galad is not a dick. But causes a war. So point of view I suppose?
- Nynaeve vs Moghedien escalates
- A surprise trip to Seanchan.
- Rand. Aviendha. ♪ When they get that feeling, ♫ they need, sex-u-al ♪ heeaaling ♫
- Murder Mystery